Anyways, I was proposed the question after watching this by a friend:
Right now, would you vote for Roger Clemens or any of the other steroid-linked players to the hall of fame? In particular, Barry Bonds?Ummmm no! I'd hold off on voting them in until Bert Blyleven was in.
Alright joking aside, I'd wait until the entire process is over for both Bonds and Clemens before voting them in. If they're found not guilty, they'd be on my list 100%, no questions asked. But until then, I'd hold my vote so I don't potentially regret it later. If I had to choose "vote now, or never"... I'd vote them both in now, and if I could, I'd vote Pete Rose in as well.
Do I want to believe both Bonds & Clemens? Yes.
Do I believe Bonds & Clemens? No.
With this particular case, I can see significant flaws on both sides of the issue. The biggest thing against Roger Clemens right now is not particularly what Brian McNamee is doing, but it's what Andy Pettitte is doing. He (as well as Chuck Knoblauch) is siding with McNamee and Pettitte has been known as a very trustworthy guy and is a close friend to Clemens (despite how they've been downplaying their relationship through the media as of late, they're very close), and Clemens has admitted how great of a guy he is. Why would Andy Pettitte lie? Could he have misheard the conversation a few years back? Absolutely! But I just think that is Clemens only fall back for the issue.
And with McNamee, Dan Burton (R-Indiana) ripped into him about his credibility as he's been a known liar in the past to law enforcement officials. And he was exactly right. How do we know he's not lying right now? The thing he's got going for himself is a few players (one of which is very respectable) backing him up. And unfortunately for Clemens, he's got Jose Canseco on his side. Canseco is a kook, however he hasn't been afraid of throwing anyone under the bus, so why would he hold back with Roger? Is Canseco telling the truth? He could be, as big of a weeny he is (or should I say "little weeny"), he could very well be telling the truth from everything in his "Juiced" book series. But as far as respecting a player, he couldn't carry Pettitte's jock strap.
I don't like people saying, "well before so-and-so started taking them, they were a sure-fire Hall of Famer". And I think it's obvious why I don't like that. Performance Enhancers have been around in baseball for (what's known at least) about 20 years. Who's to say that these guys weren't shooting it up in the minor leagues before getting to the majors?
Sure Barry Bonds looks significantly different from the time he reached the majors until just last year, but then again, most people's bodies change between the ages of 20-40 (or in Bonds' case, 21-41). I guess you could say that is a plus for Clemens, as Representative Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina) showed a picture display of Roger Clemens since he's come into the league and showed pictures of him in 4 different uniforms.
The thing I can see happening now is Clemens saying, "I never knowingly took HGH. And if he injected me with something else that I wasn't aware of, then that's not entirely my fault." Or the whole "cream and clear" statement by Bonds for his "arthritis."
We'll see. Right now, I don't like Clemens outcome, but anything is possible I guess.
I guess, I'm probably the wrong person to ask as I have of my bias. At least in these particular cases as I'm a fan of both Bonds & Clemens and I'm probably more compelled to believe the player before the court of law, mostly because I'm still a little naive to the fact that someone who so many have looked up to, would lie to me or the rest of the world. If Roger (as well as Barry) is found guilty, then they should be punished. But until then, I will keep my opinion that they will be innocent until proven guilty.
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