Liar, Liar, Rocket on Fire
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This is what I wrote on news-press.com on Feb. 14, 2008:
“I’ve always suspected Roger Clemens was among the hordes of major-leaguers who used performance-enhancing substances during baseball’s Steroid Era. Nothing that has transpired since the Mitchell Report was released – including Wednesday’s circus on Capitol Hill – has changed my opinion. I believe Clemens stood before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and told bald-faced lies. Through his teeth. Clemens pointed fingers at his wife, his mother, his agent and his close friend Andy Pettite, who testified that Clemens admitted using HGH. Clemens is banking on folks’ incredulity that someone could lie under oath at a Congressional hearing on national TV. If you don’t believe that someone – Clemens, in this case – could do that, you’re a sucker.”
Fast-forward: I don’t know if “The Rocket” will be convicted of perjury for the lies he told Congress. A law professor’s article in Sports Illustrated details a possible defense that sounds plausible, at least enough to keep Clemens out of jail. Considering the high-powered, top-dollar attorneys he’s likely to retain, Clemens (and fellow would-be Hall of Famer Barry Bonds) could very well overcome the feds’ 90% conviction rate.
In any case, Clemens has decided to go down swinging if necessary, sticking to his arrogant denial until the bitter end. “I never took HGH or Steroids. And I did not lie to Congress,” he said on Twitter Thursday night, after being slapped with a 19-page indictment. “I look forward to challenging the government’s accusations, and hope people will keep an open mind until trial.”
He’ll have to look elsewhere. As far as I’m concerned, there’s already a preponderance of evidence that he can’t overcome. Not only do prosecutors have his deposition AND his performance on Capitol Hill (the latter totally voluntary on his part), they also have another fine example of his hubris, the “60 Minutes” appearance.
None of this is to suggest that Congress had good reason for either of its dog-and-pony steroids hearings. In the first one we saw Sammy Sosa forget that he speaks English, Mark McGwire refuse to discuss the past and Rafael Palmeiro point his finger while lying. In the second one, we saw Clemens and former trainer Brian McNamee call each other liars while Republicans hammered the small fry and Democrats grilled the superstar. The 4-1/2 hour spectacle was less informative than an episode of “Jerry Springer.”
But whether we’re talking about potential Hall-of-Famers and perennial All-Stars, or middling utility players and a mediocre journeyman, the fact remains the same: There was a lot of cheating going on. And from baseball’s point-of-view (the feds gotta do what the feds gotta do), it doesn’t make much sense to single out guys. At this point, we shouldn’t be shocked at any name that’s eventually linked to steroids.
We will never know every player who indulged, so it doesn’t make sense to keep some out of the Hall of Fame while letting others in. And we certainly can’t tinker with the record book, trying to determine who did what, when they did it, and how it affects statistics. (Does it count if a juiced batter hit a home run off a juiced pitcher)?
Clemens has issues to face in court, but that’s a personal problem. But baseball is better off letting fans apply their own mental asterisk to the entire era, and then turn the page.
DS
