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Thread: The secret to Roger Clemens success

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    Maple SERP savafan's Avatar
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    The secret to Roger Clemens success

    Don't have ESPN insider, so this is the best I can do.

    http://deadspin.com/

    You might think that Peter King’s gruesome description of the preparations he took to prepare for his colonoscopy would be the most disturbing thing you’d read all day. It would seem like a good bet; Peter, we love the freedom you have online, but there is such a thing as decorum and good will to your fellow man. Please: No more in-depth descriptions of your need to poo. Thank you.

    But anyway, that’s not the most horrifying mental image your sports pages bring you today anyway. From Peter Gammons’ Sunday blog, about Roger Clemens’ “training habits:”

    All the Team USA pitchers — and pitching coach Marcel Lachemann — were in awe of Roger Clemens. But one thing they weren’t ready for was Clemens taking that Icy Hot that pitchers rub on their shoulders and arms and spreading it over his upper thighs and private parts. “He doesn’t want to get comfortable on the mound,” says Jake Peavy, who tried the same trick Friday night in Phoenix.

    That’s right, folks; Roger Clemens spreads Icy Hot on his crotch. This explains so, so much.
    My dad got to enjoy 3 Reds World Championships by the time he was my age. So far, I've only gotten to enjoy one. Step it up Redlegs!


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    Pitter Patter TRF's Avatar
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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    he's either a man's man, or he likes a little tingle down there.
    Dubito Ergo Cogito Ergo Sum.

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    He has the Evil Eye! flyer85's Avatar
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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    I broke into a sweat just thinking about it.

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    Member traderumor's Avatar
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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    I wonder if Roger peeing on Moises' hands after spreading IcyHot on his crotch has any added benefit?

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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    Wow

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    Member PickOff's Avatar
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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    He doesn't want to get comfortable on the mound? Interesting - could it possibly have more to do with making sure the groin muscles stay loose? I would think that not "getting comfortable" on the mound is an added benefit (in Roger's experience) of the theraputic value on the muscles of the upper thigh and groin. I guess that would keep one hopping and bopping - charged up and crabby
    Thank goodness for baseball.

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    Member RedsFan75's Avatar
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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    I've got insider Hang on I'll see if I can get the full article

    The paragraph at the end of savafans post above is a direct quote.

    • All the Team USA pitchers -- and pitching coach Marcel Lachemann -- were in awe of Roger Clemens. But one thing they weren't ready for was Clemens taking that Icy Hot that pitchers rub on their shoulders and arms and spreading it over his upper thighs and private parts. "He doesn't want to get comfortable on the mound," says Jake Peavy, who tried the same trick Friday night in Phoenix.
    Last edited by RedsFan75; 03-28-2006 at 03:03 PM.

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    Big Red Machine RedsBaron's Avatar
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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    Quote Originally Posted by traderumor
    I wonder if Roger peeing on Moises' hands after spreading IcyHot on his crotch has any added benefit?
    "Hey...Dad. Wanna Have A Catch?" Kevin Costner in "Field Of Dreams."

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    Box of Frogs edabbs44's Avatar
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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    I think Clemens' secret is the same secret Bonds and Sammy had.

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    Can he be stopped?
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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    Gold Bond on the privates is amazing... just don't get it in the pee hole... that stings like all get out. Icy hot is similar I hear, but a little more intense.

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    Member 919191's Avatar
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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    So a sign Clemens is doctoring the ball would be his putting his hands down deep in his pants?
    I've been to dinner at Jimmy Buffet's house, and I've eaten it at a homeless shelter. And there's great joy and harrowing terror to be found in both places.
    -Todd Snider

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    Maple SERP savafan's Avatar
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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    Quote Originally Posted by 919191
    So a sign Clemens is doctoring the ball would be his putting his hands down deep in his pants?
    On the Dan Patrick Show yesterday, Dan said that after he saw this story he asked the people at Sportscenter to bring him tapes of all of Clemens' games so he could watch and see how often he adjusted himself, thinking that by sweating the icy hot through his pants he could doctor the ball with it.
    My dad got to enjoy 3 Reds World Championships by the time he was my age. So far, I've only gotten to enjoy one. Step it up Redlegs!

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    Member 919191's Avatar
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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    Never occured to me Clemens doctored his balls....
    I've been to dinner at Jimmy Buffet's house, and I've eaten it at a homeless shelter. And there's great joy and harrowing terror to be found in both places.
    -Todd Snider

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    Member paulrichjr's Avatar
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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    Complete article but nothing new...

    http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog...peter#20060328

    If Japanese team played in U.S.posted: Sunday, March 26, 2006

    I have great respect for Ozzie Guillen and appreciate he knows more than I do ... but he says "if that (Japanese) team played in the American or National League, they might not win 20 games." Even if one takes away Ichiro Suzuki and Akinori Otsuka, any team that can run out pitchers like Daisuke Matsuzaka, Koji Uehara and Shunsuke Watanabe would hardly go 20-142.
    • All the Team USA pitchers -- and pitching coach Marcel Lachemann -- were in awe of Roger Clemens. But one thing they weren't ready for was Clemens taking that Icy Hot that pitchers rub on their shoulders and arms and spreading it over his upper thighs and private parts. "He doesn't want to get comfortable on the mound," says Jake Peavy, who tried the same trick Friday night in Phoenix.

    • The Mariners have to worry that the Jeremy Reed injury will take a lot longer than eight weeks to heal normally. So Joe Borchard will get the chance to prove whether or not he can play everyday. Everyone in Arizona raves about Adam Jones, but he has fewer than 70 games of Double-A experience and will start the season in Tacoma.

    • If Armando Benitez does break down, don't be surprised if the Giants turn to Merkin Valdez -- who's had a great spring -- and Brian Wilson, who shot through the organization last season with his power stuff. Brian Sabean has to like Wilson, as the fireballer is a fellow New Hampshire native out of Londonderry.

    • Craig Hansen did not allow a run this spring with the Red Sox, but when he gets sent out, the overall feeling is that he needs to either start or pitch in three-inning stints to develop both his fastballs, slider and changeup. "If he's going into games in the ninth, he's not going to develop," says one Boston official. In Hansen's case, saves for Pawtucket or Portland are irrelevant. He needs to prepare to pitch in the major leagues, and closing in his case isn't development.

    • Octavio Dotel will definitely turn out to be one of the offseason's best moves, but be surprised if he's back as fast as people are speculating. Pitchers coming off Tommy John surgery almost always think they're way ahead of schedule, then hit a minor wall as they get close.


    • Kendry Morales says he and WBC Cuban phenom Yulieski Gourriel roomed together both at a sports development school and on the national team. But he reiterated to Angels officials that Gourriel will not be coming to the U.S. because of family ties to the government.

    • If Team USA, not Cuba, had been in the WBC final, do you think we would have had some administration biggies at the game?

    • Noting what great control both Bartolo Colon and David Wells have despite their bodies, Bud Black says, "They're both great athletes. Bartolo is the best fielding pitcher we have." And Wells is probably the best athlete on the Boston staff.

    • Two years ago, A's 2B Mark Ellis faced what seemed to be career-ending surgery for a torn labrum and rotator cuff. Now Billy Beane and Ken Macha each will tell you "he is very close to star status." Asked what he did during his layoff, Ellis says, "I studied players that are comparables as hitters and that I admire. Ivan Rodriguez, for instance. And my favorite player, Michael Young. I tried to figure out some of the things they do to make themselves great."

    • Frank Thomas' second at-bat of the spring? A monstrous homer over two fences in Phoenix off Josh Fogg. "Watching Frank Thomas in an A's uniform," said Beane, "is like having Mick Jagger sing at your wedding."
    Tim McCarver: Baseball Quotes
    I remember one time going out to the mound to talk with Bob Gibson. He told me to get back behind the batter, that the only thing I knew about pitching was that it was hard to hit.

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    Member paulrichjr's Avatar
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    Re: The secret to Roger Clemens success

    I thought I would post today's also... Enjoy
    http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog...peter#20060328

    How the AL West will be wonposted: Tuesday, March 28, 2006

    PHOENIX, Ariz. -- As each division in baseball has morphed into unique entities, we have seen rivalries develop. Some, of course, are rooted in regional cultures -- Cardinals-Cubs, Red Sox-Yankees, and to a lesser extent, Dodgers-Giants. Some have developed because of their opposing alignment in the baseball universe, like the White Sox-Indians-Twins rivalries that have been unpleasant, and in this decade, the A's and Angels.
    Oakland might have one-quarter of the payroll of the Yankees, but the consensus among general managers this spring: While New York might bludgeon mediocre pitching to 100-110 regular-season wins, it is conceivable the American League champion could come out of the West.

    "Look at those two pitching staffs and the talent on their rosters," says one GM, "and you can see them winning it all."

    Two of the determining factors in getting two teams from one division into the postseason are 1. the depth of the division (one GM sees the Mets and Braves both in the playoffs because of 38 games with Washington and Florida) and 2. the interleague schedule. Cleveland, for instance, snacked on the National League at a 15-3 rate, and one year, Oakland lost one game against an NL opponent.

    Strength of schedule is unpredictable in March and often determined by who's hot and who's not at that time. That said, Oakland and Los Angeles appear to be really good once again.

    Obviously, what is remarkable about that statement is that the $50M Athletics are good and were reconstructed without taking a step backward. They moved Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson and improved their pitching. ("The Oakland A's have become the Kansas City Royals" was one SportsCenter lead). After finding themselves 15 games under .500 in May -- without their best pitcher, Rich Harden, and without Bobby Crosby -- they got back to contention, and despite wearing down in September, won 88 games, a testament to what could have been a manager of the year job by Ken Macha.

    Now, after adding power with Milton Bradley and Frank Thomas, what is also remarkable is the depth of talent on the roster, with one of the three lowest payrolls in the league.

    "I think what we have is a lot of good players, many of whom are just coming into their own," says Crosby, who looks like he could become the league's preeminent shortstop.

    Around Mark Kotsay in the two-hole, they have arguably the league's best double-play combination in Mark Ellis and Crosby. "Ellis is pretty close to a star-quality player," says Macha, who believes the 28-year-old is a Gold Glove defender (especially now that Orlando Hudson is out of the league) whose .384 on base percentage and .861 OPS rank near the top for second baseman.

    Before Ellis tore up his shoulder in 2004 and came back a much better player, Macha was the voice insisting how good an all-around player and leader Ellis was.

    Crosby had serious wrist and ankle injuries, but he's healthy now. All you have to do is listen to the sound his bat makes in BP. This spring, he seemingly has learned to get the ball inside and drive pitches away with power -- and is several scouts' pick for MVP.

    After Crosby, Macha has Eric Chavez, who has worked with Gerald Perry to use his opposite-field power with more consistency. Then Thomas or Milton Bradley, then Dan Johnson, who could easily be a 100-RBI producer. And a mix of Jay Payton, Nick Swisher and Bobby Kielty, with Jason Kendall the one struggler.

    "If we end up with Swisher in the ninth hole, that's pretty good," says one Oakland official.

    Or if Kendall gets back from last season's .345 OBP to the .399 of the previous two seasons in Pittsburgh, there is their second leadoff man in the nine-hole.

    Billy Beane has tried to emphasize defense and baserunning in remaking this team. Chavez is one the best third baseman in the game. Crosby and Ellis can be Gold Glovers, and the outfield is far above average.

    Although Beane raised eyebrows when he signed Esteban Loiaza for three years and $21 million, he wanted the innings. "Now," says Beane, "we have five starters who could give us 200 innings apiece."

    So they hope. If Harden -- limited to 19 starts in 2005 -- can make 33-35 starts, he can win the Cy Young any year. Danny Haren isn't far behind. Harden is 24, and Haren 25. With Barry Zito and Joe Blanton, 25, in the 3-4 slots, that's not too shabby -- especially when one realizes Blanton was second in the AL to Johan Santana in ERA after the All-Star break.

    And next winter, Beane will figure out how to replace Zito when he hits the free-agent market and gets A.J. Burnett coin.

    "If Harden and Huston Street stay healthy, they can be as good as anyone," says one AL advance scout. "Kiko Calero is throwing better this spring. Justin Duchscherer and Joe Kennedy are fine. They have a very deep staff."

    The Angels are a little different in that they have some of the best young positional players in the game -- second baseman Howie Kendrick, shortstops Brandon Wood and Erick Aybar, outfielder/DH Kendry Morales -- but their current positional players are older. Two teams that do statistical analysis profile L.A. to score the fewest runs in the AL.

    "We'll fool people -- we're going to be a good team," says Mike Scioscia, who likely will be working kids like Kendrick and Morales into the lineup along with Casey Kotchman and catcher Jeff Mathis as the season progresses. But for now, a lot depends on the health of Vladimir Guerrero in right, Darin Erstad in center and Garret Anderson in left, or as the DH with Juan Rivera in the field.

    Erstad is the victim of his effort and values, but the fact is he's hit 14 homers in 1,199 plate appearances the last two seasons, and slugged just .371 in 2005. Anderson has been plagued by a succession of injuries since 2004 and has been bothered by a bad foot this spring.

    "Once he's able to move, Garrett could be in for a big season," says hitting coach Mickey Hatcher. "He's got his swing back. Trust me. He'll be back."

    Then there's Tim Salmon. After having a complicated operation to his left shoulder, Salmon has swung the bat better and with a greater range of motion than any time in five years. "I hadn't been able to get the bat back for a long time," says Salmon.

    Hatcher is pleased with the effort: "I've never seen him like this."

    Chone Figgins is a major component of this team at the top of the order with his energy, speed and ability to play six positions. Kotchman is a huge factor for this season. All spring, he's demonstrated that he has learned to loft balls, hitting long home runs and doubles off the left-centerfield fences. "Don't ask how many home runs he'll hit," says Scioscia. "He'll just hit, period."

    So might Kendrick -- he of the Bill Madlock comparions -- when he gets called up during the season.

    The Angels aren't built to be the West Coast Yankees. They are built to win 3-2, 4-3 games. Bartolo Colon won the Cy Young last season, and Kelvim Escobar might have been their best starter. John Lackey and Ervin Santana are blossoming top-of-the-rotation guys. Lackey took his strikeouts to 8.6 per 9 IP (third in the AL) and Santana, who allowed two runs or less in 12 of his 23 starts, can be a star. Jeff Weaver is the fifth starter, at least until Jared Weaver (whose stuff is far more powerful than that of his brother) arrives. And with Scot Shields joined by J.C. Romero and Hector Carrasco in front of Fransisco Rodriguez, the bullpen should once again be solid.

    Like Oakland, Scioscia's teams are sound defensively -- Orlando Cabrera and Kotchman are top-drawer defenders -- and also run the bases aggressively, advance runners and play not for the big innings, but for leads to hand to Shields and Rodriguez.

    Scioscia says "the A's probably have the best pitching in the league." Beane says "the Angels' pitching scares me."

    There is no question the Rangers and Mariners are considerably better than they were in 2005, but what separates Oakland and Los Angeles from the other divisional foes is pitching … if its staffs remain healthy.

    So, come September, the rivalry that has grown will be back on stage as the A's and Angels play one another seven or eight times, with October on the horizon.
    Tim McCarver: Baseball Quotes
    I remember one time going out to the mound to talk with Bob Gibson. He told me to get back behind the batter, that the only thing I knew about pitching was that it was hard to hit.


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