A significant amount of his career in New York? He’s been in the league for 20 seasons. 5 of those are in New York. 13 are in Boston. Hmmm…the place where he played only 25% of his career or the place where he placed almost three quarters of his career? Please. He established himself as a HoFer in Boston, he merely cemented his spot in New York.
He should go in as a Red Sox. Red Sock? I dunno.
The cap thing may very well not be an issue come 6-7 years from now (or whenever he becomes eligible), but he should at least have the humility and dignity to not demand things from an organization that does not OWE it to him to induct him at all, much less to do so publicly. It would be an injustice if he wasn’t inducted, for sure, but it’s also outrageous for him to state that he will not attend if he’s not enshrined as a Yankee.
Neurotik exactly what I was going to say. Not to mention that (although you kind of imply it) most of his wins, K’s and CY awards came in a BoSox uniform.
It would be great if the Media (ESPN et al) started calling him Roger Redsock from now on.
Also, his two 20-strikeout games were done in a Boston uniform as well.
I still don’t want to claim him, though.
And his MVP award.
What’s funny is that I think I’ve repeated the same post, like, five times, but I can’t remember in which of the billion Roger Clemens Hall of Fame threads I posted them.
I wonder if our non-US dopers have a pretty good idea of who Clemens is and why this is evoking as much outrage as it is, or if they think we’re just insane. Or both.
I don’t deny that most of his career accomplishments were while he was in a Red Sox uniform, but I still have no doubt he will go in as a Yankee and I do not think it is unreasonable. There is no rule that you go in with the hat worn by the team you played the most games with. Reggie Jackson went in as a Yankee, Nolan Ryan as a Ranger, etc. I think it is tasteless that he would make comments like that when there isn’t even really a controversey for another 6 years, but in the end I don’t think it wil be a big deal, he will go in as a Yankee.
Roger Clemens is a jerk as a player. BUT just wait until he needs a job post baseball player career. I bet he changes his tune and become a nice guy. Look at Rob Dibble. blech. Same thing will happen with Barry Bonds.
Non-US doper checking in. Yep, I think he’s an arrogant SOB. Anyone who’s spent time reading his website can come to no other conclusion.
Of course, it helps that he’s one of the greatest pitchers ever.
(But then, I’m in Toronto. Perhaps you meant non-North American dopers.)
Howyadoin,
Aren’t there players like Catfish Hunter whose plaques have no team logos on them? I’d love to see Clemen$’ plaque with a big-ass “B” on it, but only for the piss-off factor, not for any sense that he belongs to the Red Sox legacy.
Fuck him.
Hey Roger, remember how well Benedict Arnold was treated when he was no longer useful? Get ready for the freezeout, you traitorous, ring-whoreing Yankee fuck. Even though someone like Bernie Williams or Jorge Posada have been Yankee fucks for longer than you, at least they’re not traitorous, ring-whoreing Yankee fucks, which warrants infinitely more respect than cumstains like you and Weird Wade Boggs.
Yankee fans look at you as a scumbag mercenary redneck psycho, arrogant even by the advanced standards of New Yorkers. You won’t be embraced by the Yankees after your service with them is done, and you certainly don’t have any fans in Toronto after you invoked the “Fuck You” clause in your contract.
Enjoy your stay in baseball’s Limbo,
You self-serving Yankee-wannabe man-ho…
(chorus)
Go to Hell, Clemen$, go to Hell! (clap clap)
Go to Hell, Clemen$, go to Hell! (clap clap)
Go to Hell, Clemen$, go to Hell! (clap clap)
Go to Hell, Clemen$, go to Hell! (clap clap)
-Rav
I pray that Clemens goes in as a Yankee. As a Sox fan, I also want no claim to him, of any kind. He is, as The_Raven has said, a traitorous fuck. He can burn in NY. Or hell. Pretty much the same thing.
I’m fairly sure that’s not true. Remember that Pete Rose’s deal with the commissioner said that he couldn’t be associated with MLB, period, and this seems to have included being elected to the HOF.
Totally unconnected, I got to meet the most recent HOFer, Ozzie Smith!! He is a grad of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and the school dedicated a little area to him, and put up a statue of him. He also spoke at the graduation ceremonies. My cap now has his signature on the bill.
No, Cardinal, there’s no connection between the Hall and MLB.
Rose’s banishment from the Hall of Fame was the decision of the HALL OF FAME - if they chose, they could induct him tomorrow, even though he is permanently suspended from the major leagues. In fact, prior to Rose there was no official rule against electing suspended players like Joe Jackson. It was the Rose situation that caused the Hall of Fame to create a rule specifically prohibiting the eelection of such players, because the HoF’s executive committee was (justifiably) concerned that the unwritten rule might not survive the Rose controversy and he’d get elected.
So while Selig’s refusal to allow Rose back in does mean he can’t be elected to the Hall, it’s an indirect result. It’s the Hall’s rule, and they could change it anytime they wanted.
The Hall of Fame is still owned by the Clark Foundation, I believe - a private foundation, not owned by MLB.
They sure do.
Well, if you’re going to bring facts into the discussion, how am I supposed to sound like I know what I’m talking about?
If he goes in as a Red Sok (?) and boycotts the ceremony as a result, the whole thing will be a footnote 20 years from now. The HOF should do whatever they want and RC should respond however he wants. If he boycotts the ceremony, he’ll just make himself look bad, but after some time passes nobody will care anyway.
I think the most telling thing about Clemens is that the Bostonians want him to go in a Yankees cap, while the New Yorkers want him to go in a Red Sox cap.
Former Bostonian, former Red Sox fan, voting for Clemens to wear a Yankees uniform.
What they should do is either do it like the Post Cereal cards, and blur out any team logo, or (and we’ll say it’s because of free agency, not Clemens, Winfield, Boggs, et al) is design plaques showing the player without a cap, with team logos of the teams they played for across the top, in the corner, or along the bottom. Then you see the player, and you can associate him with whatever team is depicted on the plaque, whether it be (in the case of Clemens) Red Sox, Blue Jays, or Yankees.
The latter suggestion lends itself to all the teams to sell “HoF” cards for the player, which would mean (probably) mega $$ for all teams involved with the player.
As a Yankee fan, I am mystified by the hostility shown by Red Sox fans towards Clemens.
Didn’t you enjoy all those great years he had in that miserable excuse for a ballpark known as Fenway? Clemens will always be the enemy, a true-blue Red Sox pitcher to me. I’m sure he whupped the Yankees more times for Boston than the other way around. How is he a traitor? Blame Duquette before you blame Roger.
Clemens will probably end up with a plaque in monument park at the stadium. Ugh. He just hasn’t been here long enough to be a true Yankee. The man suffers from his lousy personality. He is always babbling about how hard he works. If just once he acknowledged how blessed he is to making millions of dollars for playing a damn game, it might be possible to like him…a little.
He is yours, Beantown. He’s too big a fish…you can’t throw him back.