With Congress’ approval rating somewhere South of Attila, it’s hard to imagine what possessed Henry Waxman and company to waste the people’s time and money investigating steroid use in baseball. Waxman evidently finally got the message as he suddenly started backing and shuffling, claiming the whole thing was ball player Roger Clemens’ attorney’s idea. Clemens’ lawyer naturally disputes that, according to USA Today, “calling the congressman’s statements, ‘unbelievable, disingenuous and outrageous.’”
“He is the one who created this circus in the first place,” Hardin said.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m pretty much inclined to believe Hardin here. Nevertheless, at first glance I was relieved that Waxman is, as I said, finally ceasing and desisting from wasting our time and money. But then I remembered the things he normally does – setting up non-stop investigations of his opposition, which are simultaneously malicious and meretricious. This is the kind of phony nonsense during a time of war that caused me to leave the Democratic Party. [Do you know anybody who has left the Republican Party for similar reasons?-ed. Not recently, no.] On second thought, it’s probably better to have Waxman spending his time on baseball.
Now if this man was still a member of the Democratic Party, I’d probably still be too. He is true American hero.
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28 Comments
1. Barry Dauphin:On second thought, it’s probably better to have Waxman spending his time on baseball.
In more ways than one. There is no better illustration of Dems’ approach to the WoT than watching those hearings. Maybe Henry will call for waterboarding Clemens. Could it be worse than the torture of sitting through a Congressional hearing?
Feb 15, 2008 - 7:50 pm 2. Buddy Larsen:Roger, thank you for nailing Cong. Waxman on his insanely destructive hyper-partisan political handling of his committee.
Feb 15, 2008 - 9:00 pm 3. Gary Rosen:“Now if this man was still a member of the Democratic Party, I’d probably still be too.”
A few weeks ago I saw a documentary on Harry Truman. It almost brought me to tears, he was such a stand-up guy and straight shooter. It’s sad to think that no one like that from either party could get elected today.
Feb 16, 2008 - 12:27 am 4. Mike_Nargizian:BUDDY LARSEN -
Roger, thank you for nailing Cong. Waxman on his insanely destructive hyper-partisan political handling of his committee.
ROGER L SIMON -
This is the kind of phony nonsense during a time of war that caused me to leave the Democratic Party.
Are you guys freekin kidding me?
Here’s a newsflash for you…
In NY, where Clemens played, where the largest sports radio show is broadcast from – he got KREEMED… on every sports talk show.
Before the hearing callers were actually like 40-50% supportive of Clemens on sportsradio…
after the hearing, after Pettite, Knoblauch and the maid’s testimony sunk his lying ass – 90% of the callers were destroying his joke of a self righteous phony “character”.
BUT BY FAR THE MOST EMBARRASSING PART OF THOSE HEARINGS BY FAR – WERE THE REPUBLICAN MEMBERS OF THAT COMMITTEE
I was embarrassed for them wathcing them, I was embarrassed for our country that this is our House!! Are you fing kidding me!!!
The Senator in the G-dfather who praised Michael Corleone’s as an “American Hero” was less obvious… AND THOSE MEMBERS GOT SLAUGHTERED by every radio show and every caller in the Metro NY area that day.
Darrel Issa looked like an ass kissing fool and the Republican woman member right after saying how she objected to the hearings in principal held up how many pictures regaling Clemens? It was embarrassing how ridiculous it was!
Please tell me where it says in the to be a “good” Republican you have to kiss Roger Clemens ass and tell us all “what a titan of baseball he is and how dare McNamee soil his name”?
The guy was fing subpoened or he would have went to jail!! And was Pettite lying too?
Meanwhile, Clemens sits there and throws his own wife under the bus to try and save his pathetic credibility and character. Instead of fessing up and saying yeah I took some over a period of a few years to keep up with everyone else end of story… he goes through this whole nonsense self righteous bullshit and now he’s RUINED…
If he wants to inject himself in his a** – let him, that’s for the old time Hall of Famers to complain about – but don’t sit there and wrap yourself in the Red,White and Blue flag and tell me how proud you were to wear those colors in the Olympics or how your friends with Bush the senior so you’re not lying… THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH -
How about when you were roid raging on National Television in the 2000 Series when you threw the broken bat at Piazza…
I don’t care if Waxman is otherwise a shady partisan hack or not. He called it correctly here… apologizing for his lame Republican colleagues who I was embarrassed for!!
Elijah Cumming is the only one who said it correctly -
“I’m a big fan of yours sir, but it is very difficult to believe you”
War on Terror I’m with you but I’m starting to think everyone is friggin crazy if you lose any objectivity and actually tell me that the problem is not the Republican members on that day or Clemens lying, but Waxman?
Hold the hearings don’t hold the hearings…
Bury the Mitchel Report and let Baseball be Roidball forever more, which it is I don’t give a shit… but don’t sit there and tell me what a “great guy” and a “hero” Roger Clemens is. He’s nothing but a arrogant, self righteous ego maniac who revived his career in 1998 like everyone else by JUICING UP.
I don’t give a shit how many wins or strikeouts he has he’s no “Role Model”.
Mike
Feb 16, 2008 - 12:33 am 5. Rhod:Roid rage at Roger Simon’s.
Feb 16, 2008 - 4:13 am 6. Buddy Larsen:I was referring to Waxman’s whole political career, Mike. I agree with you, Cummings was the class of the show the other day on the hill. As far as the partisan breakdown re the interlocuters, I have no explanation other than that the folks who hold out the wee possibility that Clemens could actually be telling the truth, just happen to mostly be Republican. Why this is so I do not know. Who’d've ever figured there’s a political aspect to “innocent until proven guilty”?
Feb 16, 2008 - 6:12 am 7. Webutante:Comments like Mike’s make it all worthwhile, don’t they? What fun.
I agree with him and also with Roger….as in not either/or, but both/and.
How low have we gone that Congress is compelled to invetigate this kind of nonsense—I can only imagine that both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson would be twirling in their graves. However, Clemens is no role model and the Republicans involved in defending him in Waxman’s hearing ought to be ashamed…when get rid of earmarks and frivilous hearings maybe government can get back to the business they were charged with in the Constitution.
Feb 16, 2008 - 6:25 am 8. Plainslow:Then I saw a story about this on tv and then confirmed it on Yahoo Sports. “Congressional steroid probe now includes horse racing”
Feb 16, 2008 - 6:35 am 9. Roger:Do they need my $600.00 back to pay for thier new gourmet meals that Nancy was trying to put in? That’s the only reason why a body of people who love our country, would not finnish with a terroist bill, but make sure our horses aren’t overly muscular.
Well, it should be obvious that I think Congress people on both sides of the aisle are to be blamed here. But Waxman is committee chairman. He should never have wasted a minute of Congressional time on this.
And, to be clear, when I left the Democratic Party, I didn’t join the Republican Party. Anyone who reads this blog with any consistency should know I am simply interested in the individual candidate. Party orthodoxy of any sort is boring and blinding.
Feb 16, 2008 - 6:46 am 10. Buddy Larsen:Baseball: from the National Pastime to the Passional Nastime.
Feb 16, 2008 - 7:04 am 11. Pribek:Baseball is a $6 Billion a year industry that enjoys anti-trust exemption. The only industry that has this exemption.
Revenue increased at a dramatic rate during the steroid era.
Does anyone believe that the owners and Bud Selig did not know about steroid use?
If the owners knew of this, they sold a bogus product and committed fraud.
Whose job is it to be watchdog when you have an industry with anti-trust exemption?
The Mitchell report should be only the beginning here.
Feb 16, 2008 - 10:29 am 12. doc99:Congress needs to be the one that holds owners/Selig responsible for fraud and investigate the depth of the owner’s/Selig’s knowledge of PED.
I’d love to comment but I’m preoccupied with Specter’s Spygate Hearing.
Feb 16, 2008 - 1:29 pm 13. Mike_Nargizian:BUDDY LARSEN -
That’s tongue in cheek right?
That’s fine then don’t sit there and kiss Clemens’s ass while incessantly excoriating McNamee. And ask Clemens a simple follow up question that a freekin 4th grader would ask him. Simply say you object to this show and sit down and shut up!
The partisan hacks made the entire thing an obvious partisan “fix is in” sham.
Bush and the Repubs called in their parrots and they marched out just like the Senator in the G-dfather who said “Well, their the salt of the earth and I’m proud to call many Italians my good friends”
Maybe not but then you were against the 1rst public hearings years ago with McGwuire, Sosa (me no comprende) and Palmero.
ROGER SIMON -
So did you watch those hearings? How anyone after watching those hearings could come away with anything but amazed bewilderment and disgust at the mindless groupthink “fix is in” mentality of the Republicans is BEYOND me.
Badly trained parrots
Darrel Issa was on a morning TV show right after Christopher Russo of WFAN and wined about how Russo got it wrong (Him and Mike Francessa were laughing at how pathetic the Republicans were all day) the nanny supported Clemens and went against McNamee’s story.
However, the moron wasn’t even paying attention during the hearing his committee held, the nanny actually confirmed (after Clemens lawyers chased her down) that Clemens was at the BBQ that McNamee said he was at with Canseco.
And after that entire sham, how pathetic the Republicans looked, Issa’s only wining comment in his defense is based on him not knowing what the F he’s talking about.
THE POINT IS THIS -
If the Committees are this partisan in regards to something as unimportant as Roger Clemens I can’t imagine what a joke our Congress is.
Roger -
After watching that I’d vote for Waxman and Cummings and against those Republican Representatives except – Rep. Mark E. Souder, Indiana.
MEMBERS WEBSITE -
Feb 16, 2008 - 3:02 pm 14. Buddy Larsen:http://oversight.house.gov/about/members.asp
So let me get this straight, Mike — it’s your opinion that Clemens is guilty?
Feb 16, 2008 - 3:55 pm 15. Mike_Nargizian:Unlike your prior comment I think that one was actually tongue in cheek.
Feb 16, 2008 - 4:10 pm 16. Buddy Larsen:Regardless of the fact he’s guilty it’s how the Republicans on the committee instead of doing their job kissed up to him as if he was JC himself.
mike, i just keep wondering, what if he’s telling the truth ? really — what if ?
Feb 16, 2008 - 10:54 pm 17. Captain Hate:For him to be telling the truth means that everybody else has to be lying. Sorry but that just doesn’t fly with me. Raj is just another overpaid spoiled brat who’s used to his bluster overcoming all opposition, hence his magical media tour that only convinced the fence-sitters that he was guilty, guilty, guilty. I really don’t understand why the Repubs saw any sort of upside in supporting this blowhard.
Feb 17, 2008 - 9:39 am 18. Mike_Nargizian:Captain Hate -
I really don’t understand why the Repubs saw any sort of upside in supporting this blowhard.
a) Dem chair called the hearing so they decided to be contrary like two 4-year olds fighting.
b) Bush called in his mindless parrots to support his fellow Texan Clemens. It’s the “Repub thing to do”
c) They’re all star struck (see OJ)
d) They all thought they’d look like champions and get great pr in the media by supporting Clemens.
Take your pick. I’m partial to b) and d).
Feb 17, 2008 - 10:44 am 19. dick:Let’s see. We need to hold hearings on the FISA. We need to get the budget passed. We need to hold hearings on the military We need to get the rest of the appointees who have not been approved voted up or down. I know. Let’s hold hearings on steroid use in sports. That way we don’t have to do what we were sent here to do and we can meet all these famous sports celebrities. Win, win. people!
Why is this little little little man named Waxman even there as a representative. Every time I see him in the news he is showing what a little man he is and how self-important he is. Can’t the people out there at least elect someone who has a clue what he is there for? The only thing Waxman has done that I can see is act as attack dog for Pelosi and really all she needs to do is show her Botox face and everyone will run in horror anway.
I would also like to see the sports reporters do more covering people like Kareem and the ones these days who carry themselves with as much respect as he did and a whole lot less covering the dopers like Clemens and mcgwire.
Feb 17, 2008 - 12:24 pm 20. Buddy Larsen:b) Bush called in his mindless parrots to support his fellow Texan Clemens. It’s the “Repub thing to do”
Mike, really — do you think this happened? If not — and i’m sure, because you have the sense to’ve mastered a keyboard, you don’t really believe this — then who is a ”mindless parrot”?
Full-auto Bush-blaming earns that epithet better than anything else currently in the public discourse, imho.
Feb 17, 2008 - 4:08 pm 21. Captain Hate:Buddy, I’ve seen a marked upswing in BDS related to a pre-emptive pardon for Roidger based on absolutely no evidence whatsoever. btw, now that Raj has embarrassed himself and thrown his wife under the bus on the eve of Valentines day, I wouldn’t get any pleasure out of him going to jail. Neither would I for that other egotistical prick Barroid unless he deliberately impeded the feds going after BALCO, in which case let the cards fall where they may.
Feb 17, 2008 - 4:45 pm 22. Buddy Larsen:CH, Clemens looked okay to me at the hearing — i mean, what am i missing — did he really dump on the wife, or was he just relating the facts? I mean, it she did it, then the only way he could have *not* thrown her under a bus would’ve been to do the very thing that everybody’s accusing him of, that is, to lie. But i bow to y’all’s better knowledge of the whole story — i was just trying to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. Mike N is no doubt an expert on the case but I damn sure wouldn’t let him on the jury if I was defending a republican guilty or not. OTOH, if I was defending a Democrat, give me 12 of him.
Feb 17, 2008 - 7:32 pm 23. Mike_Nargizian:Hey Buddy and Captain -
Bush ain’t pardoning Clemens imho. Roger won’t be brought up on perjury charges anyway.
BARROID had a positive Steroid test before he told Congress that he never took steroids, and they likely will have a hard time even getting him. Very hard to prove perjury as to what someone believed.
As far as Bush Derangement Syndrome? LMAO… I voted for Bush but as my father told me after 9/11 when I swung right, (my political opinions that is) I’ll switch back and forth over my lifetime. But citing BDO can be as ridiculous as Rosie is.. another words I couldn’t have been a moderate who voted for Bush and is voting for McCain, who just watched the hearings and was amazed at how sickened I was at Clemens and the masquerade joke the Repub committee members were.
I was embarrassed for them.
I had my 1rst political awakening the months after 9/11 reading the NY Times after 9/11.
Buddy -
Roger was lying through his teeth. But hey people still actually think OJ didn’t do it.
And the WFAN announcers that were killing him and the Republican Senators are BOTH Republicans. Russo is from CT and his good friends are apparently very friendly with and like Rep Shays CT who Russo and Francessa KILLED for days on the radio.. The guy is on the Committee and looked as big a fool as Issa, Foxx and gang.
Mike
Clemens said he told Pettite that he was talking about taking HGH in relation to his wife during their conversations in the late 90’s and early 2000’s… only problem he later admitted that he didn’t “supposedly” know that his trainer injected her with HGH until 06.
Feb 17, 2008 - 8:42 pm 24. Buddy Larsen:well, lot of folks agree with you, Mike — i guess i’m out of step. Anyway, clean players now have more reason than ever to police their own teams — as the odor is so bad that the whole roster stinks when anyone on it gets busted.
Like Marion Jones — i hadn’t thought of Wilma Rudolf since i was a kid, until the Jones debacle. Now Wilma is back atop the all-time pantheon — above suspicion.
Sad, and a damn shame — I blame the East Germans for letting this cat outta the bag back during the Cold War.
Feb 17, 2008 - 9:28 pm 25. Mike_Nargizian:Buddy -
You’re not totally getting it. The players themselves for the most part know most are taking it. I was in the gym in college and you knew most people there were juicing it’s not like it’s a gigantic secret, lmao! Barroid’s teamates were happy when he carried them to the Series.
The Players Union according to reports supposedly advised players about the benefits of taking steroids as way back as the late 90’s. It’s good for baseball, the 98 Home Run Race saved baseball, fans are happier and come to the parks and buy jerseys etc.., owners make more $, and the players’s salaries skyrocket. Everyone’s a phoney when it comes to moral outrage including the fans please… anyone who saw the SI cover years ago with a picture of McGwire and Williams in their primes and saw the difference… ummmm are you kidding me?
Who am I to tell a middle of the road player on a contract year not to take steroids to get a guaranteed $30 million contract the following year and to have his family set for life?
Steroids are here to stay they’ll never do anything about them… and if anyone’s seen Giambi since 2 years ago when he suddenly dropped 20-30 lbs knows he’s back on something… puhllllease… lol.
Wait till genetic engineering is somewhat perfected then steroids will look like child’s play.
Btw, not that I don’t hate the East Germans or for what they reped growing up, not to mention in WWII, but though the Commies may have done a lot of research and perfecting of roids….. NOONE is going to state that the US is exactly pristine when it comes to Olympic athletes and juice… Flo Jo? and now you have to question if Jackie Joyner took them since her trainer and husband, Bob Kersey, was hers and Flo Jo’s trainer…
Mike
Feb 17, 2008 - 9:44 pm 26. Buddy Larsen:mike, i don’t mean to nitpik, but you started off in this thread in a state of righteous outrage over Clemens’ alleged juicing — and now in your current comment you’re more or less saying what the hell, everybody does it, they’ve been doing it forever, it’s good for business, there’s a consensus, it’s imbedded now and for the future, etcetera.
OK, fine, that’s a trifle cynical but a legit position — but then why then all that (upthread) extreme anger at Clemens — one guy among the legions of dopers, enablers, and approvers?
Feb 18, 2008 - 12:34 am 27. Mike_Nargizian:Because Clemens is an egomaniac and selfish guy.
Did he admit he took them? No, he just decided to steamroll anyone in his way and lie about it.
Just bcs someone takes steroids it doesn’t mean they’re a bad guy. Though I personally don’t like Clemens.
But don’t sit there and tell me you never did.
Also, I don’t need every Senator telling everyone what a friggin “hero” Clemens is.
I’m just stating what the situation is… they’ll probably never do anything substantive about Steroids in baseball. Why has the Union been fighting any enforcement of it for years?
It’ll become like don’t ask don’t tell in the Army… it’ll be there and if you get caught you’ll get slapped down temporarily…. etc..
Feb 18, 2008 - 2:00 am 28. Buddy Larsen:well, ok, then, so you don’t like Clemens — but that doesn’t make him and everybody who does like him automatically guilty of juicing, lying, and being a Bush stooge, does it?
Feb 18, 2008 - 2:50 am