Are you a soap opera fan? There's a new one on the air now, maybe you've caught an episode or two. This one has all the usual plot twists you expect out of your favorite daytime tear-jerker. Love, loss, money, family, betrayal, sick kids, illicitly taped telephone conversations, lawyers, accusations, denials. And that's just the first week's episodes. Can't wait to see what the soap opera writers will think up next!
What a sad, bizarre end to what was up until very recently sure to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame career for Roger Clemens. 24 years in the big leagues, 354 wins, nearly 5000 innings pitched, 4672 strikeouts, career 3.12 ERA, 7 Cy Young Awards, 11 All-Star Game selections, and on and on and on.
Numbers out of some sort of wacked-out video game career. Numbers you may well never see again in an era of 5-man pitching rotations, disabled list stays for minor injuries, the tendency of most managers to yank starters after seven and even six or sometimes five innings based on pitch count rather than results.
Fifteen times in his career Clemens pitched over 200 innings, considered the standard by which "workhorse" pitchers are judged. Nineteen times he reached double-figures in wins, including six seasons of twenty wins or more.
Unbelievable numbers. Incredible numbers. Hall of Fame numbers. Until a guy nobody ever heard of until the Mitchell Report came out, Brian McNamee, dropped a dime on Roger's name and gave federal investigators specifics of how he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH in the late 1990's early 2000's.
Inevitably, Clemens issued vehement denials, both through his lawyers and personally. McNamee's side reiterated the charges. Clemens called McNamee, purportedly to clear the air, and then recorded the conversation, without telling McNamee, of course; a legal tactic in Texas but morally questionable.
Was this the tactic of a man desperately trying to clear his name? Maybe, but if that was the case, why did Clemens not come out and say something straightforward and direct during the call to McNamee, like, "Brian, you know you never injected steroids into me, why did you say you did?"
Instead, Roger made vanilla statements worth nothing, like "Tell the truth." According to his lawyers, he was concerned about being accused of obstructing an ongoing investigation, but what's the point of recording a telephone conversation if you're not at least going to come away with conclusive proof the other party is lying?
Now, of course, McNamee's side says the gloves are coming off. Attorney Richard Emery said, "...he [Clemens] is going to get buried. I have no compuction about putting him in jail."
Supporters for each side will say there is no proof their man is lying, pointing to ifs, ands, and buts like they were eyewitnesses, facts, and indisputable evidence. Meanwhile, a sparkling diamond of a career lies in shambles, kicked around in the dirt like a third world soccer ball. Clemens will not pitch again, he is finished in baseball, and all those beautiful numbers are tarnished by accusations they were chemically aided.
Hey everyone, I know it must seem like I've dropped off the face of the earth, but it's nothing like that.
I've been busy writing - two full-length novels so far, plus over a dozen short stories - and working hard to try to get an agent. If you are curious and have a few minutes, check out my website, www.allanleve rone.com.
If you're a literary agent or if you know one, by all means contact me! In the meantime, I'll be here when I can - love this forum - and as always, thank you for checking out my blog, especially considering how many great ones you could be reading instead....
