Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying he didn't do anything. Most of the information that has become public -- and almost all of Clemens' behavior since the McNamee allegations surfaced -- point to a guy who is either lying to us or to himself. It's still a bit tragic that the truth -- whatever the truth might be -- has become almost irrelevant.
Somebody should have impressed upon Clemens at the very beginning that the first thing you do if you want to get out of a tree is to stop climbing. Whether he confessed to or denied the initial allegation, the important thing was to stop confessing or denying as quickly as possible. Case in point: Pettitte and Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts, who admitted to their dalliance with illegal performance-enhancing drugs and now look more like stand-up guys because Clemens refused to stand down.
Instead, he waved the flag and played the family card during the nationally televised, Feb. 13 congressional hearing in a desperate attempt to protect his image. It didn't ring true at the time, and maybe we're just now finding out why.
