Hey kids! This blog is for baseball fans, of which I am king. So here goes:
Roger Clemens signed with the Houston Astros today for 22 million dollars (I wish it was doll hairs). However, he will not make a major league start until June 22nd against the Minnesota Twins.
Why would this bother me? It's not like the Astros are going to get past my Cardinals and win the World Series. This I know.
What bothers me is that the Rocket (Clemens) was on every sports show today exclaiming how he's coming back to win a World Series in Houston. That's fine, that's respectable. But he also felt the need to point out that he's not doing it for the money.
And that is where the record scratches.
Come the hell on, Rog. The money had nothing to do with it?! Now you're just kidding yourself.
History shows that when he originally retired after losing the 2003 World Series, Clemens decided to come back and pitch for Houston in 2004 for a whopping 5 million bucks.
Then he played the "Wait and See" game with the Astros prior to the 2005 season, eventually signing for 18.5 million smackers, the highest salary for any pitcher in the history of baseball.
And now he comes out of pseudo-retirement again for 2006 (after holding 4 teams ransom), gets paid 22 million, and expects anyone to believe it ain't about the payoff?! Excuse me while I kiss the sky... Cause clearly he believes that I am nuts.
I don't doubt that he wants to win the big prize for Houston, I know he had somewhat genuine concerns about whether or not he could still pitch at age 43, and everybody knows he wants to play on a team with his oldest son, Koby. I don't argue against these points. I just think it's more than slightly disingenuous for him to say money wasn't a factor. If there's one thing I learned from the Bush family, it's never trust a Texan.
If all you want to do is win, then play for 5 million clams again. It'll feed your kids, Sprewell!
You might recall A-Rod said the same thing when he got his 25.2 million/year deal from the Texas Rangers. It also should be noted that Texas has no state income tax, so Roger's 22 mil will remain largely intact.
Money is good. Get paid. Just don't shrug it off like it didn't matter. It did, it does, and it always will. Keep it real, homie.
Another minor thing that has bothered me since 2003: Why the hell does Clemens wear number 22 in Houston? He is number 21! He wore it in college, in Boston, and in Toronto. That's a total of 16 years.
He couldn't wear it in New York because Paul O'Neill wore it and had been with the Yankees years prior to Clemens's arrival in '99 and O'Neill was near the end of his career. That's understandable. It ended up being only 4 years.
But in Houston, friend and former Yankee teammate, Andy Pettitte signed a few months before Clemens, got number 21 (having worn number 46 as a Yankee), and Clemens had to wear 22 again. Never struck me as right. Now going into his 23rd sure Hall of Fame season, he's got a 22 on his back again. It's probably not going to change but I thought the point about the number should be made, by somebody.
On a more relevant note: My favorite player, Jim Edmonds, is headed to the disabled list after suffering what they're saying is probably a sports hernia or abdominal tear. Not cool. But at least he hurt himself doing what he does best; making an unbelievable balls-out diving catch. He tried to play through it, which too is admirable. Let's hope for a quick recovery.
On a more personal note: I ain't got shit to complain about. How about that?! :-P Pbbbbbbbbbbbbth!!!
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