* Mad about baseball

The cover of the May Mad magazine features good ol’ Alfred E. Newman as Baseball’s Newest Mascot: Mr. Roids.

The current issue also has a pertinent spin-off on the Roger Clemens AT&T wireless commercial, with Andy Pettitte at the other end of the line. There’s also “Things We’ll Probably Overhear at the Upcoming Barry Bonds Trial…”, including

From Bonds’ attorney: “The only things my client is guilty of are arrogance, rudeness, adultery and lying in court. Only one of which happens to be illegal.”
From the prosecution: “And did you personally electrocute the Pit Bulls…oh, wait, sorry, wrong sports scandal,” and “I remind you that you are still under oath, not that you cared the last time.”
From the judge: “Will the defendant please approach the bench and autograph this home run ball I got off eBay?” and “Overruled. Defendant will answer questions about his massive hat size.”
From Barry Bonds: “I’m not playing on any prison softball team for less than $8 million.”
And my favorite: “I’d watch the trial on truTV, but Tim McCarver just won’t shut up.”

There’s also a faux movie poster for The Bad News Bare-Asses, “starring” Clemens, Pettitte and Brian McNamee. Tag line: “Baseball has rules. Not that these a-holes care.”

Perhaps not so coincidentally, The New York Times ran this interactive slide presentation on cartoonist Al Jaffee, who, among other things, has drawn in famous Mad fold-in for years. Among the pieces represented, Roger Clemens “morphing” into a pregnant Jamie Lynn Spears, Pete Rose to Charlie Brown, and football overcoming baseball as America’s number one sport.