Mr. Clemens goes to Washington
By Tom Grout
February 13, 2008
Today Roger Clemens meets publicly with Congress about his use or non use of steroids. I realize the Clemens issue is starting to get a little tiring but sports news is a little slow lately. The Wild is still hanging in there and unless they have a total collapse they will make the playoffs. The Timberwolves are playing better but still coming up short and the Twins are about to start spring training. The Gopher hockey team has been a little disappointing and the Gopher men’s and women’ basketball teams may actually make the NCAA tournament.
So the news today is Clemens and his appearance in Congress. This story has become kind of a soap opera, a bad soap opera. With the Hollywood writers on strike it’s like some producer dug deep in his files to find that old script that they didn’t like but now are forced to use it.
I agree that this issue needs to be looked into but I’m not sure Congress is the place to do it. I’m not saying that Congress shouldn’t look into this; it’s just that when they do it is just a fiasco. It’s just that most of the congressmen and women don’t have a clue about baseball. Some of the questions they ask can really show their ignorance on the subject, but hey, that’s our government at work.
Today I’m not going into the details of the case because we have really heard enough. Yes more evidence may be produced to prove whatever it is that it will prove and maybe by the time this is all over we will know if Clemens did shoot up or not.
The topic today is, as fans, are we more upset that Clemens may have lied to us about using steroids than we are upset about him actually using them.
After the Mitchell report came out and said Andy Pettitte was on the list, Pettitte came out right away and said that the Mitchell report was right. Brian MacNamee told the truth about him and he was sorry and it only happened twice as he was trying to recover from injury. Now as a fan I hear this and I understand why he would do what he did and I appreciate the fact that he admitted it and the forgiving process started and ended quickly.
But it’s the Clemen’s and the Bond’s and the McGwire’s that make me a little sick and unforgiving. Back when most of these guys were on the juice not much was really known about the side effects and all that and apparently a lot of players were doing it so why not me sort of thing. Why can’t these guys come out and say they did it, were not proud of it, we are sorry, and I didn’t know it was that wrong.
It’s like when your kids do something wrong and they don’t fess up to it right away. You are sometimes more mad at them for lying to you than you are about what they did.
Now Clemens and Bonds have taken their lying up a level. If they are caught now it isn’t just the fans they will disappoint, they could face jail time and big fines.
Really, to me it’s not about taking the “roids”, I understand what it’s like to want to be able to compete better. I understand that a person can do something stupid on his way to be a better player or to recover from an injury. With the kind of money these guys make it makes it even more understandable. But please, don’t lie to me about it. Tell me the truth and I will be more willing to forgive and then we can all go on again. With forgiveness their will eventually become forgetfulness and their careers will then be looked at differently than it will if they lie about it.
I know it hasn’t been easy for some of these guys to admit what they did. The media blasts them for not saying anything and defending themselves and then when they do the blast them for the way they are going about it.
Again, for me, who I consider a normal fan, don’t lie and I will be a whole lot easier on you.
I would like to know if I am the only one out there who considers the lying about it worse than the crime in this case. Please, readers out there share your opinions because I would really like to know what other people think.
I watched some of the Clemens testimony this morning and I came away from it with three thoughts:
1) This trainer is a sleaze. He acted like it, and what normal person would think of saving syringes, etc. for use later, can anyone say blackmail? He also implicates Clemen's wife. He doesn't deserve much respect at all.
2) I don't believe Clemens either. A famous quote goes something like, "he doth deny too much!", (as you can tell, literature is not my strength). He was way too sure of himself. He's playing a dangerous game, if they prove he's lying, he can go to jail! With the example Bonds set, what's he thinking? If they don't prove he's lying, he's still harmed. He would've been smarter to say that he tried it a couple times but didn't continue with it. Then the trainer would've been the one to prove he wasn't lying and Clemens wouldn't face jail time and maybe wouldn't have his record smeared as much.
3) What's congress doing getting involved? They have an approval rating below 20% and for them to accuse others of lying is like the pot calling the kettle black! They must have better things to do although, as long as they are worried about baseball, they aren't sticking their hands in my pockets. Maybe it isn't so bad afterall.
Overall, it's a pathetic situation.
Ranbars --
Couldn't agree with you more. I caught part of the testimony over lunch.
1) "Sleaze" is a graciously gentle word for that trainer. Turns out he was holding himself out as a doctor, based on some mail-order phd diploma. Wow. Who really does that?
2. Clemons seems like the poker player who is all in with nothing in his hand. All bluff, but has not other option than to play it out.
3. Congress - you bet! New projections are for a 400+ billion dollar deficit for FY 09; Iraq & Afghanistan are sucking up kids lives and a billion dollars a week; bridges are falling, the levees can't hold, Swift-boating and water-boarding, Guantanamo, 46 million with no health coverage, Dick Cheney to be impeached.
It's also easier to forgive Andy Pettitte because as good of a pitcher that he was he most definitely wasn't the best of his time and his using didn’t have the effect on history that Bonds' or Clemens' did. It's not like Andy Pettitte broke the all-time homerun record, made the top ten for most wins, or finished his career 2nd all time in strike outs.
475 -- good point. And we seem to forgive Dan Nulty. His mea culpa was the best so far. But these guys apologized. Nulty certainly seemed to be sorry not just for getting caught but for taking the performance enhancers which he himself called cheating.
Question -- why is it that we need something more from these players than their best efforts on the field? Why is it that we feel they have to "convince us" or apologize to us? Seems to me like a guy has to make right with his spouse, his family and his team. Maybe the hometown fans. AFter that, what? There is a sense that Clemons, who never played in Minnesota owes something to us Minnesotans. Why is that?
I don't feel Clemens owes me anything because I am a Minnesotan, I feel as a baseball fan he owes me the truth. Whether he is sorry about what he did doesn't really matter, just the truth.
Tom --
Yes, but why?
BTW -- when are we getting your take on the Levon Hernandez signing? Can't wait.
I suppose in reality he doesn't owe anybody anything. I am just a baseball fan which is short for fanatic and I'm not the only one out there. I like the history of the game and all I want is the truth whether it is good or bad. Clemens ranks high in the all time stats and I would like to know what kind of help, either legal or illegal, he got to achieve those stats. Then, and just for myself, can deterine his place in baseball history.
Tom after playing baseball with you for a couple of years and playing aginst you also, I know how passionate you are about the game. I am sad to see all of this happen to a guy that I looked up to and loved to watch play the game. I hope to see him come out of all of this and still be respected by the people who watched him play. He seems like a nice guy but he does owe the fans somthing I will give you that.
I caught some of that fiasco during news casts. I have a suggestion. Stop all this nonsense and throw both of those guys in jail for a while. Neither one of them can tell the truth, and I guess Clemens can't speak very clearly because Pettitte "misheard" him. Let's see if 6 months in the big house will help.
I used to think Clemens was what baseball stood for. I did idolize him and yes, I tried to throw like him. If he would have just admitted to his mistakes like others have, I probably would have felt cheated, but also probably would have forgiven him. Now after this, I think he's a big whiner and thinks of himself being bigger than the game. He's dug himself such a hole, that now he cannot admit that he did steroids. It's too late. It's sad to see that a hero was never a hero, he was a jerk in a uniform the whole time.
After a day to think alittle more on the subject, I can't see why Clemens has taken this all or nothing stance. He could have admitted he took a couple shots and we'd have all said that although he cheated, it probably wasn't responsible for his great success. He wouldn't have had to worry about jail, he probably could have kept his records, and he wouldn't have had to embarass himself in front of a bunch of blithering fools that we call legislators. Even if he's innocent, that trainer has had years to doctor his evidence to fit his needs and Clemens wouldn't be able to beat him. I suppose that trainer has immunity but he should be in jail now. He should be warming up the toilet seat for Mr. Clemens based on the way he's going. And, BTW Tom, I'm also curious to hear what you think about our new Twins pitcher.
Randy, You just got my point. If Clemens would have come clean right away I think the majority of people would have eventually forgiven him and he would still be in contention for the Hall of Fame. By doing what he is doing he is just digging his own grave. Friday I will comment on Livan along with one more comment on Clemens now that I have heard what went on at the congressional meeting. I wrote this the morning before.
Post a comment