Rocket misfires: Clemens ejected from son's game CRAIG, Colo. (AP) — Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens was asked to leave a youth baseball game over the weekend for arguing a close call that went against his son's team. Clemens was at the game Saturday watching his son, Kacy, compete in a 10-and-under game organized by Triple Crown Sports when Clemens contested a call at second base that went against the Katy Cowboys. He spit sunflower seeds at an umpire's leg and was asked to leave, said Jim Carpenter, a field supervisor with Triple Crown. "I supported the umpire's decision and he (Clemens) respectfully left," Carpenter told the Craig Daily Press. Katy lost the game to the Bakersfield Curve, 11-5. Triple Crown Sports features a franchise system aimed at pitting top teams from across the country against each other. Clemens' agent, Randall Hendricks, did not immediately return a call Monday. Clemens has racked up 322 wins and 4,240 strikeouts in his 21-year major league career.
I was just about to post this. Here's the article I found on rotoworld.com. Roger Clemens was asked to leave a youth baseball game this weekend for arguing a close call. Clemens was upset with a call that went against his 10-year old son's team, the Katy Cowboys. He spit sunflower seeds at an umpire's leg and was asked to leave. Katy lost the game to the Bakersfield Curve, 11-5. Their bullpen continues to be a problem. I like how they threw in the part about the bullpen continuing to be a problem.
Someone please tell me he was at least the coach of this team and not a crazy parent that came out of the stands
although unlike the usual case with little league parents.. roger probably knows what he is talking about..
i've seen him at his kids' baseball games before, and i've never noticed anything like this. even when his son is pitching high school games. he's clearly interested...clearly tuned in...but i've never seen him argue with umps... but i've probably only seen him 2 or 3 times like that. my business partner's son and his son play on the same team together. he says this is a big surprise to him.
Having an 11 year in baseball, I can tell you that there are bad calls in most Little League games, and horrendous calls more often than I care to remember. But most Little League parents (even though not professional baseball players) manage to grin and bear it and talk to their kids after the game about how bad calls are just part of baseball < Pipe cues his Father Knows Best speech about how life isn't fair and there is no crying in baseball >. I guess Roger's kid learned a different lesson.
pipe.. yes to be fair.. if this article was posted.. but with some random guys names.. I think most of the board would be saying.. "idiot" etc.. we are a little easier on roger i guess..
actually I'd probably somewhat expect a normal parent to get mad.. but a major league should be the last one to go insane over a bad call.. especially when you see them every game you pitch in .
Everyone knew Roger was a hypercompetitive jackass when we signed him, that's one of the things that makes him one of the greatest pitchers of all-time.
"He leads the league in saves, strikeouts per inning and hit batsmen . . . this guy once threw at his kid in a father-son game."
Really, you watched MHS Varsity Baseball games, Max? I was a senior there this past year, so I saw plenty of their games. That article is pretty surprising because I'd always just see Roger smiling and having a good time.
Yeah because (guestimation): 1. The umps' bad calls didn't cost his boy's team the game. 2. He was on his medication 3. Astros were not this horrible at that time.
just what youth sports needs... high profile ugly parent behaviour.. edit after reading the full story, not exactly sure about what Roger did, who knows about the sunflower seeds, he seemed to leave quietly and apparently didn't say anything to the refs prior to the alledged seed spit
here's a longer version of the story Clemens ejected from youth baseball game By BEN WALKER, AP Baseball Writer August 2, 2004 Roger Clemens got tossed for a spitter. Ejected from a youth league game after his 10-year-old son was called out in a close play, Clemens was banished to the parking lot after an umpire said the Rocket spit a sunflower seed at him. It happened Saturday in rural Craig, Colo., during a 10-and-under Triple Crown Sports tournament. The future Hall of Famer was away from the Houston Astros, as his team allows him to be when he's not pitching. ADVERTISEMENT ``It wasn't like he was shouting or came storming on the field, like a Mike Piazza moment,'' Ron Stapp, whose son made the phantom tag on Kacy Clemens on a steal attempt, said Monday. Even so, the umpire said the seed hit his pants cuff and Clemens wound up watching the rest of game from his car, peering over a fence as Kacy and the Katy (Texas) Cowboys lost to the Bakersfield (Calif.) Curve 11-5. ``I supported the umpire's decision and he respectfully left,'' field supervisor Jim Carpenter said. ``Roger told me he was signing autographs when the disputed call happened and didn't even see the play,'' said one of his agents, Randy Hendricks. ``To his knowledge, no one ever asked him to leave. ``In his mind, it's a nonevent,'' Hendricks said. Triple Crown national baseball director Sean Hardy said umpires from all over the region worked the 140-team tournament, but would not identify the ump who ejected Clemens. ``I think we'll pass on that,'' he said. The episode began with Clemens sitting in his own chair, behind a fence near the first base dugout, when Kacy was called out at second base in the middle innings. Stapp's son Ryan made the tag -- ``my son admitted he missed him,'' his dad said -- the Cowboys and their fans complained. ``But Roger never said a word,'' Katy manager Doug Hanson said. ``He was holding his camcorder and never stood up. He didn't do anything wrong.'' Hanson said the umpire, whom he described as being about 20 years old, walked over toward the bench. ``All of a sudden, I hear him say, 'He's outta here!''' Hanson said. ``I asked him who because I thought it was one of my coaches. And then he says, 'Roger.' ``I couldn't believe it. I said to him, 'You just ejected Roger Clemens?' and he said, 'Yeah.''' Hanson said the umpire told him that although Clemens didn't say anything, the pitcher spit a seed toward him. ``There was a pile of 250 to 300 sunflower seeds there, I don't know how the umpire knew that was the one,'' Hanson said. Carpenter was then summoned from an adjacent field and said it was time for Clemens to leave the premises. At that point, Clemens simply got up and left the Loudy-Simpson complex without an argument. ``He told me it wasn't worth it, that he didn't want to be distraction and to let the boys play ball,'' Hanson said. Bakersfield manager Travis Sterling said he wasn't aware that Clemens had been ejected. ``I thought Roger had just gone over to the bleachers to sign more autographs. He signed a lot of them,'' Sterling said. In fact, young Ryan Stapp approached Clemens shortly after his missed tag set off all the commotion. ``He signed my son's ball. He was real respectful and nice,'' Ron Stapp said. Bakersfield won two more games and left town with the championship and several Clemens autographs. Clemens was in northwest Colorado because his deal with the Astros gives him personal time to watch his four boys play sports. He pitched Houston past Arizona last Wednesday, and is scheduled to start Tuesday night when the Astros host Atlanta. Clemens is 12-3 with a 2.77 ERA while pitching for his hometown team. When he's not playing, he's often at the fields with his sons. ``He knows more about baseball in his little finger than I'll ever know, but he's been great to have around this year,'' Hanson said. ``He doesn't ask for any special treatment because of who he is.''
