The Dish: Being Johnny
It's good to be Johnny Drennen. No, not Johnny Damon. Johnny Drennen. If you are Johnny Drennen, you are the centerfielder for the Single-A Lake County Captains. You are 19 years old. You've hit three homers in your brief minor-league career way down deep in the Cleveland Indians farm system. You're not considered a top prospect, at least not yet, anyway, though you did make the Single-A All-Star team. But you labor away down in Eastlake, Ohio, dreaming of someday getting to face the stud pitchers of Major League Baseball. Then on Tuesday night, you show up for a game in Lexington, Kentucky, against the immortal Lexington Legends (their mascot is a sort-of-gay-looking guy with a handlebar mustache, leering at the onlooker with saucy thoughts), in which you will bat third. Which means that you're assured of facing Roger Clemens. Clemens is on assignment from the Houston Astros to stretch himself out, to be ready to mak e his major-league debut for '06 on June 22nd. Part of this process is starting out way down in Single-A, where he'll throw three innings. And so you, Johnny Drennen, will face Roger Clemens. The Roger Clemens. And you homer. You don't just homer: you hit a shot to right field. A blast. You were born four days before Clemens first struck out 20 batters in a game for the Red Sox. And now you've taken the Rocket downtown. In front of 9,222 fans at a field called Applebee's Park. Your image is on ESPN. The Boys from Bristol interview you via cell phone. You hit a home run off Roger Clemens. That oughtta be enough to get you laid, eh, Johnny? So it's going to be Mavericks/Heat in the NBA Finals. What are your initial impressions of the series? What do the books think will happen, odds-wise? Calvin Ayre, BoDog.com: Our initial impressions are that the series will be a close one. Odds-wise, the series -- barring any major injury or collapse – could flip back and forth depending on who has the home advantage. The Mavericks have the depth to play any style, and are certain to have good defensive matchups to counter the play of Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. Another important consideration is that during the year the Mavericks won both games against the Heat, including the 112-76 drubbing on February 9. It is important, however, not to discount the Heat, as they have been a different team during the playoffs, especially with Shaq avoiding offensive fouls on his post moves and making the smart and patient play on the block. It is also important to consider the formidable play of Wade. His scoring average of 26.2 and shooting percentage of 50.9 have elevated him to superstar status. Loo ks like the customers are taking note of this, as the series lines opened with the Mavericks as high as -170 favorites. The line has since moved to -145. We fully expect this to be one heck of an exciting series. And how about the Stanley Cup finals? Game 1 was a corker, but losing their goaltender can't be good for Edmonton, eh? CA, BoDog.com: There is a good chance that the Carolina Hurricanes will open as favorites once the odds are put up for Game 2. The Edmonton Oilers look to be in trouble without goaltender Dwayne Roloson. When it comes time to setting the line on a hockey game, the starting goalie is incredibly important. That position is comparable to a starting pitcher in baseball or a quarterback in football. Roloson has been great for the Oilers since his acquisition from Minnesota just before the trade dea dline. Let's remember the Oilers used different goaltenders, such as Ty Conklin and Jussi Makkanen, because they were seeking stability between the pipes. Roloson gave them that. Now, the Oilers must find the way to comeback from the 1-0 deficit in the series and overcome a bad goaltending situation vs. a formidable Carolina team. Things are not looking rosy at all for Edmonton. On to baseball: does the betting public get tired of the Yankees/Red Sox as they keep playing so many times in such a short span? Is that a series you'd normally see a ton of action on? And does it dissipate when they play so often? CA, BoDog.com: It almost seems the public will never grow tired of betting on the Yankees-Red Sox games. This is the best rivalry in sports, and betting on these games just adds that extra bit of stake to make watching Curt Schilling pitch and Derek Jeter hit more enjoyable. We still see a ton of action of this series and we anticipate this to continue for a long time. What are your impressions of Michelle Wie's attempt to qualify for the men's U.S. Open that failed this past week? CA, BoDog.com: Michelle Wie has created more interest in women's golf than any other player in the history of the LPGA. Her attempts at qualifying for the PGA tour, while unsuccessful have made headlines and raised the interest level in golf. Bodog has seen a higher-than-expected handle on golf so far this season and Wie has played a part in making that happen. Christopher Harris is a featured writer for the Professional Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com. |
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