Thoughts on the congressional hearings

So I watched a good portion of the congressional hearings yesterday featuring select members of the United States Congress grilling Roger Clemens and former trainer Brian McNamee in a "he said / he said" showdown. You know the back story - McNamee explicitly named Clemens in the Mitchell Report; Clemens is either innocent, a big liar, and/or far too much an egomaniac to let these things be said about him and ruin his legacy as one of the top modern pitchers in history. A couple of thoughts:

• Roger looked pretty uncomfortable. I can't say I'd feel much better sitting amongst the group he was in.


• McNamee just looks like a shady character to me. But he seems more believable than Clemens - doesn't that speak volumes?


• Andy Pettitte needed to be there. He probably chose to rat out his friend rather than perjure himself under oath, and by sending a signed affidavit rather than physically appearing, he avoided a showdown with Clemens. This way Roger was able to play the "he doesn't know what he's talking about / he misunderstood" card since Pettitte isn't there to refute this.


• I thought it was very unprofessional the way that several members of Congress led into their questions by first telling Clemens that he was one of their favorite players, or apologizing to him for the fact that they were about to start grilling him.


• Clemens had a lot of nerve interrupting Congressman Waxman during the closing statements.


• Not that I'm surprised, but the partisanship shown by those asking questions was pretty blatant. Republicans backed Clemens and attacked McNamee as a drug-pusher; Democrats were anti-Roger. I've heard Clemens is a friend of the Republican party, so no surprise. But it sickens me that partisanship always takes precedence, even in issues that should glaringly be non-partisan.

The fallout from all of this? I suspect that they will further look into this case and potentially turn it over to the US Department of Justice if they feel Clemens has perjured himself. I'd be inclined to say he'll never face jail time - then again, look at Marion Jones.

Either way, Roger Clemens is already guilty in the court of public opinion, and likely won't see the Hall of Fame again unless he buys a ticket.