WHEN YOUR ONLY HOPE IS THE 45-YEAR OLD PATCH JOB...:

Clemens could be Yankees' only hope (BOB KLAPISCH, 5/06/07, Bergen Record)

Kei Igawa's abominable performance Friday night against the Mariners should've convinced the Yankee hierarchy once and for all there's no in-house solution to the current pitching crisis. Not with Phil Hughes on the disabled list, Carl Pavano headed for surgery and Igawa unable to throw corner strikes. If only Chien-Ming Wang could start every day. Short of that, general manager Brian Cashman has only one choice and that's to court (actually, beg) Roger Clemens to wear the pinstripes.

This won't be an easy sales pitch, for a number of reasons. The farther the Yankees fall out of first place, the less incentive Clemens has to return to New York. Day by day, the Red Sox are becoming the best alternative, especially if the Rocket is telling the truth about focusing solely on another World Series ring. The Sox are the East's elite team, and they certainly already have the American League's top starting rotation. Adding Clemens would make them unbeatable.

...you have no hope. He's a sentimental luxury for the Sox, an absolute necessity for the Yankees, if they're to fend off the D-Rays.

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 6, 2007 12:01 AM