MLB - the strange tale of Roger Clemens and the era of steroids in Baseball
Baseball in America has been going through a rough patch the last few years. The sport had to address a major problem with the release of the Mitchell Report in 2007. The report categorically stated that steroid use was rampant in MLB in the 1990s and early 2000s. This report mentioned a few very famous MLB superstars; people like Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire. It said that these players had taken steroids and other performance enhancing drugs on numerous occasions. While a few of them admitted the charges and others were proved not to have taken drugs, Roger Clemens was adamant that he did not take any drugs and now faces multiple charges of indictment in court. What happens to this messy affair when it goes to trial is anyone’s guess.
Roger Clemens was an all-star pitcher in Major League Baseball. Clemens was a natural star and he was initially drafted by the New York Mets in 1981 but he chose to go to university instead of starting his professional career right out of high school. He proved his worth at the University of Texas and he led the Texas Longhorns to a College World Series Championship in 1983. It was in that same year that he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox. He spent one year in the minor league before making his major league debut in 1984. He spent 13 seasons with the Red Sox, winning many games and also impressing enough as a pitcher that he won the coveted Cy Young award seven times. He was the first player in the league to strike out 20 batters in a single game, which was a huge achievement until he did it again, and became the first player to strike out 20 batters twice. He has the second most strikeouts in the history of the MLB with 4672 in total. His weapon of choice was a deadly fastball that was so accurate and quick that it gave him the nickname, ‘the rocket.’ He was a hugely impressive player and was destined to be honoured by being inducting into the baseball hall of fame before the biggest scandal to ever hit baseball was unearthed.
In 2007, a report was commissioned by the MLB to uncover the alleged problem of steroid use and other performance enhancing drug use in the league. The Mitchell Report was produced by former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell and the 409 pages report mentioned Clemens’ name 82 times for alleged performance enhancing drug use. This report was hugely damaging to the former player’s career and legacy and it painted a very negative picture of the great star. Clemens’ problems stemmed from the fact that he testified under oath before a 2008 hearing of a Government committee and categorically denied ever using steroids or any other type of performance enhancing drugs in his entire career. The issue for the former pitcher was that his former trainer, Brian McNamee, who was once the Yankees' strength and conditioning coach when Clemens played for the team, said that he had injected the star many times with performance enhancing drugs. This complex affair now has McNamee on one side and Clemens on the other and it is up to a grand jury to decide who is lying and who is telling the truth.
The other interesting part of this story is just how adamant and vocal Clemens has been about denying his involvement in the whole affair and trying to distance himself from the sordid steroid scandal. There could be two reasons for this; firstly he could really be innocent in this whole affair and his former trainer is just trying to drag him into the mud along with him. The second reason seems more plausible, Clemens was named 82 times in the report about steroid use in the league, more than any other player in the MLB. This does not help the former pitcher at all. Then there is the testimony under oath by McNamee saying that Clemens did indeed take drugs. All this evidence is not looking too good for Clemens. He might be denying so strongly because he does not want his reputation to be sullied and he wants to be inducted into the hall of fame.
The full judgement of this dodgy affair and Clemens’ future will all be revealed shortly. Once Clemens is put on trial and the truth comes out we will know once and for all who was lying and who was being honest. If he is found to be guilty then his greatness will have come from drug use and he will be shunned to the depths of sporting h**l reserved for the worst cheaters in sports.
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