He’s at it again. Roger Clemens, the most indecisive man in Houston, has ridden the fence and teased his fans once again this year, much like he seemed to enjoy doing so much last year.
He’s old, but he’s still functional. He’s constantly being plagued with minor injuries, but he still loves the game. He traveled to the World Series last year, but he didn’t win it. The reasons for and against Clemens return are endless.
But can’t he just hurry up and decide already?
While he can’t really be blamed for being so divided as to whether or not to return for his 22nd year in the major leagues, it’s still borderline annoying to have to wonder every year if your ace is coming back or not
Of course not many people can understand what it’s like to be in the predicament Clemens has gotten himself into again, so the majority of the city’s whining and griping is pretty unfounded.
But if you’re one of those fans waiting to put your faith back in the Astros until the big man makes his decision, this is a big deal.
If you’re a player who’s got your eyes set on another National League pennant, this is a really big deal.
Besides the fact that he’s one of the best pitchers in the major leagues, he’s also one of the oldest.
He’s been striking out batters for over two decades now, which would be enough to put even the fittest of us on a ventilator. It’s almost a miracle he’s even considering coming back in the first place. But human nature is to have hope and hope that their star pitcher will come back for another shot at the world title is something the fans of Houston baseball seem to carry a lot of.
If the ‘Rocket’ does return for a third season with the Astros, all will be forgiven and fans will let him forget that his drawn out decision-making process grated their nerves for half the year.
If he ultimately opts for retirement, everyone will back him up wholeheartedly, while secretly feeling lead on and dropped like a Berkman homerun in the Crawford Boxes.
No one wants to think about what would happen if Clemens decided on treason and divorced the Astros for another organization.
It’s likely a civil war could erupt in Texas if Clemens were to pack up shop and join the young and upcoming Texas Rangers. A scary thought for Houstonians is the fact that Rangers owner Tom Hicks is a UT-alum just as Roger is. He would gladly unload his big wallet to bring ‘The Rocket’ to Arlington.
But for now, Astros fans know the drill. Clemens will continue beating around the bush as fans across the city wait and listen for the anticipated decision.
Hopefully, the Space City can keep Clemens another year and take have him lead them on another trip to the World Series.