ROGER CLEMENS: MOMENT OF TRUTH!
Saturday's start will be a defining event in
Rocket's 20 year career

As the bottom of the ninth inning waned into it's final moments in Game 2 of the ALCS the largely pro-Yankees crowd broke into a chant of WE WANT PEDRO! WE WANT PEDRO! FOX Television quickly aimed their cameras into the dugout of the Yankees. Not one of them had a smile on their face. Not one player was joking around and not one player looked relaxed. No one in pinstripes was joining the crowd in their chant. FOX, then aimed their cameras into the dugout of the Boston Red Sox and onto the person for whom the crowd was chanting.

Pedro Martinez, when healthy and on target, is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. Martinez heard the crowd chanting his name and a small, whimsical smile came over his face. It's as if he was silently saying, "be patient. You'll get me soon enough." Saturday afternoon's game between the Red Sox and Yankees will be huge. Both teams go into the game with a victory apiece. The winner gets to go up a leg on the other and will be in command of the series. Granted, there would be four more potential games after this one, but in terms of morale and psychological advantage Game 3 will be of enormous importance.

Right now there is slight pressure on the Red Sox, because they know that Pedro Martinez will only get to potentially pitch twice in this series. A loss by Pedro would put the Red Sox at a definite disadvantage as the Yankees would have the edge in the pitching matchups in Games 4, 5 & 6. The Sox need this game as badly as the Yankees do, but there is one man standing in their way. That man is Roger Clemens.

Clemens is no stranger to the Red Sox or the Fenway faithful. For thirteen years the Rocket donned Red Sox colors and went out and did battle for the team he will be facing Saturday. Clemens won three Cy Youngs while in Boston, but left after the 1996 season when he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. Most of the Boston Red Sox fans never forgave Roger for that. They called him traitor and a backstabber. Even, then, Boston GM Dan Duquette said the Roger was in the "twilight of his career." Well, Roger's sun has been setting very slowly ever since.

While in Toronto Clemens won back-to-back Cy Young awards, but he was never able to quench one small fire in his belly. One thing tortured the Rocket and one thing was missing from his trophy case. That one thing was a piece of jewelry that was inscribed, "World Champions." After the 1998 season Roger knew where he had to go to get it. He went south to the New York Yankees. The team he had turned down two years before now took him into their fold, but Roger's exodus from Toronto into New York was anything, but a happy affair. In trading for Clemens the Yankees sent the fans' favorite bad boy, David "Boomer" Wells to Toronto, along with Homer Bush and Graeme Lloyd. The fans blamed Clemens for their Boomer not being in pinstripes anymore. The same Roger Clemens that decked Derek Jeter with a pitch up-and-in was now sitting in the Yankees' dugout.

Over the past five seasons Roger Clemens completely threw himself into the dimension known as "the Bronx Zoo." Clemens slowly, but steadily, won the fans over to his side. Clemens won his ring in 1999, along with the rest of his Yankee teammates, but he wasn't satisfied at stopping there. He wanted another. He went out for the 2000 season and improved on a mediocre 1999 season. He helped the Yankees to another ring, but he still wasn't done yet.

The guy Dan Duquette said was finished showed the baseball world that he wasn't ready to be buried yet. The Rocket started out the season with a 20-1 record. He set a new major league mark for best start by a pitcher. He became the only 6-time Cy Young award winner with his dominating season. Unfortunately, a third world series ring has eluded Roger as the Yankees lost in 7 games to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2001 series (although Roger won Game 3) and the Bombers were ushered out of the 2002 ALDS by the Anaheim Angels, the eventual World Series champions.

This year Roger added more honors to his distinguished baseball career. He became the latest 300 game winner and finished the season with 310 victories. Good enough for 17th on the all-time list behind Tom Seaver (311 victories). He also became only the third man in baseball history who has struck out over 4,000 batters. He finished his career with 4,099 K's, trailing only Nolan Ryan (5,714) and Steve Carleton (4,136).

Saturday, Roger Clemens will be starting, what may very well be his last game. He is facing the man who, for all intents and purposes, replaced him. He is facing Pedro Martinez. Whether or not Roger wins the game will not affect his stature as one of the all-time greatest pitchers, nor will it affect his eventual induction into baseball's Hall of Fame. What it will affect is Roger Clemens himself. Roger Clemens has always prided himself on being a winner. A winner both on and off the field and a winner in life. That is how Roger Clemens wants to walk off the mound. A winner. Saturday will be a huge, defining event in the Rocket's career. Rest assured Yankees' fans he will bleed himself dry trying to accomplish that goal for you, his teammates, his owner, the city his team represents, his family and lastly himself.

The Rocket wants to reach that pinnacle one last time before he rides off into his sunset. This writer thinks he will be ready. You be ready too. Cherish what you see and what you have seen. When Roger Clemens becomes part of baseball's lore you can proudly tell your kids and grandkids "I saw Roger Clemens pitch." We're with you Roger. Now go get those Red Sox and may the Babe be with you.

PLAY BALL!

(c) 2003 Yankees Talk Shop @ ezboard.com

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