Clemens: Not good company to keep

Roger is a long-time reader who used to call into my radio show and make excellent points. Now he sends me the most fascinating emails. Stuff he’s really thought about and carefully considered.

He wrote me last week about Roger Clemens, who went on ESPN’s Mike & Mike radio show and again vehemently denied the steroid accusations. My Roger made some points about Clemens. 1. “When asked a sensitive question, Clemens would change the subject. 2. “Some very obvious lies. (Because of family history, he certainly would never risk using steroids.)” 3. “If others don’t agree with his version of the facts, they must be liars (or misremember?).”

My Roger said he got a strong feeling that he had heard the same kind of story recently. “Then I remembered,” Roger wrote. “Sunday night I was watching an NBA playoff game, but during a time-out I went to check the History Channel. They had a special on Herman Goering and his part as an accused war criminal in the Nuremberg trials.

“Goering was a large man, used to being in charge — and intimidating others. His testimony was persuasive to some at first because of his strength and power. Goering was shown to be a liar.

“One example: after Goering claimed he had nothing to do with the concentration camps, no say in sending anyone there as a prisoner, someone got him to tell how he got some Jewish prisoners released on his authority – these were Jewish men who had been loyal German officers in WWI. Goering wanted to show how ‘some of his best friends were Jews,’ but then they made this point. If he could get a prisoner released, who would believe he had no authority to get someone put into a death camp?

“This is much like Clemens’ claim that his family has a history of heart disease — because his STEPFATHER died of heart disease. So obviously Roger would never endanger his own heart by using steroids?

“Goering told his story as he saw it: as a loyal German citizen, he helped protect the Fatherland from those pesky little neighbor countries who threatened his country. Herman claimed to be a good family man. He changed the subject whenever questions became uncomfortable. He rationalized every action he took.

“It seems Clemens has character not much different from the Nazi war criminal. I found the similarity to be very disturbing to me.”