A yankees fan since birth, I have become accustomed to seeing them in the playoffs year in and year out. Even when they started the season slowly, there was an assumption they'd get there act together and win the AL East. And once they signedRoger Clemens , they did indeed get their act together. And while Clemens has been less than stellar in his season of work, his presence contributed to the yankees having the best record in the second half. But tonight, the Indians vs. Yankees game, in which Clemens could not get out of the 3rd inning, may be the end for the hall-of-fame great. He left 
with a hamstring injury that has bothered him all season. If this is the end for Clemens, which I suspect it is, he will go down in history as one of the greatest pitchers of all time. No other athlete has accomplished anything close, and despite his subpar season, was worth the 18 million to come back. At the same time, is there room for a 46 year old Clemens in the Yankees 2008 rotation? Probably not, as his health has become more and more a concern. Hopefully the Yankees can send him off with one more world series ring, and allow to retire for the 4th and final time.
with a hamstring injury that has bothered him all season. If this is the end for Clemens, which I suspect it is, he will go down in history as one of the greatest pitchers of all time. No other athlete has accomplished anything close, and despite his subpar season, was worth the 18 million to come back. At the same time, is there room for a 46 year old Clemens in the Yankees 2008 rotation? Probably not, as his health has become more and more a concern. Hopefully the Yankees can send him off with one more world series ring, and allow to retire for the 4th and final time.
3 comments:
Roger Clemens is a great pitcher, and he was definitely a factor in turning the Yankees season around, but I don't feel his "presence" played that large of a role in turning the Yankees season around. Yes, he mentored the young pitchers, like Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy, but their ability to produce ultimatley is what saved the Yankees. Personally, nothing helped the Yankees more than Joba's presence in the 8th. Not since the 2003 season have the Yankees possesed a setup man whom Torre could throw out there without question (Tom Gordon). While Roger's signing was a great emotional uplift for the team, I don't think an emotional uplift is worth 18 million dollars.
I am a die hard yankee fan and I was thrilled when Clemens announced that he chose the yankees over everyone else to sign with. I think 18 million for a little more then half a season may be kinda high. Clemens was a great pitcher. His numbers were great with Houston because that was in the national league. The american league doesnt even compare. Theres just too many great hitters in the american league. Maybe his pitching skills diminished with all the injuries, but his knowledge of the game is still with him and passing that knowledge to phenoms like joba and hughes was so key for the yanks this year to turn out an unbelievable stretch from 21-28 to 94-68. I think the 18 million the yanks gave to Clemens was kinda high but in the long run it was a great investment. Joba and Hughes are 22 and 21, and the knowledge they learned will help them be the best 1, 2 pitching duo in a few years.
I applaud and thank the Rocket for everything he did in New York. I think it is time for him to retire after the injuries have become a major problem for him, which usually is a sign for any athlete that it is time to hang it up. I do not believe that we will hear Clemens name going anywhere until he is inducted into the hall of fame. I do not think he was worth the $18.5 million considering his pitching was only for half a season and he was not around when it mattered the most (the playoffs)! If the young pitchers, Kennedy, Hughes and Chamberlain, have learned a lot Clemens, then maybe it might be worth having him teach the future of Yankees pitching for a much lower salary. His presence might make the Yankees win games like it did this year when they started to get hot after signing him. Still with a 6-6 record and a 4.18 error I believe it is time for the 45 year old pitcher to retire, but he will always be remembered for the great things he has done.
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