Roger Clemens Gets Mistrial in Perjury Case

"Those other lawyers are idiots, man!"

Federal prosecutors presented inadmissible evidence in the perjury trial of Roger Clemens yesterday, a move Judge Reggie Walton said “a first year law student” would know is wrong. Judge Walton was none too pleased, declaring a mistrial, and scolding the prosecution for attempting to “bolster the credibility of one witness with clearly inadmissible evidence.” Ironically enough, that witness is none other than Andy Pettitte, a former teammate of Clemens with the New York Yankees and Houston Astros. This comes on just the second day of the trial after what was apparently an excruciating jury selection.

I’m surprised they were able to even find a jury (10 women, two men, by the way) considering how famous Clemens is as a baseball star, as well as his widely covered issues with performance-enhancing drugs and extramarital activity. They did though and the long-awaited trial got underway only to come to a grinding halt because of the prosecution’s gaffe.  Look, it’s bad enough that the federal government ever stuck their noses into Major League Baseball in the first place. There were plenty more important things to deal with then, and there are arguably more now. But since they can’t just back out, the least they could do is put some competent prosecutors on the case. This seemingly did not happen.

The worst and most ironic part is that Roger’s fate in this trial was more than likely going to hinge on Pettitte’s testimony. Not only did this error result in a mistrial, Walton also indicated that government might not be able to proceed with a re-trial either. Oopsy. Aspiring law students may want to find out where these guys went to school, and if it happens to be one they’re looking at, it might be prudent to knock it off the list. The main reason I’m upset, though, is because I was banking on Clemens jumping over the desk and starting a Texas-sized brawl whenever Pettitte got to the part of his testimony where he’d say he saw Clemens use PEDs. Oh, well.

Hall of Fame chances doubtful?

While Roger Clemens for now has escaped legal ramifications for his alleged PED use (well, lying about to Congress technically), his Hall of Fame credibility still remains in limbo. We still don’t know how the Hall is going to deal with what is unquestionably an inevitable era in baseball. Mark McGwire didn’t receive the votes because he really didn’t have the statistics that are usually required to gain entry. This did not exactly convince the baseball populace that the HOF voters have come to any consensus on how to treat statistics put up by players starting from the late 80s/early 90s through 2003, when the MLB actually made the use of such drugs illegal for the first time.

Since the Hall of Fame is so revered, so sacred, and so meaningful to players and fans alike, this is a pretty contentious issue. From what I’ve discerned, there are some who are not going to vote for anyone who was even accused, at any point in their career. This goes against the entire American conception of justice, and I think these people are living in an absurd, make-believe reality, where somehow this whole “steroids in baseball” thing is just a bad dream. On the other hand, there are some voters who are willing to consider achievements outside PED usage. The infamous Barry Bonds is a great example here: 3 MVPs, 400 home runs, 400 steals, etc., all before 1999, when the vast majority of fans, players, and media believed he started using. Originally, the steroid issue was inextricably linked with home runs. It makes that debate relatively easy to have.

Roger Clemens is another story. If Bonds represents the steroid era in perfect fashion as the batter who used, and thus was able to swat more homers than any in history, Clemens is the pitcher who was able to reach 300 wins and 4,000 strikeouts (did it in the same game) because he used. When stories first broke about pitchers using PEDs, it wasn’t so much about being able to throw harder. Everyone knows that being big and strong doesn’t necessarily translate to being a power pitcher; just ask Sandy Koufax and Pedro Martinez. But, it does help pitchers stay healthy. It helps, as Andy Pettitte admitted, a pitcher return quickly from injury. The prevailing thought is that also helps a pitcher perform at high level through their mid-30s and into their early 40s, the years in which they typically begin to decline in performance.

If you accept former Yankees trainer Brian McNamee’s accusation as truth, then you put Clemens’ PED usage starting in 1998. The other widely accepted rule of “truth” now is “once you pop you just can’t stop,” or as I like to call it, “the Pringles Rule.” While McNamee’s accusations cover 1998-2001, using the Pringles Rule and considering Clemens made 3 All-Star teams, winning one Cy Young Award after 2001, it’s a safe bet he found ways to continue using PEDs without McNamee.

So what do Roger’s numbers look like using the Pringles Rule? In 14 PED-less seasons, Clemens posted a 213-118 record (.644 winning %) with a 2.97 ERA, while tossing 109 complete games and 41 shutouts. In 3,040 innings he struck out 2,882 batters while only walking 924, and posted a WHIP of 1.147.  He averaged 217 IP per season, yet this is mostly due to a couple injury-plagued years: he eclipsed 240+ innings in 8 different seasons, with high of 281.2 in 1987. Additionally, Roger led the league three times in complete games, four times in strikeouts, five times in ERA, and six times in shutouts. He had four 20-win seasons, with a high of 24 in 1986, the same year he won the AL MVP and the Cy Young. Clemens was the first pitcher in history to strike out 20 batters in a nine-inning game, and the only to do so twice, accomplishing this feat in 1986 and 1996. In total, he had six All-Star selections, four Cy Young Awards, one MVP, and Rookie of the Year.

Does this put Roger in the Hall? I would certainly think so. The awards alone are enough. The wins argument doesn’t hold up (Chief Bender 212, Jesse Haines 210, Don Drysdale 209, all Hall of Famers).  Neither does the ERA argument, although ironically, his Pringles Rule ERA is some 15 points lower than his actual 3.12 career ERA. Most of all, his strikeout total in those 14 seasons would still be good for 17^th all time, ahead of HOFers Jim Bunning, Cy Young, Warren Spahn, Bob Feller, Christy Mathewson, Drysdale etc.

I think the Pringles Rule is totally acceptable when considering the likes of Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. Both of these men were exceptional players over a long period, and while the validity of the latter part of both of their careers is in question, we are still left with what they did, and who they were, before they decided to use PEDs. So, do I think Roger Clemens should get into the Hall of Fame someday? Yes, on the first ballot. Do I think he will? I’m not so sure. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Sources: USAToday, baseball-reference.com

Photo Credit: Alex Brandon, AP