Friday Stir-Fry

♦ Thank You Brian Sabean probably said it best: "Francisco Liriano outpitches one of the top 3 pitchers of all time."

Maybe a bit unfair (though tongue-in-cheek), given it was Roger Clemens' first major league start of the season, but that was definitely the case last night. The other pitcher on the field was outstanding, giving up only two runs in eight innings, resulting in a problem that plagued Clemens frequently last year: His Astros teammates didn't score enough runs for him.

♦ If the Tigers don't pound St. Louis this weekend as the White Sox did earlier in the week, we probably shouldn't sweat it. Some of the Cardinals think Chicago's success was due to stealing signs from centerfield cameras.

♦ Do you think Larry Brown planned for a contentious exit from New York? Or did his experience in Detroit prepare him for this? According to the NY Daily News, L.B. has a clause in his contract that names NBA Commissioner David Stern as the arbitrator in any financial disputes between him and the Knicks. (The NY Times reports that the Knicks haven't offered a buyout, either, so they'd better hope Stern takes their side.)

♦ This should surprise no one, but Mike Lupica is taking Larry Brown's side on this one.

♦ So it's now official, right? I don't have to care about soccer for the rest of the summer? Not like I was doing a very good job of pretending to...