They say they never really miss you until you're gone.

Such is the case with Roger Clemens. Except, he's not gone.

Not to say he's underrated by any means, but Clemens — arguably the best pitcher of his era — hasn't received the hype throughout his career. One would think he is due.

That is, unless he's about to leave the game.

So with the 44-year-old's career likely coming to an end after this season, be prepared for all the media hoopla following Clemens, just like the beginning of this season.

Yet, a heavy dosage of the Rocket should be had while he's still around, because he's one of those once-in-a-lifetime type players.

Coming back to play for the slumping Astros, who also won't miss Clemens until he's gone with the lack of run support they've given him, hasn't helped get him any attention in what is likely to be his last season.

But even when he was with the two most marketable teams in baseball, he wasn't really seen as a glorified superstar. All anyone ever cared about when he was with the Yankees was when he was going to take out Mike Piazza, whether it was with a pitch or a broken bat. Nobody cared what he did when he was with the Blue Jays because they were, well, the Blue Jays, although he had two of his best individual seasons ever in Toronto.

And while his 13-year tenure in Boston was solid, it ended on a sour note when former Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette said Clemens was in the "twilight of his career." Turns out it was just the beginning.

Why Clemens hasn't received more press is beyond me. Maybe it's because he's typically so humble and is a family-first guy. Maybe it's because he's playing in the juiced-up homerun era, or the same era with a large number of fellow Hall-of-Fame-quality starting pitchers such as Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and maybe even Pedro Martinez. Throw in Mariano Rivera and possibly Trevor Hoffman if you want to count closers.

Maybe it's because he's bounced around so much throughout his career, and he just won't quit.

Or maybe it's because he's just so damn good.

I retract my earlier statement about Clemens being arguably the best pitcher of his era; he's one of the best of all time.

Now I can't honestly say I've ever seen the likes of Walter Johnson, Lefty Grove, Pete Alexander, Cy Young, Warren Spahn, Sandy Koufax, and whoever else is considered among the best all-time, but having seen Clemens since I was born, I would take my chances with him on the mound against anybody else, no questions asked.

His stats alone speak for themselves — 11-time All-Star, seven Cy Young awards, two pitching Triple Crowns, two World Series rings (despite four losses) and he is currently second on the all-time strikeouts list behind Nolan Ryan.

But it's his no-nonsense attitude that makes him the incredible pitcher he is.

Despite being rather modest about his career numbers and honors, he's a true gamer on the mound. When Clemens won the MVP award in 1986 — the only pitcher to do so since — Hank Aaron argued pitchers shouldn't be eligible for the honor, to which Clemens answered he'd bean the homerun king if he were still playing just to show him how valuable he really is. And you thought Pedro was being original when he said he'd plunk the Great Bambino in the buttocks.

Maybe a little bit cocky, as he was in his early years with the Red Sox, but you gotta love his confidence. And though he's been outspoken at times, it has never once affected his play on the field as he's never, ever complained about his arm or shoulder getting tired.

If that's not enough, the way in which Clemens has put up his numbers adds even more zeal to his career. He's done it in hitters' parks like Fenway Park, the SkyDome and one of the worst, Minute Maid Park. He's done it in the age of the five-man rotation. Remember, most of the pitchers considered to be some of the best all-time pitched 40 game seasons. And he's done it just as well at the age of 40 and then some.

All this makes Clemens perhaps the best pitcher of all-time and should make him baseball's top celebrity in this day and age. He is to the sport what Wayne Gretzky was to hockey, what Michael Jordan was to basketball, and what Tiger Woods currently is to golf.

Too bad nobody will ever realize it until he retires for good.

Michael Poppy is a senior majoring in Journalism and Communication Arts. If you'd like to argue with him over who the best Major League pitcher of all-time is, or just have questions or comments, you can reach him at [email protected].