TAMPA — Roger Clemens checked into his second Yankees camp yesterday much like the Mike Graces, Mike Jerzembecks and other pitchers you needed a scorecard to identify.
A year ago, Clemens’ arrival at Legends Field made news all over the world when the five-time Cy Young winner was obtained from Toronto for fan favorite David Wells hours before the first workout.
Yesterday morning, Clemens dumped his gear into a locker, said hello to a Jason Grimsley and Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, gathered a sack of belongings and headed for one of his monster workouts.
With George Steinbrenner and Joe Torre expecting a better season from the 37-year-old Clemens than a year ago when he was a pedestrian 14-10 with a chubby 4.60 ERA, Clemens won’t be terribly disappointed by not winning a sixth Cy if it means getting fitted for his second World Series ring.
“If it happens, that’s great,” Clemens said when asked if he expected a better season from himself. “If you tell me the same thing is going to happen [team-wise] again, I will take it. I am not opposed to grinding another one out. I think they will all be grinds right now. But if Andy [Pettitte] and Duque win 18 to 20 games and we are back in the playoffs, I will take that anytime. Whatever it takes. Individually, I have had so much success.”
Clemens will be one of 26 pitchers who will join seven catchers for the first Yankees spring training workout today at Legends Field. According to Joe Torre, everyone is expected.
While Steinbrenner said he believed Clemens was suffering from groin and hamstring injuries last season that curtailed his effectiveness, Rocket admitted his left hamstring bothered him early but when it healed, there was no lingering effect.
Torre didn’t believe Clemens was hurt because Clemens wasn’t a constant visitor to the trainer’s room. Outside of admitting Clemens was bothered by a back problem the day the Red Sox spanked him in Game 3 of the ALCS, Torre said Clemens’ lackluster season had more to do with Clemens emotional state than anything physical. As for not revealing Clemens was ailing at Fenway Park, Torre said that was done so nobody would use the back as an excuse and start a feeding frenzy.
“He tried to fit in more last year and we discussed that several times,” Torre said. “Pitchers need to be more self-serving and Roger tried to be one of the team. He quieted himself down. After Game 4 [World Series] he will be the leader that we traded for.”
The Boston spanking aside, the Yankees loved what they saw of Clemens in the postseason and base their optimism on that. He won Game 3 of the ALDS against the Rangers and hurled 7 2/3 innings of one-run, four-hit ball in the World Series clinching victory over the Braves.
With the baseball galaxy believing Clemens and his agents, Alan and Randy Hendricks, having a handshake agreement with Steinbrenner for a two-year extension worth $30 million, the Rocket will leave all that talk to the Hendrickses as he prepares for his 16th big league season and continues the chase for 300 victories. He has 247 wins.
“Being in the last year of a contract is not a problem,” said Clemens, who will be paid $8.1 million this coming season. “Alan and Randy will handle that. I am sure that somewhere in spring training we will visit and see where our mindset is on that. But contracts and dollars don’t motivate me.
“Early in my career it was something that I looked to set my family up and I had the chance to do it after my second or third year. But it’s never really what has driven me.”
Part of what transported Clemens from Canada to The Bronx was his desire for a World Series ring. Now, his friends and family want to see it on his hand.
“It was the most asked question everywhere I went,” Clemens said of the ring he and the rest of the Yankees are slated to receive on the home opener on April 11. “Everybody wanted to see my ring and wanted to know why I wasn’t wearing it.”