Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm a Mets fan. I have no great love for Roger Clemens. Naturally I eagerly awaited this book, and bought it on day one. I had fond memories from Jeff Pearlman's expose about the '86 Mets (Bad Guys Won, and his tell-all about Barry Bonds (Love Me, Hate Me: Barry Bonds and the Making of an Antihero).

For the most part, "Rocket" hits its points and hits them well. Clemens used steroids to milk an extra eight or nine years out of a career that was about to end naturally; Clemens lied to the media about nearly everything; Clemens choked in big games, usually by exiting playoff games several innings too early.

"Rocket" takes as its starting point Clemens' Peter Gammons-ghosted autobiography, Rocket Man, printed after the 1986 Cy Young/MVP dream season. Come to find out, many items from Roger's self-described past never happened. There was no idyllic Texas childhood, not when Roger spent his first 13 or 14 years living in Dayton, Ohio. Clemens was neither drafted by the Minnesota Twins nor scouted for other professional sports.

For proof of Roger's bad character, Pearlman reportedly interviewed about 500 people. You'll need an encyclopedic baseball memory to remember who a lot of them were -- for instance, Mike Figga, a teammate for two games on the 1999 Yankees, or Pat Dodson, who hit .202 over three years with the Red Sox. Pearlman subscribes to what might be called the "little man" theory of history -- he interviews the back ends of the rosters of Clemens' various teams, to see how Roger treated those far, far beneath him on the superstar track.

The problem Pearlman runs into is that he goes after Clemens not just on the easy targets, but on the below-the-belt ones, too. It's not enough for him to prove that Clemens lied about Brian McNamee and Mindy McCready. He also derides Clemens' native intelligence and mocks his devotion to his mother. Finally, printing the entire current home address for Clemens' troubled older brother is something that I can't believe made it past Legal.

However, Pearlman has a breezy, sarcastic prose style that makes all his books fun to read. He also does his research. Most baseball biographies uncritically retell game anecdotes that, it turns out, never happened (check out Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends: The Truth, the Lies, and Everything Else for a look at how easily such stories are disproved). Pearlman here relays a story from Rick Cerone that could not possibly have happened -- Cerone describes in suspiciously clear detail what happened the first time he caught Clemens in 1988. However, according to Retrosheet, the game really did happen that way. In every detail. Props to Pearlman for doing his homework, and extra mad props to Rick Cerone, just for being Rick Cerone.

Of course, at the same time Pearlman does uncritically relay a story Clemens told about his failed audition for Joe Torre and Bob Gibson, then of the 1981 New York Mets. I'd love to have seen that story debunked, but Pearlman just lets it sit there, presumably true. Say it ain't so!

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.

Ok, I will admit that right off the cuff I love to read biography tabloid books. The title on this one and watching all of the steroid scandal and media coverage on Roger Clemens (as he perjured himself) has kept me glued to the topic. Regardless, the man lied and he should just be forthright and come clean.

The book really tells the true character of Roger Clemens -- his arrogance. I am not saying he was not a good person and did not go charitable giving ... but I think he did it for his own purposes. The fact that he cannot tell the truth about his steroid use just shows what kind of person you are dealing with. The book really brings about some of the color in his character. I have always been intrigued by the Clemens intimidation factor on the mound. His intimidation and precision on the mound was fueled by steroids.

The book goes into the story of a chubby boy born in Ohio to a broken home who remakes himself into a "Texan" with more stability. Most people think of Clemens as a Texan ... not so. Just another facade that "The Rocket" puts on. Roger dreamt of going to the majors and was able to fulfill that dream (that is admirable). However, at what cost? This book delves into the life of a baseball star "The Rocket" who indeed is very human.

How much more admirable would he be if he came forward and told the truth. I don't think he has the truth in him or believes the truth. Read the book, it's a fast read and entertaining. A great baseball tabloid book up there with Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big. Incidentally, Conseco held Roger's hand through the beginning of the juicing process.

5 stars for entertainment value.

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.

I don't feel sympathy for Clemens in this book or life itself. He is portrayed as he is - an arrogant, driven person who did whatever it took to make his dream come true. The book is enlightening and for those who want to know more about Clemens or baseball in this time period, then it is a very good read.

An easy read with an attempt to show Roger's goodside(what little he had)along with his egotistical personality which ultimately destroyed him. Finally an over due apolgy to Dan Duquette who rightfully got rid of an over the hill pitcher.

Jeff Pearlman does a solid job reporting on a very sad story: the self-destruction of Roger Clemens. Pearlman captures both sides of the drive to excel that made Clemens both a feared competitor and a self-absorbed ego-maniac. The Rocket seemed to do best when he didn't have to be one of the key players on his team -- I had no idea how much he was actually affected by the pressure. And love him or hate him, it seems pretty clear by a strong preponderance of the evidence Clemens used performance-enhancing drugs. That's the great tragedy behind the man, and Pearlman captures it brilliantly with very even-handed reporting. At the same time, he doesn't hesitate to sit in judgment -- not just of Clemens, but of the owners, the players and the media. Some of his very unflattering depictions of the Boston media in particular are right on the money. Not a great book, but a very good one; however, given that the story hasn't fully played itself out yet, it may be worth waiting for the paperback with whatever new material may be approriate.

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.

Author Jeff Pearlmann seems to have an affection for the darker side of New York baseball. His earlier book, "The Bad Guys Won", chronicles the wild and almost uncontrollable 1986 World Series Champion New York Mets. He addresses (and debunks) some of the wilder stories made about that team, but he also tells some outstanding tales that are very much the truth about that squad.
In "The Rocket that Fell to Earth", Pearlmann's scope is narrower, but the depth goes just as far in trying to unmask one of the more inscrutable superstars in modern professional sports, Roger Clemens. While Clemens has long been a pretty unlikeable character throughout his career, his incredible talent has always wowed people enough to look past that when he's on the mound and forget about him when he's not (not unlike how people felt about Tiger Woods).

However, that little thing called the Steroid Scandal has derailed his legacy and caused people to want to look deeper into the warts and darkness that make up this man. Pearlmann does just that. He covers the really salacious stories such his long-term affair with country singer/trainwreck, Mindy McCready (an affair that allegedly started when she was underage), as well as his desperate strike at baseball immortality by using PEDs to stay on top long after most pitchers are just trying to hang on.

To be fair, Pearlmann doesn't just craft a `bash-Clemens' missive. He also paints a broader picture of how he became the man he is. He had a modest upbringing where he was the chubby kid who colleges wouldn't even touch. He was also deeply devoted to (and badly disappointed by) a prodigal older brother who showed him the ropes in life, both good and bad.

Pearlmann does a good job portraying this flawed superstar in multiple lights. Those who are looking for tales of bad behavior to support their negative opinion of Clemens will find what they want. However, those looking for a more balanced characterization will also be satisfied.

I am a sports fan. Not baseball in particular unless steroids are involved. I loved this book and its portrayal of a man who just wanted to be the best at all costs. Great story, BEST SPORTS BOOK WRITER OUT THERE. Jeff Pearlman is never biased, he sticks to facts and that is all which is great since there is no hidden agenda. I highly recommend.