Quick: Who's the most famous baseball player currently signed to a Houston-area team? If you said Jason Castro, Jose Altuve or any other current Astros player, you're wrong. As of Saturday, it's Roger Clemens.
According to Mark Berman of Fox26, Clemens is set to sign with the Sugar Land Skeeters, an independent minor league playing in its inaugural season. Berman reports that Clemens had a full workout for the Skeeters on Tuesday and is in "great shape" as he was clocked at 87 mph, although it remains unclear if he was pitching or driving.
Clemens is projected to start Saturday's game versus the Bridgeport Bluefish.
It'll be interesting to see if Clemens' return to the mound (alongside Scott Kazmir, no less) could make the Skeeters the most-watched baseball team in town.
Pitcher and seven-time Cy Young winner Clemens, who is 50 fucking years old, last played professionally for the New York Yankees in 2007, and since then has been in the news over allegations of steroid use and two trials for perjury relating to his 2008 testimony before Congress. After the first trial ended in a mistrial, Clemens was cleared of all charges by a jury in June.
It's not the first time a disgraced former All-Star has tried to rehabilitate his career in the minor leagues. Jose Canseco (whose tell-all, Juiced, started the steroid allegations frenzy) has bounced around a number of minor league teams since 2006.
The contract has been met with a mix of excitement and incredulity on Twitter, with some calling Clemens baseball's version of Brett Favre. (Representatives for the team did not immediately return a call for comment.)
Still, it'll be interesting to see if Clemens' return to the mound (alongside Scott Kazmir, no less) could make the Skeeters the most-watched baseball team in town, especially with the Astros' current woes.
What do you think: Is Clemens in it for the limelight or the love of the game?
