So Roger Clemens is coming back, to the Yankees no less. While Yankee fan boards are awash with excitement over the seven-time Cy Young winner returning to stabilize the team's rotation, no NY fan that I've talked to likes the news. Nobody likes Roger. Imagine that.
Don't get me wrong, everybody knows he would have made any rotation he stepped into better. And as a Red Sox fan, I understand he would have been better than Julian Tavarez — although maybe not Jon Lester.
But big oaf Clemens is entirely impossible to root for. He's a publicity hound, a wanna-be martyr and, most importantly, a mercenary. Let's also not forget that if we're going to brand Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa steroid users without much evidence, let's not overlook good old Roger. The ancillary evidence:
1. Started to decline with age, then somehow get better.
2. We talk about hitters, but look at Roger's body — and head — from the early '90s and now. There's a huge difference.
3. Jose Canseco, in his now prophetic book, says he'd heard that Roger was taking roids.
4. Most importantly, Jason Grimsley, a former Clemens teammate, named Roger when naming names after being busted with steroids and HGH last year.
With all this said, the actual and emotional boost of the Clemens signing should help the Yankees. The team has already started to get better, so this will only augment this. But, keep in mind, that Roger is now a 5-6 inning pitcher, if that.
As a Yankee from 1999-2003, Clemens' average ERA was just a tad bit under 4. Then he went to Houston and became Superman again. It cannot be overstated how bad the offenses in the NL Central are. They are absolutely horrible.
Roger could take coffee breaks when facing the 2 and 6-9 hitters in NL lineups, except when facing the Mets last year, which he probably did only once or twice. He's going to be slaughtered by the AL East lineups. The prediction here is a 4.70 ERA, which isn't bad, but certainly isn't worth a $28-million pro-rated salary.
In other news, "Spider-Man 3" shattered all previous box-office records. Of course, it's a bit misleading because it now costs $10 for a ticket. But anyway ...
I spent most of my weekend on a movie set, which was really fun and interesting. I got to see how the scenes came together, talked a lot with the crew and the actors. Good times. I also got a chance to see "Year of the Dog," which I recommend.
Don't get me wrong, everybody knows he would have made any rotation he stepped into better. And as a Red Sox fan, I understand he would have been better than Julian Tavarez — although maybe not Jon Lester.
But big oaf Clemens is entirely impossible to root for. He's a publicity hound, a wanna-be martyr and, most importantly, a mercenary. Let's also not forget that if we're going to brand Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa steroid users without much evidence, let's not overlook good old Roger. The ancillary evidence:
1. Started to decline with age, then somehow get better.
2. We talk about hitters, but look at Roger's body — and head — from the early '90s and now. There's a huge difference.
3. Jose Canseco, in his now prophetic book, says he'd heard that Roger was taking roids.
4. Most importantly, Jason Grimsley, a former Clemens teammate, named Roger when naming names after being busted with steroids and HGH last year.
With all this said, the actual and emotional boost of the Clemens signing should help the Yankees. The team has already started to get better, so this will only augment this. But, keep in mind, that Roger is now a 5-6 inning pitcher, if that.
As a Yankee from 1999-2003, Clemens' average ERA was just a tad bit under 4. Then he went to Houston and became Superman again. It cannot be overstated how bad the offenses in the NL Central are. They are absolutely horrible.
Roger could take coffee breaks when facing the 2 and 6-9 hitters in NL lineups, except when facing the Mets last year, which he probably did only once or twice. He's going to be slaughtered by the AL East lineups. The prediction here is a 4.70 ERA, which isn't bad, but certainly isn't worth a $28-million pro-rated salary.
In other news, "Spider-Man 3" shattered all previous box-office records. Of course, it's a bit misleading because it now costs $10 for a ticket. But anyway ...
I spent most of my weekend on a movie set, which was really fun and interesting. I got to see how the scenes came together, talked a lot with the crew and the actors. Good times. I also got a chance to see "Year of the Dog," which I recommend.
Here's a good story on August Wilson's "Radio Golf," which had its world premiere here in New Haven a couple years back. Honestly, I thought it was one of Wilson's worst works, but this story says it has been updated a lot since 2005.
You know, a lot commercials warn against drinking and driving for a lot of the obvious reasons. And while those warnings are all valid and incredibly important, it seems like they might not be enough for some people. Well, this story should do it.
ABC announced there will be three more seasons of "Lost." While I like how a network is taking initiative and saying one of its more popular shows will last another three years, I think this move gives master tease J.J. Abrams another 48 episodes to screw around and make an unwieldy plot even more dumb and contrived.
That's it on this end. I have to finish up here at work and get ready for my first softball game of the year. Our team plays its first game in the New Haven league tonight. I'm a very excited boy. I'll let you know how it went tomorrow, if I don't pull my groin or something.
That's it on this end. I have to finish up here at work and get ready for my first softball game of the year. Our team plays its first game in the New Haven league tonight. I'm a very excited boy. I'll let you know how it went tomorrow, if I don't pull my groin or something.
2 comments:
One of the guys over at Highbrid Nation wrote a very interesting post about Roger Clemems and and the "real" reason he has come back to play for the Yankees. Good Stuff.
That's a great, hard-hitting investigative story you've posted here. I applaud it.
-p
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