Much has been made of Tom Verducci's book The Yankee Years, scheduled to be released Feb. 3rd, where Joe Torre rips current and former Yankees personnel.There have already been several snippets of the book that have leaked out, including where Torre reveals Alex Rodriguez's nickname in the Yankees clubhouse was A-Fraud.
One of the most memorable parts of the book that hasn't made it out yet is a bizarre story about Roger Clemens, and how he prepared for starts.
The story comes courtesy of Yankee trainer Steve Donahue who told Verducci about what Roger Clemens did as part of his usual routine to get ready for facing the Mets in Game 2 of the 2000 World Series. Donahue said Clemens’ usual pregame preparation included taking a whirlpool bath at the hottest temperature possible.
“He’d come out looking like a lobster,” Donahue said.
But here's the money quote:
Then Donahue would rub the hottest possible liniment on his testicles.
“He’d start snorting like a bull,” the trainer said. “That’s when he was ready to pitch.”
Man, talk about way too much information. That must be why Roger was such a crotchety bastard on the mound. Well, that and the steroids.There's not much else that could shock me about Clemens anymore, but this definitely did the trick.
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