He’s an 11-time All-Star, has won two World Series, and a 7 time Cy Young award winner. Yet despite having not pitched in five years, being dogged by steroid allegations, he insists on trying to hang on to the spotlight. No matter that father time catches up to everyone, whether it is Michael Jordan on the Wizards, Joe Namath with the Rams. Despite his talent, he has been a nomad throughout his career, burning bridges with two different teams (Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays) despite being one of the most dominant pitchers of all time. After everything he has done, what does he expect to accomplish with this comeback, having not played in the MLB since 2007? He is not going to win the fans over, play in another all-star game, or win another ring considering no contender is going to sign a guy with his present credentials.
Let’s say he does come back, in which the Astros have shown interest in him. The MLB doormat 40-88 Astros, with about a month left in the regular season. He has a few starts, gets a few wins, and what else? This is America, where we celebrate winners and forgot about everyone else! Do you know who lost in the ALCS in 2007 or who finished 2nd in Cy Young voting in 2002? No, you can’t and nobody cares because it doesn’t mean anything to anyone in their daily lives.
I think one of the hardest things in life is moving on from your past accomplishments. We all have to, whether it is graduating from school, losing your job, or going through a tough breakup. Roger Clemens still has several decades left to live if he plays his cards right. He needs to take his competitiveness and energy and focus on something he can do for the rest of his days. Does he have to leave the game of baseball behind forever? No, he can stay around the game such as another pitching great, Texas Rangers owner Nolan Ryan is. He could become a high school baseball coach, or even sign autographs and tell stories about the good old days a few times a week in Vegas like Pete Rose does. Bottom line, the Rocket needs to abort his latest comeback, before it launches and does more damage to his legacy and the game of baseball itself.
Zachary Bigger