9/23/2005 03:26:00 PM by Rob

Fat Roger

I have to answer Thorn, and to elaborate on the comment I left.

I don't think I am going to forget anyone, but my apologies if I do.

Fat Roger Clemens had a couple of bad years at the end of his run with Boston. He was Dominant for five years with them, a couple with Toronto, a few with the Yankees, and the rest with Houston. Not just good, not just great, but Dominant.

He was Dominant, longer, than the Big Unit.
Longer than Bob Gibson, Fergie Jenkins, or Steve Carlton.
Longer than Sandy Koufax, Catfish Hunter or Jim Palmer.
Longer than Don Drysdale, longer than Pedro Martinez.
He is what Kerry Wood was supposed to be. He's Nolan Ryan, but he wins a lot more games, and had far better control.

You stack him next to Tom Seaver, I'll take Fat Roger.
You stack him next to Don Sutton, Gaylord Perry, or Jim Bunning, I'll take Fat Roger.
You stack him next to Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, or, yes, Greg Maddux, I'll have to take the Fat man.

Maybe there were individual years, like Gibson's '68, Carlton's '72, Koufax's '63 thru '65, that exceeded anything Clemens had done. Except that, no, his '86, '90, and '01 were pretty damn special, too.

You have to go back to the Warren Spahns and Bob Fellers and Whitey Fords to match brilliance with this guy.

If you can go back above, and disagree with me on any of the above assertions I made, I might have to argue that you and me are watching a different game, and that you and me aren't going to share a pizza and a pitcher anytime soon.

Even if his kid is a drooling trogg that thinks Daddy still pitches for the Yankees.

---