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for larger version       Inside Pitch
Which will be colder – this week’s freezing wind chill against your face, or the icy reception Roger Clemens will endure when his Houston Astros finally come to town in August? Clemens had been planning to make several trips to New York every month during this upcoming season, mostly to check in on his Texas two-step buddy, Andy Pettitte, but with Clem ens’ decision to "un-retire" (does 78 days qualify as a retirement?), his travel itinerary only brings him to the Big Apple for one midweek series at Shea Stadium. The Mets will be ecstatic about that one, assuming Clemens makes the trip and pitches in one of the three games, because there’s no shortage of Yankees fans out there right now who’d like to wrap their hands around The Rocket’s neck for pulling the wool over New York’s eyes. Guarantee Clemens will be on the mound for one of those games, and you can pencil in a crowd of at least 45,000 right now. Yankees fans and Mets fans, unified in their sudden dislike for this future Hall-of-Famer – Bill Murray’s Ghostbusters prediction of "human sacrifice, dogs and cats, living together ... mass hysteria!" can’t be far behind. We’re going overboard. Sure, Yan kees fans, you feel jilted. We all got caught up in the celebration surrounding Clemens’ so-called final season in the majors, from his 300th victory to the succession of "lasts" – last pitch thrown at Fenway Park, last postseason start, last psychotic pregame workout. And maybe, for that, we feel like we’ve been duped just a little (though probably not as much as the lucky fans that received "Clemens final season" memorabilia for the holidays. Wonder what those commemoratives are going for on eBay?). But ethical or not, Clemens would not have abandoned the retired life for any team other than his hometown Astros. Even then, he probably would be flipping burgers in his backyard and lounging in the Jacuzzi, if only the Yankees had shown the slightest interest in re-signing Clemens’ favorite pupil, Pettitte. "Andy being here just changed everything," Clemens says. Those who feel like Clemens has committed the ultimate sin in baseball’s playbook – hi, George Stein brenner – need to pause for some serious reflection. For five years, Clemens did everything that the Yankees asked of him, dripping buckets of sweat to stay in shape (unlike rotation buddy David Wells) and authoring some magical moments to be included on the next team history DVD, including that very special night of June 13 this season. So who are the Yankees – heck, who is New York? – to tell Clemens that he doesn’t deserve the chance to pitch for his hometown team, in front of his supporting family and friends? The Yankees don’t own Clemens, and they never did. He was an employee of the organization, one who completed his commitment to the team with success and flair (and, by the way, helped them to two World Series titles and four pennants). Let it go. In 2010 (we’re assuming that Clemens is really going to retire this time, but who can tell?), when Clemens is inducted into Cooperstown on that first ballot and the Yankees hold Roger Clemens Day at Yankee Stadium, you’ll be there – just like the Red Sox gave Clemens a standing ovation at Fenway Park in the August leg of the goodbye tour this year. You might not think so now, but time heals all wounds. 95 We might be the only media voice in New York not up in arms about the Mets’ half-hearted pursuit of Vladimir Guerrero, who signed on with the Angels this week to the tune of five years and $71 million. As dominant and exciting a player as Guerrero has proven to be with the Expos, it’s impossible not to have major concerns about the herniated disc which forced him to miss 39 games last season. Back problems have a habit of popping up and robbing hitters of power in their prime – ask Don Mattingly or Edgardo Alfonzo – and offering five years (especially for an organization as star-crossed as the Mets) was just too big of a risk for our taste. Sure, Vladimir would have been an awesome sight to see in a Mets uniform. But it’s become clear that the Mets’ plan is not to contend for a title in 2004 – walk, don’t run: division winners need to be able to play .500 ball first – and for a rebuilding franchise, it’s encouraging to see the team practicing some restraint. Stick with the program, Mets fans, better days are on the way. Guerrero alone wouldn’t have made the Mets an instant World Series lock anyway, not with a starting rotation that still counts on wheezing geezers Al Leiter and Tom Glavine. 95 News item: Knicks GM Isiah Thomas dons a pair of sweats and leads Stephon Marbury through a series of shooting drills. Poor Don Chaney. Suddenly, ex-Mets GM Steve Phillips hanging around Bobby Valentine’s office doesn’t sound so bad. 95 Request for the NHL: can we match up the Rangers and Islanders through the entire schedule? We haven’t seen that much vicious hitting since Sly Stallone was wearing trunks and crying out for Adrian. Contact Bryan Hoch at bryanhoch@yahoo.com.
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