for a very looooong time.

Prior to the Mitchell Report, McNamee denied that he gave Roger Clemens steroids or HGH. Now he says he did give Clemens those substances, and some have pointed to this contradiction as evidence that McNamee is a liar and should therefore be ignored. Well, he clearly HAS lied about something, but it is much easier to explain why he lied then (to protect Clemens) but is telling the truth now (to protect himself) than to explain why he was telling the truth then but is lying now. Perhaps Pettite, Knoblauch, or Mrs. Clemens, some of McNamee's other injectees, can offer some insight.

But never mind all that, really. Clemens gave himself away when he said (and I paraphrase), "If I'm guilty of anything, its being too nice and too trusting of those around me." You don't often hear that one anymore, but its a classic, and I equate it on a more or less one-to-one basis with guilt. If I say it at my own trial, begin preparation the appeal to the governor for leniency.

And no, I don't believe Congress has any business adjudicating individual matters such as this. They are, though, and if Clemens isn't careful he will end up wearing a different striped uniform sometime down the road, this time for a team that doesn't pay as well as the Yankees.

From sooo many problems in America right now. That said, it's pretty hard to believe much of what Roger said, from the reports I read.

True, it is a show trial. And, true, Congress and its committees have far more important work to do. But ...

Clemens brought this particular circus to town, and he looked every bit the clown as the show(trial) ground on, and on, and on ... In fact, any shred of credibility he might otherwise have retained by remaining mute, is now shot to pieces. The guy is a rambling, self-centered moron. And a bully.

Were the Republicans on his side? ... Or is that just a misperception on my part? It seemed to me that they absolutely shredded McNameee, but were cowed by Clemens. Either his physical presence intimidated them, or they were simply playing the Autograph Card. After all, in a show trial, real legal principles don't apply, so P.R. photo ops may be what eventually help the "jury" decide. Later on, if anyone decides to go after Clemens for perjury (and I'm betting they won't) then we may see what he's really made of.

At the end of the day, and it is that now for Mr Clemens, the only question is: Does he deserve to be in the Hall for his career with Boston? Or should he be kept out 'cos of his subsequent "alleged" activities? Given that "character" was the card used against Pete Rose, surely the answer about Clemens is crystal clear. Keep him out.

And, while we're at it, shouldn't the media, and Congress, be howling for the ouster of The Steroid Commissioner? By what logic does he survive while others pay the price? Wasn't it his issue to deal with or ignore? And, didn't he choose to ignore it? Well then: Off With His Head!

Why the glee in seeing Roger squirm? I know a lot of people hate him, but these show hearings smack of the same self-righteousness that permeated much of the GOP smear machine of the last decade, culminating in the perjury show trial of Bill Clinton. Sure Clemens is presumed guilty. And like countless others who've made serious professional misjudgments, he lied about what he did wrong.

But this, like the rest of the Mitchell Report gets us absolutely nowhere. It's ultimately little more than a list of names with no plan for where to go or pathway leading baseball out of the doping era. Like most government documents, it's long on the facts and short on the vision. As such, slamming Clemens to the wall for contradicting it is of little or no use since it could be played out ad infinitum throughout modern baseball, with some players being honest, and many more with fading memories and increasing contradictions.

Throw Clemens in jail -- what do I care? But what does it say about Democrats that this is the best they can come up with? After all we did to give them back both houses of Congress, this is what we get. We still have a war. Telecoms get immunity for crimes against the American people. And Roger Clemens is nailed for lying about getting a needle stuck in his butt. Somewhere a democracy is dying.

Listening to Clemens today, I was reminded of playground bullies. Listening to Waxman, et. al., I was reminded of...well...politicians. On both sides it's all a show. These legislators get quality tv time in a meaningless inquiry, and Clemens gets to puff out his indignant chest and deny it all. (One half expected him to rip open his shirt to reveal a big USA sign emblazoned across those HGH pects.) Frankly, Clemens is right: no matter what he says, everyone is going to think he used, including me. But what's troubling is that while this silly circus hearing is going on, Congress is giving a pass to those involved with warrantless wiretapping, and the economy is tumbling, and the Iraq conflicts drags on. Couldn't our representatives see the forest for the trees, call off this charade, and deal with real problems? Our government should show some leadership and move on. The Roger Clemens of the world are best left in their own deluded world. Given enough time, he'll get fat (fatter) and bald and drift into the background where he belongs.

This was an audition and Rog passed with lying colors:

Clemens will now run for Congress.

And I hired a trainer who had already been vetted and employed by MLB and who had told me that they were a PhD I would have no reason to doubt that or question that. That's why athletes get trainers. I simply would not want to know given all the other organizations that had already given my trainer their blessing. So I can understand and believe him when he says he did not (knowingly) take these substances. NOW he may know he did. But then, perhaps not. It's no different if a respected attorney you find out years later stole from you. You would have no reason to suspect him or her of committing a crime during the commission of that crime. That's what criminals are - people who sometimes get away with criminal acts. Now as to the why? It's entirely possible that trainers are retained based on the results derived by the people who employ them, just like any other professional service. Racetrack vets and trainers are accused of that kind of thing all the time.