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Clemens may pitch in ’08 Olympics

Agent says Rocket ‘loves the idea of representing his country’

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Roger Clemens played for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in March of 2006.
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SportsTicker
updated 8:10 p.m. ET Nov. 9, 2007

NEW YORK - Roger Clemens apparently isn’t ready to move into that office at Minute Maid Park just yet.

Clemens, if healthy, would consider pitching for Team USA during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, according to a report on MLB.com.

The 45-year-old righthander considered the prospect of pitching in the Olympics when he first retired from the New York Yankees after the 2003 World Series, but Team USA was eliminated that fall by Mexico in the qualifying round, and it was not represented in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

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This time around, the U.S. has already qualified.

“I think, if things fell into place and he felt good, he would be interested,” agent Randy Hendricks told MLB.com. “He loves the idea of representing his country.”

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner pitched for the Houston Astros in 2004, 2005 and part of 2006 and has signed a personal services contract with the club that begins in January.

Clemens was a member of Team USA in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.

Unlike the Classic, which was the first international baseball tournament to include big league players, the catch for the Olympics is that Clemens cannot be on the 25-man roster of any major league club to be eligible, a factor that wouldn’t be an issue if he retires, according to MLB.com.

The Olympic baseball team is composed of minor leaguers, former major leaguers and players who are on the 40-man rosters of big league clubs. Team USA is currently competing in the baseball World Cup in Japan and is led by Los Angeles Dodgers’ farm hand Andy LaRoche and Tampa Bay Rays’ minor leaguer Evan Longoria.

The Beijing Olympics are the last scheduled right now to include baseball, which was dropped by the International Olympic Committee, beginning with the 2012 games in London.

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Clemens went 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA for the Yankees in 2007, but was hampered by hamstring and shoulder injuries by the end of the season and was forced to leave his lone playoff start after just 2 1/3 innings.

The Olympic baseball tournament takes place over just two weeks, meaning Clemens would probably make just two starts should he decide to play.

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