There wasn't anything terribly interesting or new to come out of Roger Clemens' interview with Mike Wallace last night, but there was this:"I understand that as a public person, you're gonna take some shots," Clemens said. "The higher you get up on the flagpole, the more your butt shows. And I understand all that. But I'm tired of answering to 'em. That's why I will not ever play again. I don't want to answer to it. I want to slide off and be just a citizen."I must not climb enough flagpoles because I don't really understand why your butt has to show, but the sentiment behind the metaphor is pretty clear. Clemens thinks he's getting all of this attention because he's a big shot famous star, kind of like all of the other big shot famous stars the Mitchell Report singled out, like Miguel Tejada and ... Larry Bigbie and F.P. Santangelo. Wait, what? Nevermind.
Wallace replied, "You're retiring? Period."
Clemens said, "Probably. I would say, yeah. If I sit here and tell you right now, I would say yes."
Wallace said, "You're not going to pitch again?"
"You'll never see me pitch again," said Clemens, who has retired before several times only to return.
In any case, forgive me for not being too convinced that Clemens is really, finally and truly hanging them up. Maybe he's telling the truth, maybe not, but I'm guessing even he doesn't know yet. If anything, I'm guessing he'll bide his time, see if the Salem-witch-trial-attitude surrounding those named in the Mitchell Report dissipates and if any team out there hates its P.R. department enough to consider signing him before ultimately making up his mind for good a couple of months into the season.
