Clemens standing ovation at Fenway

bosox1086 · Oct 10, 2003

From a Bill Simmons article on espn.com. Love it...

"As a Sox fan, I think we got exactly what we wanted, a Sox/Yankees ALCS. Is this the series where Roger, starting in Game 3 at Fenway, walks out to the mound, picks up the ball, rolls the rosin bag around in his hand, all of a sudden gets a crazed look in his eye, drops his glove, the rosin bag and the ball, and charges Jeter with a steel-chair in hand, lays him out, stands over him and while pointing at the Red-Sox dugout, rips off his pinstripes to reveal a Red Sox jersey? This would be the only scenario where Roger should ever get a standing O in Fenway."

lander · Oct 10, 2003

I've never seen a steal chair on the pitching mound before at fenway. I guess this means no standing 'O'. Perhaps embarrassing Pedro will suffice?

ericdixon · Oct 10, 2003

I think you'll see a great applause for Roger, he sure the hell deserves it, he gave Boston all he had!

He is a great "Pro" athelete, one that can be admired and immulated, rare, very rare indeed.

bosox1086 · Oct 10, 2003

Eric17, I couldn't disagree with you more but I don't feel like getting into a debate so I'll leave it at that. The appropriate thing for Boston fans to do is boo him unmercifully.

jimbutorac · Oct 10, 2003

Eric,

I'm with BoSox on this one. No doubt Clemens is one of greatest pitchers of all times but came up short with the Red Sox in the following ways:

Come playoff time, he was never a money pitcher. Ask any Red Sox fan and they'll tell you in Sox run in 80s and 90s, Hurst was the money pitcher, not Clemens.

There was a great Page 2 piece on ESPN.com a few months back saying as a Boston sports fan, one of the reasons Clemens will never measure up in the eyes of New England to guys like Larry Bird and Bobby Orr is not because he didn't win a title, but because he didn't seize the moment like they did when he was in Boston.

Example: Game 6 1986 World Series, Clemens asks to come out because of blister on pitching hand. Sox lose. Larry Bird played 82 playoffs with a fractured hand.

Another example: Red Sox vs. Oakland in 1990 (i think) playoffs. Red Sox need victory to stay alive in Series, Clemens gets tossed in first for arguing with umps. Sox lose.

Add to that some of the comments he made about Sox management when he was underperforming in mid to late 90s.

I do admit that he turned it around and became dominating and is certain Hall of Famer.

Just no love lost in Boston, is all.

soccerbob · Oct 10, 2003

Eric- There won't be much applause for Clemens and certainly no standing ovation for him and that's because it's pretty widely known that he dogged it his last 2 seasons in Boston.

I grew up in Massachusetts and have been a Red Sox fan forever. All Red Sox fans have ever wanted was for their team to play hard and give 100%. Yes I have been disappointed by the results in 1975, 1978 and 1986 but those teams played their guts out.

Roger Clemens has lots of wins and strikeouts and has had a Hall of Fame career but when he goes into that wonderful shrine in Cooperstown , I hope he is wearing a Yankees cap. That's because he doesn't deserve to wear a Red Sox cap.

Fishhead · Oct 10, 2003

My sentiments are the same as fellow Red Sox fans in this thread.

bosox1086 · Oct 10, 2003

Mudbone... That Page 2 story was titled "Is Roger Clemens the Anti-Christ" and came out last year. Written by Bill Simmons. For anybody having trouble understanding why us Boston fans hate this guys guts, read the article. It'll clear it all up for you.

jimbutorac · Oct 10, 2003

thanks bosox. that was a great read.

ericdixon · Oct 10, 2003

Well, you sure as shit don't have players now whom play their guts out. Manny is a bum, Nomar is flat out overrated, Pedro is a cry baby, you know what, I really don't think Red Sox fans will ever be happy unless they have something to bitch about!

And its just a guess but this current team will just give the town more to moan about, because once again they don't have the pitching to win, or the speed and for that matter the defense. Maybe, its management that can't put together a team, they have the money but they just can't put together enough good "baseball" players!

BoratSagdiyev · Oct 10, 2003

The man is big cry baby. I think even though Pedro so small he better pitcher. I have opportunity to go to first 20 strikeout game from him but I say no like a stupid. Anyway I think that the pressure will get to the Rocket. You remember on the show called the Simpsons the little kids fire rocket to save the city and the rocket go all over the place and then go into the pocket of the big boss of the cities nuclear power plant. He say " Smithers I have a rocket in my pocket." And then the other man say hehe " I know sir"

randyrohm · Oct 10, 2003

Eric, Manny like him or not is the best RBI man of this era. Pedro has the best stuff in the majors and Nomar can play with anybody. As far as the Yankees, they have bought wins my entire life. Great matchup, but go Bosox!!

wilheim · Oct 10, 2003

Curious to what makes you believe Nomar is overated? In 8 years he has played in 928 games with 3812 ABs, collecting 1231 Hits, 685 Runs, 669 RBI, 173 HRs, only 390 Ks with 271 Walks, Batting .323 and Slugging .555. He has 130 errors in 4188 Total Chances, Fielding .969%. Who has better numbers, maybe ARod? And at what cost?

wil.

jimbutorac · Oct 10, 2003

Eric,

Getting back to Clemens, by all accounts he's a great family man, you don't see him getting in trouble off the field and he's done a great job pitching with the Blue Jays and Yanks (as he did early in his career for the Sox during the regular season).

Plus, out of all the places he goes to pitch late in his career, for the Yankees. If he had pitched for the Houston Astros, it'd be different.

Personally, I don't hate the guy and don't wish him anything bad (other than that he get rocked in Game 3

) but like most Sox fans not eager to give him a standing O.

ericdixon · Oct 10, 2003

Wil, I don't really care about numbers! And I admit I don't see him play much but when I do he does not produce in the clutch and that is all that matters! Give me a .250 hitter who hits in the clutch versus a .320 hitter who goes 4-5 when the team is winning big! I think if you check the stats Nomar hits the sh!t out of the ball against average pitching and is out to lunch during crunch time!

Nevertheless, he is a hell of a player but perhaps he could be a little more clutch! Sorry to offend Wil, none intended!

ericdixon · Oct 10, 2003

Mud, Did he not win a couple of cy youngs in Boston?

I guess I would just like to see Boston show a little class, I think he deserves that!

This guy has given his all to the sport and respects its history.

Boston needs to overcome their hate for 5 mins., then they can rout against him!

wilheim · Oct 10, 2003

No offense was ever taken. How's the little guy? Fine I hope. GL tonight.

wil.

ericdixon · Oct 10, 2003

He is good! Quite the "pistol" now, getting around, standing, crawling, in other words keeping daddy very busy!

Looking forward to the game, love the NL games.

Gl to you as well wil.

Celaya · Oct 10, 2003

Eric17, The Boston Redsox fans did give Roger Clemens a standing ovation his last time out at fenway park during the regular season with his team leading when they took him out of the game. Roger waved his cap out to fans and appreciated there applause once he left the game.

bosox1086 · Oct 10, 2003

Check Nomar and Pedro's postseason numbers pal and tell me their not clutch. Clemens did win a couple Cy's with Boston, but he was mediocre his last three years, left for more $$, and reeled of back to back Cy Young's. Why? Because he had to prove a point? I guess the millions the Sox paid him over the years weren't enough impedous for him to do his best. And if you want to talk overrated shortstops, start with Mr. Jeter. And save the 5 World Titles crap, baseball's a team sport.