The real question with the Rocket is when will Kirk Radomski say his name to George Mitchell?

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=2858983

Here's my thing - let's say Roger comes in, pitches well, and gives you 10 wins. If you ask me, that's best case scenario - I'm expecting more like 7 or 8. Let's say your average #5 man, over the same timespan, would give you 7 or 8. Was it really worth giving up $21m for those 2 or 3 wins? It's kinda crazy...it's not like you're buying a guy who is gonna affect the game day in and day out...just once every 5 days or so.

VIVA LA RED SOX!!

I completely agree with what Matt said. I can see spending $28 million on a guy who will take the field everyday for the remainder of the 162 games played, but to pay that for Clemens is, well, absurd. Matt rightfully suggested that Clemens can provide anywhere between 7-10 wins. Is each win worth a minimum of $2.8 million? I don't think so.

As a Yankee fan I don't necessarily agree with signing Clemens. But I also feel that he will be more valuable than you are assuming. Predicting how many wins he gets isn't really an accurate way of evaluating his potential worth. You have to look at his overall performance. Now, we can't possibly guess how he will play with 100% accuracy. But we can probably assume that he'll be at least above average (high 3 to low 4 ERA) and give us about 5 or 6 innings per game for a little over 20 games. That's significantly better than any 5th starter will give us, and probably makes him a #3 starter (behind Wang and Pettitte). Its probably expensive for a #3 starter, but not quite as absurd as some people think.

Met fans need to rid themselves of their inferiority complex. They should be worried about their team winning not other teams losing.

In response to annonymous - I don't think you'll see an ERA in the 3's. Yes, he had a solid ERA in the NL's weakest division. But look at his ERA the last go-around with your Yanks. Mid-4's, if I'm not mistaken. And the division has only got better, as has most of the AL. I'd say his ERA will be somewhere in the 4.25 - 4.50 range, which is somehow respectable nowadays. I remember in the 80s when anything above a 4 was weak, haha!

The league has only gotten better?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?

-shakes head- The uneducated anger me. As well as Red Sox fans...I wonder if there is a connection...

Last time I checked, Baltimore was a playoff team when Clemens came to the Yankees, and ever since he left, not counting Toranto OWNING the sox last season (Haha, Sox got beaten buy there own game...triple the payroll, get higher in the standings [see 2004 crap-sox*]), the standings have been Yankees, Sox, and who-cares-they-aren't-the-Yankees-or-Sox. the only team that has improved enough to warrant any observation is the Red Sox, who's sudden rise came after blowing 200 mil in the off season(coincidence?)...I can tell you this much, you don't get into the playoffs...Screw it, the World Series, you can kiss your smart ass little GM goodbye.

As for Clemens ....Wait...Over 40....Cy young Caliber....coming from a crappy team...... Well lets just thank whoever above its not Randy Johnson. Sure he's 45 and its a little creepy that he is stalking Mr. Pettitte, but he still had an amaaaazing ERA last season with no run support, and I don't buy the "He is only pitching 5 or 6 innings a game" crap either. What is more important is A. He is in the AL, taking the double switch out of the equation and will make it easier to let him go more innings. B. He is in the AL...No batting for the 45 year old. C. Number of pitches in a game are more important than innings pitched. Last year, Clemens threw over 100 pitches in nine starts, and threw under 85 in only four starts. I highly doubt he will throw less than 85 in any of his starts in NY, because the stress of batting will be off his shoulders.

Maybe the most important factor of all is not the money, wins, maybe, JUST MAYBE, not even a World Series (I said maybe lets not get our panties in a ripple). Lets think about this: Clemens, more experience in the Majors than almost anyone else, will be pitching next to Yankees prospect Phil Hughes. The knowledge Clemens could give Hughes, or any of the other prospects, is invaluable. Clemens could even teach Hughes how to throw Mr. Splitty, think that'll be worth the 25 mil?

So lets hit up a list once more:

1. Cy Young caliber pitcher.
2. Gave the Yankees the Ace they were missing.
3. Instruction he can give to young talent.
4. The Red Sox didn't get him.

For a pro-rated 25 mil (That the Yankees shoulda spend in the off season, but I guess they thought one look at Ted Lilly was more than enough), the Yankees could have really lucked out, and it could pay dividends for years to come.


* For the '04 Sox, they had one man on the team from their farm system, Trot Nixon (...woo), so those Sox who keep bitchin that the Yankees buy the series, lets not forget that the Yankees still have four guys from the '00 WS team, who also came from their farm system. So when we beat your ass again this year Sox fans, take your "You can buy the WS" theory n shove it. That goes for you too Theo.

brian = my new idol.

you're awesome!!! :)