Idle thoughts from a mind gone haywire…

I don’t know what this says about the history of the team, but Tim Wakefield is now fourth on the Red Sox list for career strikeouts with the team. Yes, Tim Wakefield. Only Roger Clemens, Cy Young and Pedro Martinez have more strikeouts than Wakefield.

Wakefield recently surpassed Luis Tiant.

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Back in the ’60s, a rock group known as the Brooklyn Bridge recorded a song that became popular called “The Worst That Could Happen.”

The worst that could happen may arrive at Fenway Park next week in the form of Roger Clemens.

Yes, Darth Clemens of the Evil Empire could pull something off that would send dear Red Sox Nation into a tailspin.

Should Clemens win his next start, he and the Yankees would land in Boston next week with The Rocket sitting on 299 career wins and a chance to win his 300th at Fenway Park.

This would go up there with Bucky Dent and Bill Buckner. The guy whose “best days are behind him,” according to former Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette could come back and win 300 with George Steinbrenner sitting in a Fenway box seat.

Doesn’t that just make you feel warm and fuzzy all over?

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I love Mario Andretti, but geez Mario, in some European countries they take the car keys away from people once they hit 60, much less let them make practice laps at Indianapolis.

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Did I mention that Tim Wakefield is fourth on the Red Sox career strikeouts list? Fourth?

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Derby-winning jockey Jose Santos had something illegal in one of his hands when he rode Funny Cide to the upset win.

We all know it was something illegal. He took it out of the waistband of his pants when he rode the horse behind the grassy knoll on the backstretch at Churchill Downs.

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Good thing that the guy at the Baseball Hall of Fame canceled the 15th anniversary celebration and showing of Bull Durham in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Yeah, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon, those evil lefties, might have incited the kids in attendance into burning their Nuke LaLoosh rookie cards.

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Why is there such a debate over whether Rafael Palmeiro should be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? It’s 500 home runs. Enough said. I don’t care if it’s a matter of longevity. It’s 500 home runs.

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And Jim Rice belongs there, too.

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Here’s a prediction. The Mighty Ducks and Minnesota Wild will play an eight-overtime game in this year’s playoffs. Someone will say it’s the greatest hockey game ever played. That feeling will be supported by the other 18 people who watched it, according to the Nielsens ratings report.

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Did I mention Tim Wakefield?

Don Perryman can be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or dperryman@bangordailynews.net.