Clemens escapes, R.A. deals, Heat on fire

RA Dickey Emerges

- New York Mets Pitcher R.A. Dickey has rocketed to the limelight over the last week by becoming the first pitcher in the modern era of Major League baseball to throw back-to-back one-hitters while striking out 10 batters.
- The middling pitcher out of the University of Tennessee, Dickey was nothing special after being drafted by the Texas Rangers. However, after an elbow tendon surgery, Dickey realized that he could throw a knuckleball to extend his career. The knuckleball is a very unusual pitch, that generally does not travel more than 75-80 miles an hour (Most pitchers strive to throw in the 90s). However, its erratic movement makes it hard to hit, also hard to control.
- Dickey's emergence is all the more impressive as he has shown remarkable control not walking more than 4 batters in any start since May. His last two starts have been historic and the Mets coaching staff is considering having him pitch every 4th day (as opposed to the more conventional every 5th day). Since the knuckleball is thrown at such a low velocity, it takes less of a toll on the pitcher and allows for quicker recovery.


Justice Department Strikes Out

- The more than 2 month trial of Roger Clemens (that seemingly stretched back much further than that) ended on Tuesday with the former Major League Baseball player being acquitted on all charges. Clemens, who was on trial for perjury during his testimony in front of congress in 2008, was bailed out by the fact that the government's star witness had hole after hole poked in his testimony.
- Brian McNamee, who was Clemens' personal trainer and one time Yankees' strength coach, testified that he regularly injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormones. However testimony from his estranged wife, and another former Yankees employee debunked McNamee's credibility.
- LA Dodgers manager, and former Yankees assistant coach, Don Mattingly was very critical of the Justice Department's decision to take on this case saying "you hear of teachers and students who don't have paper and pencils and it seems like a waste of money." Mattingly's feelings are shared by a large number of people, both inside the MLB and out.


Heat within 1 win of Title

- Coming into this playoff series, many pundits predicted a 2 on 5 matchup, with Miami needing stars Dwyane Wade and Lebron James to essentially outscore the Oklahoma City Thunder by themselves.  That storyline was flipped on its heels Tuesday night as Russell Westbrook exploded for 43, Kevin Durant had 28, but the rest of the Thunder combined only scored 27 as Miami won 104-98 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.
- Lebron had 26 points and 12 assists while Wade and Mario Chalmers each scored 25 for the balanced Heat.
- Game 5 is in Miami but if the Thunder can manage to win that one, they'll return home to a raucous crowd for the remainder of the series.  While it's a possibility that the Thunder could still win, it certainly does not look promising for the young trio of Durant, Westbrook and James Harden, whose combined age is only 67.