Steroids: Say it ain’t so, Roger
Even for Washington, it was a bizarre spectacle, said Dana Milbank in The Washington Post. Last week’s congressional hearing on steroid abuse in Major League Baseball was an exercise in farce, not fact-finding. In four hours of testimony, seven-time Cy Yo
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Even for Washington, it was a bizarre spectacle, said Dana Milbank in The Washington Post. Last week’s congressional hearing on steroid abuse in Major League Baseball was an exercise in farce, not fact-finding. In four hours of testimony, seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens indignantly—and unconvincingly—denied that he’d used steroids and human growth hormone to keep his career going into his 40s. Just 5 feet away sat Brian McNamee, his former personal trainer and chief accuser, repeating claims that he’d personally injected Clemens with the stuff. Before and during the hearing, “star-struck” lawmakers fawned over the pudgy pitcher. William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) breathlessly asked Clemens what uniform he would wear to the Hall of Fame; Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) purred over the Rocket’s “stamina and body build.” Weirdest of all was the grilling about the after-effects of Clemens’ alleged shots. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) wanted to know more about “the palpable mass on his buttocks.” Tom Davis (R-Va.) asked, “Do you recall any bleeding through your pants in 2001?”
More disturbing than the fixation on Clemens’ butt, said Harvey Araton in The New York Times, was the brazen partisanship. Most of the Democrats lit into the pitcher as a disgrace to the American pastime while Republicans assailed McNamee as a liar and drug pusher. No surprise there, said Stephen Metcalf in Slate.com. “Clemens is a rich and politically well connected Texan” who pitched for the Houston Astros, deep in the heart of Bush country. When he was named in last fall’s Mitchell Report on baseball’s steroid problem, he “immediately received a consolatory phone call” from his good friend, former President George H.W. Bush. This backdrop turned the questioning of Clemens into a political tug of war, leaving committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) to admit afterward, “I’m sorry we had the hearing.”
He should be, said King Kaufman in Salon.com. What, precisely, was the purpose of this circus? “If Clemens is accused of a crime, let him stand trial in court, where there are standards of evidence and he has the right to face and cross-examine his accusers.” Fine—it’s about time a white athlete went on trial, said Todd Balf in the Los Angeles Times. Barry Bonds and Olympic track star Marion Jones, two black athletes accused of using steroids, have been aggressively prosecuted, and Jones was recently sentenced to six months in jail. Now Clemens has given sworn testimony that contradicts that of several other people. Will the government prosecute him for perjury—or is it only interested in athletic cheats who are black?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
5 tips to save on heating bills
The Explainer Follow these expert recommendations for a cozy and cheap winter
By Becca Stanek Published
-
Should you fire your financial adviser? 4 signs it's time to say goodbye.
The Explainer Breakups are never fun, but you have to protect your wallet
By Becca Stanek Published
-
The daily gossip: Man arrested in connection with shooting of Tupac Shakur, an OceanGate movie is in the works, and more
Feature The daily gossip: September 29, 2023
By Brendan Morrow Published