We should all be doing so “OK.” The apparently ageless Clemens now leads the major leagues in both wins and earned run average and is a lock to start the All-Star Game next month. Not bad for a guy who retired last fall–after 20 seasons and 310 career victories with the Red Sox, Blue Jays and Yankees–intent on devoting himself to his four sons, ages 8, 9, 15 and 17. He especially wanted to spend time on the baseball diamond with the two older boys. “I made promises to the boys, ‘cause I’m gonna blink and they’ll be gone down the road,” he says.
To lure Clemens out of retirement, the Astros made a promise of their own: the six-time Cy Young Award winner would get the chance to both pitch and parent. His occasional absences from the Astros dugout are possible because of an unprecedented deal offered by the ballclub; he could skip road trips when he wasn’t scheduled to pitch and spend time with his family. In fact, Clemens says he has missed only “a handful” of games because “being there to root is an important part of being on the team.”
Double duty has meant that Clemens is busier than ever. His parental obligations aren’t limited to pitching in at ballgames. “I’m at school reading to kids, doing show and tell–just like any other dad,” he says. “All those things I never got a chance to do.” None of his new responsibilities, though, come at the expense of his exhaustive training regimen. Moreover, with Clemens now in the National League, he also requires extra work on his hitting. But Clemens concedes that when it comes to batting, he’s just a pitcher. “I’m being overpowered by guys who aren’t overpowering.”
But it’s the “Rocket” who’s doing most of the overpowering, adding an extraordinary chapter to a legendary career. Still, with the Astros off to a sluggish start, Clemens isn’t overly excited. “If our team gets to the playoffs,” he says, “only then will it have been worth getting up off of the couch.” Might that be enough to get him off the couch again next season? That decision may revolve around another family obligation–this time to his mother, Bess, who at 73 is battling emphysema. Clemens can’t enter baseball’s Hall of Fame until five years after he retires, and he wants his mom with him in Cooperstown to share the glory.
