October 16, 2003

Kevin Millar: "I don't think there is a person in the United States that isn't going to know the Sox and Yankees are playing Game 7 with Pedro and Clemens."

Pedro Speaks: "I feel pretty good, for this time of year. And this is the time of year where you don't have any time to actually say "I'm hurting... I'm sore" or "I feel bad" because regardless of how you feel you have to go out there and make a commitment to the team and to the fans and to yourself ... [In Game Three] I just went with what I had in the first part of the game, I didn't feel all that well. I felt a little sluggish in the first three innings, and then I picked it up and I felt better, so I threw more fastballs and I mixed up my pitchers a little bit better. But at first, that's all I had, and that's how I tried to pitch and it cost me a couple of runs ..."

Check out this snip about Mr. Class, posted in tonight's Game Thread:

"The team has created a monster, and the question is: What are they going to do now? Clemens is up for free agency next year. He has arm problems almost every other year. He will be looking for at least a four-year contract, probably five, in excess of $20 million. His body has changed dramatically over the past five years - he is much bulkier - but his behavior remains erratic at best.

Clemens' track record is becoming unbelievable. After he was ejected, he twice yelled at Cooney, "I'm going to find out where you live and come after you this winter," according to first base ump Vic Voltaggio. This year alone, he apparently lied about pitching to a prison team, walked off a charter flight because of a delay, offered misleading information about his shoulder injury, punched the manager's office door with his pitching hand because the league wouldn't let him decide how long the clubhouse should remained closed after the division clincher, and now this.

Perhaps we should have seen it coming. In Game 1, Clemens left after six shutout innings, then refused to speak because "I just didn't want to confront that situation at that time. I thought it would be a detriment to the team." While in the dugout during Game 2, he yelled at plate umpire John Hirschbeck, then threw a roll of tape and a towel at the back of the dugout when umpire Jim Evans approached him. Shortly after that, he appeared to snap at manager Joe Morgan, and there were unconfirmed reports that he yelled disparaging remarks at A's pitcher Bob Welch, a recovering alcoholic. During Game 3, Clemens later acknowledged, he screamed at Cooney over a close play at first.

"Are being surly and contemptuous punishable offenses? Usually not. Baseball has been loaded with cretins throughout its history. The cliche that a pitcher needs to have a mean streak in him is not far off. But Clemens is out of control with this Possessed/Rebel thing. ..."

--Steve Fainaru, Boston Globe, October 12, 1990

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