The Rocket That Fell to Earth: Roger Clemens and the Rage for Baseball Immortality (Hardcover)

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Key Phrases: opposing hitters, Roger Clemens, The Rocket That Fell, Red Sox (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bulldog effort, exceptional book." (Time magazine )

"Pearlman's book develops a stark, unsparing picture of Clemens's life that surpasses anything that's come before." (Boston Globe )

Product Description

He was supposed to be the next Nolan Ryan: Roger Clemens, the fearless, hard-nosed Texan with a 98-mph fastball and a propensity to throw at the heads of opposing hitters. Yet shortly after his arrival in the major leagues in 1984, it became apparent that the Ryan comparisons were simply unfair—Roger Clemens was significantly better.

Over 24 seasons, the Rocket would go on to win 354 games, an unprecedented seven Cy Young Awards and two World Series trophies. In 1986 he set the major league record with 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game, then matched it a decade later. He would be routinely praised for representing the game in a just and righteous manner—a living, breathing example of the power of determination and hard work. "Roger Clemens," a teammate once said, "is an American hero."

But the statistics and hoopla obscure a far darker story. Along with myriad playoff chokes, womanizing (including a 10-year affair with then-teenage country singer Mindy McCready), a violent streak (most famously triggered by former Mets star Mike Piazza) and his use of steroids and human growth hormones, Clemens has spent years trying to hide his darkest secret—a family tragedy involving drugs and, ultimately, death.

The author of the New York Times bestsellers Boys Will Be Boys and The Bad Guys Won!, Jeff Pearlman conducted nearly 500 interviews with Clemens' family, friends and teammates to present a portrait that goes beyond the familiar newspaper stories and magazine profiles. Reconstructing the pitcher's life—from his childhood in Ohio to college ball in Texas and on to the mounds of Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium—Pearlman reveals the real Roger Clemens: a flawed and troubled man whose rage for baseball immortality took him to superhuman heights but ultimately brought him crashing to earth.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Harper; First Edition edition (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061724750
• ISBN-13: 978-0061724756
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #216,389 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars RICK "SHAQ" GOLDSTEIN SAYS: "THIS ROCKET USED ILLEGAL FUEL!", March 29, 2009

By	Rick Shaq Goldstein "Rick Shaq Goldstein" (Danville, Ca, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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This is the life story of Roger Clemens who among other things is an all-time great baseball player... a cheater... an abuser of illegal drugs... a Father... a husband... an adulterer... a perjurer... a liar... and not real smart. In fact... if Charles Dickens hadn't made the following phrase famous back in 1859 it would be the perfect opening sentence in this book: "IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES!" The author Jeff Pearlman does an absolutely fantastic job in presenting all sides of this egomaniacal fabricator of deceptions that range from telling people that "he was offered dual football-baseball scholarships by North Texas State, Northeastern Louisiana and the University of Georgia. THIS IS NOT TRUE. He also tells the story of a scout with the Minnesota Twins coming to his house after the team selected him with their 22nd round pick. NOT ONLY WAS HE NOT DRAFTED by Minnesota in the 22nd round - he wasn't drafted at all." (That year) "Clemens told people he had played basketball at Texas and that the Seattle Supersonics and Boston Celtics had both been interested in his services. NOT TRUE." "Sean McAdam, who covered the Red Sox for "The Providence Journal" said: "ROGER WAS AS FULL OF "CRAP" AS ANY ATHLETE I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY CAREER. HE SAID WHATEVER WORKED FOR HIM, WHETHER IT WAS TRUTHFUL OR NOT. REALITY DIDN'T MATTER FOR ROGER CLEMENS IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM." Clemens who always rambled aimlessly in non-tangential flows about his great wife... was also an adulterer... thus exposing himself as a classic hypocrite... along with all his other character flaws.

When Clemens first started his sexual affair with future country singer Mindy McCready she was seventeen-years-old and Roger was thirty. "Based on Florida Statute 794.05 which states that a person twenty-four-years of age or older who engages in sexual activity with a person sixteen or seventeen years of age commits a felony of the second degree, their assignation constituted statutory rape. Clemens could have faced up to thirty years in a state penitentiary." While this affair continued... along with other extra marital liaisons... Clemens had the hubris to plan a second honeymoon with his wife and renew their wedding vows. And then of course there was the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs. And on top of that... and probably worse to most red blooded American fans... is the outright lying under oath... and in news conferences... and the nonsensical-non-grammatical-non-intellectual statement regarding his best friend in the world Andy Pettitte who came clean about their drug use and discussions... when Clemens said: "HE MUST HAVE MISREMEMBERED."

As I mentioned earlier the author shows all sides of Clemens, and one thing that absolutely everyone agrees on, is the fact that no one ever worked harder than Clemens physically. The reader is taken from Rogers early years in Ohio (not Texas) when he was an unpopular pudgy kid who idolized his older brother Randy who instilled in him his lifelong focus on wanting to be a winner. Weaved through the entire story is the sad fact that Randy became a drug addict and basically disappeared into the ether. From high school... to junior college (Roger got no four-year scholarship offers out of high school)... to stardom at the University of Texas... to the Boston Red Sox... to the defining game where he broke the Major League single game strikeout record by striking out twenty men... and the seven Cy Young awards... is all covered. But the reader is left with the queasy feeling that the cumulative totals of victories... records... and awards... are definitely tainted. In addition it's impossible not to come away with the belief that before... during... and after... the drug use... Clemens was a soulless individual lacking integrity... and also with a penchant to self-destruct in big games... such as the fourth game of the 1990 ALCS against the Oakland A's and their ace Dave Stewart... who going into that game was 6 and 1 in head to head matches with Clemens lifetime... and 3 and 0 that year. When the Red Sox needed him most Clemens literally went berserk and was thrown out of the game... one of many similar instances that have stained his career... but no such stain is as indelible as his drug use... and feeble falsehoods... that simply add insult to injury for all true baseball fans. The author Jeff Pearlman has proven to be a master of this genre of book... that openly displays what at first glance seems to be a success story... but when a strong light is shined on the perpetrator... the roaches scurry for cover.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fallen Hero Consumed by an Inner Rage That Can't be Quenched, March 28, 2009

By	M. JEFFREY MCMAHON "herculodge" (Torrance, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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Jeff Pearlman is expert at delving into the inner recesses of Roger Clemens to paint the picture of a man who, growing up in a working class Ohio neighborhood and losing two fathers, seizes on his baseball ambition as his ticket out. Fueling his intense drive and making him fiercely competitive are several factors: Living in the shadow of a flashy, athletic, albeit unstable older brother, seeing his mom work several jobs to support her family, and his own doughy mediocre athletic build that made him, until his high school senior year, an awkward nobody with an inferiority complex.

In page-turning scenes from Clemens' childhood up through his sensational baseball career, Pearlman renders a man who lets his ambition get the best of him. He has little joy in his life. He is consumed by hostility, pent-up rage, and paranoia over his perceived enemies.

Part of the book's joy is watching Pearlman expertly show Clemens' dramatic transformation from clumsy mediocre pitcher to larger-than-life pitching superstar. This is an unflattering portrait of a sports hero who, making a deal with the Devil (ruthlessness, dishonesty, and the use of performance enhancing drugs), falls precipitously from his hero status. Highly recommended.
Readers who enjoy Pearlman's assured style may want to check out Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge by Jim Schutze.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strike three for Roger Clemens, April 25, 2009

By	Sal Nudo (Champaign, Illinois) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I used to avidly follow Roger Clemens' illustrious baseball career, especially toward his later years when he was such a giant in the sports world. Growing up in the Midwest, however, I was unaware of how journalists on the East Coast and in Toronto and Texas were continually frustrated with the pitcher's rambling, sometimes rude responses during interviews over the years, as if every sportswriter were out to get him; I didn't know about Clemens' massive ego and arrogance; and, like many others who follow baseball, I was shocked to learn about the hurler's steroid use and womanizing on the road. If ever there was a classic fall-from-grace tale, from wholesome hero to drugged-up demon, Clemens is it.

Still, Jeff Pearlman's book is not a complete character assassination by any means. He skillfully weaves the good points of Clemens' character and deeds into the athlete's troubling life story, and he relates some of the positive things people have said about him. Clemens is not truly a "demon"; he grew up poor, lost two fathers and had to work hard for what he later achieved athletically. Additionally, Clemens did some extremely nice things for fans during his playing career, and he has probably donated more time and money to charities than most of us ever will. For those positive deeds the guy should be commended. But anyone who continually lies about certain aspects of his life and cheats to prolong his career is not Hall of Fame material in my book. Once thought of as an amazing rejuvenation story during the late 1990s, Roger Clemens' return to stellar pitching form during his Toronto years and onward was nothing more than the byproduct of steroids coursing through his system while on the mound.

By the middle of the book, the transformation from respectful, burgeoning pitcher to an all-out self-centered jerk takes place. The "Rocket Man," who happily referred to himself in the third person to anyone who cared to listen, had no problem holding up his teammates' flights so he could talk to the press, skipping the birth of his child so he could pitch a meaningless game and handing out autographed pictures of himself to teammates after striking out 20 batters in one game. The list goes on, really, and there are some suprisingly obscure parts of Clemens' life that Pearlman also aptly covers. And through it all, as the pitching god hammers out one victory after another each season, there's no sense of personal or surrounding joy in Clemens' accomplishments, nor the feeling that he's a team player in the least. As he progressed into his career, Clemens' interviews devolved from bizarre and rambling to positively dull, which makes no difference anyway since it's hard to believe what comes out of the guy's mouth. This is a must-read if you want the mound dirt on Roger Clemens.