Comments on: Report: Roger Clemens could start for Astros on Sept. 12

By: phila1818

phila1818 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 21:10:18 +0000

L-O-O-S-E-R is the opposite of tighter. L-O-S-E-R is a grown up who can’t spell LOSER correctly.

By: mazblast

mazblast — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 20:26:26 +0000

Wynn, not Winn. Loved “The Toy Cannon” way back when.

By: test2402

test2402 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:45:18 +0000

What a looser this guy is. Freaking guy in the shop.

By: themuddychicken

themuddychicken — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:15:43 +0000

I’ve been wondering why more people aren’t discussing this aspect of him pitching again. With the upcoming logjam on the HoF ballot, it will be difficult for a while at least for someone with his baggage to get voted in. By pushing his eligibility back he a) gets to avoid the height of the logjam, and b) allows a few more years for the voters to digest his career and for newer voters with potentially less hardline views toward the “steroid era” to throw some votes his way.

After all, this would give him until about 2032 to get voted in the traditional way. Sidenote: wow, he will be really old in 2032

By: jpat2424

jpat2424 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 12:33:26 +0000

Disappear D Bag

By: deadeyedesign23

deadeyedesign23 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 12:24:27 +0000

He wouldn’t have still been pitching decently if not for all the PED nonsense…

By: 1historian

1historian — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:47:50 +0000

just make sure you leave one for Elvis

By: randygnyc

randygnyc — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 06:22:24 +0000

Hmm. I got my numbers from an iPad app @ baseballmobile. They’ve been off before si I suspected my numbers weren’t accurate. Going to have to find an alternative.

By: qacm

qacm — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 06:08:49 +0000

According to Baseball-Reference.com, Roger is only one win behind Maddux — 355 to 354 — so that indeed could be part of his motivation. Ranking first place in career wins among all modern era pitchers would be quite an accomplishment.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/W_career.shtml

By: randygnyc

randygnyc — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 05:55:55 +0000

Hokie- I hadn’t realized he was only 2 wins behind maddux. Besides the HOF clock, it might explain the motivation. But then I looked and Roger appears to be 9 wins short. Maddux 355 and Clemens 346. My numbers could be wrong of course. He won’t get 9 wins no matter what. 2 is possible, if that’s the number.

By: hokiegajanisgod

hokiegajanisgod — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 05:34:36 +0000

He needs 2 more wins to pass Grex Maddux and reestablish himself as the best pitcher of his generation.

If he didn’t have to deal with all of the PED nonsense, and he was still pitching decently, Cemens may be up around 400 wins…400 wins!!!

Its mindboggling to even consider winning close to 400 games.

By: pjmarn6

pjmarn6 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 04:18:51 +0000

jimeejohnson – Can you try and make some sense of that? What is MSBC? Has mircosoft already formed its news and sports channel? MSNBC just reported the break up. It takes a while to get the internet, television and radio permits and hire qualified people who can make a sentence and put forth ideas that make sense. NBC can’t do it. Look up the names on the stories they write. Most of them are interns! Or they buy the stories from other foreign sources and don’t use people to check usage, spelling or grammar.
I enjoy looking at the funnies that appear on all nbc articles.
Didn’t you love the following statement? “Fllowing several years in which many observers noted promotion of liberal political positions and emergence of politically partisan views in the channel’s programming and news operations, MSNBC publicly acknowledged its progressive agenda in October 2010 while launching a marketing campaign with the tagline “Lean Forward.” That even extended to comments on Hardball. Once MSNBC picked up NEWSVINE it was only a matter of time until Microsoft pulled out.
Or perhaps you liked the following: ”
“Tillinghast said msnbc.com was racing to foster a community among its readers and to exploit the power of unmoderated user commentary and ranking of the news.” As soon as newsvine came aboard, there was banning, deleting and collapsing of comments.
Lastly there was the written promise of Newsvine CEO that he would answer all emails and published his email. He never answered one! So how can you believe any article that is written about anything on nbc including hardball?

By: hfspodcast

hfspodcast — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 04:10:37 +0000

Theres a couple of things here. First lets look at Jose, He hasn’t played in the majors since 2001, he has bounced around more independent leagues than you can count, in those independent leagues he has not played well.
2006 he had a .169 BA in 87 PA’s with 4 HR’s
2010 he signed with a club called Laredo and in 49 PAs had a .385 BA which is more than respectable.
2011 237 PA’s and a .256 BA
2012 84 PA’s and a .194 BA.
A few points about his ML career as well.
His BA’s since 1997 .235, .237, .279, .252, .258
He’s a power hitter of course so lets see HR’s
23,46,18,18,8
Its pretty easy to see he was declining the white sox even had him in AAA in 2002 to try and get back into form.
Jose was a player who while he was a huge name never lived up to his potential and despite the Steroids did not age well.
Roger on the other hand (possibly aided by Steroids) has aged very well.
His last ML start of course being 5 years ago opposed to 11.
2003-2007 he posted….
3.91,2.98,1.87, 2.30 and 4.18 ERA’s
Compiling strike out totals of 190, 218,185,102 and 68.
Even in his two worst years he would have still been considered to be a average/above average pitcher.
All of this without taking into account Jose’s off the field issues, battery, drunkeness, MMA fighting, celebrity boxing, tell all books, getting hit in the head with a baseball, etc.
Obviously I am not going to sit here and tell you that Roger Clemens is a saint, but Roger was a helluva pitcher and comparably was a much more durable icon than Jose was to the point where if he goes out tomorrow and pitches it will be to a sell out crowd.

By: pjmarn6

pjmarn6 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 03:57:30 +0000

What’s the beef? Nbc reported the break up, which is understandable considering all the lies and broken nbc promises. NBC admits it is fourth in the viewership ratings. Now there will be five internet companies broadcasting news and sports. So they sink one lower. Yesterday nbc reported that Clemens would never pitch for Houston and in the big leagues. Today its “OH YES” it will be a stunt to extend his eligibility for the HOF and fill some seats in Houston. When you consider how many interns do the work for the journalists, it doesn’t matter what garbage NBC throws on the net. They net to take up so many lines of space. So what if it doesn’t make sense and what they print one day contradicts what they print the next. They want the advertisements!

By: kickingiant

kickingiant — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 03:03:39 +0000

Canseco can’t put butts in seats. Clemens can. Sometimes life actually is cruelly, inexplicably fair.

By: kickingiant

kickingiant — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 02:58:50 +0000

Looking at the picture, I hope that if number 34 for the Skeeters isn’t named Bites, then they have a player who is.

By: raysfan1

raysfan1 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 02:48:03 +0000

“Clemens is on his own time table and not Houston’s.”

Of course he is. Find me evidence of him not acting purely selfishly ever.

And, yes, I too think this is much more about re-setting the HoF clock and not real love of the game.

By: sabatimus

sabatimus — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 02:30:26 +0000

I think he should start on Sept 11.

By: teaspoon1731

teaspoon1731 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:52:09 +0000

Has there been reason to mock the White Sox this season?

By: randygnyc

randygnyc — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:50:09 +0000

I think Moyer’s appearances earlier this year have made Clemens’ return more probable. Clemens throwing upper 80′s (with control) and with a good curveball, can still get MLB hitters out.

My bet is he makes one start and then excuses himself from a further attempt for whatever reason he makes. I expect that he’ll perform well, too.

By: mscott4

mscott4 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:49:07 +0000

Calm down Jose.

By: astrosfan75956

astrosfan75956 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:10:06 +0000

Bagwell and Biggio are going to play as well.

By: jimeejohnson

jimeejohnson — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:07:13 +0000

Not fair to compare Clemens to the O.J., ok. Clemens didn’t kill anybody. O.J.: not so much!

By: jimeejohnson

jimeejohnson — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:03:18 +0000

Which Sox?

By: jimeejohnson

jimeejohnson — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 01:02:11 +0000

5 thumbs down? Didn’t know MSBC allows its own employees on here. Jeez! (Sarcasm intended)

By: jimeejohnson

jimeejohnson — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:59:17 +0000

Leave Roger alone. After all, he was cleared by a court of Law, just like the O.J., ok!

By: braddavery

braddavery — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:45:43 +0000

I understand that. I was implying that it isn’t really fair. Clemens is just as much a douche and a pariah as Canseco, yet here he is, getting another shot at 50 freaking years old. No on can tell me that a 50 year old Clemens brings anything more to a team than Canseco would right now. I have no issue with Clemens getting a shot. My problem is that other players deserve as much a shot as Clemens is getting. Oh well. It is what it is.

By: thefalcon123

thefalcon123 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:36:07 +0000

To hell with Clemens. I say sign Jim Wynn and let him play a couple of games. If there is anyone who deserves to have his HOF clock re-set, it’s him.

129 career OPS+ as a center fielder, 60.7 fWar and not a single HOF vote. That’s downright criminal.

By: thefalcon123

thefalcon123 — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:33:05 +0000

…I can’t imagine that would make the Astros any worse.

By: j0esixpack

j0esixpack — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 00:25:40 +0000

I gotta say… Roger is a lying jerk who is only pulling this stunt in the hopes that the added time in resetting his HoF selection clock may help him get in.

That being said, I’m intrigued to see how he does against major league batting (if one considers the Cubs a major league team.)

88 mph fast balls for a 50 year old throwing for the first time in 7 years ain’t bad… If that stretch out start sees him move up into the low 90s this next game there really is no reason to think he couldn’t still win games at the major league level.