Clemens gets a fresh start

So much for retirement and a five-year fast track to Cooperstown. Defying the ravages of age and his initial impulse to call it a career, Roger Clemens yesterday pushed back his rocking chair and postponed his entry into the Hall of Fame by at least a year as he signed a $5 million contract to pitch next season for Jimy Williams and the Astros.

"It's a great thing for Houston," commissioner Bud Selig said before he accepted the top honor last night at the 65th awards dinner hosted by the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America. "Frankly, Roger has earned the right to do what he wants to do, and he obviously wants to come back and pitch. We're glad to have him for another year."

Clemens, 41, will join his close friend Andy Pettitte as the former Yankees pitch near their homes in the Houston area and help give the Astros one of the National League's toughest rotations. The Rocket's return will give him a chance to rise even higher among the all-time leaders in victories and strikeouts as he prepares to enter the season with a career record of 310-160 and 4,099 strikeouts.

"It's great to come home," Clemens told reporters in Houston.

Between them, Clemens and Pettitte started 11 of the 26 games the Yankees played last season against the Red Sox, going 7-4, including logging two wins in the American League Championship Series. Clemens, who pitched the first 13 years of his career with the Sox, finished the season at 17-9 with a 3.91 ERA.

"It's great for baseball," Sox principal owner John W. Henry said of Rocket Redux. "And it's certainly not going to affect his place in history in Boston. There will always be a spot here for him."

Clemens insisted all last season that he would retire, and his pledge seemed so solid that he received rousing farewell tributes on nearly every stop, including his last appearance in Game 4 of the World Series against the Marlins. He indicated a desire to pitch next summer for the US Olympic team in Athens, but the American squad failed in November to qualify. Then Pettitte piqued his pal's interest to return last month by signing a three-year, $31.5 million contract with the Astros.

"I was in shutdown mode," Clemens said. "Obviously, I think I have a lot to give. When I get into that dugout, I'm going to be excited to get back to work. We want to get to that final step and make some memories together."

The Rocket will follow a course set by Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, another hard-throwing Texan, who pitched until he was 46 and went 12-11 for the Astros in 1988 when he was 41. Clemens ranks third all-time in strikeouts behind Ryan (5,714) and Steve Carlton (4,136), and only 16 pitchers have won more games than Clemens, who is 18 victories shy of cracking the Top 10.

"The reason why he retired was that he wanted to be home with his family more," Tim Wakefield said of his friend and former Red Sox teammate. "I think it's great that now he can still play and be home with his family. If he was going to play again, I think that was the only place he was going to play."

The second coming of Clemens also served as a measure of inspiration to Wakefield, 37, who appears nowhere near calling it quits.

"I'm happy for him that he's still able to compete at his age," Wakefield said. "It makes me feel like I can play for a long time now."

Clemens will join Pettitte, Roy Oswalt, and Wade Miller in a formidable rotation after departing the Bronx and giving the Yankees no shot at re-signing him.

"Roger Clemens was a great warrior for the Yankees -- a teacher and a leader," owner George Steinbrenner said. "He told the world he was retiring, and we had no choice but to believe him."

Houston will defer $3.5 million of the Rocket's salary without interest until 2006, according to the Associated Press. And Clemens can earn an additional $1.4 million in attendance-based bonuses, $200,000 for each 100,000 fans from 2.8 million to 3.4 million. The Astros drew about 2.45 million last season.

"It's great he was able to find another year in his tank," Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek said. "He already has accomplished everything possible as a pitcher, as a teammate, and as an individual."

It will mark the National League debut for Clemens, whose penchant for pitching inside long has prompted opposing batters to wish he would bat. Notable among those the Rocket has plunked or brushed back is Kevin Millar.

"Roger Clemens has been a phenomenal pitcher throughout his career," Millar said. "I think it's great for baseball and it's great for the National League to see him. But now he gets to go hit. Let's see how much fun he's going to have."

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.