What Will Happen With Roger?
Roger Clemens has started to work his way to an eventual June start for the Yankees. I've had a couple of weeks to think about it and there are several possible outcomes to Roger's most recent return from retirement.
1. Roger will pitch extremely well and the Yankees will win that championship that Roger spoke about.
Yeah, sorry, Rocket, but these Yankees aren't going to win the World Series. Hell, at this point, they may not even make the playoffs. Now, this is the New York Yankees and somehow, in the end, they make the playoffs. However, this year, if they do, it'll be as a wild card. The Red Sox have an awesome team with an awesome pitching staff -- that's where you go to get your championship, Roger. They will not yield to the Yankees this year like they have in years past. No matter how good Clemens will pitch, he can only win one out of five games. The Yankees have some promising youth, but we don't really know how they'd fare going deeper into the season. Hughes may have been working on a no hitter when he went out with injury but in his first game he was tagged for four runs in four innings against Toronto. Mussina and Pettite are good, but you never know if they're going to show up with their good stuff or their shit. Wang has looked much more hittable this year -- well, except for that near-perfect game. And the Yankees still don't know who's going to be #5 in the rotation.
I know the Rocket's presence can uplift the team, and maybe they'll make the playoffs. But you've seen the Yankees in the playoffs. They suck.
Possibility of happening (out of 10): 2.
2. Rocket will suck it up big time.
Clemens seems pretty ageless. Plus pitching only half of a year doesn't hurt. Neither do the steroids. The worst I can see happening is a mediocre year, and where the Yankees are now, a mediocre Clemens is pretty damn good. Rocket will pitch well enough that no one will complain about his special treatment when it comes to away games. Well, no one besides people outside the team that don't count. I'm talking about you, Wells.
Possibility of happening: 4
3. Clemens will suffer an injury early on like the rest of the team.
The Yankees have seemed like the cursed team in the AL East as of late, and this certainly would add to it. Who hasn't been hurt on this Yankee team? Mussina, Wang, Damon, and Hughes have all caught the dreaded "injury bug."
Clemens has one of the best workout regiments in the league and keeps himself healthy. Once again, those extra months off and not having to participate in spring training will help your body recover from last season. Reasonably, the Rocket should stay healthy the entire year. But this is baseball and baseball has curses. The Yankees have been cursed since they signed A-Rod and decided to destroy the House that Ruth Built. No one believes it yet, but when Roger goes down, they'll start to believe.
Possibility of happening: 7
4. Clemens will get busted for using steroids and have to serve the 50 day ban.
Ha! This is the MLB, where only no-name players get busted for steroids. You think they would go ahead and ruin Roger's legacy? I think not. Although, if they tested him, he'd probably fail.
Look at Randy Johnson. The guy used to dominate, but because of age he's decreasing in skill. Not the Rocket. And even extra time off won't heal all wounds. He's on roids but Major League Baseball won't go out to prove it.
Possibility of happening: 1
Roger will have a good year and maybe the Yankees will make the playoffs because of him, but that's it. There's just too much else going wrong in the Bronx. Clemens isn't going to be able to fix them all. He'll make the Yankees interesting to watch again, but I don't see any World Series in the Yanks future.
