Rocketing to Cooperstown

Despite getting a paltry 11 runs of support in his 7 starts, Roger Clemens picked up his 330th win last night in a 2-1 victory over Florida, moving into 9th place on the all-time wins list. Clemens pitched 7 shutout innings to lower his ERA to a ridiculous 1.10 (second in MLB to Dontrelle Willis' miniscule 1.07). Remarkably, Clemens has won 40 games since he turned 40 in 2002. Since leaving Boston for Toronto in 1997, he has been one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. Truly a Bonds-like late-career resurgence from the player Boston GM Dan Duquette described as washed-up. Roger's perserverence and continued dominance have cemented his deserved spot in baseball's pantheon.

Much is made of Clemens' insane work ethic and conditioning. He's been a physical specimen since breaking in in 1984. But for all the steroid talk, especially the recent clamor about the number of pitchers juicing and the decreased velocity over the past year or two, Clemens has been the subject of zero chemical-related rumors. As I said, his late-career performance has been Bonds-like, but while Bonds has been (justifiably) crucified, Clemens has caught no heat. Nor does he deserve to. He's always been a huge man, his off-season and in-season training regimens are the stuff of legends, and he is rarely injured (muscle tears and joint problems are calling cards for steroid users). I don't think Clemens is juicing (he's just built, and he doesn't have the cut shape of Bonds or Sosa), but I'm surprised the media hasn't latched on to his age-defying performance as evidence that he's benefitted from some pharmaceutical assistance. They haven't even caught a whiff of wrongdoing.

So I think we can be pretty sure at least one of our legends is getting it done on his own. All baseball fans should hope Roger decides to pull a Nolan Ryan (a fellow Texan) and pitch for another five years. We might never see another pitcher like him.