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April 03, 2006
Clemens visits Sox clubhouse
Roger Clemens -- still weighing whether or not to pitch in 2006 -- visited the Red Sox' clubhouse this morning prior to the Opening Day game in Texas and spent more than an hour meeting with players and team officials.
Clemens, who reportedly had dinner with Sox ownership Sunday night, was a guest of the Rangers, who flew him from in Houston to attend pregame ceremonies honoring the University of Texas' national championship football team. Clemens has said that if he pitches this season it will only be for the Red Sox, Rangers, Astros or Yankees, and that he hasn't decided either who he'll pitch for or whether he'll pitch.
Josh Beckett, Jonathan Papelbon and David Wells were among the players who met with Clemens, along with manager Terry Francona, owner Tom Werner and general manager Theo Epstein. Afterwards Clemens met with the media and said some members of his family were excited about the idea of his ending his career where he started it, in Boston.
Still, he made it clear he hasn't made up his mind and may not decide to pitch again until midseason.
Two members of the Red Sox coaching staff -- pitching coach Al Nipper and first-base coach Bill Haselman -- were teammates of Clemens' with the Sox. He has been close friends with Nipper for more than 20 years, and he and Haselman forged a bond in 1996 during their one year together in Boston. Haselman was the catcher when Clemens tied the strikeout record by fanning 20 in Detroit.
-- Art Martone, with reports from Sean McAdam in Texas
Posted by Art 
at 1:11 PM | Permalink
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