Shanoff’s Wake-Up Call: Clemens, LeBron, More!

By Dan Shanoff
Today’s Calls: Roger Clemens vs. Jeff Novitzky, LeBron vs. History, Chris Paul vs. Steve Nash, Memphis vs. C-USA, Sports execs vs. Congress, NFL Free Agency vs. NFL Draft, Derek Anderson vs. Brady Quinn, Scott Spiezio vs. the Cops, Semi-Pro vs. Talladega Nights and More!
The Opening Pitch: Roger Clemens has stepped in it now. Congress wants the Justice Department to investigate his potential lies in front of them. It’s not just about McNamee’s word. It’s about Pettitte’s. It’s about C.J. Nitkowski’s (see below).
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It’s about Clemens having little support among fans and, apparently, even less support among members of Congress, where Democrats and Republicans could finally agree: The guy is too sketchy to leave alone.
It’s about Clemens’ defensive, defiant posture of denial, which might now be the lasting symbol of his career. Who knows: Maybe he will admit to “mis-remembering?” (For now, he has nothing to say... finally.)
But the fact is: When the Justice Department picks up the case, indictments happen. That’s where IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky comes in, the Eliot Ness of the Steroids Era in sports.
The Clemens circus may be over, but the serious stuff is only beginning.
(By the way: C.J. Nitkowski was the player who told the Feds about Clemens telling clubhouse stories about Debbie Clemens and Jessica Canseco comparing breast jobs at Jose Canseco’s now-infamous party.)
NBA Milestone of the Night: LeBron 10K. James may be the youngest player ever to get to 10,000 career points (he’s 23 and 2 months old), but last night’s loss to the Celtics suggests this just might not be his year...
Symbolism of the Night: “Hornets 120, Suns 103,” perfectly captures New Orleans’ amazing ride to the upper-echelon of the West this season (Chris Paul’s 25 and 15 topped Nash’s 8 and 13, and the Hornets swept the season series against the Suns)...
More: Rout of the Night: Nuggets scored an NBA season-high 138 (in regulation!), blitzing the Sonics... Stud of the Night: Mike Bibby, who had 24 points and 12 assists in his Hawks home debut, a win over his old mates from Sacto... Rally of the Night: The Jazz came from 15 down to beat the Pistons.
CBB Last Night: A Memphis win over yet another average C-USA peer doesn’t mean much now that they have been exposed by the best of their non-conference schedule... Duke is back on track in the ACC, and Kansas is similarly back on track on the road in the Big 12... Congrats to Vivian Stringer, only the 3rd women’s college basketball coach ever to reach 800 wins.
CBB Tonight: Michigan State tips off back-to-back games (tonight at Wisconsin, this weekend against Indiana) that could have significant NCAA Tournament seeding ramifications.
League honchos vs. Congress (again): Yes, testifying about steroids (again). And, yes, each denying (again) there was such a big problem that Congress needed to intervene with sweeping legislation.
I agree with them, but the leagues aren’t going to win the perception battle with Congress without more aggressive (and transparent) moves against PEDs.
(Meanwhile, it’s so quaint that Congress puts the NHL at the big boy table. If they’re going to include Gary Bettman, why not the Arena League commissioner?)
NFL Free Agency starts at midnight! Here are the Top 5 most intriguing names to watch:
1. Randy Moss
2. Michael Turner
3. Asante Samuel
4. Alan Faneca
5. Lance Briggs
Browns offer QB Derek Anderson a 3Y/$20M deal (with $10M guaranteed). He would be insane not to take it, given his career prior to last season’s breakout. (Four words: Regression to the mean.) Meanwhile: Umm, what about Brady Quinn?
Brett Favre returning to the Packers in 2008? That’s what new team president Mark Murphy thinks. Is he engaging in some wishful thinking, does he know something that we don’t or is he just getting out in front of Favre’s annual offseason tease?
R.I.P. Myron Cope, 79: There may not be a more beloved local play-by-play guy than the Steelers’ Cope, who -- among other things -- created the “Terrible Towel.” I am sure he will be dearly missed by Steelers fans, who have the condolences of fans everywhere. (One more condolence: To the family, friends and fans of W.C. Heinz, 93, one of the greatest sportswriters of all time.)
MLB Spring Training: Scott Spiezio, already leading the league with one arrest warrant (involving six charges) against him. (The Cards want no part of it: They released him yesterday.)
Wrigley going corporate? Reiterating yesterday’s position: Real fans know that Wrigley is about the physical experience of being at the park, not about what that park is called. “Friendly confines” doesn’t change, even if it modifies, say, “AON Park.”
Varsity Mom: Kim Clijsters, who gave birth to a baby girl, Jada, yesterday. That the baby was born nine months after her retirement is hardly coincidence. All best to mom, dad Brian Lynch and baby.
Will Ferrell’s Semi-Pro opens tomorrow: Between the massive hype, the even-more-massive commercialization (Super Bowl Bud Light ad) and Ferrell’s place as the preeminent movie star for sports satire, this is the sports movie of the year.
Will it do well? Undoubtedly. Will it be any good? Well, if you appreciate the ABA -- as you should! -- it can’t be anything BUT good.
(Now: How do I get my hands on a Flint Tropics retro jersey?)
The Last Word: Leap Day Mania. February 29 always feels like a strange non-day, a pure bonus where you can do things you could never do on a “normal” day. So, naturally, I’m jetting off to Mexico for a long weekend.
But I’m leaving you in the insanely capable hands of my Sporting Blog colleague Spencer Hall, who is one of my favorite talents in all of sports media. Enjoy, and I’ll see you back in this space on Wednesday. Gloriously, it will be March.
Dan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com.
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