No threads about the Rocket?

[PDittie]

I wonder how many (dozen) there would be if he had signed with the Red Sox or the Yankees ...

[Longhorn]

1. I entertained the idea of going to the Round Rock Express game

when he pitches but it turns out, they sold out 3,000 tickets in an hour and a half after the announcement was made!

Go Astros!

[PDittie]

2. We must admit that

to be able to pitch at Lexington -- the Astros' A franchise where his oldest son will be his short-term teammate -- Round Rock (AA), and Corpus Christi (AAA) home games as "rehab" assignments, with his first start at Minute Maid Park on June 22nd, at a pro-rated annual contract of $22,000,022 ...

... in a deal that got hammered out in a manner of hours, allegedly ...

... sort of mitigates the grief of Old Number 22 having to speak to two empty chairs at his HOF induction a little over five years from now (something he claimed he didn't want to do when he retired from the Yankees three years ago).

[PDittie]

3. Here's how his $$$ numbers compare:

Technically, Roger Clemens — who will warm up his arm in minor-league games before hitting Minute Maid Park — will get that salary prorated for a daily major-league rate of $120,218.70. If everything goes as planned, he'll net $12,262,307 for the season.

Compared to you and me — well, there's virtually no comparison. But just for laughs, here's how the rest of us stack up:

• $64 million: Value of Lotto Texas ticket bought in the Heights for the Feb. 8 drawing and claimed May 19. The purchaser asked not to be identified. The cash value option paid more than $39 million before taxes.

• $1.78 million: The per-concert earnings of U2's Vertigo Tour.

• $278,100: Base pay for Houston Independent School District Superintendent Abel Saavedra, who also gets incentives.

• $100,000: Average yearly salary for federal prosecutors, such as those who won the Enron case.

• $64,373: Starting annual salary for Fort Bend County elections administrator. The job is open.

• $36,050: Starting annual salary for HISD's entry-level teachers.

• $31,660: Median household income for Galena Park residents.

• $1,180: Biweekly starting salary for Fort Bend County Emergency Medical Service paramedic Level 1.

• $5.15: Federal minimum wage. To earn a single day's wage of the Rocket, a person working for minimum wage would have to work about 23,343 hours. (That's 583 40-hour work weeks.)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/features/3918540.html

[GOPisEvil]

4. Ugh...I'm sick of him and his made-up drama.

I think he's the greatest pitcher of my generation, but I can't stand some of the things he's done in his career, particularly the way he blames the Red Sox for giving up on him.

Plus, if he hadn't gone and shaved after being taken out of Game 6 of the '86 Series, the baseball Gods would not have seen fit to have that ball roll through Buckner's legs...

[erpowers]

5. Bad Idea

I think this was a bad idea by the Astros. They should have just used the money to get some better hitters and pitchers. With the money they are paying him they could have gotten a least one great young batter or a pretty good young pitcher. With the money they paid Clemens they could have gotten either Albert Pujlos or Carlos Beltran. This year Albert Pujlos is making $14 million and Carlos Beltran is making $12 million. Remember Beltran left the Astros last years and the stros decided to pay Clemens $18 million. If the stros had kept Beltran they could have paid him $10 million last year in that that is what the Mets paid him. I think the Astros should have used the money to get some hitters or pitchers.

[LisaM]

6. Who cares? He's a right wing Jesus freak

I hope he doesn't win a game (unlikely, but I just don't like him).

[bmbmd]

7. A man among boys

is how ESPN described him this morning after mowing down eleven San Antonio players (AA) in six innings. No runs, one hit...

[PDittie]

8. As he warms up for his start tonight....

let's remind ourselves that $22 million will buy:

1) First two years of tuition, fees, and books at Kingwood College (a Houston area junior college) for 4400 students.
2) 40 gallons of gas in one month for 550,000 people.
3) 366 Habitat for Humanity homes (at $60K each).
4) A $1700 raise for for each of the 13,000 teachers at Houston ISD.
5) $200 worth of school clothes for 110,000 economically disadvantaged children.
6) Given that the Houston Food Bank "stretches a $1 donation to distribute $8 in food," it would buy $176 million in food!

http://dos-centavos.blogspot.com/2006/06/what-will-22-million-buy.html

[Ekirh]

9. Always liked Clemens as a pitcher.. .

But all this attention and hype given to his return tonight almost makes me want to watch him take a sherlacking tonight . . .

which means yah I'm watching. . .

[KitchenWitch]

10. Maybe not a shellacking, but hey, he took the loss to a rookie!

:woohoo:

[Ekirh]

11. Yes I saw

good for the rookie

Like I said I like Clemens as a pitcher.. and it's really nothing against him personally .. . . but damn that was an over-hype experience. Yes, ESPN usually has quite a few but seriously.