Ruff N Tuff said:
ESPNNEWS just reported Clemens will sign a 1 year deal with Houston.
From espn.com.
Astros GM says Clemens situation is 'status quo
Houston Astros general manager Tim Purpura denied a report on Tuesday that Roger Clemens had picked a team for 2006, saying the situation was "status quo."
Clemens' agent, Randy Hendricks, and Astros' owner Drayton McLane also denied the report.
Newsday reported on its Web site that Clemens had decided to re-sign with the Astros and an announcement would be made as soon as today.
Purpura denied the report, telling ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, "It's status quo, except for all the media attention we've had."
"We've had no conduct with Roger's people today," said Purpura, adding that the last time he talked to Hendricks was Sunday.
Purpura said he was told then that "Roger was still in the mode of trying to decide what he wants to do." So essentially, Purpura said, "We're just awaiting his decision."
Hendricks told ESPN.com that he hasn't spoken to the Astros on Tuesday.
"Contrary to Newsday, there is no agreement with the Astros," Hendricks said.
McLane also reiterated that Clemens has not signed with the team.
"We haven't finished the deal yet," McLane told the Houston Chronicle. "We've been standing by. Tim or I have talked to him every two or three days. They haven't given us a decision. They haven't said a word to us about it. That's complete news to me. We haven't finalized the deal yet nor has he told us. Boy that's total news to us."
Still, McLane remains optimistic that a deal will get done soon.
"I've been confident since January," McLane told MLB.com. "We waited on them and they said they would get back to us. I talked to Tim about an hour and a half ago. We're very very optimtistic, but we knew that we have to wait to hear back from them. That has not happened yet."
Another baseball executive, whose team has been involved in the Clemens discussions, told Stark on Tuesday that he believes Clemens could sign with the Astros in the next 48 hours. Among the reasons: Clemens' son, Koby, is about ready to come off the disabled list in the Astros' minor league system, making it possible that Clemens could pitch to Koby in his tuneup starts, either in extended spring training or for one of the Astros' minor-league clubs.
A source who has talked to Clemens this month says Clemens spoke about that possibility and seemed intrigued by it. Father and son have been working out together recently, as they both geared up for a return, the source told Stark.
Meanwhile, two baseball men who have been in contact with Clemens told Stark the only other team Clemens is seriously considering is the Red Sox, because they are more willing than the Yankees to give Clemens the kind of schedule and travel concessions the Astros offered him over the last two years. Nevertheless, Houston is still viewed as the favorite. Texas has also been considered a possibility.
In December, the Astros declined to offer Clemens arbitration after he went 13-8 with a 1.87 ERA in 32 starts. However, Clemens began to wear down late in the season and lasted just two innings in Houston's Game One loss to the Chicago White Sox in the World Series due to a hamstring injury.
In his two seasons with the Astros, Clemens posted a 31-12 record with a 2.43 ERA.
An 11-time All-Star, Clemens has more wins than any other living pitcher and ranks ninth all-time with 341 victories. In 672 career games, he is 341-172 with a 3.12 ERA and has recorded 4,502 career strikeouts, trailing only Nolan Ryan (5,714) on the all-time list.
Information from The Associated Press and SportsTicker was used in this report.