The Chris Moeller Archives

Lone Star

The idiocy of ESPN's Jayson Stark aside, the Houston Astros absolutely did the best thing by refusing to surrender Roger Clemens back to the Yankees or Red Sox at baseball's trading deadline on Monday. Club owner Dayton McLane owes nothing more to Clemens than the $700,000 he pays him each time he takes to the hill for the Astros this season. Clemens kept the Astros off-kilter for half a year waiting to decide whether or not he would return for the '06 campaign. He held about $20 million of the club's cash in limbo and then didn't bother to show up until the club was already 10 games out of first place.

It's thoughtless to even presume that Clemens wanted to be traded from a team in his native state. Maybe a meaningless start before "a half-empty ballpark in Pittsburgh" is exactly how Clemens envisioned finishing his career, provided that he be wearing the orange, red, yellow, and black uniform of the Houston ballclub. If he had wanted to re-sign with Boston or New York, heaven knows he had his chance. Maybe he'd have never left them to begin with.

The Astros are certainly in the toilet, but it's worth noting they were a competitive ballclub prior to Clemens' arrival. If the team's record since May 4th (30-47) puts them in the company of the hapless Royals, it's hard to make the case that the late arriving Clemens has done his part to lead the victory parade. They may have saved $7 million by trading the Rocket away, but maybe that just reveals how much his starts mean at the gate of Minute Maid Park, and maybe GM Tim Purpura wasn't willing to part with that prime attraction for a collection of so-called prospects from baseball's most overhyped organizations. After all, if either AL East power had real prospects to showcase, they wouldn't have to buy everyone else's. Maybe Purpura was actually holding out for a good offer rather than simply handing over a 343 game winner to the Yank-Sox to spite the other 28 MLB clubs, including his own. Maybe the Cardinals should hand Albert Pujols over to George Steinbrenner in exchange for a bag of balls and the return of Bob Sykes' ghost.

The Astros, for all of their problems, are only 6 games out of the Wild Card (isn't modern baseball great?) and at no time has Clemens declared this would be his final season. McLane owes Clemens exactly what the Hall of Fame pitcher owes him-- a commitment to winning. He certainly doesn't owe him a fucking "script."

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It's a shame that gay "Soprano" Vito Spatafore had to get whacked before becoming the target customer for Derek Jeter's new cologne.

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Bob Sykes is still alive. Sorry I scared you before.

posted by CM @ 8:44 PM