Roger Clemens Witness List Looks More Like an All-Star Roster

Former pitching great Roger Clemens may call on ex-teammates to testify in his defense at his perjury trial.  At the same time, a prosecutor said he may call former players already implicated in the scandal to the stand as well.  It's virtually a Who's Who of future, potential and tainted Hall of Famers.

While throngs of potential jurors lined up outside the E. Prettyman Court House in Washington; both sides planned their strategies and it sounds like a lot of former baseball greats might be headed for the stand.

It sounded like U.S. District Judge might permit Clemens former Yankees teammates-- Chuck Knoblauch, Andy Pettitte and Mike Stanton-- to take the stand, after Clemen's attorney, Rusty Hardin, said that Clemens' main accuser, Brian McNamee, created evidence made to blackmail his client.

Other potential witnesses including Mark McGwire, Jorge Posada and Sammy Sosa also appeared on the list.

Jeter's Milestone Hit Could Fetch $250 G's For Lucky (Really Lucky) Fan

Fans lucky enough to score tickets for this weekend's New York Yankees series against the Tampa Bay Rays have a ground-rule double's chance of making a killing if they catch Derek Jeter's historic 3,000th hit.  Collectors would be willing to pay as much as $250,000 for the prized ball, according to a report in the New York Post.

Fans shouldn't get their hopes of paying off their mortgages or getting a Yankees premium box-seat season ticket (and a couple of hot dogs) just yet.  The chances are slim that the ball will even make it into the stands.  Jeter has only smacked two home-runs this season and the only other option (and a better one) for a hit into the stands would be a ball that bounces from the outfield or baseline into the seats.

Jeter has 11 doubles so far this season and hit one last night in Cleveland.

Merchandisers are having field day with Jeter's 3,000th hit.  According to the New York Post, over 200 products associated with the big hit are available.  Prices have doubled on all Jeter collectibles.

Collectors should be on the lookout for fakes.  Steiner Sports-- a major sponsor of the Yankees and major supplier of team collectibles --has a contract to sell five gallons of dirt from the Yankee infield Jeter will step on the day of the sacred hit.  Order your vials now and know your dirt.

"Derek Jeter is always worth a premium in everything he does," said Brandon Steiner, president of Steiner Sports.  " His status among fans is unmatched, and this is one of the biggest moments of his career."

While anxious fans wait for Jeter's historic hit, and others hope for a big payday, chances are The Captain will have the ball handed over to him by an opposing player.  And you know Jeter is going to hold that ball closer than Minka Kelly.

"Derek will probably keep his bat and glove," said Steiner.  "He is still deciding what he wants or doesn't want."

This hit means everything to the life-long Yankees shortstop.  Think about it.  Jeter is the first, in a long line of Yankees greats, to achieve this measure of greatness.

The sixteen year veteran will be the first Yankee in history to reach the 3,000 hit plateau-- and he got every single one wearing pinstripes.  No other New York Yankees player-- not Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio or Mantle-- can lay claim to that fact.

In 2007, after Alex Rodriguez hit his milestone 500th home-run at the old Yankee Stadium, there were estimates the ball could sell for as much as $500,000.  Last February, the ball sold for $103,579.

A-Rod is no Jeter in Yankee Nation's eyes.

The Yankees say not everything will be sold but expect collectors to be picking Jeter's esteemed carcass clean.

According to Steiner, a worn dirty sock from the historic game will go for about $1,000.  Who knew a dirty Jeter sock ordinarily goes for only $500.  Other more prized personal items like individual cleats from Jeter's shoes will open bidding at $7,000 each.  You have $20 grand lying around, a signed game jersey could be a nice nest egg. 

Bases will go for at least $7,500 each and signed game balls will grab at least  $2,500 and then there are photos and bats...

Count on the prices to go up.

Swedish Women's Soccer Team's Victory Dance Over U.S. is a Winner

I watched Sweden's 2-1 win over the United States, in their FIFA Women's World Cup soccer group-play match today, and learned a few things about women's soccer I never realized before.

First of all, every women's team seems to have a team victory dance they perform after every goal or win.  My vote for best choreography  goes to Sweden.  It's a Nordic Polska with a little gangsta crotch-grab to spice it up. 

Here's a few other things I picked up on the sport today.

Apparently, the women's style of soccer play is just as scrappy as the men's but they don't cry, roll around in agony and there are way less prat-falls and flopping.  That's probably because an Italian team wasn't on the field.

There is a lot of spirited chatter on the field but, thankfully, it's not as loud as an NCAA women's softball game or the grunting at a Wimbleton Women's Finals match.

The sideline bench area looks more like a nail salon than a sports bench.  Did you see those seats?  Who supplies them, Audi or BMW?  Those blue and white bucket seats, complete with headrests, look like they should be sitting in front of a 60-inch flat screen in some dude's man-cave.  I'm almost sure they have vibrating magic fingers.

The U.S. goalie, Hope Solo, is pretty cute, and not related to Han, and the Swedish team is 92.5% blond.

Finally, the ESPN soccer announcers are the biggest homers in all sports.  They make excuses for every U.S. misplay or loss.  If it's not a "that was a bad call against the U.S.," it's a "this loss will make the U.S. team stronger, that's just how they are."  Get over it, Sweden is a pretty good team.

Now, the U.S. will face Brazil in a tough  quarterfinal match on Sunday.  The U.S. team has been relegated to second place in Group C due to the loss.  It was the United States women's soccer team's first  loss in group play in their last 17 appearances.

I knew that.

Phil Hughes Might Have Only One Chance To Prove Himself

Derek Jeter's quest for 3,000 will, unrealistically, take a backseat to another New York Yankees moment tonight. This evening, all eyes of the Yankee Universe will be focused on Phil Hughes return to the mound when the Yankees meet the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.  Hughes' performance tonight might determine his chances of rejoining the Yankees starting rotation, permanently.

Hughes is returning from the disabled list and hopes to put his first three nightmarish starts of this season behind him.  What would have sounded like deja-vu in spring training is now a reality-- Hughes is once again fighting for a position on the over-stocked Yankees rotation.

Maybe the Yankees are hoping that the Jeter milestone will obscure their struggling starter's long-awaited return and take the pressure off.

After Hughes earned the starting spot last season in spectacular fashion, his "dead arm" issues early this season have transported him back to an uncertain future--for now.  A poor outing tonight could land him Yankees Limbo.

Kobayashi Downs Record 69 Hot Dogs To Win Simulcast Eating Competition

Article and photos by Tony Mangia

On a rooftop bar in mid-town Manhattan, six-time champ Takeru Kobayashi downed a record 69 hot dogs to become the unofficial winner of this year's annual Nathan's hot dog eating competition—only problem was, he was seven miles west of the actual boardwalk event on Coney Island.

With the Empire State Building as a backdrop and a ten-foot high TV screen showing the actual sanctioned Nathan's Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Competition in real-time on ESPN, Kobayashi went up against the broadcasted competitors on the big screen and demolished the field via the air waves.

You know the new saying: If you're not allowed to join 'em face-to-face, beat 'em via television simulcast. 

Four-time defending champ, Joey Chestnut, ate 62 hot dogs today and won the authentic competition from the Nathan's at Surf and Stillwell Avenues in Brooklyn, but it was Kobayashi who broke Chestnut's two-year old record of 68 and technically ate more hot dogs on this Fourth of July during the same time span.

On this steamy hot morning, about 500 Kobayashi supporters crowded the 230 Fifth Avenue rooftop bar and braved overcast skies and dehydration as they cheered for their exiled competitive eating champion.

Kobayashi says he is banned from the Nathan's event due to a two year old contract dispute with Major League Eating which oversees the Nathan's annual event.  A clause in the contract stipulates Kobayashi cannot appear in certain eating competitions and the league would control his endorsements.

Last year in protest, Kobayashi was arrested at the Nathan's event after he climbed over a barrier and stormed the stage of the Nathan's contest. He spent time in a New York City jail.

230 Fifth's owner, Steven Greenberg, said he approached Kobayashi with the simulcast idea after seeing Kobayashi's arrest last year.

"He [Kobayashi] is a cross between an athlete and a performer," said Greenberg.  "It's entertainment."

Greenberg said Kobayashi was paid for his hot dog eating appearance, but said it wasn't an endorsement or promotional fee and wouldn't disclose the amount.

Today, Kobayashi stood alone on a stage with a table, which was measured to the exact competition height, and two members of the New York State Athletic Commission—former-boxers Tyrone "The Harlem Butcher" Jackson and Brian Adams—who acted as judges.

A timer rested on the table along with five large cups of water and a person to count the hot dogs devoured and flip a tally card. The huge TV screen to Kobayashi's right dwarfed the smallish eater with a huge appetite.  He never looked at the screen even once.

The pro-Kobayashi crowd cheered loudly as he jumped to any early lead over Chestnut.  It was 36-27 at about the half-way mark and the Japanese eater never slowed down before crushing Chestnut.  Sixty-nine barkers later, Kobayshi held the unofficial title once again.

There was some concern at the end of the contest when some credentialed "spies" for Nathan's said there was confusion and a miscount.  The discretion was cleared up when the flipper/counter explained that they didn't only count hot dogs individually eaten, but also by the tray.  Each tray held five hot dogs and there was four left.  It was a two-step counting system.

After sixty-nine hot dogs and 18 pounds of additional weight, Kobayashi, sporting a blond-streaked mane, leaped to the table after the record was announced.  He shook his fist in triumph and pulled up his tee-shirt, which read "Kobi Unleashed" and puffed out his belly.

"I'm so happy to break the record in front of everyone," he beamed.

Asked if it was harder to compete with no one standing next to him Kobayashi said through a translator, "I compete for myself, I was battling myself today."

In the past, MLE president Richard Shea said the league wouldn't recognize Kobayashi's achievement if he wins.  "It's a farce," said Shea.  "He's not banned, he's just mad he lost three years in a row."

Kobayashi claims he has no hard feelings for the MLE.  He just doesn't want to sign a contract that restricts him.

Kobayashi may not lay claim to Nathan's "Mustard Yellow Belt" like  Chestnut, but he did break his record in public.

I don't know if simulcasting competitions from different venues to the same event is feasible in most sports or a wave of the future, but it's too bad it couldn't set up the one-on-one match-up everyone wants — Pacquaio vs. Mayweather.

For now though, we'll settle for Kobayashi vs. Chestnut.

Derek Jeter's Return Is A Yankee Doodle Quandary

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter makes his long-awaited return to the team against the Cleveland Indians today, after rehabbing his strained calf since June 13.  Jeter haters have already begun sharpening their daggers and picking spots to poke the Yankees aging star when he comes back.

It's seems almost fitting that Jeter continues his quest for his milestone 3,000th hit on the Fourth of July--George Steinbrenner's birthday.  All that's missing are a brass band, Yogi and Yankee Stadium bunting.

Jeter's return does not come without controversy and will shake up the line-ups for the Yankees and American League, respectively.

The Yankees icon went on the 15-day DL while slumping in the midst of his worst season start.  The 37-year-old Jeter was batting .260 with 2 home runs and a pedestrian on-base percentage of .324.  Not exactly great lead-off statistics or All-Star numbers.

Oh wait, Jeter is an All-Star.  We'll get to that later.

Jeter's replacement at shortstop, Eduardo Nunez, just came off an eye-opening offensive performance  in the weekend series against the New York Mets.  Nunez went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home-run in game two.

Nunez's offensive numbers are a slight improvement over Jeter's but it's his fresh legs and potential for improvement that keep him in the mix.   He has 10 stolen bases.

Nunez's defensive skills are just plain offensive and there is room for a lot of improvement there. The replacement player has turned even the simplest ground ball to short into an adventure.  Nunez already has eight errors and would probably have a couple more if it wasn't for the exquisite glove work of first baseman Mark Teixeira.  Still, yesterday's Yankees shortstop, Ramiro Pena, had fans longing for Nunez on the field.  Pena's two throwing errors cost the Yankees a victory at Citi Field

Nunez will probably never have the season Jeter had in 2009, when the then-35 year-old Jeter was third in the AL MVP voting, but the potential for a valuable offensive weapon in Nunez is there.

Then there is the problem with The Captain's replacement in the leadoff spot-- Brett Gardner.  The speedy left-fielder has cooled off in the past week but has provided the Yankees with a racehorse on the base paths and makes watching the Yankees more fun to watch.  He has 20 steals.

Now to the quandary pertaining to Jeter's return and the tough decisions manager Joe Girardi will have to address directly with the prideful Jeter:  Where does the aging superstar fit in?  A lot has happened over the past three weeks.

It's a given that Jeter will immediately return to the lead-off spot, at least until he gets the historic number 3,000, but how long will that feat take and does Jeter's return shake the Yankees from their recent winning streak.  The team did go 14-4 without Jeter putting on pinstripes, so questions about life after 3,000 will persist.

Does Girardi drop Jeter in the order after the big hit or does he take a wait-and-see attitude.  Who knows, maybe after the pressure of getting his 3,000th hit, Jeter's mojo could return.

Gardner's and Nick Swisher's numbers were pretty bad up until a few weeks ago, and there were calls for their heads.  Girardi didn't cave in to pressure and his decision to let them play has paid off handsomely during the current streak.

Another concern is Jeter himself.  Will the player who reluctantly went on the DL for the first time since 2003 publicly admit his calf is still bothering him--especially after all the success the team has had without him.  It's hard to imagine Jeter putting himself in rehab ever again.

Jeter was never a player known to whine about or pull himself from playing due to an injury. A trait many admire in a youthful player but could this same stoicism hinder or permanently disable an older Jeter's return.  Players who have suffered the same injury claim Jeter, by pushing up his return date, could actually cause more bad than good by a premature return.

While Jeter massaged his sore calf in Tampa, it must have pained him more to see the Yankees kicking the National League's butt and overtake the Boston Red Sox for first place in the AL East.  Odds are high, if the calf is slowing Jeter down, he will play through the pain until Girardi pulls the plug.

Expect to see more fireworks after tonight.  Here's how Jeter's return will all pan out.

First, Jeter returns to the lead-off spot and gets his 3,000th hit at home against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday July 8.  He slumps in mid-July and gets bumped down in the line-up and takes the demotion like a man.  Nunez watches from the dugout because there is no way Jeter is going to sit while the Yankees make a playoff run.

To all the Jeter-haters who think his All-Star selection is a farce due to his numbers and injury-shortened season, get over it.  Fans voted him in and want to see the Yankee icon take a bow at the ceremonial game.  It could be his last.

Jeter will proudly attends his 12th All-Star game with his 3,000th hit firmly behind him and the starting shortstop position and lead-off spot for the Yankees in hand, only not as tightly.

Jeter went 1-for-2 yesterday in a rehab game for the Trenton Thunder.  he had a bunt-single, a walk and a throwing error.  He wasn't pleased with his final game before returning to the Yankees.  He left the game after six innings to catch a flight to Cleveland.

"I got through it," said Jeter about his time on the DL.  "How about that?'

Oscar De La Hoya Tweets Fight Predictions: It Will Be Pacquiao and Ortiz

Oscar De La Hoya, who's last known whereabouts was in an undisclosed substance abuse facility in Southern California, has begun begun speaking out via Twitter once again, according to the New York Post.

In his first public tweet to his fans in weeks, the former Olympic Gold Medalist hyped the upcoming Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Victor Ortiz and Manny Pacquiao- Juan Manuel Marquez fights: "You watch.paquiao is going to beat Marquez easy and victor Ortiz is going to beat mayweather and then we will want Ortiz vs many."

Even if De La Hoya's spelling isn't very good, his predictions are loud and clear.  Maybe we'll never get that Pacquiao vs. Mayweather bout after all, according to De La Hoya.

The 38 year-old De La Hoya checked into rehab over a month ago for alcohol and cocaine addiction and hasn't been seen publicly since.  His last twitter to his fans was in Spanish and read: "I promise I will rise from the canvas and knock out this sickness and continue to grow as a person."

Looks like "Golden Boy" is already doing a little promoting of his own.