Monday, May 7, 2007

Tired of Roger Clemens


Allow me to preface these comments.
I used to be a huge Roger Clemens fan,no matter whether he was a BoSox,a Blue Jay,a Yankee or an Astro.
Of course,I liked Calvin Schiraldi( Major seamheads 15 years ago said we looked alike too)and Greg Swindell too.
I always was a mark for the Texas Longhorn pitchers of the 80's.
I complained when the early 90's Indians went looking for a pitcher and signed Jack McDowell instead of Clemens because"Clemens was almost through and was not what he used to be."
I even lived with him being a Yankee,when for most players signing with them as a free agent,I would cut them loose.
But Roger,this routine that you pulled for the last few years of wanting huge money to play for a few months,skip spring training,little traveling with the team etc,had already grown old,but yesterday,I had to cut you loose.
I could justify you pulling this deal in Houston-you know "Roger lives down there" and "Houston needs him as a draw",but to return to New York..........
I did not care about you going back to Boston or not.
As I wrote recently,Boston is fast becoming New York lite anyway,but to be so blatant about the dollars............this is my final straw.
If Roger Clemens wants to pitch,play the season,stagger through spring training like everyone else then I could live with being a Yankee,but this picking and choosing,asking for privileges that NO Hall of Fame player has ever pulled-IMO,Roger Clemens has cheapened his legacy a bit.
See ya Roger-sorry to see you go........

Bullpen Notes

Baseball has finally woken up and decided to televise round 1 of the baseball amateur draft for the 1st time ever.
ESPN 2 will have the honor.
I realize (like the NHL draft) that it will not have the cache' of the NFL and NBA drafts,but the seamheads will love it.

Pirates are off today,they take on the Cubs tomorrow night in Chicago in the 1st of 3 games.
Ian Snell 2-2 for the Bucs vs Theodore Roosevelt (Love the name) Lilly 2-2 for the Chicagoans.

In Pirate minor league news-
Michael Felix ,in a good news,bad news situation, has been moved to the bullpen in Hickory after his horrid beginning to the season as a starter.
However,he has been much more effective since the switch.

And finally,here is an article from the Washington Post that laments the takeover of America's Cup Yacht racing by corporate dollars.
Hmmm.It is YACHT RACING!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is a sport by rich people for rich people-but thanks for the news flash anyway.

Photo credit
Clemens-Reuters,the Bettmann Archive

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