ALL-STAR GAME Will Clemens be NL starter?

The Rocket keeps mowing them down after his brief flirtation with retirement.
HOUSTON (AP) -- Jack McKeon, Joe Torre and many others thought the career of Roger Clemens was over when he left the mound to a standing ovation in Game 4 of the World Series.
"I was tickled to death," said McKeon, manager of the World Series champion Florida Marlins and the NL All Stars. "I thought I'd be able to tell my grandchildren that I'd seen the final game of one of the greatest pitchers of our time."
He wasn't even close. The Rocket is still going strong.
Clemens, a nine-time All-Star in the American League, will continue his remarkable comeback from a 78-day "retirement" when he appears for the National League in the All-Star Game before a hometown crowd Tuesday in Houston.
The 41-year-old Clemens is 10-2 with a 2.63 ERA in his first season with the Astros, and has been the same power pitcher he was with Boston, Toronto and the New York Yankees. At 23, Clemens started in the last All-Star Game in Houston, in 1986.
That was when Clemens pitched for the Red Sox and the game was held in the since-deserted Astrodome.
McKeon has been coy about revealing his plans, but Clemens is almost certain to start the All-Star Game over other deserving pitchers such as San Francisco's Jason Schmidt (10-2, 2.53 ERA) and Arizona's Randy Johnson (10-6, 2.90).
"I don't think him being from Houston is going to factor into [the decision]," McKeon said. "It's going to be a tough decision. We have a lot of guys who are worthy of starting."
Captivating story
Maybe, but Clemens' triumphant return home from a brief retirement has been one of the most captivating stories of the season.
When Clemens walked off the mound last fall after striking out Luis Castillo to end the seventh inning in Game 4 of the World Series, almost everyone thought he'd thrown his final major league pitch.
Clemens gave every indication he was going to retire following the season, but instead followed former Yankees teammate Andy Pettitte to their hometown Astros.
Torre, Clemens' manager for the past five seasons in New York, said the Rocket's dramatic exit in the World Series left him believing Clemens really was going to call it quits.
"I'd never seen another World Series where the opposing dugout was giving a standing ovation to another player," said Torre, whose Yankees lost to the Marlins. "I really did think he was going to retire. I bought into it.
"... Then, with the fact that Andy Pettitte was going to Houston ... it made it an easy decision for him to return."
Torre hasn't been surprised by Clemens' fast start with the Astros.
"Roger is so dedicated to his craft ... he loves it like a little boy," Torre said. "I think he's still enthusiastic and he takes care of his body. He takes his workout regimen very seriously. And he gets himself focused before every start."
More intrigue
This All-Star game will have the added intrigue of Clemens pitching to New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza.
Clemens, then with the Yankees, beaned Piazza in July 2000. In Game 2 of the World Series that October, he threw the barrel end of a shattered bat in the direction of Piazza, earning a $50,000 fine.
Clemens and Piazza played down their rivalry after learning they'd probably be teaming up in the All-Star Game, and both managers insist they don't anticipate any trouble from them.
"I think both of these guys are professionals," McKeon said. "I'm sure both of them are going to handle it professionally."
AL manager Torre also expects no problems.
"It's ancient history," he said. "There are more people involved in the game than those two. Because it happened in New York, it never went away."
Regarding another All-Star Astro, both managers believe Carlos Beltran, traded last month from Kansas City to Houston, should be allowed to play in the game despite being voted in as an AL reserve.