Former trainer Brian McNamee has brought forth several pieces of alleged evidence, including needles, that he claims prove Roger Clemens used steroids.

If the allegations are true, how will this affect your perception of the Rocket?

LM: Well, I wouldn’t be surprised if these allegations turned out to be true.

The “roid-rage” would certainly exÂplain why Clemens inexplicably threw a shattered baseball bat at Mike Piazza in a game versus the Mets.

If it goes down that he was cheating, I will be truly disappointed (even though I hate Clemens) and he can join the greatest hitter of our time in the Hall of Shame.

His resume is certainly an impressive one, but one can’t help but ask how many of those accolades were won without the use of performance enhancing drugs? Using steroids is a one-time strike in my book. Cooperstown is no place for cheaters.

AD: It’s obvious: the allegations already downgrade Clemens in my book.

Putting aside my loathing of him for bolting from the Red Sox a decade ago, I was amazed at what he’d accomplished as he aged. Frankly, his post-Sox years have been more impressive than the last half of his tenure as the Red Sox’ ace.

But now, that’s all questionable, if not completely discounted. The effect of steroids on the game is just sad. Clemens is the newest big name player to become tainted with steroid rumors. If there isn’t a positive test, it’s all hearsay, and the result is an irreversable atmosphere of guilty-until-proven-innocent.

THE SCORE

Does anyone like

Clemens?

Bueller? Bueller?

Lance 1

Austin 0

Richard Zednik fell victim to one of the nastiest injuries ever on Feb. 11 against the Sabres when his teammate’s skate slashed his neck. Zednik had life-saving surgery and is reported as being in good condition.

Was this the worst injury you have ever seen in a sporting event?

LM: While this injury was one of the most horrific sports injuries I’ve ever seen, it is not the worst.

It’s fair to say that linemen in football getting paralyzed is the worst type of injury that could ever happen to someone, but you can’t really single out one incident from others.

The worst accident I have ever seen was in X Games 13 when skateboarder Jake Brown fell 40 feet from the air and landed on his back.

For the three minutes that the medical staff surrounded him, I thought he was paralyzed, but the worst thing that happened to him was he suffered broken ribs, ankles and just barely got back on a skateboard.

AD: I’ll put it in my top three. Of the three it’s the goriest, by far. It’s hard to watch — it took three tries for me to get all the way through it.

Possibly my number one: Darryl Stingley getting hit by Jack Tatum (NFL: 1978). Tatum hit Stingley who was trying to catch a pass. Stingley’s head was down, his spinal cord compressed. He was paralyzed. Enough said.

The other choice: Robin Ventura. SlidÂing into home during a 1997 pre-season game Ventura caught his cleat in the mud and suffered one of the most gruesome breaks I’ve ever seen. His foot stopped, he didn’t.

THE SCORE

What about when Nolan Ryan kicked Ventura’s Ass?

Lance 1

Austin 1

Two blockbuster trades made last week will surely have an impact on the Western Conference playoffs.

Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, while the Lakers were able to acquire big man Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies.

Which team did a better job of improving for the stretch run?

LM: This is a no-brainer – not only did the Lakers improve themselves from being a bottom seed in the West to a top seed, they dumped the biggest flop in NBA hisÂtory in Kwame Brown!

With a presence like Gasol, it gives the Lakers what they have been lacking all season long – presence in the paint.

Phoenix didn’t make as big of an upgrade in acquiring Shaq because they were already good. The trade may hurt Phoenix in the sense that who knows when Shaq will be ready to play and how well he will be able to perform? He’s no longer the big Diesel – he’s like a Hybrid SUV.

AD: The Lakers are better off by far. They gave up almost nothing and got a damn good big man in return. The Suns are a better team and traded away one of their best players in Marion for an aging and an injured Shaq.

The Lakers have already gotten great production from Gasol, who allowed them to unload Kwame Brown, the worst number-one pick ever.

The Suns might turn out better but only if Shaq becomes healthy and sheds his signs of aging. The inside tandem of Shaq and Amare Stoudemire could be lethal, but those prospects are doubtful

THE SCORE

No points awarded.

Olowokandi flopped worse than Brown

Lance 1

Austin 1