So, I'm sitting here watching ESPN, and of course, the big story over the past day or so has been Roger Clemens announcing he'll return to the Yankees. While it certainly doesn't surprise me (you obviously know that his services would go to the highest bidder, and the Yankees payroll is all but infinite), the fact that it happened completely under the radar is still confusing me.
The fact that the Yankees are already pushing their proverbial panic button is bringing a smile to my face. Just in you didn't know prior to reading the blog, I hate the Yankees. Absolutely hate them. I don't like they way they conduct business, I don't like the way they present themselves to the media, and I don't like owner George Steinbrenner. He's such a fucking American. His idea to solve his teams problems always seems to be him throwing his wallet in its face: either hoping to scare the problem away, or entice them to join his dark side. I'm still clambering for reasons why Steinbrenner things throwing money away on aging stars past their prime is going to get him to his World Series ring, his "yearly goal." Maybe spend a few years grooming all of the young talent you trade away on guys like 16 million dollar man Bobby Abreau or 23 million dollar man Jason "Steroids" Giambi.
Now, let's change gears for a minute, mainly because I don't want to keep talking about Steinbrenner. Was getting Roger Clemens a good call? Definitely. Did they honestly need to do it? No. Sure, having the greatest pitcher of all-time (don't even think about disputing this, he's greater then Maddux, Koufax, Young, Gibson, Carlon, Ryan, etc.) on your roster is going to boost your rotation, no matter what time of the year it is. Even at 44 (45 in August), Clemens still delivers. He still hovers in the low 90s with his fastball. He can still get the ball up in the strikezone, and his splitter is still as ruthless as it was ten years ago. Plus, Clemens will actually have *gasp* run support! So, unlike last year, when he went 7-6 with a 2.30 ERA because his team could literally not score a run, even if you load the bases and place the ball on the tee and let Lance Berkman hack away, Clemens is going to get five to six runs a start. And he's still dominant enough to put his team in a position to win.
Sure, Clemens is going to get double digit wins. Sure, he's going to be Roger frickin' Clemens and get his job done and further assert himself as the greatest pitcher of all-time. But... are people still forgetting that after Clemens shows up, after Wang and Pettitte get to 100%, this team is still flaws. "The Sandman" is finally starting to show signs of aging, and beyond him, the bullpen is a series of giant question marks, suspect defense across the board and they have got an average of hovering around 30. They'll be good enough to hang around with the Red Sox all season because the rest of the division simply isn't on the same level, but when we get down to it, they aren't better then the Red Sox. They couldn't compete with the dominating pitching of the Angels, or the fire power youth of the Indians or Tigers.
New York fans, enjoy having Clemens. Just think, you only paid 28 million beans for him. And he's going to get you right back where you were last year... sitting at home when the end of October rolls around. Get used to this saying like I do, along with the rest of my White Sox fans: maybe next year.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
and I don't like owner George Steinbrenner. He's such a fucking American
that would be where I lost it, and began laughing so hard that it turned into choking.
Post a Comment