Roger is Coming, but What About Mariano?

So the sports media is up in arms over the Yankees signing of Roger Clemens to an unsportsmanlike deal that basically pays him about $1million per start, lets him start in his season two-thirds of the way in and includes language in his contract that allows Roger the choice of traveling with the team on road trips he's not designated to pitch.

This deal of the century has Yankee fans pretty divided between loyalty to their team and the realism that the Yanks are desperate for pitching. But you know that something is really wrong with the Clemens signing when ex-Yankee (and current San Diego Padre) David Wells pitches a fit about it: "I don't think I would ever do it because of the fact I personally think it would disrespect the team and your teammates," Wells recently told the Florida Sun-Sentinel. "You look at the other players. How are they going to respect you? What are they going to think if you're not there pulling for the team? That's not the Yankee way. The Yankees have changed."

Meanwhile, at a charity golf tournament a couple of weeks ago, Clemens took some time out to explain that his return is, certainly, not about the money: "I didn't know the details of my contract sitting down yesterday, That's how quick the decision was made to do this."

Of course when you've publicly retired like a billion times already, you can't get upset if any words you spout gets met with a bit skepticism. And we all know that "Boomer" Wells isn't the type to get mad at any ol' thing. So I'm going to take a risk and say that Clemens had 28 million reasons to put the pinstripes back on again, his agent is a genius and Joe Torre along with Yankee GM Brian Cashman will definitely be looking new employment if the Yanks don't make the playoffs this year.

But while we're on the subject of Yankees pitching, maybe Yankee fans shouldn't worry about Clemens so much as the-greatest-closer-of-all-time Mariano Rivera, who blew his second save of the season the other night what with Adrian Beltre's 2-out home-run that gave Seattle a 3-2 victory. Beltre's homer was the second that Rivera has given up this year, not cause for concern until you note that Rivera hasn't given up more than 3 homers in any of the past five whole seasons. Then too, his third loss of the season is accompanied by a very un-Rivera-like 7-plus ERA and .300+ batting average against. So despite the fact that Clemens is back, for all the concern the Yankees have had about their pitching this year, Rivera is starting to turn out to be the biggest. Granted, it's too soon to start panicking, but when the most reliable Yankee for the last 10-plus years is struggling, you'd be an idiot to not pay attention.