COMMENTARY By Cassie Fuller
IV Leader Sports Editor, Feb. 21, 2008
Feb. 13 was one of the lowest days in baseball, the day former New York Yankee pitcher Roger Clemens was caught contradicting himself while under-oath.
The ongoing steroid case with Clemens has been big news in baseball for the past couple months after the release of a report by former Sen. George Mitchell, commonly known as “The Mitchell Report,” stating that Clemens had been using steroids and human growth hormones provided by New York’s assistant trainer Brian McNamee.
Former teammates and trainers of Clemens have reported him using steroids, but the way that Clemens tells his side has confused Congress and he now may face perjury charges. However, some believe that the all-star pitcher is innocent and was framed by Mitchell, McNamee and teammates such as Andy Pettitte, even though Clemens has a hard time getting his answer straight and has contradicted himself throughout the case.
Clemens not only faces jail time if it is found he is lying, but the case also hurts his Hall of Fame candidacy. With 354 MLB wins and seven Cy Young Awards, Clemens looks like the perfect contender for the Hall of Fame, but it is more important to the league to have natural talent than to have “juiced” players being honored.
All in all, this situation is not looking good for Roger Clemens future or the future in baseball. This incident raises the question of how many other cheaters do we have in the Hall of Fame, how many Cy Young Award winners have taken steroids or HGH?
It is sad to know, that for some individuals, professional baseball is not about the love of the game, but the love of the paycheck.