There's no escaping some news, and some of the news that there was no escaping while in Berlin was the news that Roger Clemens was back in The Bigs. He announced on Sunday that he would be rejoining the New York Yankees.
Lest anyone would think that Number 22 (that is his number, isn't it?) is doing this for the money, let's listen to his word on that:
"If you think it's about money, you're greatly mistaken. I'm not going to put my body through the paces I put my body through to earn a few more dollars," Clemens said.
The quote is from an AP article by Rebecca Santana that appeared on boston.com; the emphasis is mine.
Since when is $22 million dollars (for a partial season) a few more dollars?
This amount will, in fact, give Old Rog the highest salary per game in the major leagues, not quite but almost dwarfing the pittance paid to his fellow teammate A-Rod, who's now in the number two position. But, love him or hate him, A-Rod plays every game. If Clemens' take home factors in that he'll only be hurling every five days or so - and that, during the interim games, he doesn't even have to show up (where he could, presumably, help his team by guiding younger pitchers, offering advice to batters on how to go after certain pitches and what to expect, etc.) - if all this is factored in, Clemens will be having some mighty fat pay packets.
Even if to the boy from Katy, Texas, it looks a little light.
In any case, at season's end, it will be interesting to see if Roger was worth the $22 million (plus the salary cap penalty that elevated the cost of the deal to $28 million).
Of course, the only way it will be worth it to the Yankees is if they win it all. As Roger himself said (this time, at least, acknowledging that he makes a decent living at his trade):
"It's great to be able to make a great living, but when it's all said and done it's about how many rings that you have."
Clemens now has two rings, both won with the Yankees.
I seriously doubt he'll be picking up #3 this year.
If that's what he wanted, he would have gone with a team (like the Red Sox) that are a lot more likely to get to the World Series.
Does Roger truly think that he can get the Yankees there? Or is this just one more opportunity for him to play some ball (which he no doubt loves and is great at), draw some large and appreciative crowds on what may well be his final Frank Sinatra tour, and grab a fist full of dollars?
No, picking the Yankees is an interesting choice for a lot of reasons.
If on the outside chance that the Yankees win, Clemens can - as long as he posts a few W's - claim partial credit. If they don't win, well, lots of injuries, bad start, never got it going, not our year...
And if they don't make it to the World Series, if they don't win it all, there's no risk that Roger Clemens will have to put it all on the line in, say, Game 7 of the ALCS against, say, the Red Sox. Or in Game 4 of the World Series with the Yankees down 3-0 and their backs entirely to the wall. Which are scenarios that I do not believe Roger wants to find himself in at all. For less us face the fact that, for all his greatness, the "c word" has hovered over Roger Clemens for a good long time.
Roger Clemens may well be the greatest pitcher of all time. And I would no doubt like him a whole lot better if he wore a different uniform, if he'd stayed with the fellas' who brung him (i.e., the Red Sox). But he has not been a tremendously BIG, BIG GAME winner. In the play-offs during his two ring years, here's what he did for the Yankees:
1999 - took the Yankees only ALCS loss against the Red Sox; won Game 4 of the World Series in a Yankees sweep (when a Yankee loss wouldn't have meant going home).
2000 - won a brilliant, one-hit game against Seattle in the ALCS when the Yankees were up 2-1 in the series; won game 2 of the World Series against the Mets (again, a less pressured situation than backs-to-the-wall).
Okay, in 2001 he won against the Diamondbacks in the World Series when the Yankees were down two games to one, and also pitched well in the 7th game, which Yankees ended up losing in the 9th. (It was 2001, was anyone in the country - other than people in Arizona - rooting against the Yankees? I sure wasn't.) In 2003, he pitched in one game against the Marlins. Yankees lost, but Roger didn't get the L because they'd tied it up in the 9th and went on to lose in extras.
Anyway, easy for me to sit here on the arm chair pitching mound, but Roger Clemens - for luck of the rotation, luck of the draw, or for whatever goes on in his head - does not have a record of winning in the "one and done" games. And I don't think he'll get the chance to prove himself this year.
As for the measly little $22 million he'll be making this year? Oh, puhl-ease. "A few more dollars" my aching wallet. Let him choke on it.
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