Clemens ready to show he still has plenty in the tank

	If his legs hold up, Roger Clemens should give the Yankees a reliable six-inning pitcher for about 20 starts. Chuck Solomon/SI
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Baseball's luxury tax never seemed so luxurious. The Yankees are shelling out $24.6 million in salary and luxury tax for a 44-year-old six-inning pitcher whose return already was once delayed by a "fatigued groin" that occurred after just three minor league starts. Consider it money well spent for New York. Roger Clemens, yes, even the six-inning version back in the more difficult American League, brings exactly the kind of ferocity and competitiveness an underachieving Yankee team needs.

Put it this way: would you rather give the ball to Matt DeSalvo, Kei Igawa, or one of the greatest pitchers of all time? And the money? Forget it. It won't prevent the Yankees from any other moves, so it's a non-issue. Just wait until Clemens' teammates, most of whom never have played with him, hear Clemens cussing and shouting in the runway between innings, all worked up about not executing a pitch exactly the way he wanted. Wait until they see a guy who turns 45 in August outworking them. We're talking about a guy who lathers his body in heat balm and pops in a mouthpiece before every start as if he's on the kickoff coverage team.

"The fact that he is who is certainly helps the personality of the ballclub," New York manager Joe Torre said Friday, on the eve of the Rocket's relaunch. "You never take a game for granted, but with Roger you know you have an advantage over the other team emotionally."

Said teammate Andy Pettitte, "There's nobody who wants to win more than Roger. And that can only be a good thing around here, whether guys have played with him before or not. It can only help."

Despite the buildup, including the papal balcony-like announcement of his return, the Yankees aren't kidding themselves about what they are getting. This is an older, less dominant, and more rickety Clemens than the one they last saw in 2003. He seems always one bunt away from tweaking something in his legs. He's not likely to see the eighth inning from any place but the clubhouse television. He's not going to pitch like an ace or carry the Yankees to a comeback the way Johan Santana did for Minnesota last year.

"My anticipation now is five or six innings [from Clemens]," Torre said about whether he expects a dominant strikeout pitcher. "I'm looking for outs. I don't anticipate he's here to defend his numbers. He's here to help us win."

Clemens, if his legs hold up, will make about 20 starts for the Yankees. They should expect him to win about 10 games, pitch to a 3.50-3.75 ERA and keep New York in the game virtually every time he takes the ball. Is that worth $24.6 million? Of course not, at least not on a purely analytical basis. But the Yankees, who can afford it, are getting an icon, John Wayne in pinstripes, a guy who gives a presence, attitude and five or six reliable innings every time out. He's not likely to ever be in the shower in the second inning, which is what happened to DeSalvo when he took Clemens' scheduled start in Chicago Monday.