Blow off work on this Friday morning and circle the verbs in each of the following articles:
*Roger Clemens was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame (which includes Whitey Bulger, Leonardo DiCaprio from "The Departed," and Ben Affleck) prior to last night's game, and said that - should he ever be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, he would like to wear a Red Sox cap on his plaque.
*Now that Rat Bastard Selig is actually, like, for reals, stepping down, Jim Crane would like to take a more proactive role as an owner.
*Also within that link, Houston mayor Annise Parker was asked her thoughts on the 2014 Astros:
That's not a real question, is it? The season sucked. I appreciate the investment in the farm teams, though, and it is the way to build a baseball team for the long term. And I am excited that maybe we'll be able to watch (games on television). I'm one of those Houstonians who can't watch at home.
*Matthew Leach points out that Domingo Santana is the 49th player since 1914 to start a Major League career 0x17. (Chris Carter started his career 0x33 with two walks before recording his first ML hit).
*Sad news: Gordy MacKenzie, a longtime scout/coach who had been coaching with the GCL Astros since 2008 (and had been a minor-league coach since 1966), passed away on Tuesday.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
