Howard Bryant is an influential sportswriter with 2 recent books to his credit. The first was "Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston" and more recently he wrote "Juicing the Game: Drugs, Power and the Fight for the Soul of Major League Baseball." He's writing for ESPN these days, and he was in the hearing room last Wednesday for the McNamee-Clemens showdown on Capitol Hill.
In my Thursday conversation with Bryant on The Steve Mason Show (hear the interview at this link), we talked about one of the most baffling aspects of the circus. Why were the Republicans pro-Clemens and the Democrats pro-McNamee? And, why did Roger Clemens invoke the name of President George W. Bush twice?
Why is a sitting President, especially one who took the extraordinary step of mentioning the issue of steroids in baseball in his 2005 State of the Union Address, calling Clemens before he testifies before the House Oversight Committee? It's almost as inappropriate as Clemens going door-to-door at the United States Congress signing autographs and glad-handing with members of the committee. Why wasn't McNamee extended the same courtesies?
The LA Times suggests that "Houston is GOP territory. Houston has an airport named after George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president and a longtime friend of Clemens. In 1991, while still pitching for the Boston Red Sox, Clemens visited Bush's home in Kennebunkport, Maine, and pitched horseshoes with the president. They were paired on the same side, to borrow a phrase, two against two. No surprise there: They won."
Is it any wonder that Americans have lost faith in the elected officials in Washington. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The Bush family sends the message that "Roger is our pal." Then, the Republicans caucus and invite Roger to Capitol Hill for some friendly lunches and autographs. Then the GOP blisters Brian McNamee and sings The Rockets praises when the hearing actually gets started.
My questions? Why did then Texas Rangers owner George W. Bush sign off on a trade for Jose Canseco when there were plenty of rumors about his steroid use in Oakland? And, why was the now-President's team the de facto epicenter of the steroid abuse in MLB right under his nose. Finally, given that he must've had some idea that his players like Canseco, Ivan Rodriguez, Rafael Palmiero and Juan Gonzalez were juicing, so how hyprocritical it was to complain about the problem in that 2005 State of the Union?
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