Around the Horn

The Yankees were off last night so today I would just like to comment on a few random subjects.

Clemens Suspended 5 Games, Torre 1

Give me a fricken break. First of all regardless of what A-Rod did or didn't say two months ago, he was the one who took it in the leg. Clemens didn't start it, Toronto did. Where are the suspensions for the Blue Jays? I guess MLB considers playing baseball in Canada to be punishment enough.* I also don't agree with the idea that Torre has to pay for what Clemens did. Roger has a history of this type of behavior. He doesn't need Torre to tell him to hit a guy, he'll do that with a smile on his face and a broken bat shard in his hand. Torre will serve his suspension today but Clemens will probably appeal it. Do we still have to pay him for games when he is suspended?

Hank Aaron Hates Barry Bonds

Ok, I don't know that for a fact. However considering that he was quoted as saying "eventually, if I happen to see him somewhere, I'd probably say something to him" it doesn't sound like Hank is too fond of the guy. Look, no one likes it when a record they have set is broken, especially such a hallowed one such as this. But when your record gets busted by a cheater, well that's just like pouring gasoline on your wounds.

Roid Rage

Jose Conseco must have spent all the money he made from appearing in "The Surreal Life" on Vh1 because he is coming out with a new book about everyones favorite subject....STEROIDS. Allegedly he claims A-Rod is a roid user. Now I tend to think that he isn't, but as my friend pointed out to me just because the guys head didn't explod like Bonds head did, that doesn't mean he isn't using. Look at Rafael Palmeiro for example, he was never a huge guy (although I have heard stories about him beating the bejesus out of a pinata while on a roid rage).

So if everyone is on the juice what does that say about records and stats? Should we just throw everything out past 1995 and start from there? Or are we so jaded by the whole thing that we just can't trust a players accomplishments anymore without assuming that they cheated? Personally I hope A-Rod is clean and he goes on to break Bond's record. I'm sure he wont be playing for the Yankees by then, but anyone but Bonds is all we can hope for (assuming he is clean).

*Actually I have been to the Former Sky Dome a bunch of times and it is a surprisingly clean and friendly venue.

Clemens Return's to the Bronx (oh yeah and Yankees Win 5-0)

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.

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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.
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Clemens causes stir by attending Yankees game

It is amazing how a 44 year old pitcher can cause such a stir just by attending a spring training game. At an age when most pitchers have long ago hung up the cleats and are more concerned with their slice rather than their curve ball, Clemens somehow still draws the interest of the best teams in the game. Unfortunately that includes the attention of my beloved New York Yankees. Now 4,604 strikeouts with a 3.10 career ERA is nothing to scoff at, but the last thing the Yankees need at this point is another pitching dinosaur who under preforms. Clemens would only pitch half the season at best. No one knows if he can even pitch 10 games without losing the last of what he's got. It's just not worth the price to find out. Let the Red Sox do that. From the standpoint of the fans, Clemens will also need to overcome that little issue of abandoning NY the first time he "retired". Simply put, Clemens adds no value to a team already filled with all stars and its fair share of Senior citizens.

On the bright side there is some encouraging news about Philip Hughes. It seems that the Yankees are actually going to hold on to a young top pitching prospect for the first time in years. That said, we'll see if management has learned it's lesson about selling off the farm.