Roger Clemens has signed a deal with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Clemens who is 50 years old is following in the foot steps Jose Canseco, another aging star who could not walk away from the game gracefully.
Clemens' reputation took a big hit as a result of steroid use allegations followed by two trials on perjury charges. No doubt Clemens risks damaging his reputation further by playing in a league for semi-pros. Sure Clemens joins a Sugar Land rotation with Scott Kazmir and Tim Redding, and will face a Bridgeport Bluefish lineup that includes Shea Hillenbrand and Joey Gathright. But these other ex-pros do not have 7 Cy Young awards and 2 World Series championships as part of their resumes.
Although Clemens' motivation for returning as a player may be different than Canseco. Perhaps he is contemplating returning next season to pitch in the Majors. It could be to show that he can pitch clean but then he contends he has always pitched clean. Maybe it's to delay his name being placed on the Hall of Fame ballot. He is eligible for consideration next year but if he returns as an active player then it is delayed for five more years. It gives voters more time to forget about the steroid scandals and all that mess.
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