Almost Ten Years Later, And Roger Clemens Is Still Fielding Questions About The Mitchell Report
I’ve written multiple times that if I had a Hall of Fame vote, I would vote for Roger Clemens. I felt that way before this past Hall of Fame class that featured Pudge Rodriguez, Jeff Bagwell, and Bud Selig, which I feel like will be looked back at as the class that really broke the wall down for the PED guys. If they’re in, then the best of the best PED guys need to be in, too.
I would’ve voted for Clemens before that class got in, and I feel even less guilty about wanting to vote for him now that this class is in. But then I see stuff like this. I see Clemens sitting there, talking to Joe Buck in an hour-long interview that will air on Wednesday night on the Audience Network (whatever the fuck that is), and I see him still trying to maintain his innocence in regards to taking performance-enhancing drugs during his playing career.
Do I believe that Roger Clemens took PEDs during his playing career? Of course I do. Does anyone but Clemens not feel that way? He’s manipulating words here. He’s basically saying, “I’m innocent because I didn’t fail any tests and I let them investigate me and they didn’t find any evidence from me personally.” Well, they found evidence elsewhere that was listed in the Mitchell Report, which was published in December of 2007. That, and he’s not saying, “I didn’t take performance-enhancing drugs.” He’s basically saying, “I didn’t get caught taking performance-enhancing drugs.”
Innocent until proven guilty is how the US court system works, but it’s not how the court of public opinion works, nor is it how the Hall of Fame voting process works, for better or for worse. In his fifth year on the ballot this year, Clemens garnered 54.1% of the 75% required for Hall of Fame enshrinement. At this pace, he’ll get in before his ten years on the ballot are up, but I honestly believe that interviews like this will not do him any favors. If the Hall of Fame matters to him at all, which I believe it matters to him a LOT, despite his comments in the past that it doesn’t, he should lay low until he gets in.
I’m not saying don’t make your public appearances and stay away from broadcast booths around Major League Baseball. Do all that shit. Get back in the good graces of the fans. It worked for me last year when Clemens got up in the NESN booth and broke down David Price’s mechanics. It was fascinating hearing one of the greatest, if not the greatest, pitcher of all-time talking about the art of pitching.
Stick to that stuff, and stay away from the interviews where the old PED dirt is going to get brought back into the headlines. At least, until you get into Cooperstown. Then, you can say whatever the fuck you want because none of it will matter at that point.