I love the story in the New York tabloids today about Texas pitcher Cliff Lee, or rather, about his wife, Kristen Lee. It seems New York's unruly Yankee fans were rude to Kristen when Cliff pitched against their team earlier this month, allegedly splashing her with beer and insults, among other things.
Why is this a story? Because Cliff Lee, as the best pitcher in the game right now, is in the Yankees' sights as a free agent acquisition. And with good reason. Every time Lee takes the mound against the Yankees, the "Bombers" are helpless against him. It should be noted that he's lights-out against every other team as well.
The funniest part of the story for me is that Lee's agent insists that Kristen's comments will not stand in the way of Lee possibly becoming a Yankee.
Right. I believe Cliff's wife's opinion will make a huge difference in where he plays in the future. Her opinion is certainly worth a lot more than his agent's. Money may not talk in this instance.
I also got a huge kick out of the fact that 38-year-old Todd Bouman, a Minnesota resident, was signed on by Jacksonville to play quarterback after its top two QBs were knocked out of a game, leaving the Jaguars without a veteran in this key position. Enter Bouman, who was in Pipestone, Minn., helping his brother Troy coach the Pipestone Area Arrow football team. He took what was probably a surprising phone call from his former coach Jack Del Rio, and within hours, was in Jacksonville. On Sunday, Bouman was leading the Jags to a first-half lead against Kansas City --- after not playing in an NFL game in a few years.
How many other athletes could have done the same thing? Not many. While Brett Favre has always been the darling of the media's eye, perhaps Todd Bouman should be the poster-guy for professionalism. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy from a nicer family.
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