Obviously a lot of NYY fans consider Clemens a traitor for "retiring" and then signing with the astros... but I can't remember exactly the circumstances. was he under contract with the yankees when he retired? if not then what exactly is their gripe since basically signed as a free agent? btw I haven't lived in NY in over 3 years and so I don't remember
As I recall he was not under contract. He said that 2003 was his final season and when he left the mound in Yankee Stadium for the last time it appeared that way. Then when Andy Pettitte signed with Houston, I think he started having second thoughts. He was not retiring for health reasons or because he had lost it. He wanted his mother to see him enter Cooperstown and be near his family. The Astros offered him the latter. And of course now his mother has passed away.
No, his contract was over. They were mad about a handful of things: 1) He didn't give them a chance to try to resign him. 2) In baseball when a star player leaves and signs with another team, the team losing the star player is awarded an extra pick at the end of one of the earlier rounds in the draft. If I remember correctly basically the quality of the player you lose determines what round you get the extra pick in. Regardless of exactly how it works, they would have gotten an extra pick at the end of the first round of the draft. You don't get this compensation pick if a player retires. By "retiring" and then signing with us, Roger essentially screwed them out of this extra pick. 3) They had given him what was supposed to be the send off to one of the top 2 or 3 greatest careers in recent memory, if not ever. 4) Yankees fans are pricks.
He was a free agent when he signed with Houston so technically speaking he owed nothing to New York. It is what he did that angered Steinbrenner and all of New York -- he said he was retiring and firmly believed he wouldn't play another game. In fact some Yankee teammates even pitched in and bought Clemens a brand new Hummer H2 as a gift (although I believe it was for his 300th career win). Yes, the same car that was stolen earlier this year. This was Steinbrenner's reaction: “Roger Clemens was a great warrior for the Yankees — a teacher and a leader...He told the world he was retiring, and we had no choice but to believe him.” And this is Brian Cashman's words: “I can’t think of him as anything but a Yankee regardless of what jersey he wore before us or after us...Houston is getting one of the greatest all-time pitchers. He lived up to everything we wanted. He’s his own man. He chose to pitch for Houston.” That's one reason why Cashman is one of the best, most professional of people in all of sports. When Clemens signed with Houston, here's what he had to say: “I was in a shutdown mode...Obviously, I think I have a lot to give. When I get into that dugout, I’m going to be excited to get back to work. We want to get to that final step and make some memories together.” For more, go here: http://www.nydailynews.com/front/breaking_news/story/154205p-135679c.html Regardless, all of Houston couldn't be happier.
This was a bit of an understatement. He has enough to give for another couple of years. The memories? One of the greatest final kicks in history last season going 36-10 to make the playoffs. Winning a playoff series and taking us to game 7 in the NLCS. Making the playoffs again after starting 15-30. A 1.87 era at age 43. Won another series with 3 innings of relief in one of the best playoff games ever. Yeah...there were some memories.
I don't remember any of his Yankee teammates dissing him. I think a lot of people realize he really intending on retiring and then changed his mind. Yankee fans find it hard to believe anyone would leave for somewhere else. I always found it humorous considering what the Yankees used to say about Clemens when he was in Boston and Toronto.
The Yankees Pitching staff will be going at it the world series. You have to wonder if Cashman knows what he is doing.
If I remember correctly, that was the same year that the Yankees acquired Javier Vasquez and Kevin Brown. Then I remember watching PTI and they were comparing the numbers, and actually argued that the Yankees were better off with Vasquez/Brown than Clemens/Pettitte. Yeah we saw how great that worked out.
Concerning the draft pick, I think how it goes is that when a player's contract expires, he is assigned to one of three pools of players (A, B, or C) based on some sort of criteria (not sure what, to be honest). If the player does not sign with the team he was with during the team he was with, either during the team's exclusive signing period OR during the general free agency period, but instead signs with another team, the team he is leaving gets a compensatory pick (A=1st round, B=2nd round) at the end of the round. So that way the team doesn't get totally screwed. However, if the original team renounces the players rights, they lose all rights to a draft pick. However, it allows them to promote a minor leaguer to their 40 man roster (for protection from the Rule 5 draft, etc.). Clemens told the Yankees that he was retiring when his last contract with them expired. The Yankees therefore renounced him to make room on their 40 man roster. So, when Clemens changed his mind and signed with the Astros, the Yankees didn't get anything in return. They were somewhat bitter about it, as were their fans (being typical New Yorkers ). That's how I understand baseball's somewhat murky free agency policy anyway. If someone knows better, please correct it.
That was mild compared to what people in Boston were saying about him after he signed with the Yankees. If Yankees fans feel screwed by Clemens so does Red Sox Nation. It would've been interesting to see the reaction he would've gotten in Fenway if we had made it too the series. Would the fans have forgiven him since he screwed over the Yankees too?
From what I remember, we got a pick for losing Beltran, but for some reason, we got a lower round pick, because his regular season stats wasn't all that great. We didnt get anything for Kent, because we let him go?
Hm...I think I remember hearing that we got a pick for Beltran, but it was a lower round pick because the higher pick went to Boston because the Mets also picked up Pedro Martinez. I believe the logic was Pedro > Beltran, so Mets pick > Astros pick. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.
DING! We have a winner! These are the same fans who threw chairs on the field and issued death threats to Roger Maris for hitting a bunch of home runs FOR THEIR TEAM. The Yankees fans are the absolute worst: loudmouths who think they're purists.
