Duquette Vs. Clemens Round II by Jared Carrabis
Dan Duquette expects more evidence to prove Clemens' PED use


(WEEI.com) -- Former Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette, during a conversation Thursday morning on "Sports Buzz" with Butch Stearns, said that he expects more information to come out linking Roger Clemens to performance-enhancing drugs.

This is a topic in baseball that has been beaten to death by ESPN, local news outlets and tabloids.

I, myself, had found that my mind would subconsciously ignore anything Roger Clemens-related on the TV or in the newspaper. We were being fed the same information over and over again, just reworded.

My interest level concerning Clemens’ steroid scandal was at an all-time low. That was until two weeks ago, when I was looking for some new reading material. Naturally, when I'm looking for a new book to read, I put my blinders on and walk straight to the baseball section. That’s when I came across The Rocket That Fell to Earth: Roger Clemens and the Rage for Baseball Immortality.

The book written by Jeff Pearlman opened up a whole new door of curiosity and interest regarding Clemens’ personal life and his fall from legendary status.

Boston fans are used to superstars coming in like gods and leaving like devils. Most recently, the Red Sox welcomed back Manny Ramirez (sort of). With a mixture of boos and cheers, Ramirez strolled to the plate, and with a bird’s-eye view, Clemens took it all in from atop the Green Monster.

Although it wasn’t a scheduled appearance, Clemens gladly took pictures with fans and signed autographs.

Former Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette was asked if Clemens would ever be welcomed back to the city of Boston again. Duquette replied by saying, "There’s been a lot of water under the bridge since Clemens left town, and I think there’s more information that will come out here before we’re done with this current saga in Roger’s professional life."

Just as I thought I’d got the complete inside scoop after reading The Rocket That Fell to Earth, Duquette foreshadows that Clemens may soon be indirectly setting up a sequel to the book.

"Let’s let it play out a little bit more. I think there is more information and evidence that will show that Roger used performance-enhancing drugs in a significant way."

Duquette’s words certainly spark interest, but nothing will be able to top his infamous quote concerning Clemens towards the end of the right-hander’s tenure in Boston when the GM said, "we had hoped to keep him in Boston during the twilight of his career.”

Eleven seasons, 2,140.2 innings, 162 wins, 2,082 strikeouts, four Cy Young Awards, and one World Series ring later, Duquette’s words may have proven to be a little premature, or were they?

Clemens’ former strength and conditioning coach, Brian McNamee, first burst onto the scene following the release of the Mitchell Report. The report states that McNamee claims to have been the one who injected Clemens with steroids beginning in the 1998 season, through the 2001 campaign.

Over that span, Clemens was 67-27 with a 3.56 ERA, and struck out 835 batters in 847 innings. He also won his second consecutive Cy Young Award in his first year of alleged use.

As it stands now, Clemens and McNamee are in a stalemate, as both claim the other is lying.

If Duquette’s words prove to be true, as perhaps they realistically were in 1996, we could see an end to this whole Clemens saga in the near future. If I had to make a guess, I would say that it isn’t going to be pretty.

-Jared Carrabis

Is Roger Clemens a Hall of Famer?
	Yes. Innocent until proven guilty.
	No way! Even if it's never proven that he used PEDs, the fans and the writers know the truth.
	I don't care. He's been dead to me ever since he left Boston.
pollcode.com free polls

Published on July 15, 2010

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