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Must-hear radio: Suzyn Waldman blows a gasket over Roger Clemens' return »
May 7, 2007
Today on Projo SoxTalk, Art Martone and Sean McAdam discuss Roger Clemens' return to New York, and what it means for the American League East race. Click here to listen to the full audio file.
Here is how Sean describes the reaction to news of Clemens' deal yesterday in the Red Sox clubhouse:
"You had a bunch of guys who were a little stunned by the timing of it. We had been led to believe that the decision-making process might not come to frutiion until later this month. I think some guys were privately astonished at the amont of the deal: $28 million prorated, which makes Clemens the highest-paid single-season performer ever in team sports, I think, at least in North America. And I think from a team standpoint the feeling was, well it would have been nice to have him, but we have a pretty good pitching staff here, and we can win without him. And you kind of got the sense that that might be something of a rallying point for the team as the season progresses -- that, you know, Roger took the big money to go to New York, but the Red Sox would like nothing better than to prove to him that he made the wrong choice."
And here's McAdam's assessment of the impact of the deal on the Yankees:
"It certainly provides a temporary psychological boost to them. You know -- they've been scuffling, they've been calling kids up from Double A to make their major league debut simply to have a starting pitcher. So the arrival of what is now or what will soon be the winningest active pitcher in baseball, and the eighth-winningest pitcher of all time, seven Cy Youngs and all of Clemens' pedigree has to I think boost the Yankees' chances and their morale. They can see that, you know, he's off in the distance and is coming to their rescue. But I think once you get past all the excitement, you have to ask how different will it be for Clemens pitching in the American League East again after pitching in what is arguably the worst division in baseball for the last two years."
Posted by Mike McDermott 
at 12:31 PM to Martone
, McAdam
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