Sorry about the old headlines, butI am STOKED that Pettitte has joined my favorite team! I guess that I will renew my season tickets again this year for the 20th straight season. I really was going to let the tickets go this year as well. But now I see the Astros AT LEAST winning their division if Oscar Hernandez can come back and at least look 1/2 as good as he did 2 years ago before having 2 season ending injuries. Oswalt and Miller will be 20 game winners and maybe Pettitte can come through with 18-20 as well.
But now, rumors around here have it that Clemens will come out of retirement and pitch for the Astros. He lives in Houston and Pettitte and Clemens have been best buddies for years. They always attend Texans games together and Roger Clemens was pulling for Pettitte to join the Astros since he als has season tickets. But I think that his seats are a little better than mine, hmmmm!
This starting last week, Pettitte decided to work out every day in the morning, and who showed up EVERY SINGLE day??? Roger Clemens!!!!!
Before i go on, can someone tell me who is the ONLY baseball owner who ranks in the top 300 of FORTUNE 400? Well it happens to be the Astros owner, DRAYATON MCLANE! Now on to the story.
But for now, Pettitte's news ranks as bizarre enough Astros stocking-stuffer material but this scenario's most wacky element may be an even better-known Houston-area former Yankees pitcher from Katy. You know his name... Roger Clemens.
How intriguing that Clemens' name kept popping up practically every time that Pettitte spoke.
To give Astros fans a bit of background, Clemens and Pettitte and Pettitte and Clemens were inseparable best buddies as Yankees.
The Deer Park lefty and the Katy Rocket shared their Houston-area roots and a whole lot more. Clemens supposedly retired six weeks or so ago after his Game 5 World Series outing.
Clemens shut it down at age 41, playing his last five years in Bronx pinstripes. He wore No. 21 for the UT Longhorns, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays during his phenomenal strikeout run.
When the six-time American League Cy Young winner joined the Yankees in 1999, his jersey number changed to 22 because 21 belonged to fan-favorite former outfielder Paul O'Neill.
Now it came to pass in New York that Pettitte hit his career's most consistent stretch over the past five years. That is, not only because he absorbed Clemens' pitching approach but because he adopted and ascribed to Roger's strenuous workout regimen.
The reason all of this trotted onto Thursday's festive scene boiled down to the fact that Pettitte tried to explain his reason for choosing the Astros' jersey No. 21.
"Number 21 has been pretty special to me the last five years in New York," he said. "He's been a big influence on me. I asked him the other day when we working out if he minded if I came here, if I stole his number from him. And he said he'd be more than happy if I wore that one... I just wanted to wear Roger's number."
Roger working out with Andy
OK, that number business was a nice, warm and fuzzy thought. Clemens recently even had told a Houston scribe that he would love to see Pettitte in an Astros uniform during 2004 as an Astros season-ticket holder.
But here's Thursday's craziest subplot of all. Pettitte talked about how he had started daily morning off-season workouts this Monday and who showed up to work out with him, but Clemens himself.
"I started training about four days ago and he (Clemens) has shown up every morning working out with us," Pettitte said.
Does that make about as much sense as the rest of Thursday's head-shaking news? Well, yeh, it sure does.... I mean, if a guy is 41 years old and he's retired from baseball, does he get up in the mornings each day this week and participate in workouts with former mates such as Pettitte?
Maybe Clemens is history... or maybe Pettitte and Clemens may find their way to Minute Maid Park's mound next season. Surely, that's not possible... right? Wrong. It even had Andy wondering if it might happen. In fact, Pettitte apparently has assigned himself to the unpaid title of Roger's Astros recruiter.
'Work on it pretty hard'
Pettitte shouldered the recruitment role unashamedly although he admitted that Clemens never has indicated his intent to return to the active list.
"But now that this is over, maybe I can be concentrating on that (recruiting Roger)," Pettitte said. "If he (Clemens) gives me one opening, or even lets me know that there's a chance he might come back, I'll work on it pretty hard, that's for sure."
How hilarious... absolutely hilarious... Roger Clemens unretires and pitches for the Astros next summer? Fat chance. Besides that, Drayton McLane could not afford it, either... right?
Not so fast, Astros cynics. We just watched McLane fork over $10 million-plus a year for three years on a 31-year-old lefty with a recent history of elbow discomfort. As Forbes magazine revealed in its list of 400 wealthiest persons, McLane has the loot if he gives a toot.
Before we dismiss sugar-plum visions of Clemens in an Astros jersey, consider another calling bird. Roger also is represented by the same "Astros-friendly" Hendricks brothers who represented Pettitte in the just-concluded negotiations.
"We've let his representatives know if Roger changes his mind about retiring, we'd be interested in talking to him," Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker said on Thursday.
Clemens and Pettitte have shown up at Texans games together. The competitor in Roger may not die that easily.... if Roger's drive to pitch should take full bloom, Drayton would be the only likely suitor. Clemens often has said that he wanted to be home for his children. Their ages are 17, 15, 9, and 7.
Clemens certainly knows he can still pitch. Major league hitters have not succeeded in convincing Roger that he's washed up... Stay tuned. Drayton's wallet suddenly may have room for more than one former Yankees pitcher from the Houston-area.
I will say that I am starting to think that if the Astros has the designated hitter, then Clemens would be back for sure, but I just cant see Clemens batting every 5th day in the major leagues!
By the way, Clemens is a real asshole when it comes to the fans! SO except for his pitching ability, there hasnt been a real cry over town to get him to pitch this season for 5 million or so. And apparently, that is all that Drayton is willing to pay him, 3-5 million for one season. He is probably worth about 8-10 million, so if he accepts this Astros offer, then it wont be for the money, it will be his competitive spirit!
And that is something that NO BASEBALL PLAYER has more of!!!
But now, rumors around here have it that Clemens will come out of retirement and pitch for the Astros. He lives in Houston and Pettitte and Clemens have been best buddies for years. They always attend Texans games together and Roger Clemens was pulling for Pettitte to join the Astros since he als has season tickets. But I think that his seats are a little better than mine, hmmmm!
This starting last week, Pettitte decided to work out every day in the morning, and who showed up EVERY SINGLE day??? Roger Clemens!!!!!
Before i go on, can someone tell me who is the ONLY baseball owner who ranks in the top 300 of FORTUNE 400? Well it happens to be the Astros owner, DRAYATON MCLANE! Now on to the story.
But for now, Pettitte's news ranks as bizarre enough Astros stocking-stuffer material but this scenario's most wacky element may be an even better-known Houston-area former Yankees pitcher from Katy. You know his name... Roger Clemens.
How intriguing that Clemens' name kept popping up practically every time that Pettitte spoke.
To give Astros fans a bit of background, Clemens and Pettitte and Pettitte and Clemens were inseparable best buddies as Yankees.
The Deer Park lefty and the Katy Rocket shared their Houston-area roots and a whole lot more. Clemens supposedly retired six weeks or so ago after his Game 5 World Series outing.
Clemens shut it down at age 41, playing his last five years in Bronx pinstripes. He wore No. 21 for the UT Longhorns, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays during his phenomenal strikeout run.
When the six-time American League Cy Young winner joined the Yankees in 1999, his jersey number changed to 22 because 21 belonged to fan-favorite former outfielder Paul O'Neill.
Now it came to pass in New York that Pettitte hit his career's most consistent stretch over the past five years. That is, not only because he absorbed Clemens' pitching approach but because he adopted and ascribed to Roger's strenuous workout regimen.
The reason all of this trotted onto Thursday's festive scene boiled down to the fact that Pettitte tried to explain his reason for choosing the Astros' jersey No. 21.
"Number 21 has been pretty special to me the last five years in New York," he said. "He's been a big influence on me. I asked him the other day when we working out if he minded if I came here, if I stole his number from him. And he said he'd be more than happy if I wore that one... I just wanted to wear Roger's number."
Roger working out with Andy
OK, that number business was a nice, warm and fuzzy thought. Clemens recently even had told a Houston scribe that he would love to see Pettitte in an Astros uniform during 2004 as an Astros season-ticket holder.
But here's Thursday's craziest subplot of all. Pettitte talked about how he had started daily morning off-season workouts this Monday and who showed up to work out with him, but Clemens himself.
"I started training about four days ago and he (Clemens) has shown up every morning working out with us," Pettitte said.
Does that make about as much sense as the rest of Thursday's head-shaking news? Well, yeh, it sure does.... I mean, if a guy is 41 years old and he's retired from baseball, does he get up in the mornings each day this week and participate in workouts with former mates such as Pettitte?
Maybe Clemens is history... or maybe Pettitte and Clemens may find their way to Minute Maid Park's mound next season. Surely, that's not possible... right? Wrong. It even had Andy wondering if it might happen. In fact, Pettitte apparently has assigned himself to the unpaid title of Roger's Astros recruiter.
'Work on it pretty hard'
Pettitte shouldered the recruitment role unashamedly although he admitted that Clemens never has indicated his intent to return to the active list.
"But now that this is over, maybe I can be concentrating on that (recruiting Roger)," Pettitte said. "If he (Clemens) gives me one opening, or even lets me know that there's a chance he might come back, I'll work on it pretty hard, that's for sure."
How hilarious... absolutely hilarious... Roger Clemens unretires and pitches for the Astros next summer? Fat chance. Besides that, Drayton McLane could not afford it, either... right?
Not so fast, Astros cynics. We just watched McLane fork over $10 million-plus a year for three years on a 31-year-old lefty with a recent history of elbow discomfort. As Forbes magazine revealed in its list of 400 wealthiest persons, McLane has the loot if he gives a toot.
Before we dismiss sugar-plum visions of Clemens in an Astros jersey, consider another calling bird. Roger also is represented by the same "Astros-friendly" Hendricks brothers who represented Pettitte in the just-concluded negotiations.
"We've let his representatives know if Roger changes his mind about retiring, we'd be interested in talking to him," Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker said on Thursday.
Clemens and Pettitte have shown up at Texans games together. The competitor in Roger may not die that easily.... if Roger's drive to pitch should take full bloom, Drayton would be the only likely suitor. Clemens often has said that he wanted to be home for his children. Their ages are 17, 15, 9, and 7.
Clemens certainly knows he can still pitch. Major league hitters have not succeeded in convincing Roger that he's washed up... Stay tuned. Drayton's wallet suddenly may have room for more than one former Yankees pitcher from the Houston-area.
I will say that I am starting to think that if the Astros has the designated hitter, then Clemens would be back for sure, but I just cant see Clemens batting every 5th day in the major leagues!
By the way, Clemens is a real asshole when it comes to the fans! SO except for his pitching ability, there hasnt been a real cry over town to get him to pitch this season for 5 million or so. And apparently, that is all that Drayton is willing to pay him, 3-5 million for one season. He is probably worth about 8-10 million, so if he accepts this Astros offer, then it wont be for the money, it will be his competitive spirit!
And that is something that NO BASEBALL PLAYER has more of!!!
