THE WORD CAME DOWN YESTERDAY AFTERNOON:

ROGER CLEMENS HAS BEEN INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY LYING TO

CONGRESS ABOUT STERIOD USE.

IT WAS NOT THE MOST SURPRISING NEWS SINCE IT HAD BEEN RUMORED

ALL WEEK.

PERHAPS THE STORY SHOULD HAVE READ: BASEBALL IS INDICTED FOR

LYING TO CONGRESS ABOUT SUBSTANCE ABUSE.

FOR BASEBALL OWNERS AND A NUMBER OF PLAYERS KNEW FOR

A VERY LONG TIME WHAT WAS GOING ON.

BUT, SADLY, IT WAS THE TALENTED CLEMENS, WINNER OF MANY CY

YOUNG AWARDS, WHO WANTED THIS FIGHT.

AND HE GOT IT IN SPADES.

THE GOVERNMENT THREW A SCREAMING FASTBALL AT THE FORMER

STAR AND DARED HIM TO SWING AT IT.

BARY BONDS FINALLY CAN RELAX IF JUST A LITTLE.

CLEMENS IN NOW THE NUMBER ONE POSTER BOY FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE

IN BASEBALL.

IN A WAY, THIS SAD STORY IS ONE THAT CLEMENS INFLICTED ON

HIMSELF.

CLEMENS DESERVES LITTLE SYMPATHY IN ALL OF THIS.

HE WAS NEVER UNDER A SUBPOENA TO APPEAR.

CLEMENS VOLUNTARILY APPEARED AND SAID HE WANTED TO

CLEAR HIS NAME.

THE QUOTE THAT GOT HIM INTO SO MUCH TROUBLE WAS :

"I'VE BEEN ACCUSED OF SOMEETHING I'M NOT GUILTY OF. I HAVE

NEVER TAKEN STERIODS OR HGH."

PROBLEM IS THAT SOME OTHER PEOPLE HAS TESTIMONY TOO.

HIS FORMER TRAINER BRIAN MCNAMEE SAID THAT HE INJECTED

THE ROCKET WITH BOTH STERIODS AND HUMAN GROWTH HORMONES

MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES.

AND MORE DAMNING WAS THE TESTIMONY OF HIS FORMER TEAMMATE

ANDY PETTITE WHO ADMITTED USING AND SAID MCNAMEE WAS TELLING

THE TRUTH ABOUT CLEMENS..

AND THE GENIE WAS OUT OF THE BOTTLE.

THERE WAS MORE THAN THE DIRTY DOZEN IN BASEBALL.

MARK MCGWIRE, BARRY BONDS,, SAMMY SOSA AND ALEX RODRIGUEZ

AND ON AND ON.

BUT IT WAS ROCKET ROGER WHO WANTED TO FIGHT.

IT WAS CLEMENS, ALL DRESSED UP IN A SUIT AND TIE, THAT WANTED

A PLACE AT THE TABLE.

HE LOOKED CONGRESS IN THE EYE AND THREW ONE OF HIS FAMOUS

FASTBALLS AND DARED THEM TO HIT IT OUT OF THE PARK.

THIS STORY IS SICK AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN.

HERE IS A GUY WHO WON 354 GAMES, STRUCK OUT 4,672 BATTERS AND

WON THE CY YOUNG AWARD A RECORD SEVEN TIMES.

WITHOUT ALL OF THIS GOING DOWN HE WAS HEADING TO THE HALL OF

FAME ON THE FIRST BALLOT.

AND NOW HE FACES A JAIL TERM.

ATHLETES ARE IN SOME WAYS STRANGE CREATURES.

THE ONES WHO ARE GIFTED ARE OFTEN GIVEN PRIVILEDGES THAT

ORDINARY CITIZENS NEVER SEE.

HE WAS A WORK-A-HOLIC AS A BASEBALL PLAYER WHO KEPT HIS BODY

IN SHAPE AND THEN ALLEDGELY ADDED SOME CHEMICALS TO THE MIX.

HE LOOKS INTO THE MIRROR AND SEES A BIG "S" ON HIS CHEST.

CLEMENS LOVES HARDBALL AND HE CHOSE TO PLAY IT.

THIS LATEST SAD CHAPTER IN THE LIFE OF A LEGEND CONCLUDES

AS A SUPER STAR PITCHER WITH NO OUT PITCH.

ROGER 'THE ROCKET' CLEMENS SIMPLY HAS NO HEAT LEFT TO THROW.


THIS IS GEORGE HALE WITH MY PERSPECTIVE ON SPORTS

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