Calvin Schiraldi

Roger Clemens’ teammate at the University of Texas and with the Red Sox
Career Stats: click here

Breakdown: A highly touted college pitcher who, at one point, was rated higher than Clemens while the two pitched for the Longhorns. Schiraldi never had Clemens’ intensity or work ethic, but he was naturally gifted and threw hard even when it appeared as if he was merely tossing.

From The Rocket That Fell to Earth: Over the following two months, Clemens improved. On May 1, his record stood at 9­2 with a 2.31 ERA, and the Longhorns were en route to securing yet another Southwest Conference title. A popular debate among college baseball diehards concerned Clemens and Schiraldi, and, specifically, which junior would be more coveted come draft time. While Clemens’ stock had dropped from the previous season, Schiraldi was emerging as the nation’s transcendent pitcher. He en­tered May with a sterling 9­1 record and 1.43 ERA and, says Killings­worth, “was even better than the numbers.”

Unlike Clemens, who seemed to release every kilowatt of energy into each pitch, Schiraldi looked downright loosey­ goosey. He was nicknamed “Nibbler” for his tendency to pick, pick, pick at the plate with a wicked slider, and his Fidrychian mannerisms elicited laughter from the bench. Clemens worked out with a Mr. Universe’s intensity, while Schiraldi ate pizza and burgers, drank beer and slept late. “I never put as much into it as Roger did,” Schiraldi says. “Not even close.” On the other hand, Clemens lacked the perspective to deal with setbacks. Every loss, every bad pitch was like a death in the family. Schiraldi, meanwhile, shrugged and moved on.