Opening Day busts were a dime a dozen Monday, as supposed "ace" starters all over baseball - namely Curt Schilling, Carl Pavano, Jose Contreras and Derek Lowe - kicked off 2007 with dreadful losses, dropping their respective teams to 0-1 on the young season.
The following day, the failures kept on coming, as Giants newcomer Barry Zito thanked San Francisco profusely for his $126 million contract, getting chased out after five innings and earning the loss.
Why was Zito's first start such a struggle? Perhaps there are chemistry issues. Zito happens to share a corner of the Giants' locker room with Barry Bonds, making for a strange duo: the 28-year-old part-time soap actor who surfs, meditates and does yoga, and the 42-year-old steroid addict who apparently alienates everyone without the first name Barry. It's an interesting friendship - one of many that you'll find in the world of sports.
10. Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire: One was a five-star tool who made history by hitting 40 homers and stealing 40 bases in the same season. The other was a one-dimensional player - a slow, defensively-weak first baseman who did nothing but hit home runs. What did the two charter "Bash Brothers" have in common? Steroids.
9. Terrell Owens and Jeff Garcia: Not so much a friendship as it is two people who hate each other. T.O. ruined the 49ers franchise in 2004 - first by leaving, then by telling the San Francisco media that his former quarterback was gay, sparking his famous "if it looks like a rat and smells like a rat" speech.
8. Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki: They're the leaders of the NBA's two best teams, they're the two top candidates for the league's MVP honor, and they're developing one of the greatest rivalries in the sport. But through it all, ever since Nash's departure from Dallas in 2004, they're still best friends.
7. Johnny Damon and Kevin Millar: The Red Sox' 2004 World Series run just wouldn't have been the same without these two characters. Doesn't everyone love rooting for a team that refers to itself as "a bunch of idiots?"
6. Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony: They're partners in crime ... literally. A.I. has a long criminal record, which includes making death threats, carrying concealed weapons and possession of marijuana. 'Melo, meanwhile, has recently developed a penchant for earning suspensions and fines for sucker-punching opponents.
5. Tony Dungy and Herm Edwards: By day, Dungy humiliates Edwards, knocking his Chiefs out of the playoffs with a 23-8 loss to Dungy's Colts en route to a Super Bowl title. By night, he picks up the check at dinner.
4. Karl Malone and John Stockton: What a strange duo. One was a 256-pound thug, known for kicking, elbowing and shoving opponents left and right, and the other was a scrawny little white guy who quietly amassed record-setting totals in boring stats, like assists. That said, they're both among the most talented players ever to touch a basketball. If only they had the championship rings to prove it ...
3. Bill Belichick and Eric Mangini: Not only did both go to Wesleyan, they were both in the same fraternity there to boot. Even after the Mangenius left New England to take the head coaching job on the Jets, the two remained best of friends. Don't believe me? Look no further than the touching post-game hug between the two coaches after the Patriots' first-round playoff win over the Jets.
2. Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Taurean Green: They arrived in Gainesville together, they now live together, and after their sophomore year, they all announced their return to Florida together. And this week, for the second year in a row, they won a championship together.
1. Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter: They have sleepovers. Enough said.
-by Evans Clinchy
