Paul Daugherty: Clemens

Friday, February 15, 2008

Clemens

After a day to digest it all, a few observations on the Clemens/McNamee hearing:

Clemens is an egomaniac of the worst sort, content to throw under the bus anyone he believed might help his case, from his agents to his good friend A. Pettitte to even his wife and his mother.

The rep from Indiana, Dan Burton, ought to be embarrassed for the way he "questioned'' McNamee. The Republican from Connecticut, Shays, who referred to McNamee as a "drug dealer'' and Clemens as "a baseball icon'' ought to feel the same.

Congress, which can't help itself, even went partisan on this issue, Republicans glorifying Clemens, Dems trying to stick it to him.

The notion that Clemens could spend days before the hearing touring the offices of the same people questioning him leaves me cold. Wonder how many autographs/photos the honorable Mr. Burton got for his staff.

If the Justice Department doesnt pursue this, there is something very wrong, given the vigilance shown in the cases of B. Bonds and M. Jones.

Clemens will never get a Hall of Fame vote from me.

Thoughts...

35 Comments:

at 9:40 AM

Anonymous said...

"Never get my vote..." Shouldn't you wait for the ruling? Until then, that sounds a bit like "Guilty until proven innocent."

So far as the dueling liars in the hearing the other day, you've gotta admit that the other guy had just as much reason to lie as did Clemens.

If he can normalize his injecting people with steroids, then it will lessen his legal exposure.

at 10:25 AM

Anonymous said...

Paul you make a great point about throwing people under the bus. At what point does it stop. So far Clemens has had to throw one of his best friends, his wife, his agents, and the players union under the bus to make his story sound legit, and even then it has holes in it (ie: saying his wife took HGH in 2001 but later saying Pettite was mistaken about what he heard in 1999 and he was talking about his wife's HGH use. When, and how long, had she been using?)

The fact is McNamee is a proven and admitted liar and drug dealer. But his story about Clemens doesnt have holes (except for possibly the Canseco party, and that is up in the air right now and has little significance in this case) and has been corroborated by others. Clemens on the other hand cant make all the dots connect and saying everyone else is lying but himself. There simply is little chance he is telling the truth. Extremely little.

What reason would McNamee have to make up lies about Clemmens. The only possible one is that accusing the federal government of coercion, and thats a pretty big accusation. He has lied in the past, but to protect himself and others, not to make other people look bad. The rest of his story is true, why lie about this?

at 10:28 AM

Anonymous said...

Watched the "highlights" on sportscenter two days ago. I saw as much as i needed to see. Not to pass judgement but i knew that i would be that constantly instead of seeing highlights of teams that are actually playing sports right now.

What i made of it. They both seemed to be lying out of there Anus and using every last resource they possibly could to get out. I dont believe either of them so far and i could care less at this point.

Boo Clemens, Boo Bonds, Boo Petite, HORRAY BEER!
(go reds, go bengals, go UC, BOO OSU!)

Mike from within my face

at 10:30 AM

Unknown said...

PD - you're the first I've heard say that they felt Clemens threw anyone under the bus. He said Pettite was is friend before, is his friend now, and will be his friend after this. How is that throwing him under the bus? It's a good legal strategy too - there's no way Pettite could be expected to remember the exact specifics of a random conversation he had with Clemens 8-9 years ago. As the previous poster alluded to, Clemens is presumed innocent. The burden of proof is on the prosecutor. All the defense has to do is provide reasonable doubt. Am I convinced Clemens never did any of that? No. Has he provided reasonable doubt? I think so. I think McNamee's history and track record alone provides that.

at 10:31 AM

ewad said...

I have to admit that I am a strong Republican. I also think that the Federal Governement has no business being involved in this situation. More of my tax payer money being flushed down the toilet.
At the same time I was embarassed by the Republicans on the committee.
A sad performance.
Aparently Rog has donated to conservative causes in Texas. At one point he was considered a potential person to run for office as a Republican.
Both men are dirty in this action... the trainer is no saint either, but Rog has got to be out of his mind.

at 10:38 AM

Pete14Fan said...

The whole thing is pathetic. McNamee and Clemens both looked like liars. I for one have had enough grandstanding, accusations, and denials to last a lifetime. This time of year we should be looking forward to Spring Training and the regular season. What a sad mess this is.

at 11:17 AM

Anonymous said...

This whole thing is silly. If Congress goes after every ball player who potentially juiced at one point or another, they'll be interviewing people for a decade. It's hard to tell who the bigger egomaniacs are, the players or Congress.

Our country is currently in a war, facing a recession, schools are being shot up each week, etc. Is this really what these elected officials need to be focused on? I am all for purity in sports, I'm just not sure the federal government should be the conduit.

at 11:48 AM

Anonymous said...

Right on Paul.

Clemens is a world class egomaniac. Unfortunately for us, he was born less that 100 miles away (we're glad you went to texas, Rog).

I was at his first game back this year at Yankee Stadium. There is nothing normal looking about a 44 year old throwing nasty splitters and heaters by people.

He has cheated himself another DECADE in the sport. And, now, he's lying to congress about it.

Give him 5 years in a Federal Pen. Maybe that'll help.

at 11:58 AM

Anonymous said...

In the realm of public opinion, no one needs to wait for any verdict. It is EXTREMELY likely he took the juice. Just like Bonds, just like Raffy Palmeiro, just like anyone else who has a high paying job dependent on their body performing at a high level, AFTER THE AGE OF 40.

All the clowns calling out Paul for going on record with his opinion regarding this are silly. Pauls vote to HOF is and should be TOTALLY independent of a particular legal matter. Let the government deal with Clemens lying to them. Let the HOF voters deal with Clemens lying to the game.

at 12:08 PM

Anonymous said...

He's got the haircut...he's got the arrogance...the public relations machine...and the ability to look us dead in the eye and lie. Except for the fact that he wears better looking suits, Roger Clemens has morphed into Pete Rose.

at 12:15 PM

Anonymous said...

Roid Roger, Beefroids, Canseco, Palmeiro....maybe a juiced-up Hall of Fame wing can be built in the shape of a syringe, with dollar signs in the courtyard, to celebrate the exploits of those in this era.

Will the let Pete in ? Steve Howe ? Shoeless Joe ?

at 12:24 PM

Anonymous said...

***Give him 5 years in a Federal Pen. Maybe that'll help.***

ll:48 & Jeremy, that settles it. Innocent until proven guilty is definitely the best standard.

We've got folks getting thrown in jail (legal) and losing the Hall of Fame (cultural.)

I'm in favor of a public flogging and putting them in the stocks.

We can always dunk them, too, to see if they are ducks....errrr...witches.

/sarcasm

at 12:41 PM

Anonymous said...

I was suspicious of Roger back in 2000 when he tossed the splintered bat back towards Piazza, just a few months after he had beaned him. This circus will be interesting, for sure. Good timing for this because things are a little too boring right now in the world of sports. Once "March Madness" and spring training start, we can refocus. Lou E.

at 1:04 PM

Anonymous said...

If the Justice Dept does persue Rog for lying under oath, It'll be an even bigger waste of time and taxpayer $$$$$$.

He knows Prez Bush is standing by to grant clemency, if needed, before he leaves office. Texans stick together.

at 1:24 PM

Anonymous said...

Dan Burton is one of the lowest
snivelling reptiles that ever
reared himself up
on two legs to address the court.
It's hilarious that corruption covers
every facet of our hideous society
yet these parasites don't pass up a chance to feign righteousness over a stupid topic like steroids in baseball.

at 1:25 PM

Anonymous said...

After this week I have even less respect for baseball, baseball players, and our congressional representatives (if that's even possible). I think that the great majority of them are lying dirtbags that want nothing more than to maintain their gravy train.

I didn't waste my time tuning in. It sure makes me feel good about doing my taxes. NOT.

at 2:46 PM

Unknown said...

I'm a little hazy on the chronology; didn't McNamee initially deny injecting Clemmons?

I thought the incentive for McNamee to tell the truth was that he was told to come clean or he would have the book thrown at him if he lied.

I also thought that Pettite claimed that Clemmons told him he had juiced himself which seems to corroboarate McNamee's story.

To believe Clemmons; is to believe that McNamme initally told the truth but is now lying; and that his freind is also a liar or at very least has a lousy memory.

at 2:55 PM

Anonymous said...

Did McNamee lie - yes and he admitted lying to protect others, does he manipulate - most certainly passing himself off as a credable PHD when he got his 'degree' in a six week correspondence course.

But he gained nothing by fingering Clemens as a steroid user. In fact it's probably killed his career as trainer for pro athletes.

But the bigger lier is Clemens as he tries to protect his baseball legacy. Pettite is a stand up guy and risks shunning by his team mates by violating the unwritten rule of speaking out against a fellow player.

Sad the break between Dems and Repubs in their view of Clemens, Repubs on that committee lost my respect.

Can any of this be proven in court of law? Probably not.

But good for you Paul - Clemens shouldn't receive any votes for the Hall of Fame until he steps to the plate and tells the truth.

at 4:17 PM

Anonymous said...

Innocent until proven guilty ... so OJ really didn't do it? Anyway, Roger hasn't even been arrested or charged w/ anything yet.
Not sure that Congress has lowered itself to his level ... I think they got there first. Larry Craig?
Agree w/ your HOF vote, Paul.

at 6:21 PM

Anonymous said...

Andy Pettite is the guy that gives credence to it all. I applaud you Paul. I hope Clemens wears a scarlet C and Bonds goes to jail This notion that the steroid era can be ignored is absurd.To all those who say this isnt the governments business...one...its illegal and two....I dont want my kid thinking he has to cheat or use hgh to make it. For every MLB player who uses, there's ten thousand teenagers trying to get to the show any way shape or form. For once, I applaud Congress.....not the individual grandstanding of course.

at 9:28 PM

Kantspelwrite said...

Paul,
OK, I FIGURED IT ALL OUT. THEY ARE BOTH TELLING THE TRUTH. CLEMONS THOUGHT HE WAS GETTING VITAMIN B12 WHILE MCNAMEE WAS ACTUALLY INJECTING STEROIDS AND HGH INTO HIS BUTT. CLEMONS DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE GUY WAS ACTUALLY INJECTING HIM WITH. NOW IT ALL MAKES SENSE. THEN THE TOOTH FAIRY AND SANTA CLAUS TOOK THE EASTER BUNNY ON A SHOPPING TRIP WITH CHAD JOHNSON LOOKING FOR A NEW NFL TEAM.

at 10:56 PM

Dave in Omaha said...

The hell with all of them.

Doc - picked up your show tonight on WLW...pleasant to hear a guy who actually listens to callers, allows them to say what's on their mind without shouting them down and acting like a condesending ass.

at 11:12 PM

Anonymous said...

6:21
Congress looking at this is a joke

"I dont want my kid thinking..." it's your job as a parent to address that, not Congress. If your relying on Congress to raise your kid, then he's doomed.

at 11:57 PM

Anonymous said...

Burton similarly made me sick with his assault and ridiculous innuendo. Burton himself actually twisted the truth when he stated that McNamee lied to congress. In fact, he was admitting that under separate investigations he lied to protect baseball players he developed friendships with.

Andy Pettite has a book out on his conversion to Christianity and faith. In the book and this process he acknowledges he is in need of being saved from his sins and that He trusts Jesus death as the payment for his sin debt. The guy was a man in the face of a terrible choice and Roger casts him out?

Overall, I wonder if Roger will do time and I was ashamed to be a registered republican and see this lot of kiss ups so ignore the facts.

at 8:12 AM

Anonymous said...

check out The Daily Show's (2/15/08)take on this... Jon Stewart calls him "Roger Dodger"...

at 11:34 AM

Anonymous said...

1112 pm.
Glib and patronizing, but wrong.

The message sent by Clemens and Selig and Fehr is cheating and breaking the law are ok as long as our global enterprise makes a billion dollars.
Thousands of young baseball players/athletes are learning that illegal PED's( HGH,steroid, etc) provide a roadmap to a roster spot- Add 20 pounds of muscle, Add 3-5 mph to the fastball, Ensure that accelerated bullpen recovery that's otherwise impossible with the torque from a hard slider. That margin is the difference in many cases. Young athletes then get faced with two choices
1.) Cheat
2.) Accept physical inferiority to the guy in the next locker who now bench presses 50 pounds more, has an arm that doesnt tire, and gets to first base .2 seconds faster than last year .

Superior training separates equal talent. Check out the NFl combine next week. Its not about all confernece honors or touchdown passes. Its about 20 yard shuttle drills, 40 yard times, and bench presses in a minute. .

MLB had a decade to police themselves and enforce the rule of law. They chose not to out of greed. Congress isnt raising anyone's kids and yes while a circus, light is the best disinfectant. Meanwhile, The Justice department and FBI are enforcing the law. YEs, we owe that to our kids.

at 1:06 PM

Paul Daugherty said...

1134... very well put... every once in awhile, I'm reminded why this can be a valuable forum

at 3:58 PM

Cheviot Sports Authority said...

This guy (Clemens) is even worse than Bonds. Bonds denials are not even as ridiculous as Clemens'. The fact that these guys and (many others)used these drugs doesn't bother me as much as them trying to take me for a complete fool. Since we will never know for sure who all the users were, I don't see anyway that their records can be vacated. But surely they should be excluded from the Hall of Fame.

at 4:09 AM

Anonymous said...

For those that criticize McNamee, remember the names Janzen and Peters. Drug dealers and otherwise low-lifes, they ended up telling the truth, didn't they? The same goes for McNamee, despite him selling out his integrity and values he supposedly had as a cop, to inject Clemens. As for Roger, you would think that these athletes would have learned some sort of lesson from the travails of Peter Edward Rose. Lying gets you nowhere. How many people have you heard say that if Pete had admitted his guilt from the get go, he would have found his way back into baseball today? Roger, keep on denying. You will be facing a jail sentence, plus being added unofficially to the baseball "black list". Give it up! It is plainly obvious you used. I see 40 something year old soldiers every day that are physically broken, from training everyday to defend our country, but you continue to throw 95 plus fastballs? Hopefully, this will be forgotten when the miracle Reds of '08 win the National League crown, and Jr. plays in his first series.

at 9:39 AM

Anonymous said...

Why not? If he is not proven guilty, and his "on the field" numbers speak for themselves, then you are voting solely to be a jerk. And you would be just as big an egomaniac as him.

at 9:43 AM

Paul Daugherty said...

939: Hall voting isn't about innocent until proven guilty. It's about following the guidelines that apply. Among them is character. Clemens lacks, in my opinion. I decided last year not to vote for anyone I believe the evidence has shown used PEDs... if baseball wants to draw a line in the sand on this issue, there it is. So, no Bonds, McGwire, Palmeiro and now, Clemens.

at 7:35 PM

Anonymous said...

Fair enough Paul, but if you use PED's as your criteria, what do you use as evidence?
Got to believe there were a WHOLE lot more than your list - only going to believe the ones that Mitchell singled out? Or just the ones that PD decided on?
I think that's the crux of the whole mess - for all of us.

at 11:01 PM

Anonymous said...

Clemens head size vs. Barry's? Anyone have a good comparison?

at 8:26 AM

Anonymous said...

Bonds, McGuire, Palmeiro, and now Clemens -- and dozens of others not yet known.

No matter how it gets framed, Paul, it's still "guilty until proven innocent."

With Rose, we know that he finally confessed to his gambling. Until that point, I supported his eligibility for the HOF. Just watched the Black Sox movie last month, and there was the one guy (?) who maintained his innocence the remainder of his life.

Everyone says things like "OJ wasn't innocent..." But, that's not really the point. The point is that he did get his day in court.

I listened to Sean Hannity last night, of all people, say that he's having doubts about the death penalty. Why? Because he's personally interviewed guys on death row who were later exonerated by DNA evidence.

But, they did have their day in court.

Nonetheless, it would trouble my conscience that I'd executed, convicted, or injured someone who was innocent, because I refused to see the difference between proof and well-meaning conjecture.

at 6:20 PM

Anonymous said...

The Congressmen (and women) got their free day on TV. Beyond that why do I care? Do I really need Congress to get involved to determine if Clemens went to a party 10 years ago? Oh Yeah, they are doing it for the children.

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Friday, February 15, 2008

Clemens

35 Comments: