That's why I'll be over covering the game ...and talking with "Rocket" afterwards to see what he has to say. Thus far neither he or his aganets have been willing to speculate about next season on the record ...but you can bet if Roger is offered a pile of money .... he'll seriously consider returning.

I know some people are sooooo over Roger, saying that he hasn't contributed "that much" to the team this year, and he should be kicked to the curb so the team can spend more wisely on another younger free agent pitcher and a free agent hitter.

Well, the fact is every time this guy takes the mound he's still more effective than most of the pitchers in the majors. His ERA is 2.52. I know he's only 6 & 5 in 16 starts, but consider the lack of run support he's gotten and he could have reasonably had 10 wins. I realize that he rarely gets to the 8th inning anymore and sometimes he doesn't even get to the seventh before he reaches his pitch count, but in case you've been AWOL these past three seasons, this guy is special!! (Plus there's no guarantee that owner Drayton McLane would spend those extra millions -- that he would save by not signing Clemens -- on other players needed to bolster his ballclub.)

Clemens not only demonstrates to all the other pitchers on the team how to compete on each and every pitch -- he also shows all the position players on the club how to compete with passion at all times. No matter what the pitch count is or what the score is.

I remember the first season Roger came to the ballclub, and I asked Roy Oswalt what it was like having Roger's winning attitude around the clubhouse. Roy's (always honest) answer was,"Well, Andy is, but Roger's not around that much." The way Roy said it, it was obvious that Roy was dissappointed that Rocket hadn't been around more to share his experiences and stories with the guys. But later in that same season I asked Roy again what it was like to have Rocket around, and his answer was totally different. He heaped tons of praise on Roger for the leadership he demonstrated on the mound and the help he had given the staff. Roy still may have preferred him to be around more but he also came to understand the importance of having this future Hall of Famer on the staff.

Simply put, Roger has been great for this Astros ballclub. Yes, I know he's cost McLane a lot of money, but he's more than paid for himself. For that reason I believe McLane will try to get him to pitch next season. From Roger's perspective, he may be tired of pitching for a team that gives him little or no run support , but nowhere else will a team be able to afford Clemens the freedom that he wants in his personal life. Even when Boston was talking to Roger about pitching "only on Sundays" this season, he still would have had to be "in Boston."

The Yankees and Red Sox will once again approach Clemens with huge piles of money, but what they can't give him more of is the precious commodity of time. And that more than anything else is what Clemens wants. Yes, he's still passionate about the game, but he's also passionate about being a great father for his sons and a leader in projects for his Foundation.

Right now I believe Clemens will be pitching here again next season. He has too much fun on the mound, and he's able to pitch far too well to just quit.