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    The Dugout

    Read the latest baseball satire from the warped minds of
    The Dugout.

    Clemens' Tale Too Tall to Believe

    By RICHARD JUSTICE,
    AOL
    Posted: 2008-02-13 19:02:58
    Filed Under: MLB
    Sports Commentary

    To believe Roger Clemens, you must believe that Brian McNamee made up an outrageous story and manufactured evidence.

    Photo Gallery

    Chuck Kennedy, MCT

    Five Key Things
    From the Hearing

    1 of 5    

    Roger Clemens' name is irreparably tarnished. The congressional hearing was Clemens' last chance to save his reputation. He was unable to do so. Often stammering, Clemens failed to explain discrepancies in his statements and those of others.

    You must believe that Andy Pettitte's sworn affidavit isn't the truth even though Clemens believes Pettitte is honest. Clemens called it a misunderstanding.

    Finally, you must believe that Clemens summoned a former nanny to his house, not to coach her testimony, but to help that Congressional committee find her.

    I've tried to do all those things. I've tried again and again. I want to believe Roger Clemens.

    I want to believe he got those 354 victories the right way, and as he put it, through hard work.

    There's no questioning Clemens' greatness or his work ethic. In the end, though, too many things have to line up to believe Clemens.

    McNamee's agreement with prosecutors was to tell the truth. If he was caught in a lie, he was going to jail.

    It makes no sense that he would make up a whopper about the man who had helped his professional career more than any other. It simply makes no sense.

    Say this for Clemens: All the tenacity he showed on the mound was on display for almost five hours Wednesday afternoon in front of the congressional committee.

    Story Telling Kit

    Who performed the worst in front of Congress?

    • Roger Clemens
    • Mark McGwire
    • Brian McNamee
    • Rafael Palmeiro

    Clemens never once backed down. Even when confronted with contradictions, he stuck to his story.

    Sorry, Roger, that's not good enough. I don't know what will happen next, but the whole thing is incredibly sad.

    Those who know Clemens best will stand by him. In the 24 years since he first pitched in the major leagues, Clemens has been one of those rare people who did almost everything right from beginning to end. No professional athlete I've ever known was more respected by his teammates or opponents. Few have done more in terms of giving back to the community. In ways large and small, Clemens got it.

    Now he's the latest in a long line of athletes to be caught cheating. Even the denials all begin to sound alike.

    Clemens was great because he was stubborn. He thought he could get out of any situation without giving up the run that could beat him.

    He seems to be taking the same approach the last couple of months. He seems to not know that the consequences are so much higher.

    He's not working an umpire or a hitter. He's dealing with something that could send him to jail.

    Maybe his view of reality is that blurred. Maybe he has been treated differently for so long that he thinks he'll always be treated differently.

    It's important to remember why Clemens was sitting before that Congressional committee in the first place. When hearings were called in 2005, Congress said its real concern was about the soaring use of steroids by high school boys and girls.

    Photo Gallery

    Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP

    Memorable
    Quotes

    1 of 8    

    "Richard Emery (above) just has to quit smoking his own dope." - Rusty Hardin, Roger Clemens' lawyer, expounding on the Emery's notion that Clemens would be pardoned by President Bush.


    Despite all the grandstanding, despite all the television time, Congress hasn't generated a single piece of legislation that would toughen the penalties against people who use or distribute steroids. And don't hold your breath thinking anything will be done this time, either.

    There's some value in calling professional athletes to Capitol Hill and holding their feet to the fire. Maybe their embarrassment will deter some kids from using steroids.

    Back to the real world. Clemens surely knows what's coming next. The Justice Department will look at the possibility of opening a federal criminal investigation.

    That could take years to reach a resolution. Clemens will wake up every day for a long time wondering if this is going to be the day the indictment comes down.

    That's a tough way to live. In the end, he has no one but himself to blame.

    2008 AOL LLC. All Rights Reserved.
    2008-02-13 18:19:20


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    Recent Comments

    1 - 10 of 222
    222 comments

    rightthinker4 09:59:59 AM Feb 28 2008

    Clemens either got bad advise from his lawyer or, did not heed his lawyer's advice. The court of public opinion has convicted Clemens of lying. You would have thought Clemens after seeing McGwire and Palmeiro testify before congress, would have just told the truth. If he had, this whole thing would be behind him.

    giggs990099 11:38:39 AM Feb 27 2008

    clemens was a great pitcher but a lousy liar i wish he would just come clean about it like pettite did. he made himself look bad on tv and his lawyers are jackasses. now that the new pictures of clemens being at jose cansecos house party when he said he wasn't there relly tells the story of the lies. jose canseco is the one who started this steriod show in mlb. so roger thinks jose is a friend guess again.i'm a red sox fan but i still think roger is a awesome pitcher just like pete rose was a awesome player himself but got involved in something that was;t rite . so these players have noone to blame but themselves. so play ball go red soxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

    papam11 12:16:55 PM Feb 25 2008

    I get the biggest kick out of people from Texas. About the only thing that's BIG in Texas is their MOUTHS.

    pmljt78 05:11:38 PM Feb 22 2008

    it doesn't matter if there is hard evidence - this was not a court of law. the fact is there are more credible people under oath saying he was on steroids/hgh than not. in fact the only one telling a different story is clemens. in the court of public opinion it is clear roger is lying and you don't need evidence for that - he may never go to jail (but he might) but he is no longer the hall of famer everyone thought he was. that will be his punishment - just like pete rose. who also denied it for years until he finally came clean. also as some one below suggested, if roger is telling the truth, would love to see him agree to a lie detector test. that is the only way i will believe him.

    beastgodvish 08:06:06 PM Feb 21 2008

    I once met the 1995 NL MVP. He definately was on steroids. His arrogance was typical but when i raised the question of performing under adverse conditions; he went candid and nothing to say. I thought he was a politician trying to wiggle his way out of an IRS scandal. His stepping off the bag made me want to call a balk and take a few extra bases. Big money deserves to give big answers and not the future tales of an aspiring authorate. Bad Drugs are for Bad Players; keep it in play BatMan.

    sbcch2000 04:34:42 PM Feb 19 2008

    WHERE is the EVIDENCE? EVIDENCE? Oh, the gauze, syringes empty bottles..... that came from ? That wouldn't be considered evidence anywhere except in some third world kangaroo court.
    As much as you want to hate Barry Bonds, where is the EVIDENCE he ever took a shot of anything illegal?
    As much as you want to hate Roger Clemens, where is the EVIDENCE he ever took a shot of anything illegal?
    "He said" "She said" is what you've got......and that AIN'T EVIDENCE! PERIOD.

    salvagno2910 05:10:56 PM Feb 18 2008

    There was no reason why Congress should have"investigated" Clemens. From the
    very beginning it was apparent that his buddy George W. would pardon him. Needless time and energy should have been spent by Congress on vital national concerns rather than not permitting MLB to handle its own mess.

    williamlanyi 01:18:03 PM Feb 18 2008

    let't hope the gov. calls his bluff to show it is not good to lie under oath and just because sosa, palmeiro etc. got away with it, things are going to change and people will be held accountable. we know mlb isn't going to do it, they created it and continue to think "if we can wait it out and it gets out of the papers things will go back to normal and we can get on with making $"

    jononmx 11:09:55 AM Feb 18 2008

    His lawyers are two JACKASSES

    henry1467541 11:38:11 PM Feb 17 2008

    Roger Clemens should get the same kind of treatment that Barry Bonds got and is still getting. He's no better than anybody else. Who does he think he's fooling? I believe both he and his wife took the drugs. Come on now, anybody over forty years of age knows how your body starts to break down, no matter how much exercise you get. CLEMENS IS A LIAR AND A CHEAT JUST LIKE BARRY BONDS AND THE OTHER STEROID USERS. WAKE UP. I'd like to see what kind of reaction he would get back at Yankee Stadium. The fans would probably roll out the red carpet for them. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME on your Roger and Major League Baseball for letting this go on for so long.

    1 - 10 of 222
    222 comments

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