Roger Clemens, Astros Debate Potential 2012 Start

Roger Clemens and the Houston Astros organization have both expressed interest in "The Rocket" returning to pitch in 2012, but when has become the topic of a hot debate.

After owner Jim Crane said that Clemens could pitch, but not against a contending team, Clemens told a local TV station in Houston the exact opposite:

"I can tell you right now and they would know, too, that if I was going to go do it, I am going to pitch against a contender, that's who I want to knock out," Clemens told Houston television station KRIV. "Why would I want to waste my time running around and getting in shape. I get over to Minute Maid (Park), I'll crank it up and get it over 90 for a contender. We'll knock them right out of the playoffs. That would be the fun. Pitching against somebody that's not in contention wouldn't be any fun for me."

"It's not going to happen."

Based on Crane's qualifications, Clemens would have to pitch this week - with 20-ish games remaining for most teams, Houston plays a three-game home series against the Cubs starting Tuesday, then hosts the almost-.500 Phillies for three games. After that, the Astros close out with alternating series against the NL Wild Card contending Pirates and Cardinals.

For the latest on all things Astros, head over to the Crawfish Boxes and join the discussion. Be sure to check back here at SB Nation Houston for the latest on the ongoing Clemens saga.

Roger Clemens To Pitch Again For Sugar Land Skeeters

Roger Clemens will be making another start for the Atlantic League's Sugar Land Skeeters on Sept. 7. Fans of the team are so excited for the prospect of the 50-year-old Cy Young award-winner taking the the mound again, they are considering making sacrifices to watch him, according to chron.com.

"All right," said season-ticket holder John Locke, a 77-year-old retiree who has missed only one game during the Skeeters’ inaugural season.

Informed of the news while at Constellation Field watching former major leaguer Scott Kazmir pick up a 6-1 win for the Skeeters over Bridgeport on Wednesday, Locke contemplated pushing back a scheduled trip to Maryland by a day so he can watch Clemens pitch.

Clemens went 3.1 innings and struck out two batters in his debut with the Skeeters last Saturday.

For the latest on all things Astros, head over to the Crawfish Boxes and join the discussion. Be sure to check back here at SB Nation Houston for the latest on the ongoing Clemens saga.

Roger Clemens To Make Second Start For Sugar Land Skeeters

Roger Clemens will continue his slow and steady comeback on Sept. 8, 2012, when he'll pitch again for the Sugar Land Skeeters.

Per Mark Berman of Houston's Fox 26, Clemens sent the station a text reading, "It looks like we will give the Skeeters the okay to announce that I will start again on Sept. 8."

Clemens, 50, said earlier this week that he had no plans to pitch again following his start on Saturday, in which he threw 3.1 scoreless innings. Clemens clearly had a change of heart, though, and his endgame remains unknown.

The controversial Hall of Fame candidate may be working toward a big-league comeback that would reset the clock on his Cooperstown candidacy, postponing the first year in which he could be considered back another five years. That, of course, would allow more time for the steroid allegations against him to fade from voters' memories.

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane has said he is open to the idea of Clemens returning to the Astros at some point in the future.

For the latest on all things Astros, head over to the Crawfish Boxes and join the discussion. Be sure to check back here at SB Nation Houston for the latest on the ongoing Clemens saga.

Roger Clemens Won't Be A Texas Ranger, Per Nolan Ryan

The Rangers already have Nolan Ryan running the organization and they took a flyer on fomer Astros ace Roy Oswalt. But Ryan pretty much shut down any speculation that the Rangers could be interested in bringing in the 50-year-old Roger Clemens.

Of course, Clemens made an appearance for the Sugar Land Skeeters last week in his first appearance on the mound since 2007. Clemens himself says he has on plans of pitching again soon, but that could change. Here's what Ryan had to say about it to ESPN 103.3 in Dallas:

"I think obviously things will be dictated by how he recovers and if he feels he can go out there and continue throwing and if he can build up some stamina. I think we just have to stay tuned. I might call him, but I don't think I'll be calling him about a job."

Read more on the Clemens comeback at this StoryStream and SB Nation Houston.

Roger Clemens Says He Has No More Plans To Pitch

The Roger Clemens comeback might be over before it even began. After throwing three scoreless innings for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League, he spoke about his start with the Skeeters and mentioned that he doesn't actually have any more plans to pitch, at least for the moment:

"The Sugar Land Skeeters have brought a lot to that little town and it was a lot of excitement for them," Clemens said. "I didn’t come out of retirement. That was an independent start and pretty fun. It’s a lot of work to go out and do that. But I’m pretty active. I throw with the boys whether it be high school, college or even some of the minor league teams."

Clemens did well for himself in his appearance for the Skeeters, throwing three scoreless innings while allowing only a single hit on 37 pitches.

Since he announced his intent to make that start for the Skeeters, there had been rumors swirling about a possible comeback to the Houston Astros or a couple of other major league teams. If he truly has no more plans to pitch except in minor independent starts like that, those rumors should soon come to a halt. Clemens had officially retired from MLB five years ago.

For the latest on the Astros, head over to the Crawfish Boxes and join the discussion. For more on the Major Leagues go check out Baseball Nation.

Roger Clemens Throws Three Scoreless Innings In Sugar Land Debut

Five years after he retired from Major League Baseball, fifty-year-old Roger Clemens threw 3 1/3 shutout innings for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League on Saturday night. Clemens gave up just one hit and struck out two. Most importantly, Clemens' command was as good as ever: He did not give up a walk and threw an efficient 37 pitches.

ABC News reports that scouts from the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals were on hand. The Astros have previously stated they would be "monitoring" the Clemens comeback.

After the game, Clemens left the door open to making another start for the Skeeters:

"We'll visit and if we can do something special down the road, we'll do it again for some of the people that couldn't get here," Clemens said. "I'm definitely open to it if they want to do it. It was a great deal of fun for me now that it's over and I stayed healthy."

Clemens was found not guilty of obstruction of, and lying to, Congress in June, criminal charges tied to allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs during his playing career. There has been speculation that Clemens' comeback is an attempt to rehabilitate his image following the trial and possibly delay his eligibility for the Baseball Hall of Fame, in the hopes he would not meet the same Hall of Fame fate as other players accused of using PEDs during their careers.

For the latest on the Astros, head over to the Crawfish Boxes and join the discussion. For more on the Major Leagues go check out Baseball Nation.

Jose Canseco Isn't Exactly Thrilled About Roger Clemens' Comeback

Roger Clemens Could Start For Astros In 2012, According To Report

With Roger Clemens' minor league pitching outing set to be broadcast live on ESPN Classic, many are certainly very interested to see the performance of the seven-time Cy Young Award winner on Saturday.

Among those reportedly interested in Clemens' performance are the Houston Astros, who have already sent scouts to watch the 50-year old pitcher and will again on Saturday.

But does all of this boil down to a possible return to the MLB for Clemens? Nobody's ruling it out.

While Clemens has stated that his pitching outing with the Sugar Land Skeeters is just for fun, he also told Piers Morgan of CNN that he could announce something bigger and better if things go well in his return to the mound.

Astros owner Jim Crane hasn't ruled out the possibility either, floating the idea of having Clemens pitch to help bolster attendance to games of a team that will likely be eliminated from the playoffs on Friday.

For the latest on the Astros, head over to the Crawfish Boxes and join the discussion. For more on the Major Leagues go check out Baseball Nation.

ESPN Classic To Broadcast The Roger Clemens Comeback Attempt

ESPN is pulling out all the stops as they will be broadcasting Roger Clemens' comeback attempt with the Sugar Land Skeeters. The game begins at 7:05 CT and will be broadcast on ESPN Classic, ESPN3 and then ESPNews will also have live look-ins for every inning Clemens pitches.

In addition to that, there will be a pregame interview with Clemens. Skeeters Manager Gary Gaetti and team adviser Tal Smith, who is also the former Astros president, will also be interviewed during the game. Then on Baseball Tonight, there will be a second interview with Clemens and highlights from the game.

This seems to be overkill for ESPN to have wall-to-wall coverage for a pitcher who has not pitched since 2007 and is now 50, but when has ESPN not taken advantage of an opportunity to snag some ratings?

For the latest on the Astros, head over to the Crawfish Boxes and join the discussion. For more on the Major Leagues go check out Baseball Nation.

Roger Clemens Comeback: This Is Very Unnecessary

Roger Clemens Returns: Embarrassing Stunt Or Good Decision?

Roger Clemens Minor League Game Could Be Broadcast By ESPN

Roger Clemens' return to baseball with the minor-league Sugar Land (Texas) Skeeters Saturday night might be broadcast by ESPN Classic, according to the Houston Chronicle.

ESPN's two main networks are scheduled to air high school football and WNBA basketball Saturday night. ESPN Classic usually airs repeated sports documentaries on Saturday night, which could free up the tertiary network to air Clemens' start against the Bridgeport (Conn.) Bluefish.

The woefully bad Houston Astros, looking for any kind of feel-good story while being on pace for their worst season in franchise history, are rumored to be scouting the 50-year-old Clemens for a potential September start. A major-league game would push his Hall of Fame candidacy back to 2018. Clemens hasn't pitched in the majors since 2007, when he went 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA in 17 starts with the New York Yankees.

For the latest on the Astros, head over to the Crawfish Boxes and join the discussion. For more on the MLB, visit Baseball Nation.

Minor League Executive Tal Smith Insists Signing Roger Clemens Is Not Publicity Stunt

Roger Clemens is slated to start on Saturday for the Sugar Land (Texas) Skeeters in an odd comeback for the 50-year-old former Red Sox, Blue Jays, Yankees and Astros pitcher. While many would draw the conclusion that the move is a publicity stunt for the Sugar Land Skeeters to sign a big name pitcher despite the fact that he hasn't pitched since 2007, Skeeters executive Tal Smith insisted to a Houston radio station that wasn't the case.

"Contrary to your sports wrapup a minute ago, this is not a publicity stunt," Smith told Josh Innes and Rich Lord of KILT. "The Skeeters have drawn about 500,000 for this year and generally sell out for Saturday nights anyway. This is not a publicity stunt; this is something that Roger wanted to do. He wanted to come out and demonstrate to us that he was capable of pitching and wanted to pitch. That being the case, we were happy to accommodate him."

If Clemens does make a start on Saturday it will push back his eligibility for the Baseball Hall of Fame to 2019, which some have speculated could be the reason for his minor league signing, as an attempt to allow six years to pass and allow his alleged steroid use and perjury trial to blow over.

For the latest on the Astros, head over to the Crawfish Boxes and join the discussion. For more on the MLB, visit Baseball Nation.

Rogers Clemens' Workout Watched By Houston Astros Management

Not only is Roger Clemens going to pitch for the minor-league Sugar Land Skeeters this weekend, Houston Astros scouting director Mike Elias watched him work out at Constellation Field on Monday morning.

He was there alongside ex-Astros president and Skeeters adviser Tal Smith and Skeeters president Matt O'Brien, according to Zachary Levine and the Houston Chronicle. This fuels speculation that the Astros could bring Clemens back to the big leagues, but Houston owner Jim Crane isn't saying much on the matter just yet:

Regarding the possibility that Clemens could rejoin the Astros, Crane said, "We don't have any plans, we haven't had any requests. We'd like to check and see where (Major League Baseball) is on the subject matter before we would do anything."

Clemens will pitch for the Skeeters on Saturday against the Bridgeport Bluefish. If he does come back to the major leagues, it will push his Hall of Fame eligibility back to 2018.

For the latest on the Astros, head over to the Crawfish Boxes and join the discussion.

Roger Clemens To Pitch In Minor-League Game On Saturday

Roger Clemens is scheduled to pitch in a minor-league game on Saturday for the Sugar Land Skeeters. Could a return to the MLB be next?