This Week's Attitude
Roger Clemens Needs A Save To Save His Reputation
By Neil S. Friedman

With the onset of spring training this week, as pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report in Florida and Arizona, the baseball spotlight, unfortunately, may equally focus on the nation's capital.

Though the steroid scandal has been a huge embarrassment for America's favorite national pastime, it has only exposed a negligible number of players when there have been rumors for years that performance enhancement substance use was prevalent among major leaguers.

Yesterday, 45-year-old Roger Clemens testified under oath at a Congressional hearing. It was expected he would refute claims by Brian McNamee, his former personal trainer with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, who said he injected the pitcher more than a dozen times with steroids and human growth hormones years after they were banned by the league in 1991.

For the moment, it's typical he said/he said argument as Clemens has passionately denied taking any illegal substances and offered a number of explanations for what actually happened. Besides, until there is indisputable proof that Clemens allowed himself to be injected with banned substances, there is no court of law that would find him guilty or even charge him with perjury. However, the court of public opinion is another matter entirely as the allegations and implications have sullied his stellar career, possibly holding up what once was a routine first-ballot induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Two months after Clemens and scores of others were named in the Mitchell Report investigation on the use of performance-enhancing substances in major league baseball, he got the opportunity to defend the accusation under oath. (Mitchell has maintained that the report's facts would withstand any scrutiny.) Two other New York Yankees, Andy Pettitte, expected to be in the team's rotation when the season opens in April, and former second baseman Chuck Knoblach, who both recently gave sworn depositions behind closed doors, were exempt from the hearing. Reports about Pettitte's testimony indicated he corroborated McNamee's charges that implicate Clemens, a longtime friend.

Nonetheless, yesterday's inquiry was tainted before the first gavel struck to call it to order as several media accounts reported on Monday that Clemens and his lawyers conducted a shrewd campaign last week as they separately met with 19 of the 41-member House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform five days before he would testify.

As if this hearing isn't enough of a media circus, one has to wonder what those politicians were thinking and what impact those calculated get-togethers would have on the outcome? Or perhaps they weren't thinking when they opted for an introduction with a sports celebrity. Guess they must be like anyone in our celebrity-obsessed culture who would jump at the chance of hobnobbing with a celebrity.

So waddya think those elected officials and the sport's preeminent hurler talked about? Baseball? Pitching tips? The weather? The presidential primaries? Pro-life vs. pro-choice? The war in Iraq?

Ya think they got autographed baseballs? One ESPN.com writer said he was "surprised (Clemens' lawyer) didn't hand out 'Free Roger' t-shirts to lawmakers."

In the course of the conversations, did Clemens' innocence come up?

When Clemens was sworn in yesterday morning, do you think he gave a subtle wave to his new friends with his right hand in the air?

One New York tabloid featured a back page photo of Clemens with the lone committee member from New York City - Congressman Ed Towns, who has represented the 10th District that encompasses parts of Canarsie and surrounding communities for the last 25 years.

No matter who came up with the proposal for the photo op, it was out of line, bordering on the unethical. After the session ESPN.com reported there was a photo session with Towns' staffers. But what can you expect from a veteran politician probably accustomed to personal lobbying to influence his decision a few days hence? Wasn't Towns afraid of alienating his district's Mets fans, who, on the whole, can't stand Clemens due to a 2000 World Series incident with catcher Mike Piazza?

Do you think John Gotti ever wanted to have his picture taken with the various special prosecutors trying to put him behind bars?

Did Marcia Clarke invite O.J. Simpson to her office for a chat before that celebrated trial?

Of course, Clemens isn't suspected of the violent crimes associated with those two men, but it is not wise for those who will eventually offer a judgment on an individual to associate with someone who may try to sway the outcome.

Like most fans of baseball, I believe Clemens is guilty and dabbled in performance enhancers, especially since some of his excuses are inconsistent. Even if he avoids any penalty from the House committee, he still faces possible perjury charges from the Justice Department.

As a starting pitcher since he debuted with the Boston Red Sox 24 years ago, Roger Clemens' record is crammed with accolades, including a record seven Cy Young awards, for numerous accomplishments, but for the first time in his professional life he desperately needs a save to restore a tarnished reputation that has regrettably overshadowed what has been a remarkable career.

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