Clemens

[bassNspear]

lets hope they get it figured out, becuase im sick of talking about baseball, and everything that comes up all the time is about this stuff. I just want them it get it all cleaned up, and move on.

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Pier,

My favorites include The Big Hurt, Paul Konerko and Joe Crede. I would put these guys urine samples up against just about anybody else in the bigs and would be fairly confident that they would test negative. Not disagreeing with you and your statement but for the most part, my guys appear to be clean.

Windy

[CNY Tim]

Thankfully Roger is going down and I won't lose a bit of sleep over it. Sorry Red Sox/Toronto/Yankee fans he's no better than Mark McGuire. Hopefully things will clean up and we can move on to untainted baseball.

[CNY Tim]

What I got from the hearing at lunch today it sounds like Winstrol was wide spread rampant during the 88-92 years. Now pull down your pant's and give me 20 cc's of majestic homerun shots and a 95 mph fastball..

[_FearNoFish4:20_]

everyone wants to see homerun records,stolen base records strike out records all broke well that what you get. Steriods but who cares really! Juice it up far as im concerned.I find it funny how knoblauchs name is mentioned. sure didnt work that well for him!

Hockey is the only real sport anyhow!Go WILD

[Scott K]

I care! I dont want my kids looking at these atheletes and thinking that this is the way to make it to the big leagues, they take steroids and get better, so its normal, and it is good. I have kids in sports, and I dont want the coach or trainers coming to them and telling them they need to take drugs in order to make it! The estimate of school coaches supplying, and kids taking steroids and hgh is alarming, and I just hope that most people can see that it is dangerous.

[blue_healer_guy]

I've said it here and in everyday life, if your using professional athletes as role models, well I guess today's hearings proved that theory.

[eyepatrol]

My take.....neither guy really "performed" well when asked questions. But at least Mac didn't try and skirt the questions posed to him. Every single time Roger was asked a question, it was something like:

"I never took 'roids or HGH"

"I gave it my best every game"

"I preach hard work efforts to kids"

yada, yada, yada

Answer the darn question! To me, he played the "ignorant athlete" card a lot, but didn't play it well IMO.

Hopefully time will bring out the REAL truth.

[Scott K]

 Originally Posted By: mjgrose

I've said it here and in everyday life, if your using professional athletes as role models, well I guess today's hearings proved that theory.

Role models aside here, its the school coaches giving it to the kids, because they think it is ok, and needed to give their team the edge!

[bassNspear]

the question i have for you is.

how can a major league baseball player be a role model when hes takign HGH?

[Scott K]

I dont look at them as role models! I dont teach my kids to either! Its the coaches in the schools that look at them as role models, that this is the way you need to be, and if you take this it will make you as good as them! Its called pressuring the kids to take them so their team is better.

[Scott K]

As far as I am concernd, if they could gaurentee it doesnt go into schools, they can shoot up as much as they want, [PoorWordUsage] drink a beer inbetween innings, I dont care! But MLB tries to pass themselves off as The American Passtime, and they target kids, so they need to keep it clean. Not to mention they are still ilegal drugs!

[Dahitman44]

You would think it is "Watergate" by the way the news media and Capital Hill is treating it.

[kkahmann]

McNamee was a catcher for St Johns University--his father was a NYC Cop. As such he prolly knows what a chain of evidence is and he's got no proof of nuthin.

Would someone please explain to me exactly what perfomence enhancing drugs are? Roger has a headache--he takes an aspirin--headache goes away--he goes out and pitches --do you count the win?

Drugs are a fact of modern life--we couldn't survive without them. My mother lived the last 10 years of her life on steriods--she would have suffered greviously with out them. Should baseball players be using them? Not for an ignorant bearhunter like me to make that call.

I do hope this whole fiascoe gets parents talking to thier kids about the responsible use of drugs.

[blue_healer_guy]

I think your going out on a limb if you think high school coaches are encouraging kids to take roids.

[fishorgolf]

KKahmann,

obviously you have no knowledge of the different types and usages of steroids so I would not express such a strong thought on there usage. I to use steroids for a medical condition and I can assure you they are not anything like what these people are using. aspirin to steroids?

[_FearNoFish4:20_]

Athletes whom have taken drugs and artist who have lyrics that upset some people are not resposible to raise a persons child. Its a parents obligation to make sure you point out to your child what is right and what is wrong! If someone chooses to take hgh or listen to certain music it is your obligation as a parent to explain the right thing to direct them toward the things you want for them out of life. Its your obligation as a parent to explain that they are not good role models. Nobody is perfect and we all believe in different things. It isint right to just single out clemens on this issue. Where are the other 80 athletes that were busted. The hearing was nothing but a "lynching attempt" on clemens and his outstanding baseball history!

[Scott K]

I will agree with you on one thing, it sure seemed like a head hunt yesterday. I thought the govt was involved to find out info about use in MLB, and how to stop it in the future, not to point fingers at Clemens, that is what the court room is for.

By the way I never said anything about kids using sports figures as role models. If they are using the sports figure as a role model then the parent needs to be more involved in their lives! Its the pressure to be good at sports, from their coaches and parents. Then to have these steroids available to the kids, and to see how they help the pros, its alot of temptation for them.

I know in alot of small towns its not a real issue in schools, but when you get to the big towns it is!

[B. Amish]

this whole thing is sad.

lets face it, pro athletes are role models and always will be. we can debate forever if they should be or not. the fact is, millions of kids look up to these guys and want to be just like them. i know i did when i was young.

i do think baseball is taking the brunt of this whole steroid and hgh issue. and most of that brunt is being felt by clemens and bonds. if it fair? probably not. all of the other sports have athletes that are just as guilty and they are all flying under the radar on this.

[Scott K]

No way, those huge NFP players, you think they may have taken them? I suppose body builders will be accused of it next! LOL

I see they are looking into swimsuit models! No pun intended!

[Dark Cloud]

I watched alot of the hearings yesterday. And alot of lies are going on. I dont trust Clemens one bit!

I have alot more respect for Pettit who came clean and said yes, I took HGH a few times while rehabbing...

As far as role models - Charles Barkley said it best years ago "athletes should not be role models, parents are role models".

I played every sport growing up and I never looked up to any athlete. I wanted to be like Dad...

Not everyone is/was fortunate enough to have someone that positive or that close to them but young people need that more than professional athletes...

Just my 2.5 cents...

[honker23]

I don't think we would've had a hearing (not a trial) yesterday IF CLEMENS TOLD THE TRUTH. Everyone that admitted it was left alone. He called the Mitchell report a lie and Congress didn't appreciate that too much.

Let's remember that all the names stemmed from a few trainers in New York. Now let's think if they had a trainer from every city/ballclub. The list would be huge.

Baseball's lack of a policy opened the door for this. They were happy to bury their head in the sand and watch balls fly out of the parks and people into the parks. That doesn't excuse the athletes for using an illegal substance, but at the time most weren't "banned" in baseball.

Performance enhancement is such a difficult term for me, because exercise, agility drills, coaching, mental training, scouting, coaching, ibuprofen, ice, compression ALL enhance performance. Sports is about finding an advantage over your opponent and working to enhance that advantage. Most of these athletes used illegal substances which are harmful to your body. This is a terrible message for the kids. Baseball needed to stay ahead of the curve and "ban" substances, and they didn't. People pushed the limits and here we are.

The athletes need to admit it and move on. Let the government get back to more important things like our shrinking middle class, the weak dollar, oil, and Iraq.

[fishorgolf]

Honker23, I couldn't agree with you more. This all came down because of baseballs lack of policing themselves. Clemens was asked to the hearing because he is the only one who denied everything and called the report a lie even in the face of overwhelming evidence.

[PierBridge]

Excellent post Honker!

Congress warned these Bozo's "MLB" and gave them numerous chances to clean it up.

Congress stepping into this matter is the best thing that could have happened for Baseball and more importantly KIDS!

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

I keep telling you guys to "follow the money". They could care less about Clemens, he is just an easy target because he is calling their bluff and denying everything. Congress has the MLB firmly in their sites and it is all because of the Anti-Trust Exemption! You can usually figure everything out in life if you just "follow the money".

Windy