Griffin: The Rocket can't save Roger Clemens

When Roger Clemens first joined the New York Yankees after back-to-back Cy Young Awards with the Jays, trying to follow a proven winner to his first World Series ring, he struggled to contribute, struggled to fit in with a clubhouse that was already full of star players. He was 14-10 with a 4.60 ERA in 1999. Finally after that first season, manager Joe Torre took Clemens aside and told him to just be himself. That was the problem. Clemens long before had lost the ability to be himself. He had become "The Rocket."    

When Clemens was called before a House committee of congress in 2008, he was swarmed by autograph-seeking, glad-handing politicians prior to being seated and sworn in. What was he to think? Another glorified card show, right. In addition to The Rocket, Clemens was also now becoming Captain America. He let everyone know that his goal was to represent his country at the Olympics and he had already made trips overseas to visit the troops. He was a baseball icon and a patriot. He had long before given up the role of being Roger Clemens. Even his palatial family home near Houston was named Rocketland or something silly like that.

He must have believed that there was no way that this would happen, no way he would not be believed. After all, he was being contradicted by some weaselly, back-to-the-wall, former New York City cop, turned athletic trainer, turned steroid pusher, and of course, he was The Rocket.

Well, on Thursday, Clemens was indicted for obstruction of Congress, making false statements and perjury. He has been accused of lying to Congress about using steroids. If found guilty, he will likely do some jail time. 

Why would he do it? Because his past is more important to him than his future. Because protecting his legacy as a future Hall-of-Famer was more important than playing a role in cleaning up the game and making it drug-free for the next generation of players -- which included his own sons. 

Clemens was never comfortable being Roger Clemens. Legend has it that in Boston when he entered his favourite night spot, he insisted they play Elton John's hit Rocket Man to signal his arrival. At the Jays annual golf tournament with heavy-paying sponsors in each foursome, Clemens would ask for his own golf cart and park away from the others talking on his cellphone as they waited to tee off. In the clubhouse, after a start, The Rocket would emerge from the trainer's room with carefully rehearsed answers and when questions started to strain his playbook, he would just walk away and end it.

It will be the best thing for baseball and the best thing for Clemens if he is convicted for his alleged transgressions under oath.He should do some jail time as well. It would show a younger generation of players and some of his veteran contemporaries that the Steroid Era had better be over or they too risk hard time and it may snap Clemens out of his two-decade long fantasy that he was a character, The Rocket and was above the laws of other mere mortals.

Don't cry for The Rocket, but feel sorry for Roger Clemens.   

   

Comments

[SillyEric]

This is one of the best pieces you've written, Richard.

[Box Car Willy]

Richard - you're missing one key point in your analysis where you discuss teaching a lesson to younger players. If Clemens would have admitted to steroid use he would not be going to jail - as usual, the cover up is worse than the crime. What lesson would be taught to the younger players if, as you seem to intimate, Clemens had come clean and admitted steroid use? Either way his HOF vote will be iffy (nothing changes in either case), he's still have his millions (nothing changes in either case), he'd still be one of the best pitchers of the steroid generation but he would have avoided jail time. Is the lesson to the younger players to tell the truth or not to do steroids??? To me the lesson is pretty clear, tell the truth but cheat if you want.

[Bruce Robb]

Right about Roger. If memory serves, didn't he insist on the hearing in front of Congress - to clear his name? If so, he has no one to blame but himself. When the Mitchell Report came out, all he had to do was deny, deny, deny, as long as he did that in front of a reporter and not Congress or a court of law. The bigger question is - starting in 2013, who gets into the H of F? If they keep everyone who has been caught out - and that list would include Bonds, Clemens, Sosa, A-Rod, Pettite, McGuire, Palmeiro, Manny - that's a lot of the game's premier players for the last decade and a half. Obviously there are others who appear to be clean, but those are serious names to be left out (which I hope happens). And I'm not sure you can say, well, some of their years must have been clean. So do we remove 10% of their stats - 20%? In the very least, we need some asterisks. There certainly is precedence for that.

[Jay]

Well said!

[Dave DuMaresq]

Best comment I've read about " Roger the Dodger Clemens". No one is bigger than the game. The game of life included. Yes we all make mistakes but his inflated ego like many other people in sports, got the best of him. Roger didn't seem to mind being in front of the grand jury. I mean why not he pitches in front of thousands of people. What was so different, I'm the Rocket Man. Until Waxman put him in his place, walked to the mound and took the ball and said I'm running this game not you.

[William]

"It would show a younger generation of players and some of his veteran contemporaries that the Steroid Era had better be over or they too risk hard time"

He wasn't indicted for doing Steroids ,he was indicted for obstruction of Congress, making false statements and perjury.The "younger generation"has a whole new arsenal of drugs at their disposal and one need only look to cycling and athletics(where drug cheats have been seriously and actively pursued for years) to understand the will to use them is as strong as ever.His"veteran contemporaries" understand all you have to do is say you are sorry(even if all you are is sorry you are caught) in a carefully prepared lawyers statement .

I do hope he does hard time,for lying under oath.That is something far more serious than anything that can happen in this wonderful distraction we call baseball.

[Eric Hustvedt in NS]

I have been comparing the treatment of Clemens with the treatment of Bonds, both of them highly-talented, personally unpleasant (to the media, at least) and suspiciously productive, at an age when even the best stars slow down. It's hard to escape the perception that racism is involved here. There always seems to be a high profile 'black man in trouble' (such as Michael Vick) in the American media. When McGwire became suspected of drug use, after months and months of attacking Bonds, suddenly a very popular comment was 'We're all tired of the whole discussion and it's time to move on'. In other words it wouldn't be right to beat up on McGwire.
Or Clemens?

[KD]

Sorry, I won't cry for "The Rocket", and I won't feel sorry for Roger either. There's a saying that there's no "I" in "TEAM", but as I remember reading about him years ago, you can't write "CLEMENS" without "ME". Let's hope that not only has he blown his HOF chances, but that so has every other cheat of his era.

[Cragganmore]

Very well written, Richard.

[Sam]

I always remember the Play off game where Clemens threw the barrell of a broken bat at Mike Piazza - claiming he thought it was the ball -

Sadly, Roger feels he can do no wrong - much like Tiger et al.

[Richard Griffin]

Ever since before high school, most of these clearly elite athletes have been surrounded by facilitators and any mistake they make or anti-social action they take has been covered up by willing co-cospirators. They believe they can do anything. Today's less star-struck society tries to make even elite athletes abide by the same rules as any other citizen of the world. See Pete Rose, Tiger, any Cincinnati Bengal, Barry Bonds, the Pistons-Pacers brawlers, Michael Vick, the Dallas Cowboys back in the day, Rick Tocchet and now The Rocket. It's good.

[BB]

I once almost idolized this player. However, I shall never forget his behaviour during that congressional hearing. The man exuded a "holier than thou" attitude. You could see he was in a state of disbelief that he could even be called into question. Players like Roger are so caught up in their fame and fortune, they forget that the same public who elevated them to a godly status will stomp on them like a lowly cockroach if their image falters. I say jail time is well deserved for this CHEATER!

[Sidney Smith]

Mr. Griffin,
Mr. Cox' article was borderline. Your response is unprofessional. An interoffice email or conversation at the water cooler, following with intelligent thoughts to counter what Mr. Cox insinuated would have been more appropriate. Frankly, I think you owe your readers an apology.