1. If the Astros turn their back on Roger Clemens, where exactly does he turn for love? His other former teams â Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays â obviously want nothing to do with him. It was thought only dimwit Houston owner Drayton McLane would have any chance of showing Clemens love. Now even McLane is inching away from Clemens. Here is our new movie: No Team for Old Men.
2. The Dodgers signed three big free agent contracts after the 2006 season and they have been just disastrous. Juan Pierre already has lost his center field job and may not start anywhere in the outfield. Nomar Garciaparra lost his first base job and now may not even be the third baseman with young Andy LaRoche pushing hard. And Jason Schmidt, who lost most of last season to shoulder surgery, has had to be shut down this spring already with fatigue in that repaired shoulder.
3. Jon Niese starts today for the Mets, and this is an interesting spring for the lefty. The Mets had to use three pitchers (Kevin Mulvey, Phil Humber and Deolis Guerra) to land Johan Santana. So the organization badly needs to replenish young arms, especially at the higher ends of the minors. And Niese, who likely will begin at Double-A, is the one name that you keep hearing over and over from Met executives.
