ShareThisRoger Clemens will be regarded as a trendsetter. No, not the kind of trendsetter who ignores time-honored legal strategy and talks his way deeper and deeper into trouble. We're talking about the kind of guy who decides that when you can't give it your all as an athlete anymore, maybe you can give half. The last two years, Clemens realized that the long baseball season and playoffs was too much wear-and-tear on his aging right arm, and that he might be more valuable as a second-half booster Rocket. He tried it first with Houston in 2006, and he pitched well. But the team missed the playoffs. Round Two in New York was better. He wasn't the most dominating pitcher last season, but he was good enough to contribute to a three-month rally that vaulted the Yankees to a postseason spot after a crummy start. Never mind that he broke down again in October. It takes a special player to pull this one off. He has to have earned respect from teammates, management and maybe even fans, that allow the athlete the leeway to skip the grinding, early stages of the season. It also works if the team clearly needs help.The Save-A-Star, Mini-Season Plan would seem to work for almost any sport, especially since they all have extended postseasons. That's all most fans care about or remember anyway. Now that a pattern has been established, it figures to continue. Just don't expect any of the part-time cherry pickers to say, "I'm looking forward to the season and giving it my full 50 percent." Clemens is in Houston's camp, unsigned, but supposedly considering the half-season thing again -- even while the FBI announced Thursday that it is, indeed, following a recommendation by Congress to investigate the pitcher on possible perjury charges. Wonder if Miguel Tejada, now an Astro, welcomed him to the, uh, club. Clemens reminds me of a bit by comedian Ron White, who tells a story about getting arrested for public intoxication. "They told me I had the right to remain silent," says White. "I had the right. I didn't have the ability."(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Clemens starts a trend
Submitted by SHNS on Fri, 02/29/2008 - 14:42
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