My money's on Orioles' Thome

Hey, I got some good news the other day.

One of the classiest guys in baseball, Jim Thome, was given a new lease on life. He was traded by the Phillies to the Baltimore Orioles.

Now the White Sox had big Jim, but let him go at a time when he might have been the most popular player on the team. The reasons given ranged from his bad back to Ozzie Guillen wanting to do a DH by committee.

Well, that plan didn't work very well, so finally the White Sox picked up a left-handed power hitter in Adam Dunn.

Sound familiar?

First, I want to congratulate Dunn on being an all-star. It's a tremendous achievement after having the worst regular season last year of probably anyone in the history of the game.

Now he's up for a comeback player of the year. I am not sure if I can trust him completely yet. I really hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not the Sox will be in trouble.

Anyway, I made an interesting wager with a friend. Thing is, I know this may sound nuts to some of you, but I believe Thome will have a better second half than Dunn, and I've put a C-note on it. Average, Home Runs, RBIs and RISP (runners in scoring position) will be better for Thome.

We'll see what happens.

Clemens in the Hall?Joe Torre said the other day Roger Clemens is like a son to him and worthy of the Hall of Fame. Here's Torre, who holds the job of Major League Baseball's executive of baseball operations, endorsing a guy who was found not guilty of perjury. The troubling thing is people have forgotten about the Mindy McCready situation.Seems the Rocket met her in a karaoke bar when she was 15, according to sources in a New York Daily News report. Google Roger Clemens and Mindy McCready and form your own conclusions. Is he baseball's version of Jerry Lee Lewis, or did they just neck until she was of legal age? (Editor's note: McCready now contends they met when she was 16 and nothing sexual took place until several years later. Clemens has denied having any sexual relationship with McCready).Some people write there are racists, alcohol abusers already in the Hall, and ask, so why not Clemens? Well, when do you take a stand and say no more? Those wrongs in the past do not mean that type of behavior should continue to be accepted. Form your own opinion and email me at mike@Northtonorth.com.Should Clemens be in the Hall of Fame?Readers grade Dale Sveum:From emails on Dale Sveum's managerial prowess:#376;Robert O'Brien of West Chicago says Sveum has to get better at evaluating the pitching staff. #376;Wayne Ambrose says Sveum is too inexperienced and the team hasn't gotten better.#376;And this thought comes from Mike Macks #8212; they are just going through the motions, and he gives Sveum a D-minus. Let's wait and see. The second half and 2013 will tell more of the story.#376;Mike North's column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com.