Barking up the wrong tree these days is John Avery, who has damaged his CFL status by insulting and criticizing Michael Clemons.
This is tantamount to, say, dissing Mother Teresa. I mean, seriously, how foolish can you be?
In his two decades as a Hall of Fame player, coach and executive with the Toronto Argonauts, Pinball Clemons has established himself as the CFL’s version of Mother Teresa, with countless acts of kindness, humanity and benevolence. Heck, this is a dude who once removed the shoes from his feet, gave them to a needy child in an Ottawa hospital and then walked to his hotel room in his socks – IN THE RAIN!
No one knocks Pinball. No one, that is, except Avery, who was released by the Argos in January after four years of underachieving as a highly-paid running back. Clemons was Avery’s coach.
We figured Clemons showed remarkable patience in keeping Avery on the payroll. Avery didn’t see it that way.
“The biggest disappointment I had was Clemons,” Avery told reporters earlier this month. “He brought me in and made me believe he had my best interests in mind and was going to look out for me. (Then) he basically stepped back and let (negative developments) happen.”
Now, Avery can’t find a CFL job. Even the Hamilton Pussy-Cats flatly rejected him.
This is a league that will employ drug addicts and potheads and convicts and troublemakers and NFL discards such as Andre Rison, Ricky Williams, David Boston, Charles Rogers and, soon, maybe even Chris Henry, but there’s no room in the CFL for John Avery.
This is what happens when you have the audacity to backstab Michael Clemons.
- Soon, when the Tampa Bay Lightning fires John Tortorella, there’ll be seven NHL teams without a coach. . .In the NBA, former Raptors guard Mark Jackson could become the Phoenix Suns’ new coach. . .After five consecutive losses in the first round of the NBA playoffs, the Denver Nuggets are dangling two stars in trade talks – Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby. . .There’s no reason to suggest U.S. President George W. Bush knows more about baseball than anything else, but he likes the the Blue Jays’ Roy Halladay. Halladay is 4-5, but Bush said: “He’s a steady guy. He burns up innings.”
- More on maple bats:
General manager Pat Gillick compares them to “missiles” and is openly worried about the safety of fans in the stands.
For details, and to find out which MLB star paid off a $1,500 bet with pennies, check out my latest MLB Report.
