Will Cain Country - Roger "Rocket" Clemens Breaks Down His “Jerry Springer” Moment With Congress

Episode Date: December 19, 2025

In this Friday sports edition of ‘Will Cain Country,’ Will is joined by 11-time All-Star, 2-time World Series champion, American League MVP, and 7-Time Cy Young Award Winner, “The Rocket” himself, Roger Clemens. Roger discusses his “Jerry Springer-Esque” encounter with Congress over allegations of steroid use, being denied from the Hall of Fame, what the most meaningful moment of his career was, and much more. Just wait until you hear where he was on 9/11 and why it still stays with him today. Subscribe to ‘Will Cain Country’ on YouTube here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Watch Will Cain Country!⁠⁠⁠Follow ‘Will Cain Country’ on X (⁠⁠⁠@willcainshow⁠⁠⁠), Instagram (⁠⁠⁠@willcainshow⁠⁠⁠), TikTok (⁠⁠⁠@willcainshow⁠⁠⁠), and Facebook (⁠⁠⁠@willcainnews⁠⁠⁠)Follow Will on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WillCain⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feeling festive? Catch classic holiday favorites, like Home Alone, the Santa Claus, and Die Hard, along with holiday episodes from Family Guy, Abbott Elementary, and more with Hulu on Disney Plus. From festive Disney flicks to binge-worthy Hulu originals, Hulu on Disney Plus is your home for the holidays. Celebrate the season with Hulu, available on Disney Plus in Canada. The Rocket, Roger Clemens, on 9-11, the Hall of Fame, the Mitchell report. And is he really in his heart?

A Yankee, a Red Sop, a Blue Jay, or an Astro. Roger Clemens. It is Wilcane Country. Normally streaming live every Monday through Thursday at 12 o'clock Eastern Time. At the Wilcane Country YouTube channel, the Wilcane Facebook page, but always available by following us at Spotify or on Apple. It is a Canaan Sports Friday edition of Wilcane Country, and we have a special treat today. We have the rocket, Roger Clemens, 11-time All-Star, two-time World Series. champion, American League MVP, seven-time Sy Young Award winner, two-time triple

crown, four-time Major League Baseball wins leader, seven-time Major League Baseball ERA leader, five-time American League Strikeout leader, and a Major League Baseball 20 strikeouts in nine-inning game that he did twice. And College World Series champion with the Texas Longhorns. What a treat to get to talk to Roger Clemens. We had an hour-long conversation wherein we talked about everything from his experience on 9-11, the baseball careers of his sons. And does he, in fact, want to be, after all these years of denial in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame? I really enjoyed this conversation. I've enjoyed getting to know him, and I hope you enjoy this next hour with Roger Clemens.

All right, man, thanks for doing this. Let's get into it. By the way, before we roll, Roger, anything you don't want to talk about? You want to talk about the Hall of Fame? You want me to not ask you about the Hall of Fame? Anything. Absolutely. Absolutely. I'll give, you know, we got that.

We've got, you know, this time of year where I've done stuff for tunnels to tower and helping a hero. I don't know if you know, Will, but I was supposed to pitch the night a 9-11. That was my start at Yankee Stadium when all hell broke loose. so it's probably the coolest story it supersedes anything I did 24 years in the major leagues my agents went to high school with general Myers and general Myers called me asked me to go to the Middle East

for I think we're in there for about 11 days and it was the life-changing experience for me I got to see some things up close and personal and my good friend as you know Toby Keith Toby went there a lot Toby went to places where most entertainers don't go He took his songwriter and a guitar, and he would play in nasty, tough places where entertainers wouldn't even think about going, where there might be 15 of the baddest dudes on the planet and go entertain them and visit with them.

So, you know, he holds a real special spot in my heart also for what he was doing for our military. But it's a story. If we bring it up, I can hit you. we got rained out i was in yankee stadium by the way roger just for the record we're rolling so this we're good okay tell me this story you were supposed to pitch the night of 9-11 yeah so well it was like i said this is a story that uh i never get tired of talking about because and i wish i would kept a better journal i still have thank goodness my memory but um yeah i was supposed to pitch the night of september 11th i was a new york yankee and

in New York. We got rained out the night before. I was trying to, you know, when we get done with games, it's probably one in the morning before we get back home. So I'm trying to push myself to sleep till eight on the days that I'm working, the days that I'm pitching. I try and push myself to hopefully sleep to eight o'clock.

And I was going for my 20th win, which is a huge milestone for a starting pitcher against my former team, the Red Sox. So everybody and their mother were in town, you know, for the big rival game. game and to watch me go out there to try and win my 20th and we had some we had a bunch of friends and family up from Texas and um I'm on a 25th floor of a condo and my a friend of mine is on the same floor there's only two two two two two housing units up top there and he was banging

down my door I opened the door and like I could tell the panic and he said man you got to turn the TV on something's this it's crazy when he first told me that I I thought it was outside my kitchen window, my bay window and living room window were right out looking over the Hudson. And I thought it was one of those four-seat planes probably going down. You know, they were giving tours to around the Stature of Liberty. So I thought maybe say, he goes, no, it's much bigger than that. Something's going on. And so we turned the TV on.

We saw one of the buildings under attack. We ran up to our lookout. We had a little lookout station, one step higher that the building let me astroturf and put a barbecue pit and stuff so we could barbecue and look at the beautiful city at night. And when we're up there, we could feel the second plane. We heard it. And I ran back down and got in front of the TV and I realized, you know, we're under attack. And all of us know what happened. Our lives changed. Everybody's lives changed at that point. The doorman came up and said, hey, they're blocking off bridges. and if you guys are trying to get out of town, you better go.

So we loaded everybody up and went to Connecticut in my buddy's place and just sat there. We knew baseball wasn't even a thing at that time. Now, who knows when we're going to continue? And it was just crazy from that point on. We all know what happened. I think we resumed a couple weeks later to try and get people's mind off of everything going on.

And it was a real sensitive subject and when we're going to start playing again. But what happened for me personally was the one of the most gratifying trips that I ever made. General Richard Myers, I believe a four-star general at the time. He went to high school with my agents and he called them and he said, he asked if I would go to the Middle East to see our men and women. This was a little bit later after the fact. And I said, absolutely.

I wanted to take my boys, but they weren't of age. And they said we're going to be going into some areas that are pretty nasty. So we'd rather not. We called Drew Carey, our comedian friend, Drew went with us to tell a few jokes. And in about seven, eight days, Will, I think we saw, I don't know, 14,000 of our men and women. We were on an aircraft carrier. I was surrounded by probably 25 of the badass Marines you've ever seen. I'm 6'4.

these guys standing next to me. No disrespect to NFL punters, but I look like a punter standing next to these guys. They were massive. And so they kind of like were my bodyguards telling me what bases we were going to. General Myers wanted me to jump out first and tell the story, and I just spoke from my heart. We had a jet here in Houston.

We flew to Washington, had to spend the night in Washington. We got briefed for about three hours of what's going to happen. happen. They put me, we got on Air Force 2. We flew into Shannon, Ireland, refueled there. They took me off the plane there and put me on a C-17 transport plane. If you're familiar with those, about 25 of us were down in the basement of the plane. We were facing out back. We were flying the opposite way. And then the trip just started. I mean, people were taking notes and stuff on the, on Air Force 2. The Pentagon had printed. it a bunch of photos and baseballs for me to sign. So I was pretty, I was a little nervous to be honest with you about what I wanted to say when or questions that might be asked. And, um, but I signed all the eight by 10 photos, all the baseballs. And, uh, I met some of the coolest people. Uh, and I realized how, uh, and I thanked them, uh, from the bottom of my heart, that somebody like myself on center stage on a mound, 55,000.

people, I felt extremely safe once I met these men and women and were able to watch what they did and how fire they were to go. General Myers said, you know, this first group you're talking to will be the group that if when we go into combat, they're the first ones to go. And their energy was off the chart. I mean, we went into Kuwait City. We were in Afghanistan. Just some really tough places that we just had bombed and we had to stay on the concrete uh runway we couldn't go into the dirt or the grass area they were worried about uh explosives and um it was it was a trip of a lifetime for me i met so many like i said so many cool of our men and women i always tipped my hat to him you know i had yeah i had five uncles that served my oldest brother since passed away he served in vietnam so we

get it. We understand, you know, what the process is, but it was a trip of a lifetime. Do you have, Roger, it sounds, you know, with my career as well, I've had some unique opportunities to be around men that I didn't necessarily grow up with who've done incredible things. I've had my own path in life, and I'm proud of a lot of things that I've done. Obviously, what you have done is unmatched. There's really no one else. or very, very few men on earth that can claim the resume of Roger Clemens. But do you, when you're around those guys, and I ask you this because this is how I feel, Roger, when you're around those guys, that is one thing I regret.

I know that I have two, Roger. I know that already, if this life ends tomorrow, I will have two regrets. One is that I didn't have more children. And two is that I didn't serve in the military. And every time I'm around those guys, it's just a little bit of a reminder of a gap in this life for me. I agree totally. Will, when you talk about it, I think about my two or three trips I made to Randall Reed. And I had to stop before I went into some of these men's and women's hospital room.

And I was at a loss for words. And so I actually asked some of the commanders, you know, where do I go with this? You know, can you tell me what I'm fixing to walk into? And they said, you go into that room and you ask them how they lost their arm or leg. And they'll tell you, and every single one of our men and women that had been injured, terribly injured, told me their story, how it happened. And I'm telling you what, they said if they could fix, if they could get me a prostate leg that would work, I would go right back right now and serve with my guys. That's the type of mentality, you know, it supersedes this stuff. You know, I take a lot of pride in my work.

I lost, in the background, I lost my dad when I was nine. My mom raised six of us. She's a tough cookie. My grandmother, tough cookie. They both raised me. They worked their tail off. I got my work ethics for Major League Baseball from both those ladies. My mom worked three jobs right here in Houston.

That's what kind of pisses me off sometimes when people look at you, oh, you million dollars. I tell people, that's what I did for a living. It's not who I am as a person. That's what I did. And I did it to the fullest because I was taught. that way. My mom worked three jobs. She was an accountant by day. I helped her in high school stock a convenience store, coolers, and at night we cleaned office building to get a little extra cash. I thought we were rich. We weren't. I had that she would work her butt off, so you'd

get me a new glove every spring for baseball season. I had a sweet red glove and some new cleats. And so that's, you know, when people just, they don't even know you. They make assumptions about you and uh and uh you know from where i came from what do you mean that pisses you off what is the what is the i'm not i'm not even aware roger what do they think about you yeah so so for instance when uh when i went through over my whole deal and i had to go into congress and it was pretty much a jerry springer show as you guys know and what was great about it was general myers and president 41 both called me we were actually in south texas on a hunt with my boys and they found me that my I'm easy I'm an easy person to find and they just they gave me a heads up when you go through

this we've been there many times and they're going to try and trick you and do this or do that and some of these people who are asking questions that they just got brief five minutes ago behind scenes they got a piece of paper and they just think you're you know you're this million dollar ball player and that's that's who you are and it's it's so far from the truth of who you are as a person And where you came from, where I came from starting, you know, really in high school when my mom was a stickler on getting an education, you know, I got drafted, I think, my freshman year. And she said, no, I want you to go to school. That's how I end up at University of Texas. And this people, you know, those types of people that don't take the time, they're just looking at a sheet of paper and reading from a sheet. Then it'll take time to get to know you or really dive into who you are.

as a person so those things but you know yourself when i get an opportunity to do your show so let me see if i can get what you're getting at can i just really quickly sure absolutely i hate that i just cut you off because i think you're about i think you're about to compliment me so i hate that i cut you off right there but uh no this is what i want to ask you because i'm trying to pick up what you're putting down and just for the record you've said already about half a dozen things that i want to follow up on and so i'm going to follow these curiosity so if i interrupt you it's only because i'm really interested in what you're saying not because i'm not interested If I pick up what you're putting down, Roger, what you're talking about being pissed off about people making assumptions about your life is you went back. And when I asked you that, I was like, are you talking? I didn't know if you're talking about the media or, you know, fans or whoever it may be. And you went directly to the congressional testimony. So, and obviously the investigation into steroid use. And what I'm getting what you're saying is, and I've heard that you've said this, I got where I got. And I

did what I did through hard work. And then when you started telling me about your mom and the way you were raised, I feel like you were telling me about how you learned all that hard work. And it makes you mad that that's been undercut by the idea that you took a shortcut. Yeah. Well, so, I mean, it's, I think most of the people that know me, including fans and people that are not just my immediate family or friends, they get it. And during that whole deal, the you know like I said the Mitch the Mitchell report for far as I'm concerned is is it was done on toilet paper I mean this guy I mean straight ass clown this guy I mean senator whatever matter of fact I think he he was mentioned in the Epstein stuff this guy so

I would like I talked about earlier I'm an easy person to find and this guy never reached out to me once he said he reached out to my agents What's a shame is not, you know, I was a, you know, I was a focal point of some of it. But there were other guys. We had talked to about 12 other guys in a report that said what he said about us is not true either. And so, you know, I hate to go all the way back. But as we're talking about it now, it's, you know, worth bringing up because like I said, I never will look back. The only time I look back in the river mirror to see how far I've come.

And we've come a long way. We put pretty much all that in. And we did it the right way. We did it in a setting where nothing but facts matter. It doesn't have to be true about you. It just has to be first as the way they are operating. We were also told that by other people in the report that they said, hey, take that out of the report. That is not true.

I can't confirm that. And they said, no, we're just going to leave it in. And so this is what we're dealing with when I said like a Jerry Springer show. I mean, during the congressional deal, somebody from the left had a doctor's report that tried to read a doctor's report on me that I never even seen that doctor. That's how, I mean, and again, I was warned by this by the president and General, General Myers. They said, you know, just heads up because they're going to try and trick you. They're not going to know anything about you. They're just going to try and trick you.

Most of it would be like a Jerry Springer show, which I like the Jerry Springer show, actually. I enjoyed watching it. And, and just, hey, real quick, Roger, on this note, on the doctors, because you brought the doctors up, I'm not going to say things that you don't want said in terms of what's already out there. But I do, I do know, you dealt with a labor issue early in your career, right, which established a relationship with a very well-known doctor. And you've had a lot of doctors, a couple doctors, treats you throughout your career. And you, you know, it's an issue today because it's like, okay. are we ever going to address this and get Roger into the Hall of Fame? President Trump has posted about this, and he thinks it's an absolute farce.

You should be in the Hall of Fame. I think anybody that's ever watched baseball knows you should be in the Hall of Fame. That doesn't need to be litigated. If it does, this is where I was going to start our interview. Just as a reminder, 11-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, American League MVP, seven-time Cy Young Award winner. I mean, it goes on and on. wins leaders, multiple times over.

And I don't want to undercut College World Series champion, of course, as a Texas longer. There you go. There you go. It's not even close, man. And so this is the entire issue. I didn't plan to talk about the Mitchell Report with you either today. But if you want, I do know that these people who have treated you and know you, your entire career, have said things recently come out there about you and the likelihood or the evidence of any use of steroids. Yeah, well, first of all, I took over, if I had to guess, a hundred tests over my career, and not one thing.

I took Olympic testing when I was on Team USA and I played in the world games, even more crucial testing. So I'm proud about that. I have no problem with it. Like I said, I don't, well, and I said, after year one, we kind of put that. the Hall of Fame stuff in the in the past. It's not going to change me as a person. I didn't play 24 years to make the Hall of Fame. I played early in my career. First couple of years, I played to change the dynamics of my family's life, my extended family's life where we came from. Get my mom a new car, pay off some of her bills, blah, you know, all that. So, but yeah, I mean, we kind of

pretty much threw a rinse in their soup. I said, you know, we got out there and we didn't beat them once, we beat them twice, some slim, shady stuff going on where I think they fired a bunch of these people that were up there trying to go after us. I think they fired them. I said, one lady was hired by Mitchell's firm afterwards. That was kind of strange that, you know, they were doing some stuff behind the, behind the scenes. But again, it's something that, I mean, somebody didn't somebody, I have always said, I appreciate the writers. I think I got in the 70s. or you've got to get 75%, something like that. But I've always said I appreciate the people that looked at the facts,

and if you can read past the third grade, you would understand, you know, what was going on. But we got in a setting where only facts mattered, and we didn't beat them once, we beat them twice. And I'm pretty sure that pissed them off. But like I said, Mitchell pocketed $40 to $60 million. I think he had to give some back. That's how horseshit his report was. But we're moving on. I mean, again, I find it very interesting that this is the same guy that wrote this report on me that's been rolling down to this Epstein's house or whatever.

And I'm pretty sure he denied it. I didn't know. Yeah. I didn't know that. I got to look into that. Pretty sure they weren't going down there to play shuffleboard. Let's take quick break. But continue this conversation with the man who should be in the Hall of Fame, Roger Clemens on Will King Country.

This is Ainslie Earhart. Thank you for joining me for the 52 episode podcast series, The Life of Jesus. A listening experience that will provide hope, comfort, and understanding of the greatest story ever told. Listen and follow now at foxnewspodcasts.com or wherever you listen to podcasts. Welcome back to Will Cain Country. We're still hanging out with one of the greatest pictures of all time. The Rocket, Roger Clemens. Roger, you say you've moved on, and I appreciate that.

And you say that you don't like looking back. but you would like to be in the Hall of Fame, yes? Well, I have some artifacts there right now, Will, and that's the other thing. I don't know, a bunch of my entertainer friends, when they go up there to do concerts or stuff in the area, and Toby was one of them. Toby Keith's a good friend, and Toby said, you know, Rock, you got like eight or ten pieces up here that, you know, that, you know, really you should be, you should be able to, they're on loan, and you should be able to get them back for your kids. we're going to do a little museum here at some point.

So I am going to want, I think my 20 strikeout gloves up there and some other stuff, my cleats and stuff I put on loan when they came to ask to, excuse me, to get them to display them. And I'm going to want those back here in Houston at some point when we have our museum here to look at some of those goodies. So again, Hall of Fame, somebody didn't vote for Derek Jeter. I mean, that's how crazy it was. So there's guys in there that have said.

that they had false positives, this or that. I'm super happy. I did, like I said, they came to my house on many occasions. They're actually doing it with my youngest son right now who plays professionally. They'll come to the house here and do all your testing. So we welcome that any time that they made an announcement that it was, you know, you had to do your testing. So we had nothing to hide.

Did you really do the deal? I remember the commercial. I can tell what you're doing. Yes. So when you alluded to, early in my career, I had an impingement to hit on that side. I had a little impingement in my shoulder. I was a defensive end. I led with my right shoulder.

Any surgery for a pitcher can be devastating. But the man that I went to had my visits with every five years, and Dr. James Andrews, and Doc said that he would be the first one to notice. He said, this guy's body's never changed. He's taking great care of himself. When Doc did my scope, way back when in 1985, he said, listen, I did the work on you. Now, you're going to have to do the work to come all the way back. And it was a great line.

I mean, I use it with all my buddies that have surgeries. I said, listen, the work is with you now. Once they fix you, you really have to put the work in. And I tell you what, I worked my tail off. I think it was six months to the day. I end up striking out 20 batters. And I proved to my teammates and everybody else that was healthy. and ready for a, thank goodness, for a long, long career.

I also tell my golfing buddies and my other pitching guys, they ask how it's 63 years old, you're still able to throw batting practice to the guys, and I said, well, I take my three and five pound cuff weights with me on every trip just about, whether I'm playing in a golf event or whatever, you can pretty much find me in the fitness center at 545, 615 in the morning,

and I'm doing a 20-minute routine just for my shoulders, so I don't get a frozen shoulder, and I'm able to still throw to the grandkids or do those types of things. So there's a lot of work behind the scenes that people don't see. It just doesn't, a career like mine just doesn't happen. What was the rice, though? You buried your hand in a bucket of rice over and over again.

Yeah, that was for your forearm ligaments and your elbow ligaments. It was just another good little drill that you could do, but yeah, it's got some good life and good playing it. I knew exactly what you're talking about when I saw your hand doing this. What do you think about all the guys having Tommy John? You threw all those years, Roger, and one of my producers pointed out, Nolan Ryan's like you. I mean, he threw all those years and threw a ton of innings just like you, and you didn't have Tommy John, and all these guys now, now, granted, they come back,

and they're pretty good after Tommy John surgery. That's gotten to be a pretty good surgery. but we don't expect the pitcher anymore not to go on the injured list at some point. I mean, how did you and Nolan and all these other guys throw so much? I mean, these guys, I've got to assume, Roger, they're making $40 million a year. I've got to assume they're putting in the work. So how did you guys do it and no one avoids it now? Man, there's so many layers to what you just asked.

I mean, it's incredible. I tease them. I said, I think some of these doctors are putting. fishing line in there on their elbows, man. They come back. It's not that you come back and throw harder. You're coming back and you're healthy. And that's the key. A few years back, we went down to Birmingham to give Dr. James Andrew a Lifetime Achievement Award. It was myself, John Smolz, and I think Charles Barkley. And Doc got up there and talked about, made the comment that he's never done so many Tommy John on 15-year-old boys. And I think it's just

because they're all chasing velocity. Everything's, you know, like, I made a comment about a year ago that if you saw, if you were a scout, Will, and I sent you to a local high school or college field, and I said, hey, go look at these two guys for me. One guy's named Greg Maddox and the other guy's named Tom Galavin. And you went over to that high school and you watched these two guys and they maxed out at 88, you'd close your books up and come back to me and go, boy, you just wasted my time. These guys can't break a plane of glass.

But the thing is, both those guys are fantastic pitchers. And pitching is like buying property or a house. Location, location, location. You've got to be able to locate. Guys in the big leagues can put wood on a bullet. They love, all the guys are thrown close to 100 miles an hour. And that's big time stress on your shoulder and elbow if your mechanics aren't great also.

Now, the relievers can do that. I say some of our relievers look like a blender. their mechanics look like a blender with the lid off of it. I mean, they're coming at you with elbows and legs and everything, but they only have to do that for about 20 pitches. So their body and elbow can handle that. A starter that's trying to get 100, 110 pitches, and that's really all they're going now.

Sometimes they use 100 pitches in four innings. Then you start talking about analytics. And I'm kind of in the middle of the road in analytics. I'm not high on it and I'm not low on it. But I do talk to what I call my guys, I call them propeller heads, because they're just on their computer and they're saying, hey, get this guy out of there,

once he reaches this certain amount of pitches because the average goes up. I'm still a believer that, like Mel Stottemeyer did with me when I was with the Yankees, he could hear me grunting in the fifth or sixth inning, getting close to the end of my rope. And he would tell me that when I'd come off the mound and come into the dugout, he goes, look,

I think you're getting to the end of your rope right here. And I was like, Mel, then we started eating innings. Or Mel would come out to the mound, and he'd ask me how to that. I felt, and I'd be honest with him. And that's called giving somebody an eye and a heart test. You know, tell me how, let me tell you, you're paying me a lot of money to be out here. Let me, let me eat some outs now.

So I get closer to the best closer in the game, Mariano Rivera. Now he only has to get four outs for me. Or if I can get another guy out, ground ball, pop-up, strikeout. Then he only has to get three outs or maybe two outs in that game. So it's really not that way that much anymore. I've said that if you want to kind of stop these guys from, going four innings and looking over their shoulder, tie the DH to the starting pitcher. That means if your pitcher bails on you in the fourth inning, you lose your designated hitter.

That would encourage these managers to tell your starter, hey, you got to give me six, maybe seven strong tonight because we don't want to lose our designated hitter. So there's, again, there's some layers to it of how things could work. I like the new changes, some of the pitch clock. I tell people I was pitchcom before pitchcom I called 90, 95% of my game from the mound with my looks

my catchers had to pay attention to detail and by the way Will you wouldn't believe how many of my catchers and teammates and everybody call me during this Hall of Fame voting stuff they call and give me it's great to hear from all of them

whether it's text or a phone call and they're just you know they all say it's BS BS all this stuff and I just tell them it's Guys, it's something that we don't look at or worry about, but I appreciate the calls and the support of all our people. And like you said, playing golf with President Trump, and he got busy out there on the Internet. Yeah, he did. Let's go back to the mound for a moment.

So I hear you. There's such a chase for velocity. There's not enough attention being paid to the status of the pitcher and how he's feeling. When you were on the mound, and you also alluded to this, Roger, and I've seen you say this. When you first came through, you were a hard thrower. So you were the guy that you just described in some ways. I mean, you were blowing by batters. But I think it was, who was it you gave credit to that kind of turns you in from a thrower to a pitcher?

It was somebody at the Red Sox that spent a year for you with you that kind of, I'd read this, kind of taught you the difference between being a throw and a pitcher. When you were on the mound, Roger, I find I've talked different guys like this. Did you feel agro? You're known for that, by the way, obviously. You know, you're known for staring down a batter or whatever maybe. But then there's the Kevin Costner movie, right, for love of the game. And he kind of does the clear the mechanism and everything gets drowned out and everything gets calm.

Like what was your emotional status when you're standing on the mound about to throw your next pitch? Yeah, great question, partner. So, yeah, I had a football mentality on the mound. And I guess the word that you would say I was extremely focused. Again, pride in representing that city on my chest. And again, it was instilled my mother and my grandmother. We took our work very seriously. And, you know, like I said, once I first signed, I was like, man, I can make some money doing this and help out a lot of people.

After about two years and a couple of Sy Youngs, it was about winning championships again, like when I came off the campus at the University of Texas winning a national championship. And, you know, I was always in high school, I didn't throw hard, but I threw strikes. So when the other guys, we get in the playoffs in high school, I had three wonderful coaches, you know, bouncing around here a little bit, but I got to give recognition. I had three wonderful coaches. They were not only great coaches. They were better teachers of the game and the game.

of life. Coach Charlie Mariana, my high school coach, coach Wayne Graham, who went on to take Rice University to a national championship, played under coach for one year. He was a baseball lifer. When I say baseball lifer, like Don Zimmer, my bench coach for many years in Boston and New York. I don't think either one of these gentlemen cast a check outside the game of baseball. And then, you know, Coach Cliff Gustafson at the University of Texas. When I played for coach Gus. He was the winningest coach in college baseball at the time. So I had three great coaches. None of them messed with my mechanics. I was a power. I would have won a power pitcher in high school because like I said, I threw 85. We had a couple guys that threw 90, which

bring attention back in those days, which a lot of guys didn't throw at that speed. But when they would wet the bed, my high school coach would bring me in the game, those strikes. I had little Bugs Bunny curveball. And then next thing you know, I started getting junior college offers. four-year school offers to play. I wasn't going to be able to go to college because we didn't have the money to my mother, obviously we didn't have money to be able to put me through college. So via scholarship was going to be that ticket. And thank goodness it worked out. But I was a power pitcher once I grew a couple inches in Juko and my workouts. When we got to Texas, we lifted with the football team. We didn't have a baseball lifting program. We lifted with the football

guys. And I think I squatted out number four, even in the rankings with the football guys. My legs got strong. 95, 97 came along, but I was still pitching. To answer your question directly, when I got the Boston, two things. Bill Fisher, my pitching coach, was fantastic. Bill, I spoke at his funeral a few years ago. And Fish, still to this day, holds the Major League record for not allowing a walk in like 91 innings. So his stickler was not walking guys. He did not. I never threw a no-hitter.

I threw a bunch of one-hitters but when I got 2-0-3-0 I'm throwing a ball that probably the hiter's going to hit. I'm going to catch a lot of the plate. Spin off that little bit. Bill Fisher before he came to Boston was in Cincinnati as a pitching coach. He had who I

consider, I loved my two guys I watched all the time were Nolan Ryan of course and Tom Seaver. You're talking about Tom terrific, Tom Seaver. Tom was with the Mets, came over, we had him, we traded for him. He got hurt. He wasn't able to go through the playoffs with us, but he got hurt, but it didn't matter to me because I was a sponge. Here I am at 23 years old, maybe 24. I got Tom Seaver right here, the ultimate power pitcher pitching close to 40 years of age, and he is giving me advice on the mound for off

the field on the mound and you know when I would watch him when he was pitching he would sit there and throw 88 to 90 miles an hour and then all of a sudden get in trouble he'd have a guy on second and third and one out and needed a strike out and next thing you know outside corner inside corner 94 miles an hour where did that come from and I was like this guy's saving that in the tank for when he needs it so again I was able to watch and learn at the major league level from one of the best of the best. My favorite guy, I'd be remiss if I said, the other reason why I wanted to make it to the major leagues, and he's a great friend of mine and love him to death is Reggie Jackson. I wanted to be able to face Reggie Jackson. I obviously, when I was a kid,

watched him hit the three home runs in the World Series, and Reggie made just a big impression on me with the Yankees. And then I finally had the opportunity. I don't know what it was. maybe my, was in my first four, eight, ten starts that I had, he was with the California Angels and I got to face Reggie Jackson at Fenway Park, at Fenway Park. He was a California angel and I'm just telling you, well, I was, I was, when they were announcing his names, I was behind the mound, retying my shoes. My shoes weren't untied. My cleats weren't untied. I was retying them and I was like, I did not want to turn around. I did not want to turn around and look this guy in the eyes. I couldn't believe I was getting ready to face Reggie.

Jackson. What happened? Well, I punched him out the first three times. And, and, uh, yeah, I punched his ticket. Now, here's the, here's the thing. He always reminds me. He calls me heat instead of rocket. He said, he goes, you were sitting at about 93 miles an hour to all my teammates. And I got in the box and your first three pitches to me were 98, 98, 98 miles an hour. He said, what's up? I go, you're Reggie Jackson. I mean, that's why you got my best. you're Reggie Jackson. Now, let me finish. Five to one. I think score. Score was five to one. I punched him out the first three times.

His fourth at bat, he had a two-run homer off me in the bullpen at Fenway and made it five three. They pulled me out of the game. I think while he was running around the bases that potty's got that half-shell helmet and those glasses on, I think I was more happier than he was. Okay. By the way, you brought up money. you're the first part of your career you want to make some money i did this right before i came on the show roger i don't know why it caught my attention because you made i mean you had several 22 million dollar contracts and so forth later in life i was looking when you were a free agent right so boston toronto and obviously you're the biggest free agent maybe in the history of baseball

at that time right and you signed a four-year 40 million dollar contract 10 million dollars a year which was what would have been like what were we talking about 1990s somewhere in that that range No, 96, actually. Was it 96? Okay, 96. So I go, I was thinking, Roger, I go, I wonder if Roger ever looked at these contracts, these guys are signing and thinks, I hit the market, top of the market, $10 million a year. And then I thought, well, I have to adjust it for inflation. So I did. I just went to AI.

I says, what is $10 million in 1996 is what today? Have you ever done this, Roger? I have it. It said it's about 20, 21 million. dollars a year okay so if you that's what you signed for an inflation adjusted dollars you ever look at jacob de graham these guys getting 37 40 million dollars here and go damn it i was just a little early on the on the baseball economics no you know what i say i say i think i can go four innings right now come down here and catch me and let's let's get this going again i think i can throw 85 pitches in

four innings right now i don't know how fast it would be but uh no you're dead on with your questions of day parts. You know, Nolan Ryan and those guys and Tom Seaver, they paved away for me to make five, six, seven, ten. And it's just happening the same way. I can tell you, I think it was two or three years ago in Tahoe. We're at Lake Tahoe at the American Century. And I was playing with Greg Maddox and Mad Dog drove up next to me in his golf cart and he said, Rock, he goes, seriously, could you pitch four or five innings right now? And I go, I don't know, maybe. He goes, well, we could do that, but they couldn't afford us right now. And I said, you're right, we'd be making 50, you know, doggy's got, mad dog's got, I don't know, four Cy Young's, I got seven,

there's no way they could even afford us. But, yeah, that's, that was, you know, how things went. What was crazy about that, I would, I tell people, I would have spent my whole career in Boston probably. I was going to retire there, but they got a new GM that came in. He ran all of us off. Everybody's like, oh, you left Boston to go. I go, no, I didn't leave. They basically ran us off. I was actually, what was crazy, I don't know if I've told this story too many times, but I was in Hawaii playing in a celebrity event with family and everybody in Hawaii. And it was going to be about 11, 12-day trip. And on day eight, I get a call back from agents. And they said, you need to get back to Houston. We've got some, we've got

some serious discussion going on with four teams. I said, wait a minute, I couldn't get a million dollars guaranteed from a team that I played 13 years for, blood, sweat and tears, busted my for and you and they they're not even going to gare me that and then the guy said famous line which was awesome because he said good luck in the twilight of your career thank god it was a long ass twilight like 12 more years i didn't know i was going to play that long and uh or pitch i said there's no way i'm pitching until i'm 40 and that went by the boards too but uh yeah so i get back home and they said hey we got four teams uh that want your services and i think the lowest was about 32 and I just started laughing and they both looked at me and Hendricks brothers looked at me

and said what's so damn funny? And I go, a team that I was just with for 13 years, I was going to take a pay cut to hang out for four more years and maybe going to coaching or something like that. I couldn't get guaranteed a million dollars and you're telling me this is on the table now. I said, it's incredible. So end up going to Toronto because of Mr. Beeston, the owner then he was going to get the team back, back on top like they were. I tell people in the 80s when I was with the Red Sox, the Yankees really, they weren't our rivals because they weren't very good. The team that was tough to beat were the Blue Jays in the late 80s, early 90s. Early 90s, they won back, I think back to back chain world series. And then once Steinbrenner came down to

Houston and said, listen, I've been trying to get you forever. You want to be a damn Yankee or don't you? Once I signed with New York, Red Sox changed ownership and everything got good and competitive again. Not crazy, ugly competitive, like in the 70s. Those guys were sliding in the second base hard trying to take your kneecaps off. But we had some good battles once both teams got competitive again. Let's see if you answer this. Are you in your heart, Roger? Are you a Red Sop, a Blue Jay, a Yankee, or an Astro? In my heart, I'm right there, baby. That's where I'm at. You're a long order. Yeah.

How about that for political answers? Take that, take that and put that on your show. Right here, baby. That's where I got my star match on the championship. I love that. Beat Alabama. Let's go. Let's take quick break, but continue this conversation with the man who should be in the

Hall of Fame, Roger Clemens on Wilcane Country. When the weather cools down, Golden Nugget Online Casino turns up the heat. This winter, make any moment golden and play thousands of games like her new slot Wolf It Up and all the fan favorite Hoff and Puff games. Whether you're curled up on the couch or taking five between snow shovels, play winner's hottest collection of slots from brand new games to the classics you know and love. You can also pull up your favorite table games like Blackjack,

roulette, and craps, or go for even more excitement with our library of live dealer games. Download the Golden Nugget Online Casino app and you've got everything you need to layer on the fun this winter. In partnership with Golden Nugget Online Casino. Gambling problem, call ConX Ontario at 1-866-531-2600. 19 and over. Physically present in Ontario. Eligibility restrictions apply.

See Golden Nugget Casino.com for details. Please play responsibly. Welcome back to Will Kane Country. We're still hanging out with one of the greatest pictures of all time. The Rocket, Roger Clemens. Okay, I didn't think you'd answer that, to be honest. Perfect. How about this?

You told me at the start of this interview that the most meaningful thing you ever did was there after 9-11 that trip. But let's go back to baseball for a moment. So I'm not going to let you political correct me out of this. And I actually don't know if you'll have an answer to this because, I mean, I'm not trying to compare myself to you. You know, a question people always ask me, Roger, that I just can't answer. Hey, what's your favorite interview? I don't know. I've had a lot of great ones, you know, and it's just kind of hard to. So the question is, what moment, Roger, like all the Cy Youngs, all the 20 wins, all the

strikeouts, the two world series, the MVP, like, is there one, is there one moment, is there one year, is there one game, is there one thing that sits at the top of the mountain? Wow. You're dead on. That's tough to answer. Wow. I think that when I got drafted after we won the College World Series and got drafted and knew I had a chance to change the direction of my immediate family and extended family's lives, you've got to have some big shoulders to do that. My sisters always talk about that. I think I wish I would have kept a better journal. My mother always said keep a journal, but I felt like if I kept a journal, but if I felt like if I kept a journal, to Will. I'd have probably been a one or two year player and out and I'd have any memories. I need to write it down while I'm still thinking about it. But I think just the cool moments that I really, you know, I think when you and I talked about Charlie Kirk on your show and I pay attention to detail and I kind of study people and look at their mannerisms, you know,

obviously I take that from the ball field to taking it off the field and look at guys. But when you ask me that question, I can still see, to this day, twice tears in President 41, President Bush 41's eyes. His tears, I was in the Oval Office when he signed what he needed to sign for Desert Storm to send troops into harm's way, and he knew he was going to lose, some families were going to lose their loved ones, their sons and their daughters. and his eyes were tearing up. I can still see that when you ask him that question.

I was there. I was that Kenny Bunkport when the coup broke out in Russia. Playing golf with the different presidents, sitting presidents at the time is just really cool in seeing how important stuff was, you know, how important what you're really getting to meet the man uh that some people don't get to see over interviews and things like that uh gosh um influential people i mean it's it i i really need to make a list uh what about what about on the okay quick quote on the field my i don't know i don't

yeah no i don't care yeah my my boys know it too i not that i distance myself from the game because i still love going to spring training when the teams asked me to come to spring training and and work with the guys. When they asked pointed questions, I try and give them a pointed answer. My stats are my stats. I don't even hardly look at them. You know, again, I tell people that's what I did. It's not who I am. And it was a special journey. I loved it. I did it to the fullest. The boys will remind me of fun stats about maybe being the oldest Yankee to ever record a base hit without all those Yankee legends. They'll tell me what they think my best game is I ever pitched. It was fun for me to pitch as long as I did that my boys all played professionally, whether they got to the majors or not, that they were able to make a comment, you know, just in passing, we might be on the golf course.

They go, Dad, you stood and played in a stadium, and you stood right where Luke Garrett gave his farewell speech. Or you pitched and stood right where Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. So when they bring up those kind of cool things about moments of history that I got to pick the same dirt off the mound that Babe Ruth was a left-handed pitcher from or I won Cy Young's award. It's still my goal to get to Ohio. I looked it up and researched it. I want to go to Cy Young's gravesite and tell him thank you that I got to win his award seven times. These guys would be laughing at my stats, let alone laughing at what the people. pitchers are doing now. I mean, these guys, these guys pitching every two days, 511 wins.

I mean, how did, and then they had a job in the offseason. They're bailing hay and working on a farm. And I mean, I have no idea how their shoulders didn't fall off. So when you, again, when you ask that question, I think, I got a follow up. I got to follow up. And I got to let you get about your day. By the way, you told me this when we saw each other last time. More nervous watching your boys play baseball than you. you ever were for yourself playing baseball? 100%. 100%.

100%. I think most parents, most parents can identify with that. We just haven't been on a major league mound. I will tell you that they are all hitters. They're like, dad, why did you name us with the letter K for strikeout for? We're all hitters. We don't want a strikeout. I said, I got you.

The Ks just kept coming. I started with Kobe for the 20 strikeout game and they all just kept coming. so but they're all hitters so it's it's a little more relaxing knowing that they're not on the mound because i know how difficult that even though will i tell this story this is another stat well i jumped in my mind here cody who got drafted by detroit traded to philly and then philly now he's with minnesota when he was with detroit he got on the mound he struck out otani in anaheim is when Otani was with the Angels. When he struck out Otani,

we got the ball, he had the mindset to throw the ball out. There was an authenticator there next to the dugout. They authenticated the ball. He calls me after the game, says, Pops, you think if I send the ball over, Otani will sign it for me. I go, hell yeah, send it over there. And see

if he'll sign it. The next day, Otani sends the ball back, it says, Cody, dear Cody, nasty pitch. And he sent it back. He signed it in the back thing. But what that did was, I said, son, you talk about dad's seven side youngs being unbreakable. What you just did last night put us in a, it's never going to be broken. We just passed Mel and Todd Stoddemeier. I think they had like 2,000 strikeouts, whatever it is, combined

father's son. You have won. Dad has 4,600 or something. We are now the all-time father's son strikeout leaders in Major League Baseball, never be broken. So I said, you did your part. You got one, and that's what it is. So there you go. Let's go back to the golf for a second. HW. W, I know you've played with Trump.

I don't know if you got to play with Clinton or any Democrat presidents in there. Tell me the difference between these guys on the golf course. Super competitive. And I got to play in front of President 41 Bush Sr. And we're at the Bob Hope tournament. I'm playing with Yogi Bear, which if you know Yogi, I mean, this man has 13 World Series. I think, I don't know, nine is a, but he's got a ring for every finger, every thumb, and a few toes. And so Yogi and I are playing.

And I wanted to get a picture with Yogi out there. So I said, listen, I'm going to call you over at one point, Yogi, while I'm putting. There's all these cameras following us. I want you to lean in. I want to get a good picture of you and I. Yogi gave me, by the way, probably the best compliment I've ever had because he always read where all my catchers that I love, all these guys that made me look good out there,

there's two that if I had an opportunity to throw to, I would love to throw to. And that's Johnny Bench and Yogi Bear. And Yogi's like, he at one point grabbed me when I was Yankee on a back field and said, come here, kid. He goes, I just want to tell you something. He goes, I've watched your work and how you go about your work. He goes, you could have pitched in our air.

And I said, yogi, coming from you, that's a huge compliment. So yogi and I are playing. The group behind us, big commotion, you got 41 Bush, you got Clinton, Gerald Ford, and one other one. And so we're kind of watching them play. And our holes cross pass. And here comes President Bush. You know, President Bush is a lefty, so his hat, his visors kind of cocked like a left-hander wears like this. And so we walk up with.

our caddy and as soon as we go underneath the ropes looking like we're going backwards uh secret service comes out of nowhere and i said hey it's it's me i just want to talk to the president and i looked at uh president bush and i go hey he's playing with clinton and i said hey this guy's not going to beat you today is you're not going to let him beat you because he is not going to beat me i'm going to tear him apart i'm going to tear him apart so he was competitive uh on the golf course as ever and uh so that was a that was a fun deal at the by Bob Hope having all those guys around that same group. And President Trump, the difference between President Trump and those guys on the golf course?

Well, I'll just flat out tell you, I played with President Trump. I played with him when he wasn't president and he's better now. I mean, he hit my son who's trying to get his tour card, who's about a plus four. He's like afterwards we're having lunch and the president went to the restroom and his dad. He goes, you know he only missed one fairway. fairway he missed was by about six eight inches and i told him i drove up after six after the sixth hole i drove up next to him i said 47 i go all right you've gotten better number one number two if you if you somehow have that competition that bet against biden i want in on it i want to put

some money in on that i've seen you hit it i want in on that i think i think he looked at me said rocket he he couldn't even find his golf clubs to play me right now i think it's what he told And so I said, and so he said, what pissed him off about the whole debate was he said, he knew he had him beat in the debate, but he said it pissed him off when he told everybody in the country he's a six handicapped. And I go, well, Mr. President, I can tell you he's not a six handicapped because we are, and there's no chance. So, but he hit the ball beautifully.

He shot a high 70 number, I think 78. And he's gotten better. I'm just telling you, he, every ball was about. 250 and like I said he hit 13 out of 14 fairways that day so he's he's got it going on all right last question for you roger i want to take this full circle i didn't anticipate we would start with 9-11 and it occurred to me in the moment when you were saying this you were supposed to pitch that night uh you took a couple weeks off you come back and it just occurred to me you were there when president bush uh came out to throw that pitch and it's just such a moment i assume you were there

I assume you were in the building. Anything you remember from that night? I mean, for all of us, I mean, it's such a moment. There's documentaries about that moment. It's about that strike that he threw. But I just wonder what that moment meant to you and what you saw behind the scenes. Yeah, point on again, buddy.

Again, you're talking about it. I can just visualize being there. I think after a couple of weeks, we started back up. I pitched in Chicago against the White Sox on the south side. I think I got my 20th win. I think the first one to go 20. I think I was 20 and 1 at the time. And usually in a tough environment, in a visiting place in Chicago,

they all, the White Sox fans had all made signs. I was standing next to Joe Torrey and Zimmer on the line. We all were tearing up. It was super emotional. Fast forward to what you're talking about. We get to the World Series. We got our butts kicked two games in Arizona. I'm pitching the swing game.

It's a game that I can't have a hiccup. I've got to be pitcher perfect. I know the president coming. Forty-three's coming to throw out the first pitch. Got a bulletproof vest on underneath his jacket. Comes in the locker room. We have a small talk, and I direct him towards the bullpen, the underground hitting facility at Yankee Stadium,

which is a pretty good walk. And he went down there to warm up, throw six or eight pitches, just to see if he could throw a ball with that jacket on, that bulletproof jacket. it. And just like you said, he came out in front of the world. I was in the bullpen warming up with my pitching coach Mel Stottomier and I stopped to turn around. We had the best seat in the house, Will, being in, if you can visualize being an old Yankee Stadium in the bullpen, you can see the entire facade half bowl of the stadium. You could see about six snipers up on top

of the stadium. And Mel said, is everything all right? And I said, yeah, I want to stop warming up. I want to watch this moment. I want to take it in. This place is going to live. light up with all these cameras like a Christmas tree. 55,000 people, the president walked out, a place went, they erupted. And just like he said, there's plenty of video on it. He wound up and threw a perfect strike in front of the world. Not just for us at the stadium, the United States, in front of the world saw it. That he's bringing back a lot of peace and stuff like that.

Mr. Steinbrenner tipped my hat to him. When I walked outside the locker room to go do my warm-up routine in the fitness center there at Yankee Stadium. The halls both sides were lined with police off, about 300, police officers, firemen, families that lost loved ones. And you could see the heartache in their eyes. It was hard for me to make eye contact with them because you could see the heartache in their eyes. And we were just playing a game. Obviously it was a big game, but it still was a game to try and take their minds off what had been happening, you know, three hours of maybe peace and quiet

where they could sit down and enjoy a ball game, a World Series game. So I remember Joe Torrey coming up to me a few minutes before the president got in the locker room and Joe, I stood up and were face-to-face called Joe the Godfather and he looked at me, and he said, I need you tonight. And I said, I got you, Skip. And he goes, no, I friggin' need you tonight. And so it was one of the big. bigger moments, bigger games that I had to pitch in and had to win that game to get us back in the series.

But I was in six World Series. Two of the losses were the most emotional. One was 1986, my first World Series against the Mets. And, of course, 2001 against Arizona. Those were a very emotional World Series. Yeah. Man, we could talk for another hour. I really appreciate you spending so much time with me. Roger, I've appreciated getting to know you as well. you're going to have a place right here, as you know, in the Will Kane Show Studios. And he did ask me, he's like, Will, what jersey do you want? You want Yankees, you want Red Sox, you want Astros.

I'm like, well, I'm a Ranger fan, so I don't know how to pick. And you came up with the idea, Team USA. And afterwards, I remembered, maybe I should have done Longhorns, but I'm, no, I'm proud, Team USA, Roger Clemens jersey right here in the Will Kane Show studio. So I appreciate you, man. Thank you, Roger. Hey, buddy. Thanks for having me on.

And we'll be watching. and we love what you do. And again, I'm glad you're home in Dallas. Thank you so much. The Rocket, Roger Clemens. We'll be right back on Will Cain Country. At Capital One, we're more than just a credit card company. We're people just like you who believe in the power of yes.

Yes to new opportunities. Yes to second chances. Yes, to a fresh start. That's why we've helped over 4 million Canadians get access to a credit card. Because at Capital One, we say yes. so you don't have to hear another note. What will you do with your yes? Get the yes you've been waiting for

at Capital 1.ca.ca slash yes. Terms and conditions apply. Reason number 37 why Nissan is built for our winter. Because winter getaways should be cozy, not cold. Kick standard heated front seats and side mirrors help keep you warm and your view clear. That's winter ready. Now, Lisa 2026 kicks S front wheel drive

for 3.49 monthly at 3.9%. Or get $2,000 cash purchase bonus on remaining 2025 models. Visit your local Nissan dealer today or Nissan.com.C. for more details. Leasturn for 48 months with 1,249 down conditions apply. Roger Clemens.

Let's bring in 10 full pat, two a days, Dan, on this Friday edition of Canaan Sports at Wilcane Country. Dude. You tickled to death, Dan? That's your favorite one we've done yet. Roger Clemens fan. That might be my favorite thing we've done on this show since I started with you.

Dude, that was so cool. Outside baseball, the stories, I could listen to it for hours. You literally could go on for another hour. As you can see. I really could. Roger can talk, too. I mean, he's got things to say. You can tell Roger's a bit of a stream of consciousness guy.

When something pops in his head, he starts talking. And before you know, you start at A and you end up on not Z, but maybe P. And so, you know, I think his first answer to me, which I'm not sure his answer, we just start talking. I had like a half a dozen follow-ups. I want to talk about, you know, everything. By the way, it is a flannel Friday as well, our last flannel Friday, with Buffalo Jackson here right before Christmas, tinfoil pat, two-a-day stand-in-and-myself for wearing some Buffalo Jackson flannels.

Make sure you check them out. Good dude, by the way. Hung out with Zan this week. I just love it. Small company. He's been so nice and so great. Just love him. Oh, he's great.

I mean, it's a great company to patronize, forget like. I look at their website once. It's a great company. Yeah, to patronize. We hope you do check out Buffalo Jackson. So this is one thing that stood out to me. So I didn't talk to Roger ahead of the interview. I didn't, but I have texted with Roger from time to time, and I do, and I've talked to some of the people around sort of in Rogers camp.

The Hall of Fame thing, okay? I didn't know if you'd want to talk about it. And I didn't know how much of stuff that I've gotten to know recently. he'd want to talk about. I do think he wanted to. For the record, I don't know. I don't know him that well. I do think he wants to be in the Hall of Fame. Obviously, he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Easy. Come on. I was looking at his stats. Holy Man. Even if the allegations were true, you know, the allegations are like some of the last two or three years of his career, which I don't think they're true anyway, but even if they were.

Like, you're talking about a career. Seven Tsai Young's. You could say he's got three Hall of Fame careers, obviously, maybe at least, at least two Hall of Fame careers, before you even get to the allegations, right? People say that about bonds as well. Right. He's got a Hall of Fame career before. Oh, absolutely. But this is the part I didn't know.

He brought him up. Dr. James Andrews has treated Roger throughout his career. Early in his career, he went to him for a shoulder thing, and then he continued to go to him throughout. And another doctor that's treated him throughout his career. And those guys have now on the record, you know, getting testimony like never any indication whatsoever, not medically and doesn't have the body of somebody

who would have taken steroids, which, by the way, I do find, even though it's not like the most scientific thing, that particular part of it, I do find compelling. Because back then when dudes were doing that, they changed. Guys changed, and they changed overnight. Roger looks the same through his entire career.

You know, I mean, and by the way, I think Bond should be in the Hall of Fame. But you can see how Barry Bond's changed physically at a certain point in his career. That's not there with Roger Clinton. It was always an impossible out, no matter what. I mean, you still have to hit the ball. That's what everyone says. You still have to do the work, you know, the recovery, the whatever. People have varying opinions on it, but you're right.

I still think that, I mean, I just don't understand the demonization of the steroids, per se. I mean, it literally, baseball was dead after that lockout. And, like, it brought it back. I remember that summer where McGuire and Sosa were, you know, hammering all those homers. It was like, it was exciting, you know? It's a dangerous advantage, though.

It is, it is. But, you know, I just think, we obviously don't want them now but like I don't I just don't understand like the whole pearl clutching of the steroid thing not to say anybody did or didn't do it but you know

it was a fun time I liked it yeah I'm kind of getting there too and I almost feel weird even having that conversation because like you're justifying something that you know Roger certainly contends and a lot of people around his career with real positions of authority contend

as well but I didn't you know for for all that i didn't even even in the face of what you're saying um patrick um did you think dan were you nervous as a yankee fan that he was going to say red socks or something when i asked him in your heart who are you i mean the thumbnail of the episode is definitely a yankee uniform but you know it's full um i was i was nervous i mean that story that story about um the gm if it were me if if it were me if if it were me How do I know the answer to this question?

But if it were me, I'm being honest, Dan, I would think I would be a Red Sock. Now, I'm just going to tell you why. I agree. Okay. That's how, but that's what kind of fan I am. Like, you and I, the three of us have been texting about this story that President Trump is going to do the Patriot Games in approach of the 250th anniversary of America. And I love this idea.

A male and a female athlete from every state is going to compete in like an Olympics type event among the states. And I freaking love this idea. But, Dan, you made the joke real quickly, like, California is going to have some dude in there competing as one of the females, you know. But my brain immediately went to, well, who gets to be from what state? Like, are you born there? Do you get to move to a state and claim and represent that state? And if you do move, how long have do you need to have kind of been there? And Patrick, if you think about it, that's sort of a proxy debate for what it is to be an American.

This, like, bigger conversation we've talked about. Um, but I told chat GPT when I was coming up with a list, it gave me, it said, Derek Henry, Alabama, I'm like, Derek Henry is from Florida. He's just, just north of me. So like, you know, I'm, I'm, I said, don't do that bull crap. And also, Matthew McConaughey is not going to represent Texas chat GPT. So I have a whole list that I narrowed down a little bit on that. So it has. Roger, Roger was born in Ohio, moved to Texas, I think, when he was. It was like, I think, I, they moved to Texas. I can't remember what age it was. It was fairly early. And he clearly considers himself a Texan, and he is a Texan. I've been around him, like culturally. He's a, he's a Texan.

So what does it mean? What age of four? So, I mean, is he Ohioan or is he Texan? But my point is, like, so birth and origin story mean a lot. So, you know, like Dirk Novitsky is a maverick. You get what I'm saying? And he never played for anybody else. But if he would have, I still think he's a maverick.

Hold on. We'll get to the more difficult ones. But Emmett Smith is a cowboy. Joe Montana is a 49er. They're not these other places that they stop. Now, Roger's different because his career is basically split in two. The Red Sox get the first half and the three other teams get the second half. but I just put a lot of weight on the first, is what I'm getting at.

That's why I brought the Patriot games in and all this. I just kind of give a lot of weight to where you were drafted if you spent a lot of time there. You bring up LeBron. Like for Luca, I think Luca will be interesting. I will always think of Luca as a Maverick, right? If he goes and wins NBA championships as a Laker, I mean, I'm sure the world will consider him a Laker. But even still now. He's a Mav.

Yeah. Yeah, he's early in being in his Lakers career. But my only point is I'm not trying to mess with you because you're a Yankees fan. I would, if I think if I were Roger, it would be a hard time not thinking of myself as a red sock. I think. That moment when he decided he's coming back. That was a defining moment of my childhood. It was crazy.

I don't know. I think I'd put him like third as a Yankee. I see him as a red sock and then an astro. Like, just because it's like the Texas guys back in Texas, you know? not just Texas where you grew up outside of Houston but I will say in listening to him

and him talking about his kids and talking about standing on the mound and putting his hands in the dirt that Babe Ruth put his hands in and standing in the stadium where Lou Gehrig stood I did hear I feel like

a strong strong emotional connection any one two world series there so a strong emotional connection to the Yankees Yeah, with 9-11. That story at the end with Bush, I mean, that was, I literally had chills when he was talking about it. That'll stick with you. I think you're right. That gives him a little more love for New York.

Yeah. So, I mean, what an awesome conversation. I really, really, really have gotten to, not knowing well, but when I've been around him, really like Roger Clemens. And I love that he held up hook him horns when I asked him which one of all those teams. great answer it's Texas Longhorns that he picked yeah

it was a little politically correct um hey when you go into the baseball Hall of Fame don't you pick a hat you like you go in as

at in football you do right you go in as a member of a certain team so Roger would have to I can't usually you pick a hat I can't if baseball's that way is

yeah usually you pick a hat that is on your plaque but like if you played for multiple teams. I think sometimes I'll let you go with no logo. I'm reading it you don't strictly pick a team. You're elected as a player of a certain team. So it's how you're elected. So he wouldn't have to, he wouldn't have to announce at that point. I don't think so, no. That would be a big moment if he did, though. He picks one of those teams. He needs to be in

the Hall of Fame. We need to get to that problem. House divided. You know, they'll have to write a license plates. And he just has one, it's like half Yankee, half Boston. Cop out. No. It'd be hilarious. What about the Astros? You said Astros should be up there.

Well, yeah, but he won the World Series with the Yankees. When he brings up Nolan Ryan and those guys and what they made, I haven't looked up what Nolan Ryan made throughout his career, but, and Nolan's done fine. I'm sure he's lived a great life, you know. I'm sure he's made good money on and off the, mound. But those guys sometimes have to look at the modern day guys and what they're getting paid, even adjusted for inflation. They're getting way more. And you have to be like, man, this guy's getting $20 million a year? That's how I'm going to feel in 30 years when

producers are making, you know, crazy money, you know? 19709 with the Astros. Nolan Ryan, four years, four and a half million dollars. Is that total? So is a million something a year? year he was making like a million a year i'm sure a million a year yeah and that was like breaking the bank back then career earnings approximately 25.7 million dollars over 27 years seasons that right there that is like a fourth starter in the major leagues for a season yeah today yeah what the fifth starters get 20 million 25 million 26 million that's right that's right I was going to say like you But he did career earnings in one year, a fourth starter.

Those were 27 seasons. Yeah. Incredible. All right. Also, incredible conversation with Roger Clemens. We hope you enjoyed that. Make sure you will. We hope you will.

Give us a five-star review. Follow us on Spotify or Apple. Thanks for hanging out with us on this Canaan Sports edition of Will Kane Country. We'll see you again next time. Listen ad free with a Fox News, podcast plus subscription on Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Prime members, you can listen to this show, ad-free on the Amazon Music app.