Tell The Truth – It’s Not Rocket Science

Three years ago, Roger Clemens was considered an automatic first ballot hall of famer. Clemens was remembered as the 300-game winner, the ace who led the New York Yankees to back-to-back World Series’ wins in 1999 and 2000. Clemens’ was a clean-cut guy, the friendly Texan who seemingly got better with age. But fast-forward to December 13, 2007, the day “The Rocket’s” legacy was altered forever; the day the 409 page Mitchell Report was released, bearing the name Roger Clemens, alleged steroid user.

Throughout his career, Clemens was a bona fide powerhouse. Every time he stepped up to the mound, he had one intention only: to dominate. His statistical achievements match up with some of the greatest pitchers of all time, like Nolan Ryan, Warren Spahn, and Steve Carlton. Clemens was an eleven time all star, wining a record seven Cy young awards and amassing 4,672 strikeouts, the third most of all time. He was also named to the highly esteemed All-Century Team in 1999.

 After winning two World Series championships with the New York Yankees, Clemens decided to move to his hometown Houston Astros’ for the twilight of his career. While with the Astros’ for three years, Clemens seemingly put the entire state of Houston on his back, electrifying Minute Maid Park night after night with incredible performances. His 2004 season turned to be one of his best. At age 42, he went 18-4, dominating the National League on his way to his record seventh Cy young award. Clemens also helped the Astros’ reach the World Series’ for the first time in the franchise’ history in 2005.

While Clemens’ success was applauded and greatly appreciated throughout Houston, there was something a little odd about it. Pitching into one’s forties is a feat rarely accomplished in baseball; Roger did that and pitched just as good, maybe even better than he had earlier in his career. Speculation first arose when former player Jason Grimsley named Clemens’ as a known steroid user. The Rocket was also accused of illegal drug use by known steroid abuser Jose Canseco. Finally, on December 13, 2007, Senator George Mitchell named Roger Clemens’ as one of several MLB players that had allegedly used illegal performance enhancing drugs. Trying to protect his celebrated legacy, Clemens immediately denied the allegations. But as more and more convincing evidence was amassed, it was clear that the great Clemens’ was nothing more than a cheat. 

Clemens’ former trainer, Brian McNamee, had revealed in the Mitchell Report that he had injected Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch, and Clemens with performance enhancing drugs. While Pettitte and Knoblauch have both confirmed this, Clemens has not. On January 6, 2008, Clemens told 60 minute’s Mike Wallace that his great success was a result of hard work, rather than drug use. Obsessed with clearing his name, Clemens swore under oath to Congress that he had never used steroids or any performance enhancing drugs. The House committee in front of which Clemens’ appeared cited seven apparent inconsistencies in his testimony and on August 19, 2010, he was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of making false statements to Congress about his use of performance enhancing drugs.

Roger Clemens is a mess; his legacy is in shambles. The once proud baseball icon is now known as a pathetic, arrogant liar. He has disgraced the sport that made him famous, and has insulted the intelligence of every baseball fan that has ever followed him. To this day he still denies any use of steroids, although there is a staggering amount of evidence blatantly indicating otherwise. While his actions have robbed him of any dignity or respect he had left, he still has the opportunity to talk himself out of one more predicament: jail time. All he has to do is tell the truth. C’mon Roger, it’s not Rocket Science.

Understanding Alex Rodriguez

Written in May 2010

Who is Alex Rodriguez? A genuine baseball lover, or a slimy, greedy, selfish jerk? One thing for is sure though. He is wealthy. The $252million man, well, now $275million man, is set for life financially, and probably for another two hundred lives. However, the chances of the legacy Rodriguez leaves behind being set as comfortably as his wallet are more questionable.

Fans from opposing teams disliking other players are common. Especially for good players, and in the case of Alex Rodriguez, the youngest player to hit 500 home runs in major league baseball history, and the wealthiest man in baseball, some sort of resentment from fans has always been prevalent. But when fans start to boo their own players, it is obvious there is a huge problem. So when Alex Rodriguez, the sure fire hall of famer, hit .133 and .071 in the 2005 and 2006 playoffs, respectively, Yankees fans began to become annoyed and frustrated. The Yankees represent baseball greatness, an elite, championship winning machine. So when the best player in baseball came to the Yankees, and suddenly, stopped playing like he had his whole career once the playoffs came around, they began to become annoyed and frustrated. A-Rod’s first five seasons in the Bronx were ugly, with constant struggle and urgency among the fan’s relationship with Rodriguez. Still, A-Rod continued to make his money, and was still an exceptional player in the regular season, winning the 2005 and 2007 MVP’s.

In December of 2007, while in the process of creeping up on Barry Bonds’ all time home run record, Rodriguez was interviewed on 60 minutes with Katie Couric, where they spoke on a broad variety of subjects, including Rodriguez’ career, future, and most of all, steroid use in baseball. When asked if he was among the many baseball players that had used PED’s, Rodriguez replied, "No. I've never felt overmatched on the baseball field. I've always been a very strong, dominant position. And I felt that if I did my work as I've done since I was, you know, a rookie back in Seattle, I didn't have a problem competing at any level. So, no,"

So upon the announcement that Rodriguez had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, it’s safe to say that the foundation of the baseball world was shaken. On February 7, 2009, Selena Roberts broke the story that Rodriguez had tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003, the same year he won the MVP with the Texas Rangers and hit 47 home runs. This devastated even those jealous of Rodriguez’s accomplishments, as even they wanted to see Rodriguez, a clean, steroids free baseball players pass the ultimate baseball villain Barry Bonds on the all time home runs list. A-Rod was supposed to be MLB’s “clean savior,” to wipe the history’s book clean of Bonds’ contaminated record and the evil era of illegal drug use which he represents. The revelation of Rodriguez’ steroids abuse not only damaged the future potential clean slate for baseball, but also pierced a hole in Rodriguez’s personal legacy.

Many thought that the combination truth of his steroid use becoming common knowledge, his constant ineffectiveness in clutch, playoff situations, and the revelation that he had a torn labrum in his hip that required surgery, would be the end of Alex Rodriguez, or at least Rodriguez as a productive baseball player. But against all the critics’ condemnations, Rodriguez came back, and came back with a bang. In his first at-bat of the season, Rodriguez hit a home run on the first pitch he saw. And from then on, all Rodriguez did was hit. He led the Yankees into the playoffs, and once there, he finally, finally hit home runs. He hit home run, after home run, after home run, and the Yankees went onto to win the 2009 World Series. Rodriguez had finally proved the critics wrong, and won the World Series, attaining a sense of sweet redemption.