Pitcher Roger Clemens Returns To The NY Yankees

[DudeAsInCool]

The sun was shining, the Yankees were ahead during the seventh-inning stretch of their game against the Seattle Mariners and it seemed as if the day couldn't get any better. That's when the Yankees' public address announcer, Bob Sheppard, asked the 52,553 fans at Yankee Stadium to direct their attention to the owner's box behind home plate.

Roger Clemens was standing there, and suddenly the Yankees' season got a whole lot better. "It's a privilege to be back," Clemens told the crowd. "I'll be talking to you soon." And just like that, Clemens became a Yankee.

Details of the deal were not immediately available. Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, signed a minor league contract, the Yankees said in a press release...

Read more at the NYTimes

[Kooperman]

Clemens to make about $4.5 million per month

ESPN.com news services

NEW YORK -- Roger Clemens returned to the New York Yankees, making a dramatic announcement to fans from the owner's box during Sunday's game against the Seattle Mariners.

Clemens' contract will be a pro-rated salary of $28 million dollars, according to ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney. His pro-rated salary last season was $22 million.

Clemens will make about $4.5 million per month for June, July, August and September.

For more, click here:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2862088

[DudeAsInCool]

Is he the best pitcher in baseball, Koop?

[Kooperman]

Is he the best pitcher in baseball, Koop?

He's the most focused. His stuff is still excellent, but he's usually a 5 inning pitcher at his age. You'll still have to burn up a lot of bullpen innings. Beware his legs...if he has hamstring problems at all, he loses much of his effectiveness. If he's healthy he can be a lot of help, but remember...his success in the last few years has been in the National League, where offenses are inferior and pitchers still bat 3 to 5 times a game.

[bear]

The Yankees need him a lot more that he needs them, for sure. Their rotation is decimated right now, as evidenced by their place in the standings. I don't care how many sluggers you have, if you don't have pitching, you won't win.

Nowadays, most starters only go 6-7, sometimes 8 innings, if their pitch count is down, and they're groovin'. Complete games are rare. It's all about middle and long relief. Even the closer role doesn't seem as important as it once was, because most teams have more than one guy they can send out there in the ninth. I don't know if it's because pitchers are so watered down now, or if it's teams protecting their investments with pitch counts, but the bullpen has evolved into specialty roles that are darn near as important as the starters. I mean, there are guys who pitch 85 innings, with a 2-2 record and an ERA around 4, and they're hauling in 5-6 million a year.

The Rocket's best days are behind him, for sure, but, as Koop stated, he'll go five every 5 days. I'm curious to see how commanding his stuff is after such a long layoff.

There was a time when he was the biggest bully on the block, along with Randy Johnson. But, age catches up with everyone eventually. The Big Unit has been pretty hitable the past few years.

We'll see.

[DudeAsInCool]

In 2006, Clemens averaged just under 6 innings in his starts and never pitched into the eighth--but his stats are impressive: 2.30 ERA, and a 1.04 WHIP