Hardball Heaven

Slow news day today. Everyone's still assessing the fallout from Barrygate, the WBC is plodding along, Roger Clemens says he'll probably retire after the Classic - which in Rogerspeak, means he'll be back, David Wells is waiting to be fined for lobbing several verbal hand grenades in Bud Selig's general direction, the incestual Red Sox-Dodger matchup today was just simply too weird to see in pictures, and Bronson Arroyo got knocked around again. As a tribute to Dodgers manager Grady Little, Sox skipper Terry Francona let Bronson stay in several batters too long. "That was awfully nice of Tito," Grady drawled after the game. "I would have waited a little longer, but that was still a classy gesture."
Arroyo and Clement are battling it out for an end-of-the-rotation spot, and Clement has the early edge. He told the Globe that he's throwing his slider a little differently than last year, and getting that sick late movement that he showed flashes of in the first half of 2005. Both guys have been mentioned in numerous trade rumors, so it will be interesting to see how this shakes out.

25 days till Opening Day. Can't come soon enough.