AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2007 > March > 17 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USHouston begins its Rocket countdown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
Kissimmee, Fla. — You won’t find Roger Clemens live and in person in this cow town, where the Houston Astros spend the spring. Check the PGA Tour and it’s likely he’ll be playing in the pro-am, the Bob Hope, the Pebble Beach, and this past week under Arnold Palmer’s own label at Bay Hill. While major league players are sweating out offseason impurities under Marine conditions, “Rocket” - as Phil Garner addresses him - does it in country club style.
Clemens has his own spring conditioning routine, and it doesn’t include spring training, as you and I know it. He has made it a custom lately to come strolling in sometime in May, not plump and out of shape, but ready for foxhole duty. And how does that go over with a major league manager?
Well, when Garner became manager of the Astros, it went this way. “When I first got there, Rocket came in and handed me this long sheet of paper filled out with his program. I put it aside and never looked at it until one of my coaches said, ‘Did you see Rocket’s schedule?’
“I hadn’t, so I took a look at it. It was an itemized schedule of everything, workouts, throwing days, starts, the whole thing for almost the whole season. So I asked him about it, and what if I thought some of it ought to be changed. He said he’d change it, no problem. It wasn’t a demand schedule, it was just how programmed he is. I made a few changes and he went right along with it. I’m not crazy about the ‘freedom’ clause in his contract, but he has never taken advantage of it.”
It’s a most unusual arrangement. Clemens has been with the Astros three years, but you don’t find his name on the roster, nor his record in the press guide. He is as free as a free agent can be, and the presumption is that sometime in May he’ll check in, program in hand, and be ready to pitch.
He and Andy Pettitte came to Houston in sort of a package arrangement, and when Pettitte defected to the Yankees this year, the question arose about Clemens’ direction. “I’ll see what happens sometime in May,” he told an Orlando columnist.
“Is that what he said?” Garner asked. And being assured that it was, Garner must have had a comfortable glow light up his body. And why such an oddball way of going about it?
“I think it’s because he doubts he can go a full season anymore, so he doesn’t want to run out of gas,” Phil (once known as “Scrap Iron” as a player) said.
And yet he pitched the last three innings of that 18-inning game when the Astros beat the Braves in the deciding game of the playoffs two seasons ago. “You know something?” Phil said. “He’d have gone six or seven if we’d needed him. He’s that kind of team player.”
They are a sort of odd couple, Garner and Clemens. Garner is Smokey Mountain Tennessee all the way, son of a minister and straight as an arrow. Clemens is classic Texan, athletically handsome and muscled for heavy duty. Under these unusual conditions you might suspect some kind of smoldering crossfire just waiting to surface. Check the thought.
“Rocket is so great with kids,” Phil said. “He gets out there and throws batting practice to them until they run out of steam. Once some of the kids sort of tapped the ball back to him, and he said, ‘is that all you’ve got?’ Then they loosened up and started swinging. He’ll work himself until he’s dripping with sweat.”
And through all this, you can see that Garner is looking forward to May. No matter how it may come across to some doubters, “Rocket” and “Scrap Iron” have become a pretty good team as Astros.
“I’ll say this to you,” Phil said, “he is a dream to have on this team.”
Clemens has won 348 games, eighth all time, and the Astros are waiting for him to add to it. The Hall of Fame door is open, and his reservation has been made.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Braves / MLB, Furman Bisher
Comments
By TheSouthernJackAsssssss
March 17, 2007 10:46 AM | Link to this
Just think—if Gimper Jones had a spring training regimen anything similar to what Roger Clemens puts himself through(at age 45), just maybe the “Gimp”(at age 35) could show up ready to play instead of riding the DL pine…
Guess all those walks in the park, and all those cheeseburgers and shakes just ain’t a ‘gittin er dun’ for ol’ hoss, as some of his boot licking followers adoringly call him…Oh my neck, my back, my toes, and my crack!…It’s time to take Gimper Jones, Mike Hampton, and 2 or 3 other worthless bags of bones a huntin’, and not bring them back…put ‘em down for good!…but make ‘em pay first, those guys owe the Braves some huge refund checks…
Yea, Rocket doesn’t show up to play till around May, but when he does show up—he’s ready to play!…
By TheSouthernJackAss
March 17, 2007 10:55 AM | Link to this
And Furman Bisher—you’re the best danged writer they is in the whole danged AJC…it’s so refreshing to come to a baseball blog and not have to sift through pie recipes, juvenile musical preferences, endless boring stats, podiatry lectures, prima donna wanna be writers, and self-proclaimed artists trying to peddle their crappy art!!!…yea, really refreshing!!!…
By hawks r cursed for trading nique
March 17, 2007 4:13 PM | Link to this
I really hope that clemens dosent waste another year away playing for the astros. Id like to see him join back up with the Red Socks. The Braves signing mike hampton has to be the WORST move ever made by our GM. I still like chipper and as long as hes healty for the playoffs the Braves will be just fine. Go Braves!!
By scott
March 18, 2007 9:49 AM | Link to this
He’s not the man they think he is at home, oh no no no.
By Me
March 18, 2007 10:52 AM | Link to this
Mike Hampton had 2 pretty good seasons with the Braves before he got hurt. Does anybody really think these guys get hurt on purpose?