....and I'm paying $3.05 for gas!!!!!!

The headline at a popular sports website reads "A Dark Day For Baseball", referring to today's events on Capitol Hill involving Roger Clemens. Here is the deal folks, only two people know the entire truth about what Roger Clemens did, or did not use. I for one don't really care. I will care however if he is lying. Clemens and Eric Davis were my hero's growing up. Finding out one of them may have used bad judgement in trying to improve their game does not bother me. Finding out that I believed them and ends up they lied does bother me. But all of that is neither here nor there. Innocent till proven guilty...right? Wrong!!!!!!!! Roger Clemens was convicted by the media and the mongrels on Capitol Hill long before today's hearing even took place. Baseball was not the only sport being investigated by Congress today. Senator Arlen Spector, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about why he destroyed the so-called "spygate" tapes involving the New England Patriots and New York Jets. Basically Goodell told him "because I can". He is the Commissioner of the NFL and he handled it appropriately. So today we had elected officials dealing with Steroids in baseball, and tape destroying in the NFL....yet I paid $3.05 a gallon to fill my car. Does anyone else have a problem with this?



But I am more interested in the Clemens situation. Last week, ESPN.com had a survey asking fans "What's the worst thing an athlete can do"? The following were the choices given by ESPN, along with the results:

Cockfighting: 2 %

Dogfighting: 16 %

Use Performance-Enhancing Drugs: 32 %

Not Hustling: 51 %

.....anyone notice what the fans really care about? Why hasn't Congress brought in Chad Johnson to ask him why he doesn't block on running plays?

Wednesday's hearing on Capitol Hill lasted 4 hours. the Media circus was run by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. I'm sorry...who? What makes this "Committee" experts on what is considered cheating in sports? At one point, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif) gaveled Clemens into angry silence while Roger was trying to clarify one of his answers. Really???? I get that the good Representative from the Golden State was probably the last one picked every time a neighborhood baseball game was put together, but show some respect to a man who spent his life entertaining millions of kids. By the look on Clemens face, it was clear what he wanted the Rep. to do with his gavel.

Now that we are up to speed on today's events, lets go over the biggest kicker of all. When the Mitchell Report first game out, it was said that it would "rock Baseball" and "shed light on the use of steroids". Here's the thing....there has been no evidence or admission about steroids at all. Instead the focus has been on HGH-Human Growth Hormones. Something people don't know much about...including those sitting atop their pedestal's on Capitol Hill. According to a study published at www.slate.com/id/2162473 , most clinical studies suggest that HGH will not help an athlete at all. At very least, the best results achieved by using HGH are reduced body fat and increased muscle mass. This does not mean much for athletes. As the study put it-"A chiseled physique will not help you hit a baseball further, throw harder, or run faster". HGH has not been shown to increase strength. It has a greater effect on definition than strength.

So why do athletes use it? It has been know to speed up the healing process, and it can give you extra energy. But other than that, nobody knows. Maybe it's superstition.

Roger Clemens will never be able to repair his image no matter the outcome of these hearings. My childhood hero is being raked across the coals like a dead animal by Congress and the Media. And for what? What is any of this going to accomplish? Future use by athletes? How about just testing them starting now? Why bring up the past and defecate on the legacy of man whose career probably would have been the same without the use of HGH, citing it's lack of enhancing performance.

Well, I am going to go register today's gas purchase in my checkbook, turn on the news to find out 10 more Americans were killed in Iraq, check my mail to see if I got my stimulus check, then turn up the heat in my house adding to my already abusive electric bill. Who knows...maybe I will kick the cat on my way to bed. it's better than not hustling, right. Thank goodness Congress spent today handling this issue as opposed to working on anything that matters to people.