Feb 14 2008
Okay, Let’s Just All Take A Deep Breath And Get Some Perspective
Roger Clemens is a dick. He’s been a dick his whole career, from cursing at umpires at self-righteous umpires to throwing broken bats at homosexual catchers. This is not news. I mean, he’s from Texas.
And yet, during these last few weeks of the steroid controversy culminating in a Congressional hearing that that had dubiously Hollywood-like highlights, everyone seems to have just realized that Roger Clemens isn’t a nice guy. This must be it. Why else would fans everywhere be focusing on him and only him, gladly neglecting to blame anyone else involved? The trainers? The managers? Bud Selig?
Don’t get me wrong. Obviously, Clemens and McGwire and Pettite and all the other names in the Mitchell report will forever be tainted in my book. But if practically everyone was on the juice, it seems to me we should be focused on those who were able to succeed without cheating. At the very least, we should understand that the players are the ones being thrown under the bus by those with a lot more protection and a lot more to protect. MLB was absolutely complicit in the birth and growth of the steroid era, whether Selig and Sen. Mitchell will admit it or not. If you don’t think this is true, I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
So take a breath, and get some perspective before you go riding off on your high horse, denouncing guys like Roger Clemens, mere pawns in this whole charade. To put it another way, he’s a dick, but not as big a dick as you think.
2 Responses to “Okay, Let’s Just All Take A Deep Breath And Get Some Perspective”
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The difference between Roger and Pettite, Knoblauch, and the others is that Roger is the only one denying he took ‘roids/HGH. The American public, despite its many shortcomings, has shown time and time again it will forgive almost anyone of almost anything (short of murder/rape) if they are forthright and honest. Pettite will likely get into the hall because of his play but also because he was honest and said he used HGH to heal. Those that have stood in defiance of overwhelming evidence (Rocket, Bonds, McGwire, etc.) will forever be banished to the realm cheater and liar.
Clearly Rocket didn’t get the memo that a simple admission of guilt would set him free from the wrath of the American public and the American government (however that is now not true since he has likely perjured himself).
How many besides me have already accepted the fact that Andy Pettite was involved in this, and almost feel bad for him getting mixed up in the whole thing? If you’re like me, you respect Andy for coming out and basically saying, “Hey, yeah, I did it. It was a bad idea and I feel bad about it and should never have got mixed up with this stuff in the first place.”
Compare that with Rocket who has denied everything since day one, in the face of overwhelming evidence.
Don’t get me wrong, who didn’t enjoy the late 90’s and early 00’s where even your grandmother could hit 50 bombs, drive in 120, and not even be in the MVP race?
While this was probably some of the most exciting baseball we have seen in a while, I think the American public has an interesting relationship with cheating in sports.
While we all say we don’t like juiced up players, videotaping opposing teams, etc., ultimately I think people just want to be entertained and Americans like winners.
I would even go so far as to say that winning at any cost is an inherently American trait and I don’t see that changing any time soon.