The Yankees beat the Mariners 5-0 yesterday thanks to a great pitching performance by Darrell Rasner. Hideki Matsui earned his 2,000 professional hit....but the real headline is what happened in the 7th inning stretch...yep, Clemens is coming back to New York. I had said in an earlier post that I didn't think a return of the Rocket would be a good thing for the Bombers, but now with our depleted pitching staff and lack of any better options I guess I'll have to take what I can get.
Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly about Clemens return.
The Good - Roger shouldn't need anytime to adjust to the spotlights of New York. He finds himself in familiar territory rejoining his best friend Andy Pettitte, and it was pretty clear from the shot of the dugout after his announcement that the players will enthusiastically welcome him back which will boost morale. He's no spring chicken, but pitching a short season should off set some of the age factor. A return to the AL also means that he won't need to pick up a bat and risk injuring himself, hopefully that helps grandpa stay healthy. Plus, he is still Roger Clemens (I'll give you a more vintage version). The thought of a Pettitte, Mussina, Wang, Clemens, Hughes pitching staff come June is a something to be excited about. Let's just make sure all the hamstrings are protected like the crown jewels from now on.
The Bad - Clemens isn't getting any younger, the guy is 44. That scares me, that scares me a lot. Another concern for father time is that the AL has a deeper depth of batters than the NL.
The Ugly - Clemens is getting an 18 million prorated payday to pitch part of the season. Yankees pitching troubles need to be worked out on the front end (the farm system) not the back end (Roger "Mr. Burns" Clemens). Giving 18 million to a guy for part of a season is a risk that I don't think Cashman would have taken if it wasn't for the desperate need for a pitcher.
*****
By the way, it looks like Pavano is headed for elbow surgery and the DL for the rest of the season. That gives us a total of five wins from this guy over the life of his contract. What a bum.
*****
Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly about Clemens return.
The Good - Roger shouldn't need anytime to adjust to the spotlights of New York. He finds himself in familiar territory rejoining his best friend Andy Pettitte, and it was pretty clear from the shot of the dugout after his announcement that the players will enthusiastically welcome him back which will boost morale. He's no spring chicken, but pitching a short season should off set some of the age factor. A return to the AL also means that he won't need to pick up a bat and risk injuring himself, hopefully that helps grandpa stay healthy. Plus, he is still Roger Clemens (I'll give you a more vintage version). The thought of a Pettitte, Mussina, Wang, Clemens, Hughes pitching staff come June is a something to be excited about. Let's just make sure all the hamstrings are protected like the crown jewels from now on.
The Bad - Clemens isn't getting any younger, the guy is 44. That scares me, that scares me a lot. Another concern for father time is that the AL has a deeper depth of batters than the NL.
The Ugly - Clemens is getting an 18 million prorated payday to pitch part of the season. Yankees pitching troubles need to be worked out on the front end (the farm system) not the back end (Roger "Mr. Burns" Clemens). Giving 18 million to a guy for part of a season is a risk that I don't think Cashman would have taken if it wasn't for the desperate need for a pitcher.
*****
By the way, it looks like Pavano is headed for elbow surgery and the DL for the rest of the season. That gives us a total of five wins from this guy over the life of his contract. What a bum.
*****
3 comments:
It is all good. There is no "Bad" or "Ugly" that can be appropriately associated with Clemens' return with one exception -- baseball's reality that a couple of teams can try and buy their way out of a jam whereas the rest of the league has to play/trade it out. That being said, I am a Yankees fan so I will conveniently check my values at the stadium gates and say, screw the other teams (we have that luxury--you jealous wannabe (I guess I am addressing this comment to Matt who is the only other person that reads this blog)). Because Clemens will not displace ANY talent on the team, his acquisition is completely risk free (to a fan anyway). His experience, competetiveness, and leadership can not only produce wins, but also inspire the rest of the pitching staff which, let's face it, either needs a swift kick or a colonic. If this works, history will show that Derek Jeter will go down as the best captain in baseball history for having played the most instrumental role in luring the 45 year old back to the toughest stage in baseball.
I agree with you, but I have to have some sort of dissenting opinion on my analysis so that I can seem credible. Clemens is an anomoly, pitching strong into his twilight years much the same way my hero Nolan Ryan did. The difference is that while Ryan needed tons of Advil to make it through, Clemens seems to be holding up a lot better. I do have a problem with paying him so much, but considering the alternative was that he would go to Boston it was money well spent. And you are right, he will not displace other talent. If anything he will help out young pitchers like Hughes who can benefit from playing with Clemens.
Hey, did ya find out why was Joe sitting with Cashman last night?
Enquiring minds and all that...
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