Isn’t it odd how the timing of these two stories worked out? On the same day that the stories were getting out that Canseco hinted that Roger Clemens used illegal, banned substances there was another story telling us how Clemens wouldn’t be able to use Vioxx anymore, and might all of a sudden start pitching like a 42-year-old. Wow.
In the Times article of 2005, written by Selena Roberts, Clemens shared what he would do to “keep up,” ''I'm going to find anything I can to get into my body that is healthy, that will make me stronger, so I feel like I'm going to be able to stay up with 20-year-olds," he said. "You rely on physicians and people to tell you what's shaking in that world(emphasis added).''
That’s a pretty bold statement, isn’t it?
And since he goes on to say that he relies on physicians to tell him “what’s shaking,” you need to know that there are a whole bunch of physicians out there who would tell Clemens that human growth hormone is precisely that “anything” Clemens was looking for.
So fast forward a year and a half later and faced with allegations that are a little more concrete, and what are we to think?
"I've been tested plenty of times," Clemens said regarding the Grimsley allegations. "My physicals I've taken, they have taken my blood work. I have passed every test. Again, I just find it amazing that you can throw anybody out there."
If you notice, Clemens didn’t say, “I have never taken a banned or illegal substance. I have never taken steroids or human growth hormone.” He could have said that, but he didn’t. Instead, Clemens offered up his slate of clean drug tests as his rebuttal, when we all know by now that there isn’t a test that can detect the use of human growth hormone.
By comparison, Andy Pettitte said, "I've never used any drugs to enhance my performance in baseball. I don't know what else to say except to say it's embarrassing my name would be out there."
Some people may have forgotten that Clemens and Canseco were teammates on three separate occasions. Roger and Jose spent the 1995-96 seasons together in Boston - Clemens’ last two years with the Red Sox - and if you go back and look at Clemens’ numbers at this point in his career he looked like he was heading for a downslide.
Article comments
1 - Donnie Marler
Jason Grimsley commented through his lawyer that he was the victim of a tremendous misunderstanding. Grimsley said there is 'no way' Roger Clemens would have, or did, take steroids.
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
Well, there is one way.
Needle in ass.
3 - sal m
actually the term that has been used in this latestly statement from grimsley's mouthpiece is "illegal performance enhancing drugs"...human growth hormone and certain other hormones like testosterone are NOT illegal to use or possess if a person has a valid prescription.
this is just lawyerly posturing.