And The Rocket Lands In...

...NY

"Let's just say this might really happen. Let's just say that Roger Clemens is so intrigued by one last shot at glory that he will choose either the Yankees or Red Sox over the convenience of playing at home in Houston.

Never mind that he may come off as a hypocrite, considering that his entire justification for stiffing the Yankees two years ago when he unretired was the opportunity the Astros afforded him to be in the stands for his kids' games when he wasn't on the mound himself.
He will get the hero treatment anyway, wherever he goes, especially since it's easy to see that one more top-flight starter could make all the difference between the Yanks and Sox in a season in which they once again look evenly matched.

So let's say Rocket is agonizing over his own private pros and cons list at this very moment.
Is there really any choice?

The Yankees offer him a return to an environment where he will be immediately comfortable, playing for a manager he adores in Joe Torre and teammates such as Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada with whom he still communicates by E-mail.

Yes, his ties in New York still run deep, since he won two world championships as a Yankee and forever earned the admiration of the city with his big-game performance in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, outdueling Curt Schilling before the Diamondbacks did the unthinkable and rallied against Mariano Rivera.

There is also the little matter of run support. The Sox can't match the Yankee firepower, and wouldn't it be ironic if Johnny Damon's defection, which has added a missing dimension to the offense, helps convince Clemens he has a better chance of pitching the Yankees to a championship than he would for the Red Sox.

Finally, Clemens has a soft spot for The Boss. The Rocket felt such a need to express his thanks to George Steinbrenner for his experience in pinstripes that he called him only hours before he made his first start for the Astros, in 2004, and shared a long-distance hug of sorts that Clemens admitted having to cut short because it became so emotional on both ends."
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Clemons had a great year pitching to weak hitting infielders and opposing pitchers, but the American League is a lot tougher so look for him to choose the Yanks if he does decide to unretire yet again.What he DOES bring is a nasty rep, and that moves some hitters off of the plate despite the fact that his heat has considerably chilled in recent years.