Yankees Chick - News, Rumors, and Opinions on the Bronx Bombers From a Brunette Babe

Since coming back from ~~the dead~~ retirement for the 2004 season, Clemens has finagled some seriously prime deals for himself down in Houston. For the past 3 years the Astros have essentially given the Rocket free reign over his schedule, letting him start the season late last year and even allowing him to skip out on road trips to stay in Houston with his family; he wasn't even required to show up to the stadium on days he wasn't scheduled to pitch. In 2004, which was supposed to be his first year of retirement (see left and recall, if you will, the lavish fanfare the Yankees showered upon him during his "last" year in 2003), the special treatment the Astros bestowed upon Clemens seemed a bit excessive but made sense for both parties - - The Astros needed a big name and a star pitcher, and the Rocket barely had to rearrange his retirement activities schedule to accommodate a once-every-five-days workweek. By 2006, though, when Clemens strung the Astros (and all other potential suitors) along for months by not committing to playing a full season or even to a particular team, his attitude began to wear on me.

It's 2007, now, and the Rocket is still playing his mind games with the MLB and us fans. His agent/wrangler Randy Hendricks has confirmed that he is "more than 50/50 [certain] that Roger will play in 2007", but also adds that the Rocket will probably be looking for another shortened season deal. It seems fairly certain that the only teams he would be willing to pitch for would be the Astros, Yankees, or Red Sox, but neither Clemens nor his wranglers will comment on which - if any - team interests him most, and he will likely go with whichever team is showing the most promising signs of post-season success come June. This heartless mercenary M.O. both depresses and sickens the Yankees Chick, who prefers to believe that her most beloved players care about more than shiny rings. What Clemens is doing is creating a precedent of self-centeredness that inconveniences teams and teammates and places a virtually un-cappable ceiling on what clubs will have to do to secure star players in the future.

That being said, I really do believe the Rocket is just what the Yankees need for their 2007 roster, and I think the Yanks are in a position to offer him a contract chock full of the special treatment and celebrity perks he will surely demand. By not pitching until June, the Rocket would actually allow Torre to try out Phillip Hughes et al in the starting rotation for a good two months, giving the Yanks a perfect opportunity to feel out their future talent, and while he obviously wouldn't be able to go home to Houston every week, I'm sure Clemens would be permitted to take a reprieve from the tough world of pitching once every five days for a team that obviously loves him to bits at least once a month. The Yanks would almost certainly be willing to top any offer the Red Sox and Astros put on Rocket's table, and if the Rocket is choosing his team solely based on post-season chances the Yankees are the obvious favorite at this point.

So pass me that All-Purpose Yankees Pail you got as a Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Sacrifice of the Virgins gift. He may make me ill, but I'm rooting for a return of the Rocket.