Clemens' visit sparks whirlwind night

By JEFF CASPERSEN/Leader Sports Editor

Roger Clemens' visit to Round Rock proved to be every bit the whirlwind experience I anticipated. For your reading pleasure - or displeasure; whatever the case may be - here's a time-stamped account of my day at the Dell Diamond.

3:11 p.m. ‑- Rolling into the Dell Diamond parking lot, I see a small gathering of fans outside. They're probably folks gunning for the best berm seats. Several TV stations have their vans parked outside the stadium gates. The atmosphere is clearly electric.

3:15 p.m. ‑- Just arrived in the press box. Apparently, my name is Jess Casperson now. Good deal. At least I have a seat. Can't complain.

3:32 p.m. ‑- Now I'm going through the game notes. I guess Chili Davis has the most strikeouts of any individual against Clemens. Brings back San Francisco Giants memories from way back. After looking up Davis' career stats, I'm shocked to learn he played until 1999. He even hit 19 home runs in his final season. Why don't I remember this? I could have sworn he was done in the early '90s. Here's the best part, and - given the circumstances - why wouldn't the road travel this direction? Guess who Davis played for in 1999? The Yankees. And who was a Yankee in 1999? Roger Clemens.

4 p.m. ‑- Rudy's Barbecue finds its way to the press box and the swarming begins. Never stand between a journalist and his/her food. Trust me.

4:15 p.m. ‑- I'm told that 342 media credentials were issued for Clemens' start. On average, there are maybe 10 to 20 media folks working a game. It's elbow to elbow in the press box, a virtual who's who of the sports journalism world.

4:30 p.m. ‑- The gates open and fans pour into the ballpark, some running for the berm to park their blankets.

4:36 p.m. ‑- I took a break from the pre-game insanity to send a text message to Round Rock Leader photographer Kevin 'Don't forget the M.' Cox. Poor Kevin decided to get married this weekend, and is missing the game for his rehearsal dinner. That's true love. I made sure to let him know he was missing out on a heck of a night.

4:38 p.m. ‑- My phone buzzes and I get a message back from Kevin. It's unprintable.

5:30 p.m. ‑- Time to march down to the field for a Nolan Ryan press conference.

6 p.m. ‑- Nolan arrives, a little late. Hands in pockets, he coolly walks over to the swarming press and addresses the media for roughly 10 minutes.

6:40 p.m. ‑- Rocket's every step is monitored on the JumboTron. Oh, look, Roger's playing long toss.

6:45 p.m. ‑- Fans continue to trickle in. No. 22 jerseys are all over the stadium and the buzz is roaring at high volume. This is going to be exciting.

7 p.m. ‑- Hearing rumors of a $6 berm ticket selling for $610 on Ebay.com, I decide to confirm. It actually happened! Unreal. Most decent tickets were
going for around $100. I guess a bidding frenzy pushed this ticket up Thirty-two bids pushed the price up 100 times its value. Apparently, this Roger guy is a big deal. I'm not sure if there's any event I'd pay $600 to see. No, I am sure there is no event I'd pay that much to see. Fun_girl2004 has some cash to burn.

7:02 p.m. ‑- The Express take the field with their baseball buddies close behind. For those who don't regularly attend games, local Little Leaguers trot out onto the field with players before the game. All I can say is the little pitcher who followed Clemens out was probably considering himself the luckiest kid ever.

7:06 p.m. ‑- First pitch: 89-mph something from the Rocket.

7:07 p.m. ‑- Roger throws his first strike, drawing huge applause from the crowd.

7:08 p.m. ‑- Bernie Castro rips a single into center field, kicking off a three-run first-inning rally. Wait a minute. What are the Zephyrs thinking, raining on the Rocket's parade?

7:28 p.m. ‑- Forty-one pitches later, the top of the first inning finally ends. Not a picture-perfect script thus far.

7:31 p.m. ‑- Round Rock outfielder Mike Rodriguez extends his hitting streak to 16 games, one short of a franchise record. I and probably two or three other people in the stadium realize this. Roger Clemens isn't out there by himself?

7:49 p.m. ‑- Roger retires the side in order in the second inning. This is more in tune with everyone's expectations.

7:52 p.m. ‑- Crowd roars as Clemens steps to the plate for the first time. Whiff. No biggie, right?. He isn't coming back to break any hitting records.

8:21 p.m. ‑- The game is in the fourth inning now and a base hit by Zephyrs pitcher Anastacio Martinez breaks up a streak of 10 straight batters retired by Clemens.

8:25 p.m. ‑- Royce Huffman launches a solo home run over the left-field wall to put the Express up 4-3. All is right in the world now that Clemens is in line for the win.

8:31 p.m. ‑- As the sky darkens, the flash bulbs popping all over the stands grow more noticeable. Much like a Barry Bonds at-bat during his 2001 run at the single-season home-run record.

8:50 p.m. ‑- Luke Scott hits his Pacific Coast League-leading 19th homer for the Express. Again, there are players on the field besides Roger?

9:00 p.m. ‑- Express skipper Jackie Moore makes a trip to the mound to pull Clemens with two outs and one on in the fifth. Rough first inning, but not a bad outing for the Rocket. He appears ready for the bigs. Moore and the Express infielders surround Clemens. He shakes each of their hands before walking off to absolutely huge ovation.

9:03 p.m. ‑- The media are ushered off to Clemens' post-pitch press conference as the Express and Zephyrs continue play.

9:35 p.m. ‑- Roger makes his appearance in the batting cage press conference setup. His arm is iced and bandaged and he looks thrilled to address the media. And who wouldn't be?

9:46 p.m. ‑- Press conference ends and it's back to the press box. Off to Houston for the big guy. The Express bullpen appears to have held the lead nicely while Roger spoke.

10:24 p.m. ‑- Luke Scott makes a diving catch in left field as the game comes to an end. Roberto Giron picks up the save as Roger and the Express notch the 7-4 win. And, with that, the whirlwind night comes to an end. Almost three weeks of lead-up and hype produced a spectacle beyond that of what could have been imagined. From the huge crowd to the up-and-down storyline, it was a night to remember. When I started here at the Leader two months ago, I never fathomed covering something like this. Dare I say I'm not even a Roger fan. Far from it, actually. But being a lifelong baseball fan, the historical significance of Friday's game far from escaped me.