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How the Hell Did Roger Clemens Skate?

July 15, 2011   ·     ·   Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees

I can’t believe it.

Roger Clemens beat the rap, and it wasn’t due to the merits of the case. 

How the hell did this happen?

At this point, I don’t even mind that he was named in the Mitchell Report. Steroids were technically illegal under both federal law and the guidelines Fay Vincent put in place, but those weren’t enforced.

Do I like it? No. Do I condone it? No.

Do I understand? Yes. 

What annoys me is how he repeatedly lied about it and then had the nerve to insult our intelligence. If you care at all about what the public thinks and your place in history (and Roger seems to) wouldn’t he realize that if you blatantly try to B.S. the public they’re going to turn on you?

The fact that no PR guy relayed this message to him is stunning. It’s amazing how much the spin of performance-enhancing drug use after the fact can affect your opinion. 

If Roger just came clean and admitted his usage, I would’ve cared a lot less. The timing of the Mitchell Report’s release comes into play here; the public has already had enough steroid stories that by this point they’re sick of it.

Clemens wouldn’t catch as much flak for his PED use as Barry Bonds or Rafael Palmeiro did. All an admission would do is confirm our suspicions. Admit to it, explain why you did it by spinning the situation to highlight your thoughts at the time, say you regret it and leave yourself at the mercy of the public.

If I were Roger’s PR guy, I would advise him to admit it, and say something like this…

“At the end of my time with the Red Sox, I took it personally when Dan Duquette and my agents couldn’t come to an agreement on a contract extension. It was a personal slight I took to heart, and it motivated me to prove him wrong. Unfortunately, I was so blinded by my desire to prove Duquette wrong and prolong my big-league career that I injected HGH, greenies and steroids. I put my long-term health in jeopardy, let my fans and teammates down and set a bad example for little kids. It was a horrible mistake that I deeply regret.” 

It’s not a question of whether you care about the integrity of the record books or which form of cheating is okay and which is bad. Things have become insanely confusing now. I’m not sure what the hell to think.

Back in ’98, I used to admire Mark McGwire’s moonshots. Now I wonder if I should admire McGwire OR tip my hat to modern chemistry.

The same dynamic applies to Roger Clemens. I used to admire how he proved Duquette wrong.  Right now, I’m wondering how good he would have been off the juice. 

Would Clemens have made the Hall of Fame based on what he did in Boston? I think so. I would have voted for him because, while he lacked longevity, the level of greatness he achieved in just seven years was remarkable.

From 1986 to ’92, he went to five All-Star Games, won three Cy Young Awards and an MVP Award. It is so rare for a pitcher to be that good that its fair to ask if whether he should have won both the MVP and Cy Young awards, but that gives you an idea of how unreal Clemens was in ’86.

He led the league in win percentage once, led it in wins twice, won four ERA titles and had the most complete games twice and the most shutouts five times. 

Growing up, I used to envy the writers who had Hall of Fame votes. Now, I actually feel kind of bad for them, because there are so many questions and perceptions to sort through to decide if a guy is worthy of Cooperstown.

If Roger didn’t juice, would he have had a career like Tom Seaver’s? Or would his career look more like Bartolo Colon’s?

Public perception is going to cloud people’s judgment. Using steroids to rewrite the record books (like Clemens and Bonds did) seems like a horrible crime you can’t forgive.

HGH doesn’t seem as bad. It’s almost as if players use it to find the fountain of youth and extend their careers. Popping an amphetamine feels like a performance enabler, not an enhancer. Stealing signs seems okay, but using a spitball, like Gaylord Perry did, feels like a huge baseball sin you just can’t overlook. 

It’s going to be interesting how this plays out. If I were a betting man, I’d say the juicers will make it to Cooperstown, but their plaques should clearly state their PED use. The Hall of Fame should cover both the good and bad aspects of baseball history, no matter what. 

I can’t wait to see if the government takes another crack at it. 

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