I think a lot of people started looking at the run support that Clemens gets. I don't know the exact numbers offhand, but I remember hearing an interesting comparison between him and Mussina. I sort of liked the run total that some places had on Boston -- 3.5 runs. Without having any real numbers on the subject, I have a couple strong opinions on Clemens throughout his career. One, he can beat lousy teams and really deal it out to them. When he was with the Sox he used to dominate the lousy Seattle team and some of those other teams that couldn't compete with the Little Sisters of the Poor. Two, he loves the limelight and can turn his game up a notch when needed during the reg. season -- he'll give you some of those regular season classics like the one he had against Pedro last year... but moreover, this also means that he doesn't step his game up for some mediocre competion. I think he must feel at this point in his career that it is 'beyond him' to have to dominate a guy like Fossum, for instance. Clemens, although he wants to win -- don't get me wrong -- will settle for a 6-5 win in this situation, where he could come out and give a 1 run performance. This isn't knocking the guy -- he's a winner, and I'm just getting at that he knows how to win 1-0 when he has to, and he knows how to win 9-8 when he has to. Sort of like Tom Seaver in that regard. But it can give bettors a good chance to go against him in certain situations, in regard to the over or the opposing team total, etc.
A personal note on Mussina -- I don't think he adjusted well to being a small fish in a big pond early this year. He's a talent, and should deal it out come playoff time. He's a sharp guy, too, mentally, so look for him to adjust well and have some good road appearances -- just my 2 cents.
