CATCHING UP WITH LEGENDARY PITCHER ROGER CLEMENS

Former major league pitcher Roger Clemens’ career legacy is regularly debated in baseball circles. On one hand, the right-handed Clemens, nicknamed “Rocket” on account of his commanding fastball and untouchable breaking ball, is widely considered one of (if not the) greatest pitchers in the storied history of the game. On the other hand, his place in baseball lore is marred, like many from his era, by allegations of performanceenhancing drugs — none of which, to this day, has ever been substantiated by a failed drug test or admission.

Regardless of the swirling debates around Clemens’ place in baseball history and his looming absence in the Baseball Hall of Fame, “Rocket” is seemingly content with the fruits of his 24-season career, which includes seven Cy Young Awards, over 350 career wins, 4,762 strikeouts, an American League MVP award, a back-to-back triple crown win – wins, strikeouts and ERA – an 11-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion and dozens of other accolades fans may never witness from a single pitcher again.

So when Clemens visited Key West this past weekend to serve as the master of ceremonies at a charity golf tournament, he did much more than simply show his face and go through the motions of the typical celebrity visit. He made stops at the newly renovated Key West baseball and softball fields to sign autographs and chat with local players, kids and parents. He was spotted on stage singing and performing at the Smokin’ Tuna, and when he showed up at the Key West Golf Club, he graciously posed for selfies and chatted with media – including me.

I grew up immersed in an era of baseball cards, player stats and memorabilia. But to this day, Roger Clemens remains one of the most accomplished and recognized figures in all of sports. So when I was given the opportunity to interview him, I had no idea what to expect. Can we talk about the Hall of Fame Snub? Will he be as domineering and to the point as his on-screen personality suggests? All of these things were going through my head leading up to the interview.

But what I found was a man who remains extremely proud of his career and secure in the legitimacy of his feats. Clemens has come to peace with the doubters, trolls and snubs, and has tuned out the debates. Instead, Clemens focuses on the current chapter of his life, which includes his enduring love of family, his appreciation for what the game has afforded him and his charities that support children through the Roger Clemens Foundation.

I was blown away by how gracious and engaged Clemens was with our questions. Regardless of anyone’s opinion of him, this was clearly a man of sincere resolve — proud of his playing days, but more importantly, proud of who he is as a husband, father, grandfather and friend.

For the full-length video interview with Roger Clemens, visit keysweekly.com.

Below are some of the memorable moments and quotes from the Keys Weekly’s interview with Roger Clemens.

On who else, outside of himself, is the all-time foursome of baseball pitchers he would pick to play with…

Clemens: Obviously I have a soft place in my heart for Cy Young because I was able to win his award a number of times. When you pass some of the guys like Walter Johnson and guys like that you have great respect for players like him and I watched guys like Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver growing up. So those guys come to mind when you ask a question like that.”

On being snubbed by the Hall of Fame… Clemens: “I didn’t play the game to make the Hall of Fame. I played the game for the first couple of years to reset my mom’s life and my family’s life and then to win playoffs and championships.”

On claims that Clemens would have never been as aggressive had he played in the National League and taken regular at-bats…

Clemens: “You pitch inside to make a 17-inch plate a 24-inch plate. You don’t pitch inside to hit players. I think in 24 years I pitched around someone’s shoulder three times. I learned from Don Drysdale and Nolan and they told me you don’t have to intimidate batters when you throw 100 mph. My mechanics in general intimidated players.”

On the most common thing fans still say to him today…

Clemens: “The fans are why we play the game. But the funny thing my boys love to give me grief over is when someone comes to me for an autograph, and it’s not, ‘Can you sign this for my dad?’ It’s, ‘Can you sign this for my grandfather?’ (laughing) My boys love that.”

On his favorite shows and his personal moments in Hollywood…

Clemens: “Two of my favorite movies are ‘The Family Man’ with Nicolas Cage and I love ‘Molly’s Game.’ I still have my Screen Actors Guild card and we’re shooting a movie this summer about a guy breaking out of prison while a prison baseball game is going on. I’ve done about seven movies. I got to play in the movie ‘Cobb’ with Tommy Lee Jones and I got the opportunity to work with the Farrelly brothers. I was originally supposed to be in ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ but couldn’t do it, but ended up in ‘Kingpin.’ Of course my character’s name was Skid Mark.”

Roger Clemens visited Key West on Feb. 11 to support Toughest Kids and the David Maus Foundation. For more on Toughest Kids and how to support, including children who have lost a military parent, visit toughestkids.com. And for more on the Roger Clemens Foundation visit rogerclemensfoundation.org.

Keys Weekly

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald

The Scoreboard

This Week In Keys Sports

Senior, Key West Soccer

Key West’s soccer squad has made most of its wins this year in undeniable fashion, outscoing opponents 63-24 throughout the season. But when the Conchs won an at-large bid in the playoffs against top teams in the state, they knew their typical high-scoring victories would be unlikely.

“Karel’s contribution in the playoff run was crucial. He came up clutch in the PK shootout vs. MAST and kept us in the game with numerous big saves vs. Gulliver.”

– Key West athletic director Justin Martin

That’s where senior Karel Bublak came in. In multiple sudden-death scenarios with the season on the line, Bublak made valiant saves to keep the Conchs alive in the FHSAA District 4A tournament, most notably against MAST Academy. When the game went unresolved in double overtime, triggering a shootout, Bublak toed the line in goal and made the saves that sent Key West into the next round and ended the season for their opponent.

The Key West keeper puts in the work and leads by example. “Karel guides the defense into their proper positions,” said Key West coach Marc Pierre. “He also encourages his teammates to keep working hard.” For his leadership on the pitch and amazing saves in the net, Karel Bublak is this week’s Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week.

By: Tracy and Sean McDonald