They say you should never

go back.

But what else can you do if you want to break Old Blue Eyes’ record for comebacks from retirement other than go back.

So the annual “where’s the Rocket going to pitch up in the middle of this year” has been decided and the lucky payers of 28 million prorated dollars plus a few more in luxury tax is the Yankees.

Was it ever in any doubt where Roger Clemens was going to play this year? From Andy Pettitte’s move back to the Bronx to Robinson Cano switching jersey numbers from 22 to 24 to The Boss giving his backing to Joe Torre to wanting to go into the HoF with his Yankee cap.

Desperate after most of their starters going down with some injury over the last month and a week of the season, it’s time to send for the guy that’s 45 in August and average about 6 a innings start in the weaker lineup National League last year to shore up the starting rotation and help those poor sods in the ‘pen. The guys that started the year so well but since all 3/4/5 innings starts have been so over worked and now regularly give up leads, just ask Andy 1-1 Pettitte.

OK so that’s the negative out of the way so onto the plus side – he’s not Carl Pavano. Let me emphasise that – He is not Carl Pavano.

He may have not won a ton of games for the Astros in the last few years but that was down to their inability to give him any run support rather than his pitching. With the Yanks batting lineup that shouldn’t be a problem and he could restrict sides enough that there’s a big enough lead for the ‘pen not to blow.

Yes he’s here partly for the money as the Yanks offered more and wanted him for longer than the Red Sox and it probably would have been harder for him to be in the same team as Schilling but it means he ain’t at the Sux which is a good thing.

It might just give the club a lift, from his good mate Pettitte to the younger pitchers to the hitters and Joe Torre. No doubt The Boss wasn’t going to sack the manager while the chance of getting Clemens back was there.

So we’ll have to wait and see what Clemens is like back in pinstripes and will he be the lift to get them to the playoffs and title #27 or will he not even make it that far. Only later in the year will we see what kind of decision this was – bad and desperate or good and inspired.

At the moment a starting rotation of Pettitte, Wang, Clemens, Moose & Hughes looks OK…