Roger Clemens Goes Out in Style

I don't know how this week could have gotten any better. The Red Sox sweep, the Yankees are bounced, and Roger Clemens' line in is his final game is:

2.1 innings, 4 hits, 3 ER, no decision

Now I wouldn't put it past the asshat to attempt another comeback, but it seems less plausible than ever that some team would pay him an inordinate amount of money again to post a +4 ERA for half a season. Yes, Sammich, Clemens was very, very good. But he was also a self-absorbed, arrogant mercenary who screwed over the fans of every team he played for. And for that reason I hate him.

$26.1 million for half a season, two playoff innings and an early exit....I hope it was worth it.

End of an Era

I never really thought about it until I saw the Rocket walk off the mound. It felt weird to see the greatest pitcher of my time leave the field for the last time. Roger Clemens has been pitching since before I was born. He has been part of baseball for 24 years, and it is going to be strange to have a season without the man. No one will pay him the ridiculous amount of money he requires to pitch another year, and his heart lies with his family now anyways.

You can say you hate him, but you can't deny his skill. His numbers speak for themselves. 354 wins, with six seasons of 20+ wins including his third year in the bigs with a 24-4 record. In two seasons, his ERA was actually under 2.oo. That happens about as often as Joe Borowski not giving up a run in a save situation (never). He has a lot of strikeouts. 4700 some. He threw a bat at a homosexual catcher. Hate him if you want, but he is the best in this era.

I don't like welcoming a new age of players into baseball. I just don't think they will ever have the same stuff, or be as good. I love veterans and I don't think it's possible for guys like Brandon Webb, Josh Beckett, and CC Sabathia to be the next Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson, Dave Burba. I even have a hard time with some of the hitters like Jose Reyes, David Wright, the whole Rockies lineup. It just doesn't seem like old fashioned ball the way it used to be. That's why when Bonds was getting close to Aaron, I started to care and was ready to see the record broken. When he hit it, I accidentally missed it, and I was pissed that I didn't get to see history happen.

We may never see another pitcher as dominant as Roger Clemens. Just like there will NEVER be another Michael Jordan or Muhammed Ali. There could be another Rocket, but there will always be the talk of steroids and the game will never be the same. At the bottom of this blog it says hating Roger Clemens since 1996... I can't hate him at all, I respect him too much.