Even though baseball is in the back of my mind in the midst of DRILL TEAM season (my other and most equal love!), I need to make an update on what I’m thinking so far this off-season!
First off, I am EXTREMELY happy that my Yankees are practically going to be the same team from last year. Back in October, no one was sure whether, A-Rod, Petitte, Rivera, or even if Posada would be back. These guys are KEY players!! They are also some of my favorites!! What Yankee fan cannot love the guys that are still here from the championship years?! Rivera will be back for three years, Posada four, Petitte at least one, and A-Rod for TEN! Yay!! The Yankees have also re-signed Robinson Cano, their second baseman for another four years. J The sad thing for me is that Joe Torre is gone. L I love Joe Torre sooo much!!! I am very unhappy at the way the Yankees front-office treated him. He was put in an awful position of not knowing if he had a job or not during the post-season. That cannot be good for the team either! Joe Torre clearly had nothing left to prove, so why only offer him a deal with incentives of reaching the post-season? Didn’t he do that every year he was their manager?? I am happy that Joe Torre has found somewhere else to go that he seems excited about. I know he will do very well. I might have to root for the Dodgers, just a little bit for him. J When it was time to choose a new manager, there very pretty much only 3 people they were considering. Don Mattingly, Tony Pena, and Joe Girardi. I would have been happy with any of the three, but I wanted Girardi a little more than the others. This is because I think Girardi would bring a little different and maybe more competitive atmosphere. If Joe Torre has to go, then I think it would be good for a change in the way the things were managed. Why hire someone that is going to be the exact same way as Torre? (Mattingly) There would be no point in a change if you were going to that. So, as it turns out, Girardi is going to be the new Yankees manager. This will be really weird for me to get used to. Joe Torre is really the only manager for the Yankees that I really remember. I do think that the Yankees will have another good year. I cannot believe they actually came back and made it to the post-season last year. It was incredible! Hopefully this year there won’t be that many obstacles, and they can put those dumb Red Sox back where they belong! (2nd in AL East!)
I knew a long time ago that when the Mitchell report came out it would be a bad day. Not because of players who I thought might be on it, but because I knew it would a sad day in baseball in general. Steroid use is running rampant through baseball and it is a SAD, SAD thing. How do you know for sure if your favorite player isn't using? You can't really know for sure. How would you feel if it came out that the baseball player you idolized since a child is or was using steroids? I believe steroid use is wrong. I can't condone any player that has used it. It is cheating. It is that simple. I have a hard time with players that LIE. I have a problem with Barry Bonds because it is pretty obvious he used steroids. Anyone can SEE that. But he claims that he "didn't know" what it actually was that he was using. How do you not know? Wouldn't you want to know what you are doing to your own body? I hate all the excuses. While I cringe at the fact that Jason Giambi has used steroids, I respect him for coming out and admitting it.
Barry Bonds...before and after
I had heard rumors about Clemens taking steroids. I mean, if you think about it, how easy is it to be 45 years old and still throwing like you did when you were 5+ years younger? You should wear down with age- not stay consistent. However, They say Clemens works harder than anyone in baseball. So was he still keeping it together because of hard work.. or steroid use? The day the Mitchell report came out, I was mostly worried about seeing Alex Rodriguez's name. From the rumors I heard, I'd figured Clemens would be on it. Thankfully, A-Rod was nowhere to be found on the list. Now I'm not going to be naive and think just because his name wasn't on it that he hasn't done steroids at all. Like I mentioned before, you can never be sure. BUT I'm sure the Mitchell investigators looked into A-rod maybe a little more than others, just because of his status in the baseball world. Clemens is probably wishing that A-Rod had been on the list, because you can guarantee the focus wouldn't have been all on him. Also because A-Rod finalized his 10-year, 275+ million dollar deal that same day. The Mitchell Report contained about 8 pages of evidence against Clemens. Most of this evidence came from Brian McNamee, his former trainer. Too be completely honest, I have no idea if I believe Clemens or not. There seems to be no clear answer in my mind.
Here are some of the reasons I believe him:
He threw extremely well, and even won Cy Young awards when McNamee claims he WAS NOT injecting Clemens with steroids
In the recorded phone call that was shown during the press conference last Monday, McNamee never clearly states that he did actually tell the truth to the investigators. He just keeps saying he is sorry for what has happened. If Clemens was guilty, then wouldn't he have said something like "I did inject you with steroids and I did tell the truth." He never mentioned anything like that. (he did not know he was being recorded)
His body has stayed fairly the same. He never blew up like McGwire or Bonds.
The reasons I DON'T believe him:
First of all, the way he was acting during 60 minutes and his press conference. It just looks like he is lying. BUT, this could also be how someone would act if they were extremely frustrated and doing everything they could trying to prove their innocence.
There are about 8 pages of evidence against him in the Mitchell report. If McNamee was making this all up, where could he come up with 8 pages of BS??
What does McNamee have to gain by lying? He has already turned down 6 figures to do a documentary. (or some show or something)
Clemens is 45 years old and still throwing. Not as strong as he used to be, BUT, still strong.
On 60 minutes, when Clemens was asked if he would answer all the questions the same under oath, I think he acts really strange. He starts talking about VIOXX... which I didn't think was that relevant to the question. It seems to me he dodged the question.
McNamee gives dirt to George Mitchell about Andy Pettite using HGH. Andy comes out and admits, that yes, he did use HGH. That just makes McNamee's story more believable.
Those are just some of the reasons. It appears that I don't believe him more than I do. But honestly, I don't know. It makes me sick to think that if he is telling the truth, I'm sitting here not believing him. How frustrating for him. What if this is just a big scam, that someone out there is trying to spoil everything that he accomplished in his career. It is sad. I love Roger Clemens. But, like Clemens mentioned on 60 minutes, how can you prove your innocence? The only way really, is if McNamee admits that he lied. SOMEONE is lying here and it is driving me nuts. I'm not sure we will ever know...
Watch the clips from 60 minutes that I have posted here. Is that someone who is guilty, or just frustrated and innocent?
