He was the best pitcher in the National League last year, with an amazing 1.87 ERA in 32 starts. As if that was not enough to wow baseball fans, Roger Clemens came on to pitch in relief in the NL Championship series sealing the deal for the Houston Astros. Add that to the fact that Clemens is 43 years old and coming off of his 21st season in Major League Baseball.Now, Clemens is wrestling with the idea of retirement. And I am begging that he not leave us.Sure, there are arguments that Clemens should retire this year. I cannot fault him for thinking it; in his 21 years as a pro he has made enough to retire, including his record-setting, $22 million 2005 salary. He has six Cy Young awards, most recently winning in 2005. He battled back and hamstring injuries over the second half of last season and throughout the playoffs. He has young children and a family to go home to. But he still has the goods.Clemens has showed no signs of slowing down. He is coming off a season in which he threw 211.1 innings in 32 starts. Last year marked his third-straight season over 200 innings, and the 15th time in his career that Clemens has topped this 200 inning plateau. Last season was also his third-straight 30-start season and 16th season with 30 or more in his 21 big league years.His numbers conjure up memories of another great Texan power pitcher: Nolan Ryan. Ryan pitched until age 46, a total of 27 seasons, dominating hitters all the while. In his 21st season, Ryan pitched 211.2 innings in 34 starts, holding batters to a 2.76 ERA, all numbers that are nearly identical to Clemens. Ryan managed to keep his ERA under 4.00 for four of his last six years in baseball, including a 2.52 mark in 1991, the season during which he turned 44 and Ryan pitched his way to a 12-6 record in 27 starts and 173 innings. Furthermore, Ryan only put one runner on base per inning, tossing up a WHIP (Walks and hits per inning pitched) of 1.006. Even more astounding is that the 1.006 mark was the lowest during Ryan’s career.Not only has Clemens had a few good years pitching, but he can also throw around the leather. He has made a total of 20 fielding errors in his career, grabbing up a 1.000 fielding percentage four times. His latest error-free season was in 2004, and Clemens booted only one ball in 2005, pulling in a .978 fielding percentage.Despite all of his ace numbers, Clemens has not decided whether he will play in 2006 or not. He was named to the United States’ World Baseball Classic 60-man roster but may not be ready to pitch in the March tournament. As of now, Buck Williams, Team USA’s manager, believes that Clemens is on a workout plan that has him on pace to be ready to go when play opens on March 3. Williams has reserved a spot for Clemens, if he is indeed able to pitch.Then again, an appearance in the WBC may be an indicator of Clemens’ intent to pitch in the MLB in 2006. Clemens has doubts about his health and stamina, fearing that he may not last the entirety of another five-month season. Major leaguers, pitchers especially, have shown us that back injuries tend to remain problematic, especially for players advanced in years.A solution, then, might be for Clemens to serve as a Houston swingman?_` a bullpen pitcher who is able to move between starting and relieving throughout the course of the season. Braves stud John Smoltz and Cubs ace Kerry Wood have each pitched out of the bullpen, forced there by age or injury. Cubs fifth starter Glendon Rusch is perhaps the best NL example of a swingman. Rusch appeared in 46 games in 2005, but only started 19, and proved to be a valuable filler in Chicago’s injury riddled roster. Filling the swingman role might allow Clemens to stay effective throughout the season without having to spend any time on the disabled list.Perhaps the most compelling reason for Clemens to return is his son Koby, a third-base prospect. Koby will likely play A ball with Houston’s Tri-City ValleyCats in 2006 at age 19. If he can put together a good year, Koby may earn a call-up on Sept. 1, allowing for him to play a big league game with Roger. Koby was also on hand when Roger tossed batting practice to a gathering of Astros prospects on Jan. 30th.If we are lucky, Clemens will toss aside his doubts and come out throwing hard in 2006. According to espn.com, Ryan, who works in the Astros’ front office, expects to see Clemens on the hill for his 22nd go-around.