322 Feet: Prose from the Petco Porch

I had to work and go to class this morning, so I missed the Clemens-McNamee showdown.  Instead of watching this, I got to sleep through 2 hours of meetings, sleep through a class and waste an hour driving home.  From what I’ve heard, it sounds like Clemens made an ass of himself, but McNamee didn’t make things all shiny and clear either.  It sounds like this is going to get really ugly; we’re going to see an investigation, and someone’s getting tried for perjury.  My money says it’s Clemens; he has a lot to lose by telling the truth and he’s showing a lot of the same signs of shadiness that we saw from Bonds years ago.

It’s really a shame, what with spring training starting tomorrow and everything; it’s a shame that the eyes of this sport are focused on a guy who seemingly did things the wrong way and is now getting burned for it.  One of the greatest right-handers in the history of the game should have been lauded on his way out the door, but he got selfish.  He couldn’t be satisfied with being great; he needed to be immortal.  Now, in all likelihood, his legacy is gone, and many of the other things he holds dear (namely, his family and money) could be soon to follow.  I really hope people take a lesson from this, but I doubt it; people will always look for a way to get ahead, regardless of the ethical repercussions.  It’s a sad fact of human nature, and it’s why we see people like Clemens go down in a fiery tailspin.