Before she passed away, Roger Clemens' mom wanted him to move on. Clemens said yesterday that among his mother's "final wishes" before she died last September were for the Rocket to retire. That revelation is the strongest indication yet that he will shut it down after next month's World Baseball Classic. The 43-year-old right-hander wouldn't rule out a 2006 return, though, saying his agents "seem to make it tougher and tougher" each winter because of the financial factor. And yet, physical wear-and-tear and Bess Clemens' personal plea might make the WBC "Rocket's Last Stand." "It's the same questions I have every year," he said during a conference call announcing the U.S. team for the WBC, which runs March 3-20. "This year being a little bit larger, because my mom's final wishes, before she passed, she didn't want me to continue with this grind. "But nothing changes as far as whether I want to play or not. I still have to challenge myself mentally, can I do it mentally, can I do it physically? "I hate the fact that my back broke down, and that caused my hamstring to tear last year. I wake up one week when I was going through this process, and I wasn't going to be able to pitch in [the WBC]. And the next week I felt good enough to go for it. So here we are."