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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   ADDITIONAL ITEMS • mlb (External Link)   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, February 17, 2008 Clemens follows in Bonds' footsteps By John Sleeper Herald Writer So we sat through the Roger Clemens Invitational this week on Capitol Hill and it's time to ask ourselves the most important question. What did we learn? Answer: If you're talking about anything of substance, nothing. Did Clemens take steroids? Did he take human growth hormone? We still don't know -- technically -- but in the court of public opinion, Clemens did little to help himself. The seven-time Cy Young award winner won't receive any movie offers for his Keanu Reeves performance in the hearings. Caught when close friend Andy Pettitte said Clemens admitted he used HGH in a conversation the two had, Clemens reached back and delivered a high, hard one, inventing a new word into the English language in the process, when he said Pettitte "misremembered" the conversation. Clemens' colossal ego won't allow him to throw himself onto the mercy of the aforementioned court of public opinion. He underestimates the vast forgiveness of the American public -- specifically, baseball fans. Instead, he chose to take the philosophy of George Carlin, who said, "Honesty may be the best policy, but it's important to remember that, by elimination, dishonesty is the second-best policy." He could remember one Steve Garvey, temporarily but thoroughly tarred and feathered as a serial philanderer. Garvey faced the music and now enjoys a cushy retirement on celebrity cruise lines and is a huge get at baseball-signing soirees. Pete Rose will get into the Hall of Fame when John McCain selects Barack Obama as his running mate, but after Rose wrote his tell-all confessional in 2004, the argument could be made that he's as popular today as he ever was when he was playing. Shall we talk forgiveness? Once-disgraced Rick Neuheisel is back coaching college football. Instead, Clemens chose to tell the House committee about his prodigious work ethic, one he learned from his mother, who worked three jobs and couldn't buy him a car in high school. So then-little Roger ran two miles to school. Nice story, but it has little to do with trainer Brian McNamee's allegations in the Mitchell Report that Clemens began bulking on steroids in 1997. Because Clemens decided to present his charade to D.C., he inadvertently pulled in innocent bystanders, including his wife. Debbie Clemens admitted that she took HGH in preparation for a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue shoot. McNamee said she did it at her husband's direction. Roger Clemens said she injected herself. Pettitte came through as the good guy, admitting he took banned substances, but because his name came up in the Clemens fiasco, the media will be all over him in spring training. He's a pro; he'll deal with it, but it will be an unneeded pain. No, instead Clemens decided to walk the trail Barry Bonds blazed for him. Deny, deny, deny. Bonds will soon discover what happens when one lies to the Feds. For all he did on the diamond -- and we're likely talking about baseball's most dominant pitcher -- Clemens is just another Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire. The only way they'll see the Hall of Fame is to buy a ticket. Sports columnist John Sleeper: sleeper@heraldnet.com. For Sleeper[`]s blog, "Dangling Participles," go to www.heraldnet.com?danglingparticiples.

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