i'd love to see him get absolutely torched in the american league. his best chance to perform well and add to his legacy is here, and he knows it. this is his way of saying, i'll go to the best team in june or july.
I thought it was a pretty s***ty thing for him to say. Waste of your time? Why did you come back then? There is no guarantee that any team goes to the playoffs in any given year. If you don't want to be in Houston, fine. Don't string the team and the city along for your pathetic little ride. Just sign the deal with NY and go play a 1/2 season (by the way...Nolan Ryan started 27 games at age 45, you wuss).
The Yankees are a given to MAKE the playoffs....we are not. We have a chance...maybe even a good chance....but the Yankees, regardless of standings in June, will make the playoffs...and he knows that. As much as I cant see him pitching without his "i dont have to go on roadtrips, etc, etc, etc" clause, it sounds like he is setting Houston up for a letdown.
Dear Roger, **** you. The Astros signed you to the largest contract ever given to a pitcher & you made $12M to play a damn game for 4 months. "Waste of time"? **** you. **** your ego. Go to NY. I'd rather cheer for any number of kids who actually WANT to pitch in Houston than cheer for you. Just ****ing leave already. You want to make the playoffs, Roger? Find a way to outpitch baseball legends Juan Mateo, Brett Myers & Chuck James the last month of the season. Or shut the **** up. Win as a team, lose as a team. Not that you'd understand that, apparently.
This is the first time in years that Boston has had a team capable of staying with the Yankees in the regular season. Combine that with the strong teams that will be in contention for the Wild Card in the Tigers, White Sox and Twins, and it's not at all a lock that NY makes the playoffs. Just because something happens one year doesn't mean it's necessarily going to happen the next. Boston has made some significant upgrades.
Roger is just setting us up to go to NY and I am fine with that. He is a good pitcher, but his ego is just too big for me. Go to NY where they will buy another division championship ... Lose your 1st round postseasons series like they do every year.
Boston has been strong for several years now....i just dont think it matters....someone asked the question before "when is the last time the yanks didnt make the playoffs?" i didnt look it up but Im guessing its been quite a while. I personally dont think that the Red Sox closed the gap on NY any more or less than the Cubs did on us....but thats sort of irrelevant. I DO happen to think that the comments he made pretty much counts the Red Sox OUT of contention for his services ...UNLESS they have like a 10 game lead or something like that on June 1....my feeling is that if he goes to the AL, its not going to be to compete with the Yankees. All in all, i think its down to NY and us....and if its JUST about winning and making the playoffs...then I think he leaves.....but if the fringe benefits of the hometown clauses he will get if he stays matters, then he will stay.
The Yankees have made the postseason every year since the 1995 season. While Boston has made significant upgrades, their bullpen is a mess. They don't have a single option in that bullpen who would be in the Astros bullpen or the Yankees. Also, I don't get why people harbor so much hatred for athletes who move on to other teams. It isn't like he is lying to the Astros or any other team. He's being totally honest about his intentions. He wants to win.
it's not about moving on to other teams. it's the whole pomp and circumstance that comes with roger. it's the gigantic ego. it's the "i wasted my time" taking your $12 million playing 4 months, as if he could have done nothing more to win that one game.
Sounds like a bunch of ungrateful b****es. The Astros have never won a playoff series w/o Clemens. People keep asking him if he's coming back - is he supposed to not answer?
They've been strong, but not this strong. I know Astros' fans don't have fond memories of Julio Lugo, but he's developed on both sides of the ball sense his departure, and to insert his bat at SS in place of the light hitters they've had there the last few years is a significant upgrade to the depth of that lineup. JD Drew is a clear upgrade over the Trot Nixon over the last couple of years. And Matsuzaka/Papelbon are both huge upgrades to the starting rotation with ace potential. Even if neither one realizes it, they're still going to be effective, and by all projections much more effective than New York's only "upgrade" with Andy Pettitte. I'm not that concerned with whenever the last time New York missed the playoffs, because you have to consider the context of each situation. The AL East and the AL are both deeper and more competitive than they've ever been before, and you have to keep that in mind. There are going to be a couple of very, very good AL teams that don't make the playoffs this year.
It isn't like he is calling into radio talk shows talking about it. If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at the media that constantly asks him about. If he plays golf they ask. If he eats dinner in public they ask. Etc, etc. His stance hasn't changed. He doesn't know where he wants to play yet but he wants to play for a winner. Don't ask and then you don't have any "pomp and circumstance."
i don't have a problem with the, "i don't know, yet" answer. no problem with that at all. my problem is with the slap at his teammates when he says, "last year was a waste of my time." like he was above it all. as Buck pointed out, he had ample chance down the end of the season to help lock up a playoff spot for the 'stros. he was on the team, too.
Timlin, Donnelly and Taverez would make the roster on pretty much every bullpen in the big leagues, and each had better seasons than essentially every Astros reliever besides Wheeler last year. It's not the Yankees bullpen, but don't be fooled; it's not that bad. They also have quite a few developing prospects with potential, and the revenue stream, along with talented prospects available for trade, to acquire a closer midseason if need be.
Julio Lugo is a disaster at SS on defense. But yes he is an offensive upgrade over Alex Gonzalez. And JD Drew is a great signing for them as well. However the Yankees have upgraded more then they get credit for. Matsui missed most of last year. His production is now in the lineup from the start. Abreu didn't come in until the trade deadline and his production is now in from the start. Andy Pettitte is a certainly a huge upgrade over Jaret Wright who didn't pitch into the 7th one time all season. Their bullpen is improved by the young arms they brought in. That Igawa kid from Japan can probably be at least as effective as a 5 era which is what they got from both Randy Johnson and their 5th starters last year. They also have the best pitching prospect in baseball, Phil Hughes, ready to come up at any time. And you can't understate the fact that they missed Sheffield and Matsui's bats for most of the season. The AL East is going to be a dogfight, but I wouldn't put money on this being the year the Yankees lose it.
