At Sunday's Old-Timer's Game at Yankee Stadium Torre claims Clemens was like a son to him and said he was in Clemens' camp on the subject of whether or not his former player was Hall of Fame worthy.
"He is to me," the former Yankees manager said. "I can't make other people look a him. I can just tell you the way I feel about it. I was proud to have him play for me. He always gave you everything he had and I always respected that."
Clemens played for six seasons in New York for Torre and helped the Yankees win World Series Championships in 1999 and 2000 before being linked to performance enhancing drugs in 2007— when he was mentioned in the Mitchell Report. Clemens denied any connection to steroids and human growth hormone at the televised 2008 hearing.
Torre— who is now executive vice president for baseball operations for MLB— said he understands that people will now evaluate the 354-game winner's career with the cloud of PEDs surrounding Clemens' achievements.
"It's sad for me," Torre said. "Because Roger Clemens in the way he went about his business— and I disliked him like everyone else until I got a chance to know him— he was a great teammate for these guys and he was very devoted to the team he was playing on and I always respected that."
This winter, Clemens will make his first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot along with Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa— two other big names associated to steroids.
Bonds and Clemens already belonged to HOF way before PED.
ReplyDeleteHOF sans these two greats is a travesty.
Sosa never belonged, does not belong. He was not HOF materisl before PED. The corked bat was the last nail.
They all deserve it! Clemons, Bonds, Sosa and McGuire - without Sosa and McGuire's great season, baseball would not be what it is today. The fact that they wreaked havok on thier own bodies to do it makes them heroes who saved and brought the sport back.
ReplyDeleteOne who takes steroids is not a hero but a zero in my book, regardless of what they may have achieved by doing so.
Deleteif they belong after cheating, then Pete Rose should have a 10ft bronze statue in the main room of the HOF...he never cheated while playing and was the greatest hitter ever in the bigs...
ReplyDeleteanonymous is absolutely correct..... pete rose, with all of his credentials, should be in the hall... yes, he bet on baseball, and, he has paid for his crime.... i vote that pete be reinstated and voted into the hall(as a player)....i don't want to get into an argument, "well if this guy or that guy gets voted in, then pete deserves.... even without that argument, pete deserves to be in the hall.... the most hits of all time, the most exciting player of his era, the heart and sole of the big red machine.... yes, pete belongs
Deletei agree all four should be in
ReplyDeleteI think everyone tends to forget one aspect of HOF balloting (lost even when Ty Cobb was inducted): It is HOW you play the game because there is an Integrity section to HOF balloting. If you can't pass that hurdle along with the other statistical qualifiers then you don't belong. So many HOF voters eliminate players for statistical "myths" and yet overlook the integrity portion. Personally, that's why there needs to be more woman in baseball :-)
ReplyDeleteBut there's no crying in baseball
ReplyDeleteRose does not belong in the Hall of Fame.The Others do.
ReplyDeleteBetting, knowing it is a mortal sin in baseball, is the height of gambling addiction if not stupidity.
ReplyDeleteRose, banned from baseball cannot belong. He STRUCK OUT.
That brings to mind: Does OJ Simpson belong... still?