The Rocket Falls to Earth

Hey folks.

I've just spent the last hour or so watching the career of Roger Clemens sink like a brick in the Hudson River. It hurts me deeply to see the greatest pitcher of my lifetime be reduced to fighting for his credibility in front of Congress, but it hurts me even more that he is so clearly guilty.

Here is what would have to be true for Roger Clemens to be innocent of steroid abuse:

Brian McNamee and Andy Petite would have to have been coerced into bringing down Roger Clemens. As far as I can tell, they have no personal motive in lying to Congress, so there would have to be some esoteric agenda behind it all. The congress would have to be conspiring to end steroid abuse by bringing down the most legendary player of a generation with fabricated evidence. Even though I am sure Congress is capable of such a conspiracy, it requires a major suspension of disbelief when the surface explanation is so straightforward. Bottom line: Why would Congress need to frame an innocent man if steroids is such a problem? If steroids really are as pervasive as the Mitchel Report suggests, Congress should have plenty of other options of guilty players to bring down.

I guess the point is that we may never know the truth from a legal standpoint. In the opening statements of the Clemens Congressional Hearing it was clear that this was a case of Roger Clemens' word versus those of Brian McNamee and Andy Petite. Regardless of whether there are punitive measures taken against Roger Clemens, his career has already been marred by the accusation and his complete inability to prove his innocence with anything other than hearsay. A verdict of "not guilty" would translate into "there isn't enough direct evidence to show that Roger Clemens is guilty." The Rocket has spent his career in orbit and is burning up upon reentry.

Why it hurts:
Roger Clemens is an icon. I remember seeing an article years ago that detailed the legendary Clemens workout. I remember seeing the interviews with much younger players who went down to Houston to Rocket's gym and tried to keep up with him and unanimously declared that it was the hardest workout they've ever participated in. That was a different Roger Clemens. In the eyes of the world, that was the Roger Clemens that accepted no excuses, that exemplified what hard work could accomplish in a sport that was beginning to strike down its heroes (Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, etc.).

It wasn't real.

I feel like I've just been told that there's no Santa Clause. Sean, there isn't a man who can magically make every child on earth happy in one night. Also, Sean, there's no way that a 40+ year-old pitcher who has been throwing fastballs for twenty years can still be magically dominant in the twilight of his career. Not without cheating.

It makes my stomach turn to think that when I visit Cooperstown with my father when he is getting old, and we walk together down the hall of gilded plaques that show the players whose careers require no asterisks, Roger Clemens will be conspicuously absent. If Barry Bonds is there and Roger Clemens isn't, I'm not sure if my heart will be able to take it.

Why it helps:
However unfortunate it may be, this is what baseball needs in order to get past steroids. Roger Clemens must be made into an example. Steroids, like every other drug, lift you high enough so that you shatter when you fall. Young players should be made to watch how Roger Clemens tumbles just at the insinuation of his guilt. In the end, the Rocket will retain nothing. No one can deny that Roger Clemens had a certain amount of natural power, perhaps more than any pitcher in history other than Nolan Ryan, but in the end he will be given credit for no piece of it. The reward for steroid abuse at any point is to be embarrassed in front of Congress and in front of every person who ever held you up above themselves. Baseball must undergo this type of painful surgery until its cancer cannot redevelop. Break the game down so that it can be built back up stronger than it was before.

What I hope for:
When I go to Cooperstown on that beautiful summer day in the future, perhaps with my father on one side and my son on the other, I hope the truth is there to be seen. I hope that Major League Baseball will not purge this chapter of their history from view to save face, but instead will openly document and showcase it. I hope there will be an Asterisk Room. Perhaps they could place in that room an iron plaque for each of the players who played the game with skill but without dignity. There I could show my son the faces of The Black Sox, Pete Rose, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Barry Bonds and, sadly enough, Roger Clemens. This would be the room for players who represent baseball's missteps; players who exhibit the fact that our national pastime is just as morally fragile and subject to temptation as the nation that created it. That is the lesson that I want Major League Baseball to embrace. That is what I want my children to see when they are learning what cheating really means.

I hope Congress gets back to fixing the country soon. Until next time.