I used to have the utmost respect for pitching ace Roger "The Rocket" Clemens. I admired his work ethic, his tenacity on the mound, and his ability to blow away hitters with his overpowering fastball. But his selfish behavior over the last two seasons has soured me on the future Hall of Famer.
Clemens has retired several times, and he implied last year that his appearance in the World Baseball Classic would finally be his last. However, Clemens "unretired" in mid-season when the Houston Astros offered him a whopping $12 million dollars for the rest of the year.
This year Clemens announced on May 6 that he would rejoin the New York Yankees, for whom he pitched from 1999-2003. Clemens said his decision has nothing to do with money. Indeed, he remarked that he has enough money for several lifetimes. Yet he will receive about $4.5 million a month, one of the most lucrative contracts in sports history.
If Clemens' decision to "unretire" again had nothing to do with money, why didn't he sign a contract for $1 million or, better yet, the Major League minimum of $350,000? Alternatively, if money is not the issue, why doesn't he donate his paychecks to charity? Well, the answer is simple--as is the case with most pro athletes, Clemens' love of money is far greater than his love for the game.
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2 comments:
what sports contract was ever more lucrative than clemens' recent one with the yankees?
Good words.
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