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?
AUDIO
Jose de Jesus Ortiz: Clemens would be great for Astros
Requires the free RealPlayer
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
CAREER IN PHOTOS
• Clemens over the years
• SOUNDING BOARD: Fans' opinions
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.
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.