Kuzul

If Roger Clemens wants to return to Major League Baseball, it seems as if the ball is quite literally in his hands right now.

Over the past week, he has been consistently denying claims to a variety of sources that he wants to return in 2012, although he did make a rather ambiguous statement about his intentions for the 2013 season.

However, to add to this soap opera today, there has been a new message from Houston upper management.

Astros owner Jim Crane told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that he wants Roger Clemens to pitch this season for the Astros, but he wouldn’t want him to pitch against any playoff contender.

If you look at the rest of their schedule, the only non-contenders they really play are the Chicago Cubs. The Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers are on the fringe of contention (both are five games back in the NL Wild Card race), but I wouldn’t necessarily say they are necessarily non-contenders.

While they are playing the Chicago Cubs right now, they will not see them again until October in the Windy City. Houston would surely want to benefit from all of the money they could make by bringing him back, though, so I can’t necessarily see that happening.

For that matter, they play the Milwaukee Brewers on the road as well, and they start their series with the Phillies at home this Thursday, September 13. If he was going to pitch against the Phillies, that would take some drastic movement.

Then, the only two series they have left at home involve the St. Louis Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates, two teams that are both very much in playoff contention.

Therefore, this is a rather interesting comment from Houston Astros owner Jim Crane. Could this story be dead yet? Honestly, it won’t be over until the final pitch is thrown this season, and then we will start looking at what Clemens meant about 2013.

Whether you think I know everything or nothing about Major League Baseball, you should follow me on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook and keep in touch. I love hearing what you all have to say!

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They say that baseball is a young man’s game.

The constant running, training and wear-and-tear placed on a man’s body can be grueling. Over the years, it can cause even the healthiest of men to break down. 

Every so often, there are those players that defy that logic. Some may call it luck, while others consider it good genes; at the end of the day, however, it all boils down to the love of the game.

To take a look at MLB History, there have been numerous players who have managed to stay in the game through their late 30s. At that point, the numbers drop off.

The purpose of this list is to look at those players to managed to play at a high, or fairly high, level after reaching the age of 40.

More so, if they were a position player, they must have put in over 100 games of work. If they’re a pitcher, they must have 100 innings pitched under their belt.

With those caveats in mind, here is a look at the 20 greatest “old guys” in MLB history.

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Roger Clemens took to the mound for the second time since his comeback at the age of 50, and once again he looked good.

For the now infamous Sugar Land Skeeters, Clemens went 4.2 innings without allowing a single run on two hits with one strikeout. Clemens only surrendered one hit in both the second and fourth innings while he remained perfect the rest the time he was on the mound.

In his latest start, Clemens also had the chance to pitch to his own son Koby, who was behind the plate for the entirety of the Rocket’s outing. Clemens got the first two outs in the fifth inning before hugging his son and exiting the game.

You know a baseball player is up there in years when his own son is catching him and it isn’t for Little League practice.

This start is an improvement for Clemens, who was impressive in his comeback debut when he threw 3.1 scoreless innings. It seems that the Rocket is progressing quite nicely and can still handle himself on the mound.

So is the Rocket preparing for a comeback to MLB?

There’s no doubt the Houston Astros would love to have him on their team. Clemens might not bring a ton of positive press, but he does bring a ton of press. Along with all the media attention the lowly Astros would receive, they could also put some butts in the seats for at least one game.

In Houston, it’s becoming harder and harder to do just that.

Clemens has tried everything he can to shoot down the idea that he wants to return to the bigs, and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter) confirmed that.

Roger Clemens in a press conf before side session with Sugar Land about pitching in MLB in 2012: “I don’t see it happening.”

— Dan Connolly (@danconnollysun) September 4, 2012

The Rocket is set to be on the Hall of Fame ballot this season, and with the doubts about the validity of his career thanks to suspicions of performance-enhancing drug use, getting into Cooperstown might be impossible.

It’s quite possible that Clemens is hoping to make at least one appearance in the majors this season to push that back and give some more time to allow baseball writers to cool off.

It’s doubtful that thought process would work, but at least Clemens can separate himself from some of the other accused PED users who will be on the ballot for the first time.

Chances are, he may never get in thanks to his alleged use of PEDs, but nobody can take away the fact that a comeback for Clemens at the age of 50 is nothing short of remarkable.

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Wow! Just like that, all of the drama surrounding a Roger Clemens comeback has come to an end. Or has it?

Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun is reporting on Twitter that Roger Clemens said of his potential 2012 MLB comeback, “I don’t see it happening.”

That should close the book on this interesting chapter in the crazy career of Roger Clemens. Even though he was one of the best pitchers of the 1990s, he apparently doesn’t want to try to become at least an adequate pitcher for a month in the 2010s.

Connolly also noted that Clemens said that his entire comeback was about “just having fun.”

While he may have simply been enjoying himself with the Sugar Land Skeeters, he certainly turned the celebrity spotlight back on himself one more time. And after he turned in a strong performance in his first start out of retirement, we all began to wonder even more: Did he still have what it took to be a Major League Baseball player.

When he announced that he was going to start a second game, I have to admit that I was a total believer in the comeback. Normally, whenever there is a publicity stunt, it happens once and never again. But Clemens was going to step on the mound for a second time. It seemed like he had another motive.

Given what he told the press, though, and assuming he doesn’t decide to all of a sudden pull a complete turnaround, it appears that Roger Clemens is not going to pitch in Major League Baseball in 2012.

Whether you think I know everything or nothing about Major League Baseball, you should follow me on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook and keep in touch. I love hearing what you all have to say!

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As the MLB season heads into September, the biggest story in the league is the seemingly imminent return of Roger Clemens to the MLB.

The controversial 50-year-old right-hander had not pitched since 2007 before making a start with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Independent League last Saturday (8/25). He went 3.1 innings and allowed just one-hit while striking out two.

The Houston Astros scouted his start and owner Jim Crane is reportedly (h/t CBSSports) open to the idea of bringing Clemens aboard for a few starts to close out the season. He’ll make one more start for Sugar Land on September 7 (h/t ESPN) and could sign with Houston following that.

From my point of view, there are more than a few reasons why a Clemens return to MLB will make both Bud Selig and the MLB in general look incredibly stupid.

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To the surprise of virtually no one, Roger Clemens is going to pitch again for the Sugar Land Skeeters. 

(Well, maybe that is a surprise, if you were expecting him to pitch for the Houston Astros in his very next appearance. But more on that later.) 

Clemens’ next start is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 7 against the Long Island Ducks, who feature Timo Perez in their lineup. (Perez is 2-for-11 lifetime against Clemens, if you were curious. Weren’t you curious?)

Prior to his next appearance, Clemens will throw a side session on Tuesday, Sept. 4 while the Skeeters are playing the York Revolution. Showing its entrepreneurial spirit, the Revolution are promoting this and inviting ticket holders to watch Clemens throw before the game. Clearly, no one wants to make a sideshow of this event. 

The fact that Clemens is pitching again has fueled further speculation that these efforts are intended as preparation for a return to the major leagues. For at least one start, anyway.

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman that the team is scouting Clemens’ next start for the Skeeters. (Maybe their new guy, Kevin Goldstein, will be among the group watching.) Heyman’s colleague, Danny Knobler, writes that the current speculation in baseball is that Clemens will pitch for the Astros after a normal four days of rest.

That would put him on the mound Sept. 12 at Minute Maid Park against the Chicago Cubs. As you may have noticed, Sept. 12 is not during the final month of the regular season.

If Clemens follows a normal rotation, he could make three additional starts for the Astros. However, if he wanted to end the season at home, that would likely be Sunday, Sept. 23 versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

But why does Clemens want to do this? Is this really all just for love of the game? Does he just want people to like him, really, really like him, as a friend of Clemens told ESPN’s Jayson Stark? Does he really just love getting out there on the mound and throwing a baseball so much that he’ll take any opportunity to do so?

Has five years of retirement driven him batty and he’ll do just about anything to get out of the house? 

Do Clemens and Astros owner Jim Crane just think it would be fun for the fans to see a baseball legend on the field a couple more times? As MLB.com’s Richard Justice reports, Crane insists it wouldn’t be for the money or publicity, for what that’s worth. Some of the revenue generated by any games Clemens pitches in might go to charity. 

Yet the prevailing belief is that Clemens wants to pitch in the majors one more time so that he can reset his eligibility for the Baseball Hall of Fame back another five years.

Five years from now, perhaps some of the ill feelings toward Clemens from his perjury trial and accusations of performance-enhancing drug use will have subsided. Clemens would also gain some separation from the Hall of Fame eligibles of 2013, which include other accused PED users such as Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza and Sammy Sosa. 

But would this really happen? Would five more years to consider Clemens’ suitability for the Hall of Fame truly make a difference among voters and in popular opinion? 

It’s possible that Bonds and perhaps Piazza will have been voted in to Cooperstown by then, after voters make those players wait a year or two as punishment for presumably using PEDs. Voters could at least take away the honor of being “first ballot Hall of Famers” from those players and then acknowledge their achievements on the field. (Jeff Bagwell could be included in this group as well.)

If that’s the case and accused steroid users have gained entry in to the Hall of Fame by the time Clemens is eligible again, then he would certainly have less of a stigma surrounding him. The so-called steroid era will have been accepted. 

Something else to consider is that Clemens would stand out more as a certain Hall of Famer among the potential ballot for 2018.

Who else will be on the ballot by then? Chipper Jones, for certain. Mariano Rivera would have been a lock, but he intends to pitch in 2013 following his season-ending knee injury this year. What about Lance Berkman? Jim Thome? Andy Pettitte? Ichiro Suzuki, perhaps? 

Jones and Rivera would get plenty of support and be the headliners. But Clemens could overshadow them with his candidacy and be the heavy favorite to gain 75 percent of the vote.

By that point, voters will have had another five years to look over his numbers. His 354 wins rank ninth on the all-time list of pitcher wins. He may even have surpassed Greg Maddux for eighth place if he earns a victory or two during this comeback. 

This could be where Clemens’ true intentions lie. He would almost be like a car salesman, telling a potential customer to take his time and think it over. He’ll check back with you later. In this case, it would be five years later. 

Oh, and don’t forget that he ended his career (again) on a high note pitching for his hometown Astros and gave everyone one highlight in what’s been a miserable season. Go ahead and check that Baseball-Reference page again as many times as needed. Talk with as many people as necessary.

With that, Clemens could head back to his office (he wouldn’t have a cubicle), kick his feet up on the desk and savor the moment, knowing that he made the sale. All that remains is for it to become official. 

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Roger Clemens‘ solid comeback start with the Sugar Land Skeeters may have the legendary pitcher hungry for more. 

Deadspin’s Erik Malinowski has the report: 

A source close to the Skeeters tells Deadspin that Clemens has already penciled in September 7 as his next (and final?) start for the club. 

This is certainly not a shock. Given even a semi-decent performance, it seemed obvious that the “Rocket” would make a push to keep pitching.

So when the 50-year-old toed the rubber and delivered 24 strikes on 37 pitches in 3.1 innings of shutout baseball for the Skeeters, all questions turned to when, not if, Clemens would pitch next.

However, Roger wasn’t going to make this conclusion cut and dry, which seems appropriate since nothing is cut and dry regarding Clemens. 

The Houston Chronicle’s Alan Blondin captured this post-start quote from Clemens addressing whether or not he would be pitching professionally again. 

“Not at this point. That could change in a couple days, but right now we haven’t talked to any of the guys or anything like that,” Clemens said.

That report came out on Tuesday, the same day as the Deadspin report. Is this a classic case of misdirection by Roger, or is it a misinformed or misleading source? 

Time will tell, but my money is on Clemens keeping people guessing. As long as his arm holds up, my expectation is for him to make it all the way back to the bigs.

Prior to his start with the Skeeters, MyFoxHouston’s Mark Berman reported that the Astros were “open to the idea” of Clemens once again suiting up for Houston. 

Clemens is way too competitive to let an opportunity like this slide idly by. 

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The Houston Astros own the single worst record in all of Major League Baseball.

At just 40-88, they come across as a pathetic team, despite the fact that they’ve seen their share of injuries to key players such as Jed Lowrie and Francisco Cordero, coupled with the utter disembowelment the team underwent at the trade deadline.

Obviously, they are in the middle of a major overhaul as the team transitions from a National League ball club to an American League team in 2013.

That said, what reason do Astros fans really have to show up for the final 34 games of the season?

This past Saturday, a 50-year-old Roger Clemens toed the rubber for the independent minor league team, the Sugar Land Skeeters.

Prior to the arrival of Clemens, the Skeeters’ biggest star was former two-time American League All-Star pitcher Scott Kazmir.

Everything changed when Clemens came to town. The Rocket came in and impressed everyone in 3.1 scoreless innings of work for the Skeeters.

Those on the list of impressed in attendance, Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow.

Clemens saw his fastball hit 88 mph on the radar gun.

Astros owner Jim Crane has made it known that he would be open to bringing back Clemens to pitch for the Astros this season.

In doing so, Roger effectively helps out the Astros organization as well as his own cause.

He gives fans a reason to show up to the ballpark everyday—not to say that the Juice Train isn’t enough cause for excitement on a nightly basis.

The idea of Clemens coming to town would likely help to fill the stadium for at least three games, possibly even four over the remainder of the season.

To date, the Astros rank last among 16 NL teams in attendance on the season, with only 1,310,710 fans having attended Minute Maid Park in 2012. 

If a deal was made today, fans could likely expect to see Clemens pitch against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, September 2nd.

Should the Astros look to capitalize on home-attendance opportunities, Clemens would not pitch again until September 10th against the Cubs. That could be followed up with a start on the 16th against Philadelphia, and finally, one last outing on the 23rd against Pittsburgh or the 24th against the Cardinals.

For Clemens, this could serve two purposes.

Most notably, it would reset the clock on his Hall of Fame ballot. Rather than seeing his name appear this fall for the first time, it would get pushed back five years.

The idea behind this logic is as obvious as it may seem: Hall of Fame voters may be more lenient on steroid era players five years from now.

It would also give fans the chance to have a new lasting image of Clemens. 

Rather than seeing him walking out of a courtroom post congressional appeal, fans could see Roger take the mound one last time and show that age 50, he still has got it.

Could this plan backfire for both parties? Absolutely.

Might it actually be pretty brilliant? Time will have to tell.

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Roger Clemens‘ first outing since once again coming back from retirement was a success, and it’s just a matter of time before Rocket ends up back in the majors before the season ends.

At age 50 and on the mound for the first time in five years, Clemens looked like he didn’t miss a beat.

The Rocket went 3.1 innings without allowing a single run or walk while surrendering only one hit and striking out two. He did all that in just 37 pitches.

According to ESPN.com staff, scouts from the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals were on hand to watch Clemens pitch. Clearly there is some interest in the 50-year-old from big league teams.

Here’s why Clemens will be back in the majors before the season’s end.

Publicity For Bad Teams

Say what you want about Clemens and his many issues on and off the field, he still brings a boatload of cameras and media attention wherever he goes.

That being said, there are several perennial basement-dwellers who would love to attract some extra attention to their team down the stretch run of the MLB season.

It might come with a price, but that price will help bring in extra money from ticket sales that will help sell out normally empty stadiums. And maybe, just maybe, it could result in more national games for teams that usually have no shot at such a distinction.

As evidenced by the interest being shown from the Astros and Royals, some of the bad teams around baseball are thinking the exact same thing. After all, why else would they scout the Rocket?

Extra Arm For Competing Team

Don’t think for a second there aren’t more competitive, playoff-bound teams watching Clemens’ comeback attempt. They might be watching from afar at first, but the more realistic Rocket’s comeback chances are, the more interest good teams will show.

Pitching is always at a premium, and it’s clear as an MLB team that you can never have enough. So if a ballclub knows they have a shot at bringing in a solid pitcher—and Clemens can prove to be that—they won’t hesitate to sign the Rocket.

It isn’t known just how many innings Rocket has left in that old arm, but it’s not like he has to pitch an entire season. At best, he might make two regular-season starts before the playoffs begin, and that should be enough to make him ready for postseason play.

He might not be the pitcher he once was, but Rocket’s experience could go a long way in shoring up a playoff rotation or as an insurance policy for a top team.

Hall of Fame Ballot

Rocket is set to be on the Hall of Fame ballot this year, but all that could be stopped if Clemens pitches in one major league game this season. In my opinion, that is his ultimate goal.

Clemens doesn’t have much left to prove, and while we’re all impressed that he can still pitch at age 50, that doesn’t change the fact that there will always be suspicions about his career overall.

Maybe the Rocket would like to push his Hall of Fame attempt back another five years in order to give more time for his negative image to be repaired. It’s also possible that Clemens wants to avoid being snubbed for the Hall in order to avoid such an embarrassment.

No matter what he does or when he is on the ballot, Clemens may never be able to avoid missing out on the Hall of Fame. The best he can hope for is to win the hearts and minds of baseball writers everywhere by shocking the world and being effective at the ripe old age of 50.

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Roger Clemens made his first start for the Sugarland Skeeters on Saturday night, and the 50-year-old was remarkably effective on the mound.

He pitched three and one-third innings and gave up just one hit and no runs while recording two strikeouts. He left the game when the Skeeters were up 1-0.

Clemens and the Skeeters—based in the Houston, Texas area—took on the Bridgeport Bluefish in an Atlantic League matchup. The league is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, but it does maintain a high level of competition and former big-leaguers Scott Kazmir, Tim Redding and Jason Lane all on the Skeeters’ pitching staff.

Clemens’ comeback comes on the heels of his acquittal for obstruction of justice charges that stem from accusations that he lied to Congress in 2008 about using steroids. 

He signed with the Skeeters on August 21 and has refused to acknowledge whether or not this is a temporary stop on the road to something bigger. If he does hope for a return to the majors, he made an intriguing case for the opportunity to become the oldest man ever to win a Major League Baseball game.

Here are grades and analysis from his first outing since 2007.

Speed: B+

Clemens’ fastball peaked at 88 miles per hour. While this is not impressive by major league standards, most 50-year-olds would have a heart attack if they did anything at this speed.

He was able to mix up his pitches to allow his fastball to be more effective. His speed was nothing close to the ridiculous numbers he used to put on radar guns, but it was good enough to allow him to get outs.

Control: A+

The Rocket could not rely on the firepower that he had earlier in his career, but he was remarkably accurate throughout his three innings of work. His mechanics were flawless, and he was incredibly consistent with his placement.

He retired 10 out of the 11 batters he faced. He got 10 outs on just 37 pitches, as his excellent control was the main reason he was able to succeed on the night.

Overall: A-

Clemens easily exceeded expectations for a 50-year-old player who had not played professionally in five years. He struck out two batters while getting four to ground out and four more to fly out.

This is the kind of the savvy pitching that a 35-year-old pitcher needs to succeed. Clemens is 50, so he will have to be even craftier going forward, and he showed tonight that he is capable of doing just that at a high level.

What This Performance Means

Clemens passed his first test with flying colors. Whatever he is trying to accomplish with this comeback, he has taken a big step forward with this performance.

If this is a farewell tour to put an image of Clemens with a baseball uniform on his back instead of a suit and tie back into the public conscience, then he has succeeded.

If Clemens is sincerely trying to play Major League Baseball again, then he certainly caught the attention of any any scout watching him tonight.

Where Clemens Goes From Here

At his age, as much rest and ice as possible should be on his agenda in the coming days. After that, he must stay healthy and continue to play like he did tonight.

If he can avoid an injury and exercise the same control over his pitches, then he may not be with the Skeeters for much longer. 

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