I grew up like so many boys of my generation admiring sports heroes. It was all about baseball in my formative years growing up in Bristol, Ct. and I worshiped Carl Yastrzemski, left fielder for the Boston Red Sox for all of his 23 time in the major leagues. Things changed over the years, with free agency making the likelihood that a home town ballplayer would spend his entire career with the team where he started extremely unlikely and it was harder to stay loyal to a particular player. Though I loved the Indians, I’d remained loyal to the Red Sox for many years after moving here in 1968 and when Roger Clemens broke on the scene in the 80’s with his amazing fastball, ‘The Rocket’ became one of my favorites.
As manager of the Cleveland Athletic Club in the 90’s, I had the opportunity to meet Roger when a representative of the Red Sox whom I knew asked if Clemens could work out at the club when the Sox were in town.
“Let me think about that-okay,” I said about as quickly as you can say ‘okay’.
Clemens came to the club and after doing his workout in the weight room, which as a trainer I had to witness, headed to the gym for some pick-up hoops with the members. They were thrilled to be bumping and shooting with a three-time Cy Young award winner and the game’s best pitcher. After a shower and changing, I invited him to join me for a cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake in our coffee shop, which he promptly accepted. We spent the next hour talking about baseball, Fenway Park and the Green Monster, free agency, training, our families and anything else that came to mind. He was a down-to-earth simple man who loved and respected the game and its history and who dedicated himself to being the best player he could possibly be with a workout regimen that kept him in peak physical form.
He left the Red Sox after that year, testing the free agency market and becoming a very wealthy man. He continued to visit when he was in town, something I always enjoyed. He remained at the top of his game well into his 40’s, something I attributed to his absolute devotion to conditioning, finally retiring in 2007 at the age of 45 amidst accusations of performance-enhancing drug use. He was accused by former personal trainer Brian McNamee in the Mitchell Report on drugs in baseball of using steroids and HGH, which he denied before Congress. The Justice Department began an investigation concerning whether he had lied under oath, and in 2010 a grand jury indicted him on two counts of perjury, three counts of making false statements and one count of obstructing Congress. He was acquitted of all the charges this past June after a 10-week trial.
Roger had always claimed he was innocent and never tested positively for drug use. I believed him then, and still do. Maybe I’m naïve, but I saw the way the man worked out and threw the ball and how he felt about the game and didn’t think he would do anything to tarnish his or the game’s image. He knew that America’s youth looked up to him and I believe he took that pretty seriously.
Now, Roger is a 50-year old man and suddenly back in baseball news. He signed a contract to pitch for the Sugar Land Skeeters in Sugarland, Texas a suburb of Houston, which plays in the Atlantic League as an independent team. It’s the minor leagues, but a feeder to the free agency market for Major League Baseball and many are wondering if he’s thinking of a comeback. He still throws the ball 87 mph and with his control…would certainly be good enough to earn a spot on the Indians staff. When asked at a press conference if he thought he could or would pitch in the Majors again, he said, “people are trying to ingrain that in my mind that 50 (years old) is now the new 40," he said. "But I'm not buying it because I'm still having to pack myself in a lot of ice."
He said he was just there to have some fun and that his conditioning was a long way from what was necessary to pitch in the big leagues. Well…I have trouble believing that. If he puts his mind to it, he’ll regain the conditioning and if 50 is the new 40…and I’m trying to make it so personally, then Clemens will be back and wearing the uniform of a Major League team next spring. I, for one, am hoping so. I’d love to see him putting down the best hitters in the world in his fifties. He could then show to all his detractors that maybe, just maybe, he was telling the truth all along and was simply an amazing athlete and one of the best pitchers in the history of the game. I don’t work at the CAC any more, Rocket, but I’d gladly take you to the North Chagrin Reservation for a Survival Workout and burgers and a shake back at the house afterwards whenever you’re in town. Here’s one fan that would love to see you hurling the cowhide again.
I did my Survival Workout without any lower body exercises. I was worried that I might be overdoing things with the knee and wanted to give it a breather. Later though, I would take a walk with Holly in the neighborhood and end up at the Mayfield track where we would do five sets in the bleachers. I’m working on Holly thinking maybe, like Roger, she can make a comeback too.
Survival Workout: 60 minutes. Hike Duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW and 80 hiking.
Calories burned during workout: 600 for SW and 300 hiking.
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