Roger Clemens finished with a record 6 Cy Youngs, 310 wins, 4,099 strikeouts, and one gutsy final game. Mark 2008 on your calendars, because that's when he'll become a first-ballot member of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
I had the pleasure and opportunity to watch Roger pitch for 2 seasons in Toronto, where he won 2 of those Cy Young awards as the best pitcher in the league. His intensity level was unbelievable, his workouts bordered on inhuman, and nobody ever gave more of himself on the baseball field. He retired at age 41, still throwing 95 mile-per-hour fastballs. "Rocket Man," indeed.
It was inspiring to watch him work, for reasons that go beyond baseball or even sport, and I thank him for giving us the opportunity. Many others in baseball feel the same way. Now, Roger "Rocket Man" Clemens says thank you back, in his own words.
Clemens sucks. From 1993 through 1996, he had a lofty record of 40-39. He dogged it his last four years in Boston, which explains his Steve Carlton-like 1997 in Toronto. You would hold him in contempt if he dogged it in Toronto the way he did his last 4 years in Boston.
BTW, he pulled himself out of Game 6 of the 1986 Series because he had a boo-boo.
Clemens is a punk. A cowardly punk.
Without getting into an "Is Clemens a jerk" argument (although he is, says the Mets fan), I'll just point out that he won't be inducted until 2009. (Voting takes place in December, 5 years after the player retires, so Clemens will be voted on in 2008, and inducted in the summer of 2009.) Interestingly, there's a good chance he will be inducted alongside Rickey Henderson, who was similar to Clemens in that he's clearly one of the all-time greats, but was often criticized for his personality. (Of course, this depends on whether Rickey retires, which is questionable, and whether Clemens actually retires, which some people are very doubtful on.)