Roger Clemens signing with Astros!

CBS Radio News | 1/12/04

[truthandlife]

CBS News just said that Roger Clemens will be signing with the Houston Astros.

[jolie560]

Good!

He and Pettitte.

[Puppage]

Roger Clemens will be signing with the Houston Astros.

Hey, Rog. Time to give back the Hummer George gave you when you "retired".

[StatesEnemy]

LOL.... that must sit a little painful for Yanqie Fans.

[truthandlife]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory2/2349160

Astros to sign Clemens to one-year deal
By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

RESOURCES

ROGER CLEMENS
Will he or won't he play for the Astros?

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AUDIO
Jose de Jesus Ortiz: Clemens would be great for Astros
Requires the free RealPlayer

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CLEMENS STATS
Pitcher
Age: 41
Date of birth: August 4, 1962
Place of Birth: Dayton, OH
Hometown: Houston
HT: 6-4 WT: 235
Bats/Throws: R/R
Salary in '03: $7,061,181
MLB Seasons: 20 Drafted by Boston in 1983 (1st round).
CAREER STATS
• Clemens' numbers

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CAREER IN PHOTOS
• Clemens over the years

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• SOUNDING BOARD: Fans' opinions

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SPORTS POLL
Should Roger Clemens play for the Astros?


Yes. He's a winner
No. He's too old







Astros owner Drayton McLane has done it again, persuading future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens to put off retirement for a year.

McClane acknowledged the deal, but he preferred to withhold further comment.


The deal will be announced at a press conference on the field today at 2 p.m.


"Out of fairness to everybody, let's just wait until we make the announcement," McLane said. "The fairest way is to wait until the announcement."


Asked if he was excited, McLane chuckled and decided to withhold comment until the official announcement. A month and a day after McLane signed Clemens' former Yankees teammate Andy Pettitte, the Astro further fortified their starting rotation.


McLane gave the hard-throwing righthander the parameters of a one-year contract offer on Dec. 23, and he worked out the rest of details on the deal with agents Randy and Alan Hendricks. After that, Clemens gave his decision to the Hendricks, who hammered out the deal.


Clemens, 41, will now try to add to his 310 career victories. He will join Pettitte, Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller to throw at the National League Central champion Chicago Cubs' talented rotation of Mark Prior, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano.


Clemens will also be a major box office hit, which is why McLane doesn't mind raising the payroll despite losing $15 million last year.


The Astros received a major boost in ticket sales after signing Pettitte away from the Yankees last Dec. 11, prompting vice president of ticket sales John Sorrentino to hire two more employees to cope with the demand. As one president of a National League club predicted at the winter meetings last month, the Astros can expect mostly sellouts if Clemens joins the franchise.


Clemens was 17-9 with a 3.91 ERA while throwing 211 2/3 innings last season, which he had said would be his last in the majors. Pettitte's signing with the Astros helped change Clemens' mind.

[truthandlife]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory2/2349160

Astros to sign Clemens to one-year deal
By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ
Astros owner Drayton McLane has done it again, persuading future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens to put off retirement for a year.

McClane acknowledged the deal, but he preferred to withhold further comment.


The deal will be announced at a press conference on the field today at 2 p.m.


"Out of fairness to everybody, let's just wait until we make the announcement," McLane said. "The fairest way is to wait until the announcement."


Asked if he was excited, McLane chuckled and decided to withhold comment until the official announcement. A month and a day after McLane signed Clemens' former Yankees teammate Andy Pettitte, the Astro further fortified their starting rotation.


McLane gave the hard-throwing righthander the parameters of a one-year contract offer on Dec. 23, and he worked out the rest of details on the deal with agents Randy and Alan Hendricks. After that, Clemens gave his decision to the Hendricks, who hammered out the deal.


Clemens, 41, will now try to add to his 310 career victories. He will join Pettitte, Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller to throw at the National League Central champion Chicago Cubs' talented rotation of Mark Prior, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano.


Clemens will also be a major box office hit, which is why McLane doesn't mind raising the payroll despite losing $15 million last year.


The Astros received a major boost in ticket sales after signing Pettitte away from the Yankees last Dec. 11, prompting vice president of ticket sales John Sorrentino to hire two more employees to cope with the demand. As one president of a National League club predicted at the winter meetings last month, the Astros can expect mostly sellouts if Clemens joins the franchise.


Clemens was 17-9 with a 3.91 ERA while throwing 211 2/3 innings last season, which he had said would be his last in the majors. Pettitte's signing with the Astros helped change Clemens' mind.

[JIM O]

George's head must be exploding right about now

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[The_Victor]

But, according to the owner, the Astro's were losing money. (needed a new stadium, finacial incetives from the city, etc...) How can they afford Clements?

[Cyber Liberty]

Kewl. Now, maybe Randy Johnson will get an opportunity to pay Roger back for Gonzo's arm....

[dead]

I guess he's still got a few beanballs in the old arm.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

It's a good thing Clemens doesn't have a gambling problem because he's about as honest as Pete Rose.

(Should be fun to watch him pitch in the National League. He should spend spring training practicing ducking.)

[Cyber Liberty]

Yeah, well let's watch him take that playbook to the National League (The real league that makes its pitchers swing a bat).

[NYCVirago]

Hey, Rog. Time to give back the Hummer George gave you when you "retired".

Yep. He can forget about going into the Hall as a Yankee, too, or having his number retired, or getting a plaque in Monument Park. Steinbrenner has a long memory when it comes to getting publically dissed like that.

[A Texan]

Keep crying yankee fans. I am loving every minute of this!!!

Astro's are World Series bound (if we can make it through the first playoff series)!

[truthandlife]

Yep. He can forget about going into the Hall as a Yankee, too, or having his number retired, or getting a plaque in Monument Park. Steinbrenner has a long memory when it comes to getting publically dissed like that.

That would be a stupid move on Steinbrenner's part but since he has made a lot of stupid moves lately, that would not surprise me. The Astros would love for him to go into the Hall with an Astros uniform. The Astros already blew it with Nolan Ryan so this could make it up.

[truthandlife]

Monday, January 12, 2004


ESPN.com news services
HOUSTON -- Roger Clemens is pushing back his retirement, agreeing to a one-year contract with the Houston Astros, ESPN's Buster Olney has confirmed.


Clemens has agreed to a one-year contract that will pay the six-time Cy Young Award winner about $5 million to play next season, Houston television station KRIV reported Monday.


A source speaking on condition of anonymity said Clemens agreed to a contract Sunday.







Astros owner Drayton McLane and agents for Clemens, Alan and Randy Hendricks, did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press on Monday. Astros spokesman Jimmy Stanton declined comment.


The Astros have scheduled a Monday afternoon news conference with McLane and general manager Gerry Hunsicker to be held at home plate at Minute Maid Park. The team declined to say what the news conference would announce.


Clemens had said for more than a year that he planned to quit after pitching last season for the New York Yankees.


But he was persuaded to join the Astros, his hometown team, after close friend and former Yankees teammate Andy Pettitte signed with Houston last month.


Clemens had a 17-9 record and 3.91 ERA in 211 innings with the Yankees last season.


Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[truthandlife]

Astros (Oswalt, Pettitte, Miller, Clemens, Robertson)

[diamondjoe]

I wouldn't be surprised to hear that FOX Sports is paying half of the salary, since they'll be hyping the Clemens vs. Piazza angle through the roof. Now for the two weeks leading up to Astros/Mets, all we'll hear about is what will happen when Clemens faces Piazza, etc. etc. etc. Blah.

[NYCVirago]

That would be a stupid move on Steinbrenner's part but since he has made a lot of stupid moves lately, that would not surprise me. The Astros would love for him to go into the Hall with an Astros uniform. The Astros already blew it with Nolan Ryan so this could make it up.

No, that won't happen. Here's the deal -- the Hall won't let the player choose which hat they can get on their HOF plaque anymore, ever since teams started making financial deals with players to have them wear their hat on their plaque. Specifically, Dave Winfield decided to go into the HOF as a Padre instead of a Yankee, because the Padres financially compensated him for doing so. And Wade Boggs announced that he wanted to go into the Hall as a Tampa Bay Devil Ray, because they offered him bucks as well.

Anyhow, Clemens announced last year that he wanted to go into the Hall as a Yankee (that was back when he actually said he was going to retire as a Yankee), and even said that he'd have his own HOF induction ceremony in Palm Springs(!) if baseball didn't let him. In the meantime, Yankee management has been lobbying the Hall behind the scenes to let Clemens in as a Yankee. Clemens' signing with the Astros today has guaranteed one thing -- he'll be wearing a Red Sox hat on his plaque.