If you saw the 60 Minutes interview, then read all of this, you gotta say WTF is going on with this guy? OK, suppose he is innocent. This is one weird way to go about proving it.
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It was a deeply strange moment, mostly because it was a deeply strange phone call. Clemens recorded it, and he said attorney Rusty Hardin and two investigators from Hardin’s office were with him when he made the call. It’s unclear if McNamee knew the call, which he’d solicited, was being recorded, but he mentioned the possibility that somebody else might be listening, and said he couldn’t open up to Clemens the way he wanted to.
What Clemens and McNamee did not sound like were a man wrongfully accused of using illegal drugs and the fellow who’d sold him out. Clemens kept referring to how upset everybody in his family is and saying somebody needed to tell the truth. McNamee kept talking about how bad he felt for Clemens and how the whole situation had devastated McNamee and his family, including a seriously ill 10-year-old son. He repeatedly asked Clemens, “What do you want me to do?”
They sounded like they were commiserating over some natural disaster that had befallen them, like a flood.
With regard to the whole steroids/sports/entertainment thing… who cares? I mean really? Is this substantive news anymore? And does Congress really need to be wasting limited resources by investigating entertainment?
Is there a difference between and do we need we distinguish between therapy and enhancement? If I drink coffee to sharpen my attention and you do not, am I taking advantage, unfairly? If I can’t throw a 90 mph fastball and I have a bit of cell or gene therapy am I cheating?
Where, and who draws a line and do we need one any longer?
This comes down to a “he said / she said” thing. How does Clemens prove he never took steroids?
The accusation makes it look like McNamee is coming clean. Unfortunately, it could also very well end up putting one of those asterisks beside Clemens’ accomplishments. Even before being formally charged, we can all see how the accusation tarnished Barry Bonds performance.
The unfortunate aspect of an internal investigation is that the investigator only gets to talk to those willing to talk, testimony is not sworn, and the innocent has little recourse to defend him self from bad accusations. I don’t know how accurate the Mitchell report is, but I seriously doubt it is not without some errors.
On the other hand, McNamee is just one of the small guys trying to get the best performance from the hugely wealthy athletes. Maybe he shouldn’t be the fall guy.
What this all comes down to is who do you trust more. Clemens who has all sorts of reasons to lie, or the Mitchell report.
Am I the only one out there that assumes that if you are a professional athlete that you do take performance enhancing drugs? If your livelihood and career, etc. depend on it, why wouldn’t you — especially if others are doing it. A while back I knew some body builders and they all took something before competition. So, why wouldn’t sports figures?
BTW, I don’t see anything wrong in taking these drugs. Why should the standard only be genetic strengths?
I don’t think anyone really cares that much so if Clemens can just inject a little doubt he’s golden.
Is it just me or did Roger Clemens come off as a real pr*ck in the “60 Minutes” interviews? In both the recent interview and one from a couple of years ago unrelated to steroid allegations, he reminds me of the worst sort of jock a**holes you’ve ever seen.
Well, as a non-sports-oriented indivijjial, I haven’t paid much attention to this brouhaha, but one thing I know for sure, Rusty Hardin, the sawed-off shitwad, hasn’t represented an innocent person since, since…
nemmind. I can’t think of one.
Have you stopped beating your wife? Whatever you say, you admit to previously doing it.
That’s exactly the position he finds himself in.
I personally think Clemens did take steroids, however, that is just my opinion. However, I would not convict in him in a court of law because there is not evidence beyond a reasonable doubt IMO.
What I find truly offensive though is this guy ratted him out for his own benefit, and Clemens, who has been a pro’s pro, is right when he claims he has been judged guilty by the media and to a lesser extent, the public.
It is shameful to me that all it takes is one loser’s comments to bring down someone like this in the media’s eyes.
I think most in the sports media are jock sniffers who think “if I had Clemens’ talent, I would never cheat” and are envious of their talent, wealth, and fame.
Clemems was never caught using steroids and that is all that should matter. He should go to the Hall of Fame because he is the best pitcher of this era. To deny him entrance based on one person’s charge is absurd. If the Hall of Fame is based not on performance but kissing the media’s ass, it becomes irrelevant. I agree with you, Roger. Fuck the Hall of Fame.
All pro athletes are taking PEDs, as Jeanne said.
Nearly all of them are amoral shitheads as well.
What I find amusing is the number of people surprised when either fact surfaces.