Just like former teammate and friend Andy Pettitte yesterday, Roger Clemens will face questioning by congressional lawyers today as to whether or not he knowingly took steroids or performance-enhancing drugs. And just like Pettitte and fellow MLB veteran and All-Star Barry Bonds, Clemens will get the chance to put his freedom where his mouth is.
By testifying under oath, with the threat of perjury lingering over any lie given, Clemens can give credence to his various denials of using or taking part in any illegal PED usage.
According to his denials so far, we are led to believe Clemens was never given a shot in the booty illegally; never handed an ounce of that “oo-wee” jumpin’ juice; and he never received anything other than a cup of coffee or Gatorade to enhance his 20+ years of dedicated, effective service in major league baseball. Clemens went so deep into vehement denial-mode that he created a website, www.rogerclemensreport.com, where one can go to download a rather long document defending the career numbers he posted.
Up until today when Clemens swears an oath to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” we had no real way of making sure the Clemens defense was legit. The main issue regarding his website document defense meant to justify his longevity was the names connected to creating the infamous “Roger Clemens Report.” The report is from Clemens, about Clemens, using the best assistance a Clemens can afford, in order to clear the Clemens name.
Did he really hope this was going to be the end-all, be-all of PED defenses for the self-proclaimed innocent? It is an attempt — and we have to credit him for that much, anyway — but count me among the skeptics who find this defense to be a bit humorous.
Part of his defense involves dragging other names into the “RCR” — Nolan Ryan, Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson — stating that their longevity is similar to his, and that it is completely normal for a pitcher to perform well into his 40s.
Doesn’t that seem a bit like saying, “Well they got away with it, why am I catching so much flak?”
So, let’s add up what we’ve got so far:
- Accused of wrongdoing, Clemens gets defensive and secretly records conversation with his accuser, Brian McNamee, and plays tape to media.
- Without receiving much backing from the press, and even from his supposed “best buddy,” Andy Pettitte, he takes to a very open, defensive 60 Minutes interview where he denies outright using PEDs.
- Still not feeling supported, Clemens commissions his own team of report-makers (take that, Georgie Mitch!) to compile a “I’ll show you my amazing numbers, compared to others like me, and prove my innocence that way” document and publish it online.”
- In said document, fellow pitchers of rustic ages — Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling — are “thrown under a bus” by Clemens’ report implying that their performances as they aged has been similar to his own.
Forgive me for dragging his name into this but if Terrell Owens were ever accused of using PEDs, this would be his entire defense. It would be labeled the “I Love Me Some Me” defense, where in defending himself, he uses bias resources, draws plenty of attention to himself and in the process, throws people under the bus. (See: T.O.’s treatment of his pre-Romo QBs)
For everyone who wanted an all-out, “sue till you drop” defense of an accused PED user, they got exactly that. But today is the day where Clemens has no choice to tell the truth, or risk his current status as “free, law-abiding citizen.”
Congress has definitely gotten out of hand stepping in on what seems like every issue regarding the integrity of sports. There is no doubt many more important issues exists that they could focus their energy and taxpayer dollars on. But if they are going to go after one iconic figure in sports (Barry Bonds) they might as well go after at least one more. No need to make it seem like they are really on a witch hunt. Just a few Congressional members keeping the system fair, balanced and justified — with no illegal enhancements.
At this point, baseball fans are more than willing to risk a few taxpayer dollars, and Clemens’ own freedom, to find out the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth — so help the game.
2 Feedbacks on "Swear It Ain’t So, Mr. Clemens"
DJ
“Congress has definitely gotten out of hand stepping in on what seems like every issue regarding the integrity of sports.”
I disagree with you on the statment above, when PEDs are in our high schools and killing teens by either kidney failure or going on a “roid rage”, Congress should step in.
My problem with Congress stepping in, is that they are only focussing on baseball when they should be focussing on all sports.
PEDs are still widely use in the NFL, Track&Field, weightlifting, etc.
Tim
DJ –
For as much as we all like to speculate about PEDs, they are very misunderstood and deserve more extensive study… if for no reason other than the sanity of the sports fan. (but of course, more importantly, for the health of the user)
Congress is well aware of the lack of in-depth, long-term research of PEDs, and we can tell by considering how many times we hear something along the lines of “…need further investigation…” following these congressional hearings. People on The Hill jump the gun on issues like this because their constituents get very emotional when the topic is discussed. On a side note, I don’t believe all congressional interference is genuine (but rather, for personal recognition & gain) but, again, on the issue of PEDs, more research needs to be conducted before we can definitively declare them pure evil.
The best argument/comparison to date I’ve heard involves players who opt to get Lasix eye surgery. Here’s Malcolm Gladwell discussing this on his blog –
To claim PEDs are “in our high schools and killing teens by either kidney failure or going on a ‘roid rage’ ” is purely speculation. Kidney failure is considered one of the risks involved with using PEDs but have yet to be proved as the main factor in every instance. More research would help clear bold accusations about their adverse affect on health. And even if they are considered to be harmful to your health, are they more so than “legal drugs” such as cigarettes or alcohol?
I do agree with you that Congress seems to overlook the more popular sport — professional football — when conducting hearings. But it’s because of that same reason I mentioned above (emotionally invested fans/constituents) that I believe they leave “well enough” alone.
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