Maybe the most absurd moment in an absurd day on Capitol Hill came midway through the Roger Clemens-Brian McNamee tussle Wednesday, and it centered on the most absurd issue raised at the hearing into steroid use among the players of the National Pastime. The issue: whether Clemens had attended a party at fellow player Jose Canseco's house. Even Rep. Henry Waxman, who zeroed in on the question, admitted that it was tangential at best to the question of whether one of baseball's most famous living pitchers was "juiced", but the questioning, and the answering, persisted.
The relevancy, one supposes, had to do with an attempt to prove or disprove Clemens' credibility, which was, in fact, the major issue at the hearing. So what does Clemens do to buttress his claim that he wasn't at the party? He introduces tapes of contemporaneous play-by-play broadcasts which happened to mention his failure to attend the party.
Those commenters who care more about baseball than I do included one who wondered at what might have motivated the inclusion of such a non-crucial fact in a broadcast, speculating that an eight-hour rain-delay might have necessitated ad-lib air-filling.
But no commenter I've read seems to have pointed out the salient fact about such broadcasts: They are not independent reports. Baseball (and other sports) play-by-play broadcasts are not owned by the stations that carry them; they are owned-and-operated divisions of the teams themselves. In fact, the Yankees are leading the trend towards team ownership of the actual networks that cablecast the games, and the very name of the Yankees' operation (the YES Network) offers an insight into the positive attitude encoded into the operation's DNA.
Note: I'm not talking about "game of the week" broadcasts on major networks, which do operate at some arm's length from the teams, although rights are purchased from the leagues. But the daily team play-by-play broadcasters who travel with the team, stay in the team hotels, and are on the same payroll. To suggest they might not share the same interest team management historically had -- in covering up steroid use by star players -- is the (cue the videotape) Absurdity of the Day.
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I thought sports were supposed to build character.
Well, that's what every high school coach says.
Is this really the most important way for our government to spend its time? Isn't there a war on?
Obama/Edwards OR GORE 08! Si wu plada! Yes I do!
Major League Baseball and the National Football League franchises are subsidized by taxpayers. They play states and local governments against one another in efforts to receive the greatest subsidies (stadium funding, tax breaks, etc.), by threatening to move their teams to other markets.
In turn, corporations who buy overpriced tickets and lease luxury suites write off these expenses, shifting the tax burden onto middle-class Americans.
MLB and the NFL are clearly "interstate commerce" that is not adequately regulated by the federal government. It's time to open the books of the owners, regulate player salaries, and make pro sports affordable for fans and taxpayers alike.
Bush loves baseball.
Bush loves Roger.
Roger is a lying-ass sack of shit.
So is George.
Baseball is the same as WWF.
i want a full investigation of american idol
something is fishy
The hearings on Roger Clemens's use or not, of steroids, was a monkey trial designed to save Mr. Clemens from his resounding downfall,
that he himself created. After all, one of the sacred guardians of our game and our constitution stated: "Mr. Clemens, you are going to Heaven." Only if Heaven is really Hell.
Anyway, Mr. Clemens was lying from the get-go; but I will prove it beyond the shadow of a doubt.
In a post the night before, "The Mitchell Report" came out; we stated that if Roger Clemens's name was left out, it was a worthless report. To "The Mitchell Report"s
saving grace it was not. So there.
Mr. Clemens was asked why did he continue to employ McNamee, even till December after the
"Steroid Era" report came out.
He stated because: "I am a forgiving guy."
That is the lie, of lies, and not the last in a line of other lies.
We would have asked him: "Mr. Clemens, if you are such a forgiving guy, why did you not forgive, Mike Piazza, who in reality, there is no proof anywhere that he ever did anything to you. Can you answer that Mr. Clemens, since you are so forgiving?
Mike Piazza was a gentleman, and one of the gentlest guys, in Baseball. We would place our head in a guillotine and bet that Mike Piazza was most likely the only player that did not use steroid. Maybe that why Clemens hated him so much.
So there. Mr. Clemens, too bad, so sad.
The same for Marion Jones.
Enough said.
They'd rather discuss whether a ballplayer took HGH rather than discuss the shortcomings, the manifold lies and deceits, the treasonous vicissitudes of the worst administration in US history?
A way for some no name senators to get some air time. Waxman looks like he fell down the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. YUK
How your name belies the fact that you are just one of the sheeple. Your kind think that that there should ever be but one subject at a time because that's all your tiny little brains can deal with at a time. And what does looks have to do with anything? Lincoln is considered by most Americans to be our greatest President and by your standards he could never have run. Bet you were home schooled or cut a lot of classes before you left high school. Have you removed all the mirrors in your house yet?
American sports so beautifully embody the bizarre cognitive dissonance that is the USA. It is Christian fundamentalist sky pointing and Greco-Roman brutality combined. It is the parable of the prodigal son and Achilles racking up physical statistics to be remembered as a "great man" for all of history to witness. It is abstinence programs and Bible worship during the week, then prostitutes and strip clubs on the weekends. It is baseball players embracing the most extreme forms of patriarchal masculinity and then saying "I owed it to myself and God" to come clean and then bawling to that giant Super Ego in their head. Whatever. Am I the only person whose head explodes witnessing about this crap? Wake me when it's over.
Yes God help us! And that's coming from an Atheist. I'm also not a stamp collector.
The theatrical spectacle in Congress is totally pointless, because the actual culprits are missing: the owners! Does nobody realize that this is a multi-million Dollar business. We trying to punish the victims of the cozy bed fellows: owners and politicians. Clements is getting his butt kicked for something that money made them use something that is against any common sense. Look at 17 year 300lbs lines men trying to get into a football college. In this case the weapon is food and not drugs, because drugs are a big no-no. Did anybody say Heath Ledger? Drugs are promoted with big money and nobody is looking at the doctors and drug reps. Nobody cares. But if someone takes illegal drugs we are supposed to execute the victims because if we are going after Big Money, then subsequently you stare down the barrel of a police men, because you are harming good business. Folks if you rationalize along the lines of Abu Graib where they hanged the small guys for the brass, then do not be surprised that water boarding is legal, because the people in the large office with a bar said so.
It seems certain that Mr. Clemens will have to enjoy his fortune and I would not suggest he seek employment as a rocket scientist. I was dismayed at the limited "smarts" of the guy and expect that lack of smarts caused him to appear and seem not only guilty as suggested, but also likely in lots of trouble. He seems to have made a determined effort to tamper with a wirness...wow...dumb. His accuser present at the hearing was worm-like, but cool and collected and sneaky smart. He answered every question, even those that were not complimentary. He was a police officer and schooled in testimony. Short, curt, direct answers and no wandering. Mr. Clemens use of drugs seems not to have helped his wits...they seem to have diminished, perhaps along with other bodily parts. This is tragic and serious.
Yet it is perfectly acceptable for Tiger Woods to get laser eye surgery to give himself unnaturally powerful eyesight...
My friend, powerful eyesight has nothing to do with the perfection and consistency of Tiger's golf swing. It is the swing that propels the ball to the target not his unnaturally powerful eyesight. If a survey were taken of current Pro golfers, you'd learn that there are many who've had the laser surgery.
LASIK got banned previously? Prey do provide link.
I didn't watch the hearing. I, like most Americans, saw the coverage splattered over the airwaves yesterday as if it were the Watergate II hearings.
My take is that who cares about grown men caught cheating at a childs game?
If the representatives we pay to go to Washington think this is the most pressing issue of the day, then they need to be fired and sent home in disgrace.
-Torture bills
-Economic Meltdown
-Brave Soldiers and Innnocent Civilians dying daily in a war of choice
-An administration that has a pattern of lying and withholding information from the Congress and the American People
-Mind-Boggling National indebtedness
-Jobs going offshore as if they were being sprayed there with a fire hose
-No REAL plan to deal with our current energy crisis
-Tens of Millions of people who cannot afford health care - many to most of them being treated at taxpayer expense by expensive emergency room visits.
-Almost 7 years removed from 9/11 and still no comprehensive plan to deal with things like Port Security
-Oh - by the way - New Orleans is still not rebuilt
-Cronyism that's bilking the American Taxpayer out of Billions of Dollars.
Baseball? Puleeeeeze.... don't waste my time
They can't help themselves, they live in the state of denial. They are going to trivialize this country to death. Why deal with real issues when the voters never hold them accountable? Pass the pop corn, the movie is starting!
Ditto!
Baseball is a private, for-profit business. It does not receive federal government subsidies. The players are not on the government payroll. So who cares? If the baseball people do - they can clean this mess up themselves.
Rethugs are always complaining about government interference. In this instance - they are absolutely correct. Congress has no business wasting its (OUR) time on an issue like this. If what the players have done is illegal - local law enforcement can deal with it.
Can we get back to the real business?????
IMPEACHMENT ANYONE????
You might want to rethink some of this. The Bush family made in excess of 28 million on their sale of the Texas Rangers. They bought, got a new stadium built, had a bond issue floated, all paid for with tax money from various levels of government. The Bush's, and the other investors made this huge profit without one dime of their money being spent. This is true of every prosport team in the country. They get tax breaks, free land, development money, all from the taxpayers. And when they pay someone 67 million for a five year contract, rest assured that the cost of tickest will go up accordingly! ProSports is not like making something useful and needed and selling it at a profit. There is never a risk of loosing money to the owners. And, when kids no longer have after school programs, schools haven't got the money for teachers raises, textbooks, band instruments, it's because ProSports don't pay their fair share of the taxes. That too is part of the deal for staying put!
Actually, major league baseball DOES receive one heck of a federal government subsidy. It is exempt from the anti-trust regulations that apply to almost every other business in the U.S. The owners are basically allowed to make their own rules as they please and answer to essentially no one. And apparently they need a little oversight.
I realize that this is probably NOT mainstream sentiment, but why in the blue blazes in our (obviously innept) DEMOCRAT Congress getting their panties in a wad (Pardon the pun, Nancy) over the activities of a private business. Congress is having such a heyday with marching baseball stars up to capital hill they've invited football too. How soon can we look forward to the WWE on CSPAN?
I love that congress wants to get their nose into everyones business, but why dont they think about a few things they said they were going to do when they got voted into office in '06... Nancy's 100 hours (or was it days?). Her raising the minimum wage... except for American Samoa which provides the fish for the packing plant in her district. Or Harry and his "Most Ethical Congress"... and taking free boxing tickets and questionable land deals.....
Loky, I agree completely... If someone does something illegal, then prosecute... we dont need hearings to decide if baseball players used steroids. PROSECUTE or go home.
Aye.
Drug conspiracy cases are federal.
I saw part of the hearing. My take is that Clemens is lying, and McNamee told the truth, at least mostly. McNamee looked uncomfortable, pained and admitted past lies. Clemens looked like he was performing, being a stubborn bull to fight off the questions. We humans have a highly developed ability to tell when someone is being truthful. Watch the hearing for yourself, and see what your gut tells you. Methinks most will sadly conclude Clemens was the one 'lying in spectacular fashion'.
"Humans have a highly developed ability to tell when someone is being truthful."
Read your statement again, wildflowermaven, reflect for a second, and realize what utter nonsense it is.
I listened to most of it over the radio and thought McNamee came of as a phony. Must be that Nixon/Kennedy debate syndrome.Everyone I know who saw it on TV said Roger was squirming.Of course I was pulling for Roger the whole way. I feel it all comes down to what I said in a previous post. I think we should all start lying to our elected officials, it's only fair.
This whole Roger Clemons thing irratates me on many levels. The trial by media is again out of control. The public seems to have focused all their anger about spoiled atheletes and their faliure in the arena of the apperant need for "role models", on to one man. I for one think maybe he is lying but I would rather the whole thing be resolved in a court of law then be decided in the halls of Congress. If you have evidence of a law being broken by Roger arrest him and charge him.
I also find it amazing that a President can lie to us 950 times, a congress can lie to us about bringing that man to justice in order to get elected yet I see none of them before a panel answering for their crimes. But if we catch Clemons lying to congress he can face 5 years in prison. I have read of child molestation cases where a person has faced less time. So lets see if I got this straight lie to the American people which results in thousands of Americas and hundred thousands of Iraqians die and you get to live out your term in peace. Lie to congress about the fact that someone shot you in the ass with steroids nine years ago and you will not only be berated over and over again in the halls of congress but you might spend time in prison. he is such a threat to society. Stop him before he shoots himself in the ass again. What a waste of time and energy.
Here Here!!!
So lets see if I got this straight- lie to the American people which results in thousands of Americas and hundred thousands of Iraqians die and you get to live out your term in peace. Lie to congress about the fact that someone shot you in the ass with steroids nine years ago... and you might spend time in prison."
Well said! Frankly I could care less about this stuff. Congress has more important things to do. Interesting, though, the party-line divide at the hearing with Republicans favoring Clemens (a well-connected Texan) and Democrats favoring the trainer.
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Posted February 14, 2008 | 04:40 AM (EST)