Roger Draws a Walk

One fact is beyond dispute: he is one of the most accomplished pitchers in the history of the game. He has 4,672 strikeouts and 354 wins. His career ERA is 3.12. He won seven Cy Young awards, the last one when he was 41.

He set the record for strikeouts in a game (20) -- and then tied it, years later.

He was once used as a pinch hitter during the World Series. 

But he played for four different teams, and managed to alienate all four fan bases. He had a reputation for not coming through in big moments, and a tendency to say the wrong things.

In a famous incident, his son Kobe took one of his pitches deep (in a preseason game, if memory serves). Next time up, Roger brushed him back by throwing close to his head. Yes, he took the chance of missing just a little and beaning his own kid.

Then there was the time he threw a piece of a broken bat at Mike Piazza. "I thought it was the ball," he later explained. Because we throw the ball at the runner, obviously.

The New York Times has an excellent timeline showing career highlights and legal troubles. The first person to accuse Roger Clemens of steroid use was Jose Canseco, in Juiced, though he limited the claim to "probably."  The book was published February 20, 2005 -- seven-and-a-half years ago. 

With today's verdict, the legal odyssey ends. The Hall of Fame debate will begin anew. There will certainly be a movie, and there have already been a few books. We will always have Roger.

Pictured: Clemens doffs his cap at the end of his last appearance in the 2003 World Series, just before his first retirement. Fans around the park tried to snap pictures of him throwing his last pitch, but his last game would be nearly four years later.