USA needs Roger

The Rocket is pitching his fourth "what could be his final game" of his career tonight.

If Clemens doesn't help Team USA defeat Mexico on Thursday night at Angel Stadium in the third and final game of the second round, the U.S. will be out of the World Baseball Classic, and the Rocket may have thrown his last game as a professional, again. That much was made certain after the U.S. lost, 7-3, to Korea on Monday night and Japan vanquished Mexico, 6-1, on Tuesday.

But for the Americans' game against Mexico to mean anything, Japan must lose to Korea on Wednesday night. Or if the Japanese win, they must score at least seven runs or allow eight runs or more.

Under any of those scenarios, the U.S. has to then defeat Mexico to move on. But if Japan wins a low-scoring game, the U.S. will be out and Thursday's game will be rendered meaningless.

Did you get that? The US team does not control its own destiny. If Japan wins, we're done. No way Korea's going to give up seven runs to them. I watched the Japan-Mexico game last night, and Japan is still bitching about the bad call from the US game, which gives me further reason to hope they get blown out by the Koreans tonight.

Griffey was joking around the other day, telling Clemens, who was wearing the USA red BP jersey, he looks good in red. Dream on, Junior.

In all of my 29 years of watching baseball, I have never seen Clemens pitch live, as I grew up in a National League town and was pretty far removed from the American League. I should have seen him when he pitched last year at RFK. D'oh! 1.87 is just not a retirement number.

The US game is on at 7:30 tomorrow evening on ESPN. Please support the team and watch it.