Roger Clemens

So Roger Clemens finally made a right move today He apologized for 'making mistakes in his personal life'. Of course he said there were only small amounts of truth mixed in with all sorts of other lies. So he really hasn't made any progress at all has he?

I am, was and always will be a Roger Clemens fan. That's Roger Clemens the baseball player. He was a tremendous talent, an exciting pitcher, a good quote and one of the most fierce competitors to every play baseball. That same competitiveness that drove him as a pitcher has destroyed him as a public figure. Let's be up front about something. There are worse things than steroids and adultery. I'm not condoning either but be honest with yourself. Are those things worse than stealing, beating your spouse, drug abuse or DUI? Lying to Congress is a whole other thing but I'll get to that.

Clemens did not want to become Barry Bonds. When he was implicated in the Mitchell Report he went into full spin control ala-Bill Clinton. Ironically, this was basically the same thing that Barry Bonds did when the BALCO shit hit the fan. This was the wrong move. I can't believe that Clemens was advised to do so but he did. He went on a full out media blitz to issue complete denials. He was a character assassin, claiming it was him against a world of liars. As we've seen, this has all blown up in his face. He had other options.

He could've taken the very unsexy McGuire option and chosen to say nothing. He would be hammered in the public eye in the short-term but it would've worked out far better in the long run. Plus he would not be subject to possible perjury charges and defamation lawsuits.

Or he could've simply read from his (former) buddy Andy Pettitte's script. Admit to some minimal use of HGH to attempt to treat injuries, say it was a horrible mistake but he felt that so many other players were doing it (without naming names) that thought he needed to do whatever it took to be the best. After all he was such a competitor we all would've bought that right? Nobody would've been singing his praises as a role model but there would've been some quiet support for his honesty. He could've rode out the storm for a couple of years as more information comes into the public eye and we all realize how many players were on something. He probably still would've made the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. And it wouldn't have cost him a dime in lawyer fees.

A couple of other points here

• Roger Clemens' lawyer is Rusty Hardin. By all accounts he is an excellent lawyer. I cannot believe that he advised Clemens to take this course unless Clemens swore to him he was completely innocent and would settle for nothing less than complete exoneration. When (if) Clemens is charged with perjury it would be wise for them to part ways.
• This is America. Roger Clemens is innocent until proven guilty. Of a crime. Technically, performance enhancing drug were not against the rules of baseball, hence they did not test for them. So this is an opinion question about what is morally right or wrong. Therefore we are entitled to be of the opinion he is guilty regardless of the current evidence or lack thereof.
  
• So far there have been no other inaccuracies in the Mitchell Report. Including all of the information that comes from those Clemens has accused of lying. So we are asked to believe that Clemens is the victim of an elaborate conspiracy. Everybody else is guilty but not Roger.
• I won't believe another word Jose Canseco says. He blew his load with his first book and he realizes that now. He should've saved something for future books but he didn't. So he's just blowing air for cash.
• No matter how desperate the Yankees get they will not offer Clemens a job this time.
• Clemens opened himself up to the attacks on his personal life by challenging the character of his accusers. He's portrayed himself as the all-American family man and he obviously knew he wasn't. Being a professional athlete is a job and lifestyle so I'm sure the adultery rates are much higher than they are for a male with an average job. But if you attack others you open yourself up to attack.
  

All things being said I'm not sure how this is gonna end. We won't know anything until the first steroids tainted player makes it into the Hall of Fame. Then a decision will have to be made about how to deal with the great players of the Steroid Era. My guess is that Clemens eventually gets into the Hall of Fame but not for at least a decade. He and Bonds will end up going in together at some point, probably with Big Mac. Yet Pete Rose will still be up the street from the Hall in Cooperstown, signing autographs and wondering where it all went wrong.