Kewell-ing the Reds

The more I watch Liverpool's Ryan Babel play, the more I think he plays like another lethal striker.

To me, he is the second coming of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Look, Babel seldom starts, and he makes most of his appearances as a late second-half substitute. But boy is he effective. It just seems that every time he comes on as a substitute, he is going to score.

And it's only a matter of time for him to score a hat-trick as a late substitute, a la Solskjaer.

But that raises another question: Which players are ahead of Babel in the depth chart, thus robbing him of his starting place?

Jermaine Pennant and Harry Kewell.

I have no beef about Pennant as he does have the occasional flashes of brilliance. But for Kewell, well, he deserves to be benched or sold to one of the teams in the lucrative leagues in the Middle East, to put it politely. It seems that every time Kewell tries to dribble around a defender, he would lose possession of the ball and then stumble onto the ground, a la myself back in the good old school days.

I understand Rafa Benitez's policy of having at least two players at every position for his team. But that doesn't mean that ANY player can take up a roster spot for the Reds.

Pettitte's Clemency

Andy Pettitte is scott free, while Roger Clemens is digging his own grave.

I have to say, I am more inclined to believe Brian McNamee who accused Clemens of taking illegal human growth hormone and steroids. In fact Pettitte, a close friend and teammate of Clemens with the New York Yankees and Houston Astros, was among the handful of baseball players named by McNamee for taking these illegal substances. While Pettitte immediately admitted his wrongdoings and appeared to be open and honest about his unpleasant past, Clemens adamantly denied any wrongdoings, which is in line with his feisty nature.

Pettitte has always been a favourite for the media. His openness and friendliness have endeared him with the public. That is the reason why his apparently sincere admittance of guilt and apology have been well-received by everyone.

Clemens was popular among fans too. However, his confrontational approach has apparently backfired as recent surveys show that more than half of the respondents sided with McNamee rather than Clemens. While Clemens has never been tested positive for illegal substances, his image and legacy have been tarnished irrecoverably.

It's sad to see Clemens, a Hall of Fame-bound pitcher, becoming yet another Barry Bonds. With every piece of evidence not in his favour, he has thrown everyone around him (his lawyers, teammates and even his wife) under the bus just to protect himself. To me, he is the only person who believes that he has never taken these substances.

A very sad story indeed.