MAILBAG: Sept. 21

Q: What do you think of Roger Clemens becoming the first 20-game winner who didn't have a complete game? Have we seen the last of pitching duels between dominant starters? Too often we see pitchers pulled for a relief committee. Where is the stamina? -- Kenn Bradley, Tampa, Fla.

	Roger Clemens became the first pitcher in major-league history to post a 20-1 record.

PWG -- It is a very different game, between hitters' approach, a smaller strike zone, the proliferation of relief roles. Clemens' accomplishment should never be diminished, and this is not an argument vs. Mark Mulder, Freddy Garcia or Mike Mussina in terms of who has pitched the best. He has set a pace for the Yankees, assumed a ferocious leadership and accepted all responsibilities. We haven't seen the end of dominant starters, but it is different. It makes me realize that every time I think back to the seventh game of the 1991 World Series, I wonder how Jack Morris is not in the Hall of Fame.

Q: All the talk I hear about Clemens being a shoo-in for the Cy Young is getting old. Yes, his W-L record is impressive, but shouldn't there be other factors considered? As I look at the numbers, Freddy Garcia has had the superior year, and I don't believe that it's really all that close. Clemens has his W-L record and that's it. Your thoughts? -- Eric, Seattle
PWG -- I approached this in the last question, but, yes, one can make the argument that Garcia is the best pitcher in the league right now. But 20-1 is 20-1. Still, Garcia was dominant against the Yankees last season in the playoffs and is a great pitcher. Woody Woodward did a lot of great things as Mariners GM.

Q: Do you think Javier Vazquez has a chance for the NL Cy Young Award? He has been very impressive this year and is among the leaders in all pitching categories. -- Joel Delgado, Puerto Rico
PWG -- No, he's not going to beat Curt Schilling, Matt Morris or Randy Johnson for the award, but he keeps improving to the level where he could be the next Greg Maddux. His ERA has dropped from 6.06 to 5.00 to 4.05 to 3.42 in four years. His second-half ERA of 1.60 is the best in baseball. His character is above the top of the backboard, his intelligence, too. If Montreal folded -- which won't likely happen -- he might get 50 percent more on the market than Chan Ho Park.

Q: Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and Pedro Martinez are pretty much guaranteed to be enshrined in Cooperstown. What are the chances of other dominant pitchers of the last two decades, most notably Tom Glavine and David Cone? -- Danny, Collegeville, Pa.
PWG -- It's a matter of wins, and I think Glavine has a good shot. Pedro has to stay healthy.

Q: Several great stories and accomplishments have unfolded this season, such as Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. But perhaps the greatest story is the accomplishment of the Seattle Mariners. Do you think the Mariners are getting the credit they deserve? What if it were the Mets or the Red Sox accomplishing this? And all of this despite losing some of the biggest names in the game by a team picked to finish last by most experts. -- Thomas Mears, Corvallis, Ore.
PWG -- No, they have not gotten their appropriate credit, and, yes, the Red Sox or Mets would have. When Bud Selig talks about the integrity of the 162-game season and one shells out the megabucks required to get into ballparks, a team that guarantees effort and performance every day makes one appreciate them, as opposed to an NBA or NHL team where the cost of the regular-season ticket amounts to paying to watch a scrimmage.

Q: What must GM Doug Melvin do to get the Texas Rangers out of the gutter? Trade older players for pitchers, draft, what? Can he complete the turnaround? -- Esteban Soriano, Arlington, Tex.
PWG -- First of all, they are not in the gutter. Second, with all the kids they have, add one veteran winner in the rotation, two bullpen arms and perhaps a leadoff center fielder, and they will challenge. Trust Mr. Melvin. He carries immense respect in the industry.

Q: Where do you think Juan Gonzalez will end up next season? Do you think he will stay in Cleveland or is there a chance he could end up in Texas? -- Geoff, Stafford, Va.
PWG -- With the economy and other uncertainties, there is no way to tell. I think Juan would like to go where he is comfortable and the money is secondary, but sometimes there are other issues.

Q: With the ongoing struggles in the Red Sox organization, do you anticipate Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez or Nomar Garciaparra demanding trades to get them out? -- Bo Reed, Huntsville, Tex.
PWG -- If the current administration remains, yes. But it doesn't take much to change things, such as no spying, treating people like human beings and cleaning house. The players are fine.

Q: So the baseball players who refused to play are heroes, huh. What, exactly, does that make those firefighters and police officers? You've diminished the word. -- Alan, Warren, Ohio
Q: Calling spoiled millionaire MLB players -- who oh so bravely stood up and risked a small percentage of their outrageous salaries by refusing to play this past week -- heroes, even as firefighters are continuing their work at the WTC site, is as gross a misstatement as I ever heard a sportswriter make. What exactly is so heroic about Major League Baseball players, in any context? You need to reevaluate your priorities. -- Pat Killik, Chicago

For football and baseball players to step back and refuse celebratory activities of any kind while the nation mourned was absolutely right and moral.

PWG -- The refusal was based entirely on respect for those people who might still be pulled from the devastation and did not care if their owners -- who cared only about not refunding their ticket money -- took away their salaries. No one ever said he would not play in a snowstorm, only that playing baseball on a day of national mourning was beyond anyone's stomach. Damn right I believe they are heroes for having the soul to do so. The fact that the owners had business running at Yankee and Shea Stadium was sickening, and for football and baseball players to step back and refuse celebratory activities of any kind while the nation mourned was absolutely right and moral in my view. I am sorry that you are jealous of athletes. Why follow them, then?

Q: I've heard ballplayers mention [after the terrorist attacks] that baseball is not important in the larger scheme of life. Given this, it will be interesting to see what happens at the bargaining table to get a contract resolved. Arguing over whether they are fairly paid in the millions or tens of millions is ridiculous to the average American citizen. I realize this was not a question, but I believe many fans share this opinion. -- Richard Landry, Madison, Ala.
PWG -- If the owners or players association carry out a mudfight between billionaires and millionaires, they all deserve to rot.

Q: You consistently mention the boorish behavior of the Fenway faithful, but no other club. I had the "pleasure" to go to Yankee Stadium earlier this year and was showered with beer and insults because I was wearing a simple Boston Red Sox T-shirt. I was honestly scared. How about mentioning when the Sox were in Oakland for a big series in August there were clear chants of "Red Sox suck"? Every stadium has its share of embarrassing fans. Why just pick on the Red Sox? -- Tim Griffin, Boston
PWG -- Because it became an obsession every night in Fenway, and there were signs, placards and T-shirts handed out and sold that began with opening day. This is entertainment. I feel that baseball at Fenway Park, as a season ticket holder, should be a wonderful experience, not a circus of obscenities, which it became. As far as I'm concerned, the highlight of the season came Wednesday when fans sang "New York, New York." You see, I am from New England and do not obsess about the inferiority some feel about New York, or the Yankees, who incidentally have, as players, carried themselves with unquestioned dignity. Would you argue that the Red Sox have conducted themselves in any way but shamefully the last month? Or maybe you think it's great that Mike Stanley found out he was released with a message on his answering machine, or that this ownership tried to slash the per diem of lower minor-league coaches, none of whom made more than $20,000.

Q: Thanks for the great fielding you have been doing in the wake of the national tragedy. You invoked the name of the late great Bart Giamatti as a high-water mark of tolerance and fan behavior. As someone who knew him, what do you think Bart would say if he were here, in light of recent events? -- Brad Patrick, Tampa, Fla.
PWG -- I cannot pretend to even consider the words of a man 2,500 times more eloquent and 123,000 times more intelligent than I. But every time I heard FDR's brilliant "Day of Infamy" speech last week, I wondered what it would be like to have a Bart Giamatti speaking for and representing us, even if it were as inconsequential as baseball.