What is the NL going to do...

[Diffusion]

I have no idea how good Johnson will be. He had a phenomenal year in 2004 sandwiched between two mortal years. Is age catching up to him? Beats me.

 

But not me. Johnson can no longer get the ball up in the mid- to high-nineties, his slider flattens out, and his mechanics are a complete mess right now, which is probably both the cause and result of various injuries that are plaguing him, knee, shoulder, back. I'm not the biggest Andy Pettitte fan, not at all, but I feel entirely comfortable definitively picking him over the Big Unit. Johnson carries all of the risk and very little extra upside.

 

But you're absolutely correct that it doesn't matter as long as Oswalt is such an enormous amount better than Mussina.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Mussina, Johnson, Clemens > Oswalt, Pettitte, Clemens

 

Not on your life.

 

Just coming to this thread. Jimy sure is cocky these days. Amazing to see that kind of attitude. Makes sense coming from somebody who can't spell Buchholz. Buchholz looks good but he's a rookie with a strange track record. Wandy, Nieve and Astacio still scare the hell out of me.

 

Back to the top 3 of the rotation. Mussina is not anywhere near as good as Oswalt. Mussina has become a league average pitcher. In fact, I'd take Oswalt over Mussina in his prime. In five seasons, Oswalt has four years with an ERA+ above 140 and his numbers this year are as good as ever.

 

I have no idea how good Johnson will be. He had a phenomenal year in 2004 sandwiched between two mortal years. Is age catching up to him? Beats me. Pettitte is eight years younger. I have no idea how good Pettitte will be. Given the ERA+ for both of these guys over the last three season, I don't know how somebody could definitively pick one over the other this year.

 

Given the huge discrepency between Mussina and Oswalt, I'm not sure how Mussina, Johnson, Clemens > Oswalt, Pettitte, Clemens. As much as the media might lead you to think that Roger is twice as good when he wears pinstripes, I don't think that would be enough to tilt the scales.

 

I will agree that Mussina, Johnson, Clemens is not better than Oswalt, Pettitte and Clemens.

 

But Clemens does make the Yankees more of a contender than the Astros, simply because the Yankees line-up is just that much better.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

According to this article, Clemens is still undecided.

 

Link

 

"I've listened to every other team [other than Houston] and I continue to get calls every day from those guys on the teams, front office people, I hear the concerns, I know what's behind it and understand it would be a great story," Clemens said. "It's very flattering [but] it would be a mental challenge [to come back]."

 

Clemens spent Sunday night in a Houston hospital where his son Koby, an infielder in the Houston system, was undergoing surgery on his finger.

 

"He's going to miss about six weeks," Clemens said. "That's kind of my main concern right now. He's going to get through this week and we'll get him back out there and that's kind of what I'm focused on right now."

 

 

Those quotes don't sound like someone who's all that eager to get back at it.

[SouthSideRyan]

Clemens is a tool.

[Mike Scott]

Clemens is a tool.

 

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[Jimy is a misspell]

May 31, 2006, 9:55AM

Astros seal deal with Clemens

 

By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ

Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

ST. LOUIS - Roger Clemens and the Astros have officially reached an agreement, according to a person in the negotiations who told the Chronicle. A press conference will be announced shortly.

Clemens, whose 341 career victories are more than any person alive, went 18-4 with a 2.98 ERA in 2004 while winning the National League Cy Young Award, extending his record Cy Young collection to seven.

After helping the Astros to the National League Championship Series in 2004, he was 13-8 with a major-league best 1.87 ERA last season while helping the Astros reach the franchise’s first World Series. Although Clemens flirted with Boston and the Rangers, his former Astros teammates laughed and cautioned that he’d return to Houston.

Clemens’ signing should bolster the club.

“It will add a boost to the team,” ace Roy Oswalt said. “Any time you get a guy like that in the rotation, it would be great.

"We have to have a spark, and hopefully he will give it to us.”

Catcher Brad Ausmus was pleased.

“I think it’s a huge boost to our pitching staff,” Ausmus said. “Why? That’s a stupid question. He’s a horse. He’s probably the best pitcher in the history of the game. He’s the type of guy that for a full season you can count on for 200 innings.

Astros owner Drayton McLane negotiated deep into Tuesday night with Roger Clemens’ agents, and he headed to Houston early Wednesday morning.

“We worked on it last night, so that’s why I’m going to Houston right now,” McLane said as he boarded his private airplane in Temple. “We’ve worked to try to get this thing done.”

McLane has been optimistic for weeks, and he has made definite progress with Clemens’ agents, Randy and Alan Hendricks.

 

 

:D :D :D :D :D

 

 

 

Expect a bat and BP arm before the deadline too.

[Andy]

Damn it, he's back.

[treebird]

astros are good -- jimy shows up and makes fun of us

 

astros get bad -- jimy disappears

 

astros sign roger clemens -- jimy comes back to make fun of us again

[Ding Dong Johnson]

astros are good -- jimy shows up and makes fun of us

 

astros get bad -- jimy disappears

 

astros sign roger clemens -- jimy comes back to make fun of us again

 

http://z.about.com/d/collectdolls/1/0/l/G/troll.jpg ???

[Mark_R]

when clemens ends his career because of some petty injury, I will hope jimy comes back so i can laugh at him!

[Jimy is a misspell]

You had to expect to see me when Clemens signed.

[minnesotacubsfan]

You had to expect to see me when Clemens signed.

 

we did, but I bet he doesnt pitch all that well this year

[Jimy is a misspell]

Yeah, he was pretty bad last year.

[Chocolate Milk]

Yeah, he was pretty bad last year.

 

He was as dominating as it gets in the playoffs. Geez, would you have won ANY of those World Series games without him?

[CheeseHead Cubs Fan]

W L ERA IP Hits Runs ER

2 1 5.63 16.0 17 10 10

 

Post Season stats ^^^^^

[cubbyvirus00]

The Astros were a disgrace in the playoffs. At the end of the year, there is only one winner, and regretfully it was the White Sox.

[wolf stansson]

The Astros were a disgrace in the playoffs. At the end of the year, there is only one winner, and regretfully it was the White Sox.

I don't see how a pennant can qualify as disgraceful but whatev.

[SouthSideRyan]

You had to expect to see me when Clemens signed.

 

I'll expect to not see you when they miss the playoffs.

[Jimy is a misspell]

W L ERA IP Hits Runs ER

2 1 5.63 16.0 17 10 10

 

Post Season stats ^^^^^

 

Wore down late in the year. Didn't pitch April or May this year. Looked good in the WBC.

[Jimy is a misspell]

You had to expect to see me when Clemens signed.

 

I'll expect to not see you when they miss the playoffs.

 

I've been here for three years, won't go away anytime soon (by the grace of God, anyway). :wink:

[Banedon]

Eep! What's the NL going to do?

[Mark Priors Calves]

What makes Houston "Clutch City"? They don't seem very clutch to me, the Rockets were very good in the mid-'90's but other than that, not so much.

[wolf stansson]

What makes Houston "Clutch City"? They don't seem very clutch to me, the Rockets were very good in the mid-'90's but other than that, not so much.

Every car in the city has a manual transmission.

[1908]

What makes Houston "Clutch City"? They don't seem very clutch to me, the Rockets were very good in the mid-'90's but other than that, not so much.

Thanks, MJ.

[Sammy Sofa]

Eep! What's the NL going to do?

 

Lose to whichever team the AL puts into the WS. Probably get swept, too.