WasWatching.com

Signing Clemens would perpetuate a strategic mistake the Yankees have made the last few years...over-working an aging staff in order to win a division only to lose in post-season in great part because the staff, starters and bullpen, are dog-tired, pitching on fumes. While I am loathe to point out anything "smart" that the Red Sox have done (even, as in this case, inadvertently), it's crucial that Tim Wakefield has been able to eat up mucho innings, especially in the post-season. It's not something that pays dividends all the time but, hey, the Red Sox just needed to win once.

I agree with the point, but I wouldn't cite wins as a relevant stat. How many games did he give up 0-1 runs and either lose or get the ND? Wins are pretty irrelevant in measuring a pitcher's performance really, unless you're a Cy Young voter:) Just my two cents.

I concede SL's main point, that Clemens's body could hit the wall like the head-on collision at the end of the "Road Warrior". He's 43, it's a significant worry.

Re: his win total in '05, I don't have the #'s at hand, but I recall RC getting very little run support in 4 or 5 losses when he was pitching his best last year. Not likely to happen with this lineup.

Also, call me paranoid, but I feel Henry/Epstein lurking...and what scares me the most is that the media has written the Sox off in the Clemens derby.

Bottom line: (for me) he was the leading cy young candidate for 4.5 months last year. Make sure that these 3 things (and only these 3 things) happen:
1) Sign him, or
2) Make Houston pay 20+ million to sign him, or
3) He retires.

Just an add on - in his last two seasons with the Yankees, combined, Clemens' ERA was over 4. So, now, three years later and as his age is amost half way to 50, what makes anyone think that he will do better than that, if he's back in the Bronx in 2006?

Don't get me wrong, if she wants to sign for $3 mill, sure, take a chance. But, not at something around $18 to 20 mill. That's just silly.

There's no way Roger would sign for just $3 M. He's got his rings, he's got first ballot stats; why go through all the training and practice for only a measly 3. Clemens giving 5 inning might not be so bad, just then throw in Small for 3 innings and have Mo close it out.

Not to nit-pick, but rather because I found it amusing...

"Just an add on - in his last two seasons with the Yankees, combined, Clemens' ERA was over 4. So, now, three years later and as his age is amost half way to 50, what makes anyone think that he will do better than that, if he's back in the Bronx in 2006?"

If his age were "halfway to fifty" (25), I'd say throw all sorts of money at him...