By A.J. Hayes
After hurling fastballs, screwballs, and more than his fair share of bean balls at major league hitters over the last 25 baseball seasons, an impassioned Roger Clemens had no trouble knocking 60 Minutes’ Mike Wallace’s lollipop questions out of the park Sunday night.
Roger Clemens: Speaking freely?
“Its hogwash,” Clemens said in response to how a former associate could have fingered him as a steroids user in the Mitchell Report. "Twenty-four, 25 years, Mike. You'd think I'd get an inch of respect. An inch."
To that, Wallace gave an approving nod.
You may have been watching the 60 Minutes broadcast asking yourself, ‘why does Clemens get to play paddy cake with old’ prune face, while Barry Bonds is an unlucky verdict away from pounding license plates?’
Easy: public relations. Clemens cares what people think about him and his baseball record. While Bonds could give a rat’s ass what fans and especially the media thinks about him.
That’s why Clemens, who’s made more than $75 million in his career, can get away with saying preposterous things like:
“Everybody’s talking about sue, sue, sue (to defend his innocence). Should I sue? Well, yeah, let me exhaust - let me, let me just spend," he told Wallace. “Let me keep spending. But I'm going to explore what I can do, and then I want to see if it's going to be worth it, worth all the headache."
Bonds would never make such a statement, least people think he could ever possible have enough surplus cash laying around.
It’s Barry arrogance and Clemens impassioned denials – plus, a lack of any real hard evidence – that the seven-time Cy Young Award winner will eventually weather this storm and be elected to the Hall of Fame. Bonds will eventually make it too, but he’ll face a steeper climb.
But you say this for Bonds, he‘s consistent. Despite being buddies with Larry King – they apparently eat at the same Westwood deli - Bonds has never given the suspendered one a chance to toss him softballs.
As preposterous as he sounds at times, Clemens makes you want to believe him. And after all, how can you not appreciate a guy who says that if he was really doing steroids why doesn’t he “…have a third ear coming out of my forehead.”
Bonds would make it so much easier on himself if he just came out with something homespun like Clemens, maybe something along the lines of: “Steroids? Isn’t that something you take Preparation H to get rid of?”
Instead he’s made it his goal in life to treat people like soiled dish rags.
In the end Clemens will come out much better in the court of public approval, because he cares what you think, even if you think he’s lying.
digg •
del.icio.us •
sphere •
google
•
Comments (3)
and the because he's white.
Posted by william Russell | January 7, 2008 05:07 PM
there may be evidence coming on clemens soon.
Posted by fdffd | January 7, 2008 05:49 PM
Clemens said he wouldn't take a lie detector test. Every time Wallace quoted what the trainer said Clemens would swallow very deeply! When he answered the direct questions he would look down and to the right. If you know anything at all you know he should not testify under oath and in the interview he is lying! He also sounded like his passion was staged. White or not he is guilty
Posted by MCarney | January 9, 2008 11:27 AM