Was Roger Clemens guilty?

[Roy Hersh]

He was found innocent on all six counts against him. He will be eligible to become a HOF inductee this year. What are your thoughts?

[Marc J.]

He was guilty...no question about it. Now I don't know if the evidence presented reached the legal standard for conviction, but he did lie to Congress. In my opinion this cloud that is hanging over him will probably be enough to keep him out of the Hall of Fame.

[Moses Botbol]

He used PED's in IMO, but most of the stars from that era did too. The HoF should represent the greats, and he has to be there. As far as MLB and Govt; he did not take PED's. Simple as that. Yes, there will be a cloud over his head, but that does not take away from his amazing career to me.

[Tom D.]

I am admittedly pretty quick and harsh in my judgement of all the guys who conspired to kill my love of MLB, but I typically assume any ball player who commits inexplicable acts of violent behavior, who performs at near superhuman levels well into old age, and whose head grows mysteriously larger in a short period of time, has probably been using the 'roids and/or growth hormones. No HOF vote from me for Clemens, but the whole legal action sure seemed like a waste of public resources that could have been more productively directed elsewhere.

[John M.]

The court of law is far different than the court of public opinion. So while Clemens is not guilty from a legal sense, there's enough information out there to cast serious and significant doubt about his allegation that he never took PEDs--and that includes a superb record at an age when no one else did it before for that long. He looks guilty to me in that sense.

Considering all known steroid users eligible for the HOF have not been elected yet, its hard to see him getting elected for awhile. Heck, Jeff Bagwell can't get votes and there's just a suspicion on him--never an accusation. Sooner or later there will be a log-jam of players with PED use with strong HOF credentials and some will eventually get in. It might just take awhile. If that happens, Clemens is sure to be on the short list getting in--Bagwell may not be so lucky.

[Roy Hersh]

Jeff Bagwell, really?!?!?!?


Don't get me wrong, he was a solid player but regardless of roids, he should never be mentioned in the same breath as The Rocket (who I spent many years hating when he was a Red Sox player).

I do believe he dosed and lied. Great lawyers and bumbling prosecutors who screwed up the first time with the mistrial. What do you expect. I totally agree that between Bonds and this case, a v. strong argument should be made that the Fed. gov't. should stay the heck away from cases of this type and have each sport create their own kangaroo court where the funds don't come from taxpayers!

[Moses Botbol]

If the HoF does not want suspect PED players, it's going to be a joke who gets nominated for the whole 1990's.

[John M.]

Roy Wrote: Wed Jun 20, 2012 12:22 pm
Jeff Bagwell, really?!?!?!?


Don't get me wrong, he was a solid player but regardless of roids, he should never be mentioned in the same breath as The Rocket (who I spent many years hating when he was a Red Sox player).

Bagwell should be a HOF by the historical standards set. Bill James calls him the 4th best 1B of all time. But, I would whole heartedly agree that Clemens was at a higher level than that. That was never my point at all--just commenting on roids vis a vis HOF voting.

[Ray Barnes]

Sorry, I neither have nor express personal opinions on legalities.

[Brian C.]

I'm not even sure that Clemens should have been tried in the first place. If the case hinges on evidence that wasn't stored and handled properly, and on a witness who ended up being only 50% sure, it's going to be pretty hard to win a conviction. I have a hard time believing he was clean, though. I would never vote for him for the HOF. The rejuvenation at age 35 seemed a bit suspect to me. When he first planned to retire, it all seemed to make sense, but then he comes back and gets another Cy Young? Really? There were times I saw him in the suspected years and he could have won a Jason Giambi look alike contest when he was on the mound. And that whole thing with his wife and HGH, what was that about, anyway?

The 90s decade has more problems than just PEDs, though. Ballpark dimensions shrank. Strike zones shrank. Baseballs were wound tighter. The game became so dumbed down in that decade, it really was shameful. I couldn't believe all the opposite field homers that I would see on Sports Center. Even Sosa had a couple of seasons of 100 walks, and that guy rarely took pitches. McGwire is what, 6'5"? Is it really that hard to find the strike zone with a guy like that? What if Willie Mays had played in the Steroid Era? What about Dave Kingman, for that matter? There are very few people I would vote in from the last two decades right now if I had a ballot, aside from Ichiro and Jeter when it's time.

[Ray Barnes]

Without legal opinions being stated or implied, I couldn't help but notice that Barry Bonds was not offered a contract by any team.