The Mitchell Report claims that Roger Clemens used performance enhancing drugs. Roger Clemens says that that is completely untrue. Most people don't believe him, including me. I was never a fan of Clemens and after he threw that bat at Mike Pizza, I hated him. Listening to Yankee fans defined Clemens after that bat throwing was down right sickening.
But even I have to give Clemens a point here:
In October of 2006, the LA Times reported names from the Jason Grimsley affidavit.
According to the Times, their reporter had seen the affidavit before the names were covered up and therefore was able to accurately report on it. In an article that month, the Times named 5 players who were on the affidavit and therefore users of performance enhancing drugs. They were Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Brian Roberts, Jay Gibbons, and Miguel Tejeda. All five of these players were later included in the Mitchell Report. Roger Clemens denied both that his name was on the affidavit and that he used performance enhancing drugs. Most people believed him at the time, but once the Mitchell Report backed up the story in the Times, all bets were off.
Except that the LA Times was wrong. When the Grimsley affidavit was unsealed, 4 of the 5 players named by the Times were not on there. There was no Andy Pettitte, no Brian Roberts, no Jay Gibbons, and no Roger Clemens.
Clemens has scored some points, He wholeheartedly denied that his name was on the affidavit and we now know that he was telling the truth. Perhaps now we will think that he is telling the truth about other things too.
The fact will always be that the only way to know if anyone is or was using performance enhancing drugs is to have them admit it. Beyond that we are forced to speculate and what happens is that the players we don't like are automatically guilty and the players we do like are innocent. Making matters worse is the fact that most of our opinions are shaped by the Sports Media.
But even I have to give Clemens a point here:
In October of 2006, the LA Times reported names from the Jason Grimsley affidavit.
According to the Times, their reporter had seen the affidavit before the names were covered up and therefore was able to accurately report on it. In an article that month, the Times named 5 players who were on the affidavit and therefore users of performance enhancing drugs. They were Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Brian Roberts, Jay Gibbons, and Miguel Tejeda. All five of these players were later included in the Mitchell Report. Roger Clemens denied both that his name was on the affidavit and that he used performance enhancing drugs. Most people believed him at the time, but once the Mitchell Report backed up the story in the Times, all bets were off.
Except that the LA Times was wrong. When the Grimsley affidavit was unsealed, 4 of the 5 players named by the Times were not on there. There was no Andy Pettitte, no Brian Roberts, no Jay Gibbons, and no Roger Clemens.
Clemens has scored some points, He wholeheartedly denied that his name was on the affidavit and we now know that he was telling the truth. Perhaps now we will think that he is telling the truth about other things too.
The fact will always be that the only way to know if anyone is or was using performance enhancing drugs is to have them admit it. Beyond that we are forced to speculate and what happens is that the players we don't like are automatically guilty and the players we do like are innocent. Making matters worse is the fact that most of our opinions are shaped by the Sports Media.
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