EVENTS
 Sportsman of the Year
 Heisman Trophy
 Swimsuit 2001

CNNSI.com GROUP
 Sports Illustrated
 Life of Reilly
 Television
 SI Women
 SI for Kids
 Press Room
 TBS/TNT Sports
 CNN Languages

COMMERCE
 SI Customer Service
 SI Media Kits
 Get into College
 Sports Memorabilia
 TeamStore

24-hour Clemens

Is there anything else going on in this World Series?

Click here for more on this story

By John Donovan, CNNSI.com

	• Storylines • All Thumbs • Heroes & Bums • High Hard Ones • The Pitch • The Bottom Line

NEW YORK -- Welcome to the all-Clemens channel. All Clemens, all the time.

First, the news.

"It was a stupid situation. What can you say?" says Mike Piazza.

"No intent was there, so no apology is needed," says Roger Clemens.

"I don't know what the heck he was doing. I thought it was very, very bizarre," Bobby Valentine says.

"I don't condone what he did. But again, I still hold to the fact that he didn't throw it at him, OK?" says Joe Torre.

"We're reviewing the situation and will take any appropriate action, if necessary," Major League Baseball's Sandy Alderson says.

"He's a #@!#* bum," says Vinnie of Queens.

Fine, let's move on.

"I don't have any opinion," says World Series Game 3 starter Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez of the Yankees.

All right, all right, all right.

The World Series, which only days ago overshadowed everything else in sports, has been eclipsed. A guy who lives by his control went out of control. And all other talk of the Series has been swallowed up because of it.

Like it or not -- and we're guessing, if you're a baseball fan, you had some things to say about it -- Clemens going batty on Piazza in Game 2 Sunday night has been the conversation around town. It will be, almost regardless of what happens for the rest of the Series, the defining moment of Subway Series 2000.

There is still plenty to come. Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez of the Yankees, never beaten in the postseason, goes against the Mets in Game 3 on Tuesday night. The Yankees have won their last 14 Series games. Many players -- including Clemens -- have had some seriously good performances.

But when the first pitch is thrown at Shea Stadium on Tuesday night, when Piazza steps up to the plate in the bottom of the first (even if he won't be facing Clemens), you know what people will be talking about?

All Clemens. All the time.

On to the World Series Day at a Glance, which asks: Who's the MVP so far?

The answer: Hmmm. Can a Louisville Slugger get the award?

A Must No team in any sport in America ever has come back from a 3-0 hole to win a seven-game series. Cut it any way you want, but if the Mets don't win this one ... well, do we need to go any further?
Mike Piazza No one will be watched more closely in this game. He's hitting only .222 in the World Series, and the Mets need a lot more than that -- or more than a meaningless ninth-inning homer -- to get back in the Series.
El Duque He is 8-0 lifetime in the postseason, and could effectively close the door on the Mets by keeping that streak alive in Game 3. Can he follow Clemens' masterpiece, sans the flying wood? Can he keep his streak alive? Can he bring the Yankees to the brink of a threepeat?
DH-less No, Clemens won't be in the batter's box. But the other Yankees pitchers will be as the series moves to Shea. That may not make all that much difference. But any little help the Mets can get ...
The Games . It wasn't pretty, but that 12-inning Game 1 was compelling, at least. And Game 2, with Clemens, that was fun, eh? This 2000 version isn't headed toward great World Series status yet, but it'll at least be remembered.
Shea . No, it's not Yankee Stadium. It's not pretty, and it's not quiet, even when it's empty. But the old Queens ballyard is all baseball, at least now, and its clientele is vocal and knowledgeable. What more can you ask?
The Talk . Yes, the World Series DAAG is as responsible for this as much as anyone. Clemens going cuckoo is big news. But even we're getting a little tired of it by now. Play ball!
David Cone . He's only pitched one inning in this postseason, and now that manager Joe Torre has said he's going with Denny Neagle in Game 4, he may not get much more.
Bum -- Roger Clemens: Heck of a pitcher lately, but he's a bit of a control freak. As in a freak when he loses mental control -- which could be at any time.
Hero -- Mike Piazza: He's been called a wimp for not charging Clemens. He's not hitting well. But, given the circumstances, he can hold his head high. And, as far as the hitting goes, he's not done yet.
Bum -- Jay Payton: He still may end up with the NL Rookie of the Year prize. Thank goodness they don't take into account his postseason average, a measly .178.
Hero -- Tino Martinez: With all the possible Yankees heroes this postseason, let's throw in the first baseman, who's hitting .382 overall, including a sizzling .455 in the World Series.
Bum -- Glenallen Hill: The big right-handed bat on the Yankees' bench has lost its pop. He's hitting only 1-for-15 (.067) in the postseason.
Hero -- Benny Agbayani: He's doing .350 in the postseason, .375 in the World Series. If it weren't for this guy, the Mets would really be in trouble.
For Roger: It's very possible he instinctively reacted to the bouncing object as if it were the ball and as he looked down, realized it was the bat and disgustedly rid himself of it.
Against Roger: Just about everyone and everything in blue and orange.
With Baseball looking into this Clemens thing, you can bet the umps will be all over anything high and hard from here on in.
In a seven-game series, there is no more important game than Game 3.
This whole Clemens thing has affected the Mets way more than the Yankees.
A look at the Game 3 pitchers Yankees' Orlando Hernandez (12-13 regular season, 4.51 ERA). This will be El Duque's third career Series start. And he's 2-0 in the Series, with a 1.29 ERA. He also won both games in the ALCS this season against Seattle, and his one start against Oakland in the division series. He's 2-0 lifetime against the Mets. Get the picture?
Mets' Rick Reed (11-5 regular season, 4.11 ERA). And then you have Reed, who never has started a game in the Series. And he's 0-1 in two starts this postseason. And he's 0-2 against the Yankees lifetime. This isn't looking good for the Mets, is it?
The Clemens thing won't die down for the rest of this series. But, the way the Mets are playing, there won't be much of a rest of this series. Unless, of course, they can do something Tuesday night.

The World Series Day at a Glance appears every day through the conclusion of the Series.

 

Related information
Multimedia
Visit Multimedia Central for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV.

Copyright © 2001 CNN/Sports Illustrated An AOL Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines.