It’s good to be Johnny Drennen.

Nope, not Johnny Damon. Johnny Drennen.

If you’re Johnny Drennen, you’re the center fielder for the Single-A Lake County Captains. You are 19 years old. He hit three home runs in his brief minor league career deep in the Cleveland Indians’ farm system. He’s not considered one of the top prospects, at least not yet, anyway, even though you made the Single-A All-Star team. But you work in Eastlake, Ohio with dreams of one day facing Major League Baseball pitchers.

Then, on Tuesday night, you show up for a game in Lexington, Kentucky, against the immortal Lexington Legends (their mascot is a gay-looking guy with a handlebar mustache, who glances sideways at the viewer with cheeky thoughts. ), in which you will win third. Which means you have the security to face Roger Clemens.

Clemens received an assignment from the Houston Astros to stretch out and be ready to make his major league debut for 2006 on June 22. Part of this process is starting deep down in Single-A, where he’ll pitch three innings. And then you, Johnny Drennen, will face Roger Clemens. Roger Clemens.

And you, Homer.

You don’t just hit a home run, you hit a throw to right field. An explosion. You were born four days before Clemens first struck out 20 batters in a game for the Red Sox. And now you have brought the Rocket to the center. In front of 9,222 fans at a field called Applebee’s Park. Your image is on ESPN. The Boys from Bristol interviews you via cell phone. You hit a home run off Roger Clemens.

That should be enough to get you laid, huh, Johnny?

So it will be Mavericks/Heat in the NBA Finals. What are your first impressions of the series? What do the books think will happen, in terms of probabilities?

Calvin Ayre, BoDog.com: Our initial impressions are that the series will be a close one. As for the odds, the series, barring a major injury or collapse, could flip back and forth depending on who has home court advantage. The Mavericks have the depth to play any style and are sure to have good defensive matchups to counter the play of Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. Another important consideration is that during the year the Mavericks won both games against the Heat, including the 112-76 blowout on Feb. 9. However, it’s important not to write off the Heat, as they have been a different team throughout the playoffs. especially with Shaq avoiding offensive fouls on his post moves and making the game smart and patient on the block. It’s also important to consider Wade’s formidable game. His 26.2 scoring average and 50.9 shooting percentage have elevated him to superstar status. It seems customers are taking note of this, as the series lines opened with the Mavericks down to -170 favorites. Since then, the line has moved to -145. We hope this will be a great exciting series.

And what about the Stanley Cup Finals? Game 1 was a stopper, but losing their goalie can’t be good for Edmonton, huh?

CA, BoDog.com: There’s a good chance the Carolina Hurricanes will open up as favorites once the odds are up for Game 2. The Edmonton Oilers appear to be in trouble without goaltender Dwayne Roloson. When it comes time to lay down the line in a hockey game, the starting goaltender is incredibly important. That position is comparable to a starting pitcher in baseball or a quarterback in football. Roloson has been excellent for the Oilers since they acquired him from Minnesota just before the trade deadline. Remember that the Oilers used different goalies, like Ty Conklin and Jussi Makkanen, because they wanted stability between the tubes. Roloson gave them that. Now, the Oilers must find a way to overturn a 1-0 deficit in the series and overcome a poor goal-vs. A great team from Carolina. Things are not looking good for Edmonton.

As for baseball: does the betting public get tired of the Yankees/Red Sox still playing so many times in so little time? Is that a series where you would normally see a lot of action? And does it dissipate when they play so often?

CA, BoDog.com: It almost seems like the public will never tire of betting on Yankees-Red Sox games. This is the best rivalry in sports, and betting on these games just adds a little more stake to make watching Curt Schilling pitch and Derek Jeter bat more enjoyable. We still see a lot of action from this series and we anticipate that this will continue for a long time.

What are your thoughts on Michelle Wie’s failed attempt to qualify for the men’s US Open last week?

CA, BoDog.com: Michelle Wie has created more interest in women’s golf than any other player in LPGA history. Her attempts to qualify for the PGA tour, albeit unsuccessful, have made headlines and raised the level of interest in golf. Bodog has seen higher-than-expected golf management so far this season and Wie has helped make that happen.

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