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By YanksWS96, Section MLB
by Matt Wells He's known as one of the greatest pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball. He's tallied 341 wins against just 172 losses during his big-league career. 4,502 strikeouts of opposing batters doesn't sound too shabby either. Yet, Roger Clemens, not quite retired yet, isn't pitching for a major league team currently. Now, the "Rocket" is certainly contemplating retirement. Clemens implied that he was retiring after Team USA was eliminated from the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Of course, we've heard "retirement" stories from other greats in the game - Michael Jordan, Brett Favre, etc.
Now, let's go ahead and make the assumption that Roger Clemens, one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history, decides not to retire. He decides to pitch one final season (or what's left of it), marking the end to a brilliant career. Where will he go? Who's interested? Here's a breakdown of the 4 teams, upon last check, who were interested in the services of the great Roger Clemens: HOUSTON ASTROS The Astros are the defending National League Champs, and they can thank Clemens for that. Despite winning just 13 games for the Astros last year, Clemens pitched to an ERA of 1.87. In this day in age, where the longball is almost all of baseball's offense, an ERA of 1.87 is "astro"nomical. The Astros would love to have Clemens pitch for them for one final season. You can never pass up such a talent. However, the Astros are chock full of pitching - Roy Oswalt is 4-0. Andy Pettite has gotten off to a slow start, but is bound to improve. Youngsters Wandy Rodriguez (3-0, 2.52) and Taylor Buchholz (1-1, 1.80) are proving they belong in the big leagues. So, is Roger Clemens really needed? Something for Roger to consider: He won 13 games last year because the offense was downright dreadful when he was on the mound (interestingly enough, they were fine otherwise). If Roger wants to be backed by a good offense, he should see the stats of guys like Morgan Ensberg and Lance Berkman, who have combined for 15 homeruns and 39 RBI less than one month into the season. NEW YORK YANKEES Roger donned the pinstripes for 5 seasons: 1999-2003. As a Yankee, Clemens was 77-36 over those 5 seasons. He quickly became the most revered figure in the Bronx, and the most hated player in Queens. Duck, Mike Piazza, duck! We all know that George Steinbrenner is going to throw gobs upon gobs upon gobs of money at Roger Clemens. Steinbrenner sees his aged pitching staff showing signs of weakness, not one month into the season. Randy Johnson had been pitching so poorly, up until Sunday, that many thought he was battling an injury. Shawn Chacon's ERA is 5.59; Chien-Ming Wang has an ERA of 5.48; and Johnson, despite being 3-2, has an ERA of 3.73. Now, wouldn't an ERA of 1.87 look good in that feeble Yankees rotation? Wouldn't Mr. Steinbrenner want a big name in that rotation to offset the less-fortunate pitchers who don't have the big-time names? Again, you know Steinbrenner is getting ready to offer Roger Clemens ANYTHING to pitch in the Bronx again. Something for Roger to consider: If he got sick of the lack of offense he had in Houston last year, the Yankees lineup is the cure for that ailment. Damon, Jeter, Matsui, Rodriguez, Sheffield, Giambi, etc. The list goes on. Roger knows that if he goes out every five days and holds opponents to, say, 2 runs a game, the Yankees offense will give him a victory. But, does Roger REALLY want to be under the watchful eye of Steinbrenner....AGAIN? Hey, I wouldn't. BOSTON RED SOX When Roger Clemens started his first season in the big leagues for Boston in 1984, I wasn't even born yet (I was born in October of that year). I was 2 when Clemens helped the BoSox reach the 1986 World Series, only to see them boot the series away against the Mets. In my mind, when Roger Clemens enters the Hall of Fame, he should be wearing a Red Sox cap. He spent 13 seasons with the Red Sox; however, some say that he should enter the Hall wearing a Yankee cap - after all, he did win 2 World Series with the Yankees, and he appeared in 2 more (losses to the Diamondbacks and Marlins). But, I digress. The Red Sox are a sentimental favorite to land Roger; after all, Boston is where his brilliant career began. Pitching in Fenway Park in a Red Sox jersey will help him reach the headlines of every newspaper in the country EVERY TIME he steps out on that pitching rubber. He'll have the offense to back him up. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez will provide the punch and I would imagine that catcher Jason Varitek would be in sync with Clemens when the battery was going on gameday. The Red Sox can certainly afford Clemens, and GM Theo Epstein has been seen with Clemens at some games, including the Sox opener in Arlington this year. Is a reunion around the corner? Something for Roger to consider: He was in the opposing dugout when Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling dominated the Yankees in the 2001 World Series. Now, if he signs with Boston, Clemens will be in the same rotation as Schilling, who is currently 4-0. Come on Roger, imagine a rotation featuring you, Schilling, Beckett, Clement, and Wakefield. Isn't that enticing? You bet it is. TEXAS RANGERS As many already know, Roger is a Texas native. If he doesn't sign with the Astros and decides to stay close to home, the Texas Rangers are ready to greet him with open arms....WIDE open arms. The Texas Rangers, year after year, are futile when it comes to pitching. Their experiment with Chan Ho Park failed miserably. Kenny Rogers (yes, THAT Kenny Rogers), was their "ace" last year. If Kenny Rogers is your ace pitcher, something has to be wrong. Their ace this year is Kevin Millwood, and he has struggled mightily out of the gate (though he has picked it up of late). Entering today, the Rangers team ERA is 4.78. Two words: NOT. GOOD. Clemens will be backed by a good offense, however. Teixiera, Blalock, Young, and Kevin Mench will be able to provide Clemens with some power. Roger will also be pitching in what some consider to be a weak division: Anaheim's offense is hurting and Seattle is consistently weak. Oakland is a different story; however, this is Roger Clemens we're talking about; he can beat anyone. If the Cardinals didn't scare him last year, the A's wouldn't scare him this year. He's fearless. Something for Roger to consider: He left many games with a lead last year in Houston and time after time, he would come away with no-decisions when the bullpen promptly gave up the lead he earned. If he wants leads to stick, Texas is NOT the place he wants to be. The Rangers staring pitching has always been weak, and the bullpen has never been anything to write home about. Closer Francisco Cordero has blown 3 of his 6 save opportunities this year. For all you math majors out there, that's 50%. If Roger wants to win games and not accumulate no-decisions, stay away from Texas. -------------------------------------- If Roger is on the borderline when it comes to deciding whether or not he should retire, he should look at the stats of veteran pitchers through the first month of this 2006 season: -Greg Maddux, who is 40 years old (and 10 days), is 4-0 for the Cubs. His ERA? 0.99. He just got finished keeping the potent St. Louis Cardinals off-balance yesterday...and Albert Pujols WAS in the lineup. In addition, the Cubs offense was without Derrek Lee. Who said you can't pitch when you're 40? -Tom Glavine, who will be 40 years and one month old tomorrow, is 2-1 for the Mets. His ERA? 1.38. In his only loss of the season the other night against Atlanta, he pitched 8 innings, giving up just 1 earned one. He just got out-dueled by Tim Hudson. 40 years old? I didn't say "stop pitching." -Randy Johnson, 43 years young, is 3-2 for the Yankees this season. Yes, he has lost 2 games. Yes, he has looked dreadful in some of the games he has pitched. But, how about this: in his 3 victories this year, the "Big Unit" has pitched 20 innings and given up just 3 earned runs. In wins, Johnson's ERA is just 1.35. Johnson is also averaging 6.6 strikeouts per 9 innings. That is pretty impressive for a 43 year old. And if the stats of those supposedly "over the hill" pitchers aren't enough, Roger should consult the oldest player in the game. Julio Franco, 47 years young, hit a game-winning homerun for the Mets last week in San Diego. He hopes to play until he is 50. Imagine that! The moral of the stories about Maddux, Glavine, Johnson, and Franco is this: you're never too old to succeed, especially if you're given the right surroundings. Clemens needs to weigh the options that will be in front of him and make the best decision for him and his family. He still has the potential to blow away any hitter in the game and win games single-handedly with his right arm and his legs (he needs to push off, you know). Roger, don't let your talent go to waste. Enjoy one more season in your brilliant career, hang it up, and reflect back on what has been. Enjoy the ride, enjoy the scenery, and enjoy the game you love.
This is it: choose the team you want to finish your career for, and go from there. Grace us with your presence for just one last season.
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