The Astros plan to scout Roger Clemens' upcoming start for the independent league Sugar Land Skeeters on September 7th, General Manager Jeff Luhnow told Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (story by Danny Knobler). Knobler writes that the strong speculation in baseball is that if Clemens pitches well, he will then pitch for the Astros five days later, on September 12 versus the Cubs.
The 50-year-old hurler last pitched in the majors in 2007 for the Yankees and can likely delay his Hall of Fame eligibility for another five years if he returns to the big leagues with Houston. While the Astros have been linked to Clemens recently, the Rangers and Royals are reportedly not interested in his services.
5 more years! 5 more years!
clemens only wants to pitch in the majors to reset his hof waiting period. he is hoping in 5 years people will be more lenient and let him into the hof
Is Weiand back from shoulder surgery yet? even a Eiand rehabbing would be better for seeing how he would project next year than Clemens, unless houston is just trying to push casual fans into the seats…
Hopefully the Cubs shell him, the game doesn’t sell out, and in 5 years he still doesn’t get the vote.
That would be epic. Truly epic.
As a Cubs fan, I can assure you it is extremely unlikely we shell anyone.
No harm no foul. Nothing to lose for Houston at this point and it gives people a reason to watch an Astros vs Cubs game. Never thought I’d be saying that…
can someone explain to me why he would want to delay his hof elegibility, i dont get it, surely he wants to be in as quick as possible
Time heals all wounds, or so Mr. Clemens likely believes.
He won’t be in quickly, if at all, because of the steroid scandal, but his stats are definitely HOF-worthy.
He almost definitely has a far bigger chance of getting in after all the steroid fiasco has calmed down in a few years. (Of course, it was starting to calm down this year, before there was the Braun scandal and three PED suspensions. Oh, and a fake website).
I can see this as a Kenny Powers situation in Clemens’ mind.
“Eastbound and Down” SPOILER ALERT:
Kenny made it back to the majors in the last episode of the show, but subsequently quit because he only wanted to prove to himself and to others that he could. I can totally see why Clemens would want to simply make it back to the majors then ride off into the sunset again.
How the hell does Clemens get another chance but Barry Bonds got forced into retirement?
You’re right, it’s definitely a little unfair for Bonds. Lots of politics for sure.
A baseball reason I can think of would be that it seems easier for a retired pitcher to come back than a retired hitter. Hitters need to get their timing back down, and it’s damn near impossible just to get up off the couch and face a major league pitcher. It’s probably still really hard for a pitcher, but at least they don’t have to react to anybody else since they’re in a sense controlling the at-bat.
Yeah it’s a shame what happened to Bonds after 2007. I’m sure in 2008 he would’ve been a valuable DH or a below competent LFer for somebody. His bat would’ve made up for whatever defensive lapses he would’ve had. I would love to see what kind of damage he could’ve done if he DH’d in the AL East.
Brought it all on himself with his boorish behaviour unfortunately.
Agreed
But someone like Manny Ramirez who got caught twice for PEDs and his attitude on the field is allowed to play? Big double standard there.
Bonds has been black balled his whole carreer. I thought that the witch hunt called the Mitchell Report was bad enough… Poor guy got a raw deal.
… “poor” guy?!
Not pro-either one of these guys, but Clemens got cleared and signed on to an indy team and is friends with the owner of a going-nowhere (sorry, truth ATM) franchise. Bonds has been cleared and hasn’t expressed any interest to do anything as a baseball player. Oh, I almost forgot, without PED’s, Clemens can be “deceptively crafty”. No such alternative role for over-the-hill power hitters.
Bonds was not cleared he was found guilty. He did take steroids and admitted it. Clemens has never admitted it, was never proven to take steroids and was cleared of the charges against him.
I thought he was found not guilty but guilty of obstruction of justice?
steroids didn’t turn barry bonds in to the best hitter in the majors, it aided it him, but to what degree no one will ever know.
The reality is though, that PEDs, will never turn a 10 HR hitter into a 40 HR hitter, John Macdonald in to Adam Dunn. So while I hate PEDs in baseball like everyone else, I think the notion that Barry Bonds was ONLY good because he was a juicer is ridiculous. at that time A LOT of players were juicing and there was only one Barry Bonds.
“it aided it him, but to what degree no one will ever know.”
Yep we are all idiots, and we will never know what McGwire and Bonds know, touche’ for you sir..
Huh? I didn’t call you or anyone an idiot. I’m merely just saying that PEDs are not magic baseball pills, if you or myself took the best peds in the world we wouldnt be a good baseball player.
even mcgwire and bonds really have no clue how good or how bad they would have been without the steroids.
you don’t get it, i wasn’t putting anyone down
mcgwire and bonds don’t know how they would have performed off the juice. but the reality is they were both talented players before steroids, in barry’s case he was extremely talented and its possible steroids made a very miniscule difference. It doesn’t change anything at all but ya/
Speculation obviously but I doubt McGwire could’ve stayed healthy without PEDs long enough to establish himself as a borderline hall of famer.
I agree with you though. PEDs aren’t going to turn Freddy Galvis into Alex Rodriguez. It’s a shame we’ll never know the kind of player Barry Bonds ultimately would’ve been without them. (Obviously a hall of famer but records wise and all that stuff).
Maybe so on McGwire, but would Koufax have pitched 650+ innings in 1965-66 with an already damaged elbow without steroids and cortisone? Of course, they weren’t banned by MLB at that time — neither was andro while McGwire was active — but for some reason the standards have shifted.
steroids turned arod int arod
Brady Anderson disagrees with your sentence beginning with “The reality”. Kidding, as I do agree.
not to be snarky, but was anderson ever really suspected of peds besides his one year anomaly? why would he get off of them the following year?
Agreed. McGwire would never be Bonds even if he tried. The most craziest stat I’ve seen is this.
“There were 415 pitchers against whom Barry Bonds went hitless. Against those pitchers, he posted a .331 OBP.”
I just lol every time I read that.
The real trajedy of PED’s is it turns AAA players into MLB players and robs clean players of a chance at a major league paycheck.
No, this is a faulty argument because in the end there is not a direct correlation or exact study that proves that PED’s can do this.
You could be right…but it certainly blurs the line of intregrity…there really should be no way to measure a baseball player except on pure talent….and PED’s have made that less possible.
Well unfortunately baseball because of its hallowed records will always be the poster child for steroids.
The thing I don’t like about the way the Hall of Fame voters vote is that they believe the hall is clean when it isn’t. You had Hall of Famers in the ’60s and ’70s using greenies or other now banned substances. You had Gaylord Perry using the spitball. There are players that had huge off field issues that have done worse than Pete Rose. But alas the voters are on their high horse saying it was cheating. To me thats claiming ignorance. There was cheating in this sport since the inception of the baseball.
Anyway…
In my opinion its prevalent in all sports but the most emphasis is placed on my favorite sport of them all.
nonsense, look at the 90’s players, Jay bell, Brady Anderson, I could go on but steroids do turn bad into avg and sometimes great. WAKE UP
this isn’t about baseball or love of the game. this is about money and vanity. money for the astros, vanity for clemens
i hope the cubs light him up and he tests positive for PEDs after the game
Is there any illegal substances in centrum silver?
Proper term for this visit “Mere Formality”.
Kirk Gibson is “Not Impressed!”
Neither is Makayla Maroney.
Here, take my upvotes.
Clemens looked really fat, something like a egg with porky legs. He’s not in major league shape, which isn’t to say that he couldn’t throw his curveballs and fastball for an inning and perhaps get away with it.
All he has to throw is one pitch, and his Hall Of Fame clock gets reset.
I am not alone in the opinion that Clemens probably thinks that a Hall Of Fame ballot that runs from 2018-2033 will give him a better shot at election than one from 2013-2028.
And honestly, I’d agree with him. The longer he waits, the weaker the sting of his connection to steroids. It’ll always be there (that sting), but time heals everything. The question is — will this heal enough by 2033 to get him into the Hall?
Still not happening then either i dont think. But for sure worth a try for him to do it.
Yes, because the moment Bonds gets in the door is open for Clemens — and Bonds as one of the two best hitters in MLB history by total WAR and a Hall of Famer even before 2000 won’t be left out forever.
“can likely delay his Hall of Fame eligibility for another five years”…. in today’s America, as the author suggests, Clemens wants to delay his HOF vote for 5 years (maybe enough time for the suspicions to blow over).
I hope he comes back, injects HGH on the mound, throws an eephus pitch, flips the bird to bud selig and then yells out “WU-TANG.”
This. Is. Absolutely Incredible.
Pretty sure he would yell ” “Toby Keith”.
The Astros are just trying to put people in their seat in that huge stadium! What a joke!
I’ll trade Gordon Beckham and a prospect for Jose Altuve straight up!
Next, the Astros will be scouting Oil Can Boyd, Sidney Ponson & whatever semi-pro team the Canseco brothers play for now.
Oh, wait…just Houston sports legends? Then maybe Earl Campbell, Gordie Howe and Joe Sambito are available?
Dear Astros,
STOP IT!
Sincerely,
The Fans
Incredible. The chance to see one of the greatest pitchers to ever take the mound…once again. What’s it going to take to fire Jim Palmer back up?
Somewhere in the middle is the realism that Clemens was an incredible pitcher regardless of any substance he took….and eventually that is what will take hold in future generations. It’s just too bad his reputation will have to overcome the here and now…and that’s the really sad thing…..HGH has overshadowed Clemens just due.
gooden s auditioning for any NY team