Just like Rod Stewart once sang every picture tells a story looking back at Roger Clemens numbers will now tell their own story. When the righty's time was winding down with the Boston Red Sox, and at that time the fans were indifferent about him, he was hitting hard times at the age of 30.

1993 11-14 with a 4.46 ERA and
1994 9-7 with a 2.85 ERA
1995 10-5 with a 4.18 ERA
1996 10-13 with a 3.63 ERA

Then he miraculously had a CY Young year in 1997 with an eye-popping 264 innings and a 21-win season. At the age of 34 he had his best strikeout season with 292! Tom Seaver, a pretty good pitcher in his own right, had his first non-200 strikeout season at that age and he would never hit that mark again. He only had 131. Bob Gibson had 274 at that age and then his K's dropped off from 35 on. It makes you wonder.

As a matter of fact Clemens picked up 162 wins from 1997 on. Again you can draw your own conclusions but this is the kind of numbers scrutiny he will now have to endure when he is eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Whether that's fair or unfair it's going to happen.

At this point it doesn't matter if you believe him or not because only a chosen few get to vote on the Hall so even if he has lost his battle in the court of public opinion it doesn't mean he won't get in.

He will be known as one of the best pitchers in the "steroid era" since many players are under suspicion. This could actually help his chances down the road because at this point it's hard to tell who was using and who wasn't.

I think he will eventually get his plaque in the Hall but I think it will now take a little time. I don't think he will get in on the first ballot because of the cloud of suspicion and the story that his numbers seem to tell.

Where does he rank among the all-time best? I have thought long and hard about this and there is no may that I can now call him the best ever. I think Sandy Koufax was better. I think Warren Spahn was better. I would put Tom Seaver ahead of him. I have to say that Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton would edge him out as well. After Pedro Martinez, Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson, none of these are ranked in order, and then you have Cy Young, Grover Cleveland Alexander and Pud Galvin, Kid Nichols and Greg Maddux. So right now I have Clemens rated around #14. Considering all of the great pitchers to play the game that’s still very solid. Before all the hearings etc. I definitely had him rated higher but as it stands right now I can’t put him ahead of any of the pitchers that I have mentioned. Can you? Look their stats up and see for yourself.