Roger Clemens and the power of time

You lose one World Series and things start going to pot. Just look at the Astros' negotiations with Roger Clemens, who said he won't decide until January whether he'll return to the team next year. So that leaves the 'Stros in a tough position: If they wait until January, they won't be able to re-sign Clemens until May 1 — after the season starts — but if they make a move and sign him or offer salary arbitration now, it'll tie up part of the team's climbing payroll:

Andy Pettitte, Roy Oswalt, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman are scheduled to make about $65 million in 2006, up from about $45 million last year. The Astros also have six players eligible for arbitration, including closer Brad Lidge and cleanup hitter Morgan Ensberg.

"We have to go about our business," [Astros General Manager Tim] Purpura said.

Darn tootin'. The team has enough to worry about financially without Clemens in the mix. Brad Ausmus, who made $4 million last season, is a free agent for the first time, and the six arbitration-eligible players make the numbers add up fast.

And then there's Clemens. Yes, he helped revive interest in the Astros when he came to town. Yes, he was a solid performer most of the time. Yes, he made us giggle in those H-E-B commercials. But he's talked about retirement since he joined the 'Stros, and his agent, Randy Hendricks, kept that undercurrent going Monday: "Today, he would retire if he had to make the decision," Hendricks said.

Oh. Well, excuse us. We thought the Rocket might have an interest in helping the Astros try for another Series appearance in 2006. After all, Houston accepted him with open arms. We even let him stay home from work to be with his family! And here's the return:

"There's no animosity. It's just been a magical two years. As I said to the Astros, I don't think we owe each other anything other than thanks," Hendricks said. "His timetable is not the same as theirs."

Only Clemens knows whether he has more pitches left in him — and he seems to think he does, because he's talking about pitching for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic in March. But he's not willing to help the 'Stros out a little by giving an indication of what he plans to do next season. Different timetables, indeed — the Rocket's just out for himself, which isn't much of a surprise.

We hope the Astros learned their lesson on waiting after they lost Carlos Beltran to the Mets last year. It doesn't pay to sit around asking "what if," but it would be awful to lose out on an opportunity because the team is waiting for a guy who already has one foot out the door — maybe both — to tell us what his plans are. The Astros shouldn't pin their hopes on one player, even if he is Roger Clemens.