The man who made a Rocket! 

By: Monty - Tim Montemayor

Major League Baseball has rarely seen a time like the present. Attendance is awful around both leagues, there are no great story lines brewing, heck does anyone even care that Roger Clemens is about to win his 300th win or strike out his 4000 batter? Next Saturday at Wrigley in Chicago when Clemens again takes a run at further deepening his immortality against Kerry Wood and the Cubs, ESPN will cut in live, the New York Media will be all over the place touting "The Rocket" and his greatness. But will anyone else care?  

Clemens has always been the elusive star, the larger then life figure who shuns the media and may not know the fans exist. He is the gun slinger from Texas who turned down the Pro Contract to be a "Horn", then made a splash in Boston as a Red Sox, striking out the world, setting records, and coming up just short of a ring as the ball went astray of Bill Buckner's glove.  Then came Dan Duquette, the young, all knowing new breed of GM in Baseball who had the gall to tell "The Rocket" he was in the twilight of his career. How dare he? Clemens, as we all know now, was far from the twilight, and has gone on from Boston to win three more Cy Young's, and of course he got his rings as a Yankee. But has Clemens done anything for the game? I say no, not really. 

I know Clemens is a role model, never in trouble, never arrested, his only crime was tossing a broken bat at Mike Piazza, and depending on your allegiance, the crime there was that he missed! But other then what he has done on the field, Roger Clemens has not contributed that much to the game. He is not a guy who embraces the media, last time I checked he was no media darling, he is one of those guys who does what he needs to do and nothing more. No radio shows, no TV shows, few national media interviews, and that means little mass appeal. It is always great to watch a legend go for a record, Pete Rose is the Hit King, Ricky Henderson is the stolen base king, and Big Mac is the home run king. What is Clemens? Nearly two thousand K's behind the Ryan Express, not close in wins, World Series titles, or ERA. Besides the K's and chasing 300 wins, for a superstar Clemens is pretty average and that is bad for baseball. Why can't Clemens have the personality of a Jose Lima and mass appeal of a Don Drysdale, he would be untouchable!

 I also have to wonder what cap Clemens will wear into Cooperstown? Red Sox fans do not want him, Toronto fans couldn't care less, do they know Clemens ever played there? Then there is the Boss and his Yankees, they took in the Boston cast off. What would have become of Clemens had the Boss not traded for him? Likely Clemens would have wound up in a place like Atlanta, Houston or maybe L. A, but then he does not win a ring! Does he win as many games? Does he ever reach the immortal 300? Would he be a first ballot Hall of Famer? I say no, only the Boss could have made Clemens what he has become, a well past his prime ace who will only win 300 and strike out 4000 because he was surrounded by the best player’s money could buy.

 Say what you want, Roger Clemens owes his legacy to George Steinbrenner, put him in the Hall as a Yankee!

Major League Baseball has rarely seen a time like the present. Attendance is awful around both leagues, there are no great story lines brewing, heck does anyone even care that Roger Clemens is about to win his 300th win or strike out his 4000 batter? Next Saturday at Wrigley in Chicago when Clemens again takes a run at further deepening his immortality against Kerry Wood and the Cubs, ESPN will cut in live, the New York Media will be all over the place touting "The Rocket" and his greatness. But will anyone else care?  

Clemens has always been the elusive star, the larger then life figure who shuns the media and may not know the fans exist. He is the gun slinger from Texas who turned down the Pro Contract to be a "Horn", then made a splash in Boston as a Red Sox, striking out the world, setting records, and coming up just short of a ring as the ball went astray of Bill Buckner's glove.  Then came Dan Duquette, the young, all knowing new breed of GM in Baseball who had the gall to tell "The Rocket" he was in the twilight of his career. How dare he? Clemens, as we all know now, was far from the twilight, and has gone on from Boston to win three more Cy Young's, and of course he got his rings as a Yankee. But has Clemens done anything for the game? I say no, not really. 

I know Clemens is a role model, never in trouble, never arrested, his only crime was tossing a broken bat at Mike Piazza, and depending on your allegiance, the crime there was that he missed! But other then what he has done on the field, Roger Clemens has not contributed that much to the game. He is not a guy who embraces the media, last time I checked he was no media darling, he is one of those guys who does what he needs to do and nothing more. No radio shows, no TV shows, few national media interviews, and that means little mass appeal. It is always great to watch a legend go for a record, Pete Rose is the Hit King, Ricky Henderson is the stolen base king, and Big Mac is the home run king. What is Clemens? Nearly two thousand K's behind the Ryan Express, not close in wins, World Series titles, or ERA. Besides the K's and chasing 300 wins, for a superstar Clemens is pretty average and that is bad for baseball. Why can't Clemens have the personality of a Jose Lima and mass appeal of a Don Drysdale, he would be untouchable!

I also have to wonder what cap Clemens will wear into Cooperstown? Red Sox fans do not want him, Toronto fans couldn't care less, do they know Clemens ever played there? Then there is the Boss and his Yankees, they took in the Boston cast off. What would have become of Clemens had the Boss not traded for him? Likely Clemens would have wound up in a place like Atlanta, Houston or maybe L. A, but then he does not win a ring! Does he win as many games? Does he ever reach the immortal 300? Would he be a first ballot Hall of Famer? I say no, only the Boss could have made Clemens what he has become, a well past his prime ace who will only win 300 and strike out 4000 because he was surrounded by the best player’s money could buy.

Say what you want, Roger Clemens owes his legacy to George Steinbrenner, put him in the Hall as a Yankee!

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