While being a big star is what every athlete dreams about, being a big star also means you're likely to be in the headlines and lead stories more than some would like and not usually under great circumstances.
Just ask Tiger.
In the baseball world, it is the situation off the field that is making the most noise. Roger Clemons was in court to plead not guilty to the charges he faced for supposedly lying to congress about his steroid use.
He looks ready to fight it to the end and make sure his former trainer, former friend and teammate and all others who accused him are lying or, as he put it in 2008, "misremembers" the conversation.
Clemons will be back in court in April and then could be facing jail time of up to 30 years, but it is more likely he would get 15 to 21 months according to an Associated Press article.
The Rocket has to be close to the point where he wished he had said, "yes, I made a mistake," and had his reputation and records put in jeopardy instead of his freedom.
Another big baseball star in the headlines last week was Manny Ramirez, who was claimed off waivers. Obviously baseball fans will wonder how a player of Manny's calibre can be put on waivers for anyone to pick up, but look at his numbers this year. With just eight home runs, the Dodgers found him dispensable and his contract only seconds that opinion.
The White Sox are by no means lacking power, but with Manny there is no doubt more people will be there to watch and see if the White Sox can make up the four games and catch the Twins for the American League's Central Division.
Other waivers surprises for baseball fans, or at least those fans in the northern hemisphere, are the fact nearly the entire Blue Jays bullpen is up for grabs. By the time this goes to print some deals may have been finalized with Jason Frasor, Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg and Shawn Camp.
I guess the Jays are pulling the plug on this season and are looking to the future, what else is new? What else is new is that they actually have a future, the prospects for the Jays are good and should make for a legit contender in three or four seasons.
Last but not least for this week, is the Russian superstar Ilya Kovalchuk. After his 17-year $102 million contract was rejected by the NHL, the Devils went back to drawing board and took two-years and $2 million off the total.
It sounds like that should be good enough for the NHL since there isn't a major decrease in salary at the back end of his contract. If the NHL doesn't accept it by mid-week, his agent said Kovalchuk will likely sign with the KHL.
The cap hit is averaged at $6.66 million per season and on par for players of his calibre so with training camp just weeks away, expect the Kovalchuk's deal with the Devils to kick in ending the summer long saga of where the biggest free agent would sign.
