There was once a time when Roger Clemens seemed as invincible as the repertoire of pitches he threw, a skillful craftsman of the trade he dominated. Long before the steroid allegations, long before the rigmarole with the government and the people that watched his priceless performances, we used to sit in amazement as he sent batters back to the dugout with precise control and a sniper’s accuracy.
Now, Clemens is no more than a fraudulent punk. His ticket to the Hall of Fame expired. Clemens is just another "great" destined to fade into the sunset, a broken man whose words mean about as much as the statistics he compiled.
The circus that has become Clemens’ routine of clearing his once prestigious name has ruined him more than the allegations themselves. Yet he pleads on, that at no point in his career did he take any performance-enhancing substances to elevate himself to elite status. He claims he is all natural, like he is part of the health food section at the local grocery store.
Do you think we are dense in the head Clemens? Is all the money we allowed you to make not enough for you to just admit that you are not what the 354 wins, 4,672 strikeouts, 3.12 ERA and seven CY Young Awards say you are.
Our justice system claims one is innocent until proven guilty and that seems fair. Maybe you haven’t been found 100 percent guilty yet, but what our justice system doesn’t account for is the common sense and intelligence of the people it protects. We have the right to opinion, and in our minds Clemens is no better than expired milk.
Yet he has the fortitude to question our very intelligence, as if to say ‘America, I am above you and I will get what I want, because I am Roger "Rocket" Clemens.’ If that isn’t enough, he will continue to attack, now with subpoenas to all the people who he says "lied" that he took performance-enhancing substances. This suggests that your trainer Brian McNamee and Andy Pettitte, his workout partner, are both delusional and can’t possibly be telling the truth. Although McNamee insists he injected Clemens multiple times.
This isn’t a poker game, Rocket. They aren’t bluffing their chip stacks away. They would be bluffing their freedom. Maybe you think you’re calling their bluffs by bluffing yourself, but keep in mind your bronze statue in Cooperstown will be replaced by an orange jumpsuit.
The numbers won’t mean as much as your stats once did. But instead they will be your new identity as an inmate in the federal prison system. Numbers that will rot you away as your lies are doing. So enjoy life as an inmate. A small vacation to reality might be just what the doctor ordered.
