Ex-Yankees ace Roger Clemens talks playful (?) smack to Andy Pettitte, Gerrit Cole, CC

Former New York Yankees ace Roger Clemens, who hasn't been in George's Box since the summer of 2007, certainly doesn't lack for confidence these days.

On Tuesday, Clemens had time enough on his hands to respond to a Twitter prompt comparing Yankees through the eras, and (unsurprisingly) favored himself over the options presented.

When a fan account asked the TwitterVerse which former Yankee they'd prefer to give the ball to in a hypothetical Game 7 of the World Series, Clemens himself weighed in and begged for the opportunity. He demanded the chance over both current Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and 2009 World Champion hoss CC Sabathia. That's fun. Flight of fancy stuff. Clemens never directly interacted with either of those Yankees, after all.

Oh, and he also asked for the "damn ball" over Andy Pettitte, who he shared a rotation with in the Bronx from 1999-2003, then again in 2007 (with an overlapped stop in Houston in between from 2004-2006). Presumably, the two shared a friendly rivalry, considering they followed one another across the country, but still ... the demand hits different when it involves a player Clemens was actually weighed against in a real Game 7 a few different times.

Former Yankees ace Roger Clemens still wants the damn ball over Andy Pettitte

They also shared a spate of controversy over the years. Maybe Clemens misremembered that?

For what it's worth, Clemens got the Game 7 start in the 2001 World Series, cleaning up after Pettitte's Game 6 scuffles. It seems like Joe Torre agreed with the big man on this particular point.

For someone who was as integral to the dynastic Yankees as Clemens was, it's somewhat odd he isn't referenced by the team more often. We know, we know, but ... still. Right? The burly right-hander, who became a well-known Yankee after previously establishing his stardom in Boston, ultimately started two Game 7s in the Bronx (2001 World Series, 2003 ALCS). He also grabbed the clinching win in Game 4 of the 1999 Fall Classic, then famously whiffed 15 in a one-hit shutout in Seattle in Game 4 of the 2000 ALCS.

"Let's see Andy Pettitte do that," Clemens surely still thinks to himself on occasion, based on this public response.