Clemens comes through in clutch

By Hal McCoy

Dayton Daily News

SAN DIEGO | It is not fair to call Roger Clemens "The Bionic Man" or "The Mechanical Man" because the soon-to-be 43-year-old Houston pitcher works harder than a brick layer paid by the brick.

But sometimes baseball people shake their heads in wonderment and amazement, like last week when he was nearly scratched from a start because of back spasms.

Not only did he pitch, he pitched seven pressure-steeped innings and held the Philadelphia Phillies to two runs and six hits in a 3-2 win.

"The legend grows," said Houston manager Phil Garner. "He was cramped up in his back, and I didn't think he was going to be able to pitch. Not only does he give us seven innings, he slammed the door on them."

Said Clemens after winning for the sixth time in his last seven decisions, "I understand my body's going to give me problems, but we found a way to get it done."

It's called The Fountain of Youth and allegedly it is somewhere around St. Augustine, Fla.

Of trades and girls

The nonwaivers trading deadline is 4 o'clock today, and Pittsburgh's Matt Lawton knows the feeling of packing his gear, saying good-bye to friends and teammates and changing uniform colors.

"The first time you're traded, it's the worst," he said. "It's like the first time you break up with a girlfriend or if your own brother stabbed you in the back. After that, it gets a lot easier and you realize it comes with the territory."

If he was he talking about losing girlfriends and brothers stabbing him in the back as coming with the territory, that's a rough neighborhood.

No room to talk

Texas owner Tom Hicks was talking about some bad signings teams made last winter with free-agent pitchers and said, "Some of the dumbest deals I've ever seen were the deals that were made for pitching this winter. There are a lot of clubs that wish they could take those deals back."

Is this man kidding? He might be referring to Cincinnati signing Eric Milton to a three-year $25.5 million deal, but that's like one bat calling another a dumb piece of wood.

It was Hicks who signed A-Rod to a 10-year $252 million deal that he had to get rid of, and it was Hicks who signed pitcher Chan Ho Park to a five-year $65 million contract that he handed over to San Diego for Phil Nevin.

Recovery acts

While the San Diego Padres went 18-32 from June 1, tied with Tampa Bay for the worst record in baseball, they lost only one game in the standings while holding on to first place in the NL West.

They are fortunate Oakland and Houston are in other divisions.

Oakland was 17-32 and in last place in the AL West on May 29. On June 25, they were 11 games behind the division-leading Angels. As of Friday, they had scrambled to within four games.

Houston, too, was in last place this year, behind even the Reds. But they have climbed back to second place in the NL Central, 9 1/2 games behind the Cardinals, by going 33-12. And perhaps more importantly, they have taken the lead in the wild-card race.

Cards are night people

Finally, there is a way to beat the St. Louis Cardinals at least half of the time. Play them during the day.

The Cardinals are only 18-18 in day games, but 45-19 at night. Their starting pitchers have a 2.85 ERA at night and 4.39 during the day.

"It's there and you have to acknowledge it," manager Tony La Russa said. "We have. We're doing different things. But sometimes it drives you nuts trying to figure out what's going on."

La Russa wears sunglasses for day games and night games so the opposition can't read his eyes, so if he does figure out this day-night disparity, nobody will know how he did it.

Watch what you touch

In Texas they are calling it The Curse of the Crotch Grab. After a win on June 5, Rangers closer Francisco Cordero publicly and derisively grabbed a sensitive part of his body in a gesture directed at the Kansas City dugout.

That night, the Rangers were 32-23 and in first place. Since Cordero's crude caper, the Rangers have gone 18-27, and Cordero has blown three saves in eight chances.

Prospects or suspects

When a major-league team trades established players and veterans, they always say they've traded for prospects. Most of the time, they are suspects and Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel agrees.

"You look at young players in the minors and tools are one thing, but players still have to prove they can play at this level. I've seen some big arms and some big bats in the minors that were called can't-miss. But more miss than hit."

Can you say Brandon Larson?

Double-fisted merengue

Former Cincinnati starting pitcher Ryan Dempster, now the closer for the Chicago Cubs, throws his sliders with one hand, but is a two-fisted pie-slinger.

While Jeromy Burnitz was doing a TV interview recently, Dempster gave Burnitz a two-fisted pie in the face.

"Sometimes I get in front of a mirror and practice on myself," said Dempster.

Any questions why most closers are considered off-the-wall?