Roger Clemens: Sports Hero Slip Slidin’ Away

Roger Clemens has always been a public relations disaster waiting to happen.

Butchering the English language—he “misremembers” words the way Andy Pettitte “misremembers” conversations—has been the least of his shortcomings.

In his days with the Red Sox, one of his most notable PR faux pas was the time he whined about the players having to carry their luggage through airports.

So it should come as no surprise to longtime followers of Big Hoss that he unwisely chose to tape and then play for all the world that fateful 17-minute phone conversation with Brian McNamee.

Are Clemens attorneys so starstruck that they didn’t see it for the misstep that it was?

McNamee’s taped virtual admission revealed that he felt bad about ratting out Clemens, but did so because he feared prison time if he lied. What part of that confession did they not think twice about sharing?

That exchange is open to interpretation, but Clemens will rue the day he chose to play that tape for the media and set in motion McNamee’s follow-up actions.

I’ve been following Big Hoss’ career since his days coming up through the Red Sox organization and playing Triple-A ball in Pawtucket, RI. That was a gentler, easier time for Clemens. When his potential blossomed, stardom beckoned, and McCoy Stadium couldn’t hold him for long.

As Bill Murray said in the movie, Groundhog Day, "Why can’t I have that day back?"

I’ve always disliked the baseball expression, “That’s some serious cheese,” and variations of it. But that was some serious cheese that Clemens and McNamee faced on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?