Clemens Perjury Trial Begins Tomorrow; More Taxpayer Money Wasted
In another display of failed national priorities, tomorrow in Washington, D.C., one of the greatest men ever to play baseball goes on trial and could face up to 30 years in prison for lying to Congress. Former ace pitcher Roger Clemens has been charged with presenting false testimony about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, as has San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds. He was convicted April 13 of obstruction of justice (the least significant charge that the jury could convict him of) but his attorneys are appealing the verdict.
Clemens' biggest problem is going to be his old buddy and teammate Andy Pettitte. The guy is a prosecutor's dream witness, with no apparent motive to lie about his long-time friend when he told Congress that Clemens had confided in him about some past drug usage. Clemens' lawyers are going to have a hard time discrediting Pettitte. The key witness against him is former New York Yankees strength and conditioning coach Brian McNamee, who has testified to injecting Clemens with several illegal substances.
I think McNamee's easily dealt with because he has some previous record of being less than candid on allegations against him in a rape case. Plus given he had an official role with the Yankees, it seems to me that the government risks alienating a jury if they don't go after him and the club, who were certainly complicit in any steroid use that may have taken place.
It's sordid and ugly and demeaning and pointless all around. Although the game of baseball seems to have recovered from the height of the scandal, a fresh conviction of a guy of Clemens' stature and image could throw the whole thing back into a tizzy again. And for what? Steroid use is all but a victimless crime. Fans clamor for individual performances, only want to see shutouts and home runs in replays and then faint in shock when the money players find shortcuts to giving them what they want in return for millions of dollars. At the end of the day, it's just a game.
