He Became Villain in a New York Minute

Roger Clemens told the New York Yankees he was retiring. Then, just a couple of months later, he signed with the Houston Astros. So what was the reaction in New York?

“Roger the Rat,” screamed the headline on Page 1 of Tuesday’s New York Post. The headline on the back page read: “What an ... “ (The Times’ standards do not permit printing the word. Let’s just say an extra S was added to Astro.)

The New York Daily News’ headline read: “Texas Traitor.”

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Trivia time: Clemens went 24-4 for the Boston Red Sox in 1986 and led them into the World Series, where, you might recall, they lost to the New York Mets. When was the next time Clemens pitched in a World Series?

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Caught off guard: Another big sports story Monday was the surprise announcement that Dan Marino would be returning to the Miami Dolphins as their senior vice president of football operations. That means Marino will be giving up his TV jobs with CBS and HBO after the Super Bowl.

He told his TV bosses shortly before Monday’s announcement was made. Sean McManus, the president of CBS Sports, said Marino had told him he was the first one Marino called after he and Dolphin owner Wayne Huizenga had shaken hands.

Ross Greenburg, the president of HBO Sports, was probably the second person Marino called.

“I’m shellshocked,” Greenburg said Tuesday. “I feel like George Steinbrenner.”

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Sweet deal: Clemens confirmed to New York writers that he probably would miss some trips when he was not scheduled to pitch, preferring to spend time with his family and watch his sons play baseball.

Bet Kevin Brown wishes he had thought of that.

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Unusual sponsor: TNT plans to sponsor Jeff Burton’s stock car in the Daytona 500. The car will remind viewers Feb. 15 to tune in to the NBA All-Star game that evening on TNT.

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The good ol’ days: It was a bad weekend for St. Louis Ram fans.

Wrote Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Many citizens of Rams Nation became wistful Sunday afternoon while watching that spectacular Indianapolis Colts-Kansas City Chiefs track meet. ‘Ah,’ they must have thought, ‘this is football as we once enjoyed it.’ ”

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Easy job: When CBS showed Colt punter Hunter Smith on the sideline Sunday, commentator Dan Dierdorf said, “He gets paid for doing nothing. Talk about the fleecing of America.”

Smith, who is the holder on field-goal attempts, has yet to punt in the playoffs.

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Trivia answer: 1999. Clemens, in his first season with the Yankees, started and won Game 4 against Atlanta as the Yankees completed a sweep of the World Series.

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And finally: “L” may stand for loser, but reader Bob Guarrera of Laguna Niguel offers this list of NFL coaches with names that contain the letter L: Halas, Lombardi, Landry, Noll, Shula, Levy, Walsh, Parcells, Belichick.

Note: There is no L in Martz.

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Larry Stewart can be reached at larry.stewart@latimes.com.