LAKELAND, Fla. — Cito Gaston blasted the Rocket on Thursday, saying he believes an allegation that Roger Clemens played a role in his 1997 firing as Toronto Blue Jays manager. "I wouldn't doubt that," Gaston told Toronto beat writers... "He's an asshole himself, a complete asshole. I'd say that loud, right in his face. It's all about him, nobody else but him." Author Jeff Pearlman made the allegation in his new book "The Rocket That Fell to Earth".... Gaston... said Clemens worked to undermine his authority, once questioning a decision to leave Pat Hentgen in a game behind his back and in front of the team. "He wouldn't (confront me)," said Gaston, who added that he wished Clemens had come to him with the complaint. "One of us would have had an ass whuppin' that day. "It might have been me, but he still would have known I was there." Gaston later brought up the incident with his ace pitcher and said Clemens responded by saying: "'What do you want to do - about staying here or leaving?'. That's what he said, 'do you want to stay or do you want to leave?'," said Gaston. "I said, 'What do you mean, what are you talking about?' So he's a bitter old man, I don't have much to say about old Roger."

I don't know Jeff Pearlman from Jeff Probst, but is there any way this isn't going to be a great book? For some reason I just never tire of "Roger Clemens is an asshole" stories. I could read them all day long. It's like listening to U2. I still like the classic old ones but I can't wait for new stuff to come out. Every sportswriter in America should come out with a "Roger Clemens sucks" book. It should be a section at Barnes & Noble. "You're looking for 'Roger Clemens is a Big, Fat, Moneygrubbing Asswipe'? Right down this aisle, past 'Self Help' in the 'Clemens Douchebag' section just before you get to 'Travel'..." It's funny how his Boston and New York asshattery has been well documented, but we're still finding out details of what went on during his time in Toronto. Somehow during all the time Peter Gammons or Craig Mustard or a dozen others were fawning about how Roger felt disrespected by Dan Duquette and he's so proud that he took his "legendary workout regimen" to Toronto to be closer to his family in Texas, we never heard how he was going behind his manager's back to get him fired. Classic Roger. And I'm now the biggest Cito Gaston fan in Massachusetts.