In my opinion, Roger Clemens has proven to be an egotistical, avaricious snake intent on selfishly maintaining the sparkling image that the media has given him the last 23 years. First, he lied to fan bases in Toronto, New York and Houston, following dollar signs all the way, and worst of all, appears to have now lied to Congress.

On December 13, 2007 fans were shocked that Clemens was included in the Mitchell Report, which named players who had used performance enhancing drugs. Following the admission that Clemens’ best pal Andy Pettitte took human growth hormone from his trainer, Brian McNamee (who also trained Clemens), Clemens stood before Congress on Wednesday, February 13, trying to clear his name and explain discrepancies in his statements to Congress.

In my mind, the case is clear. McNamee, who has so far been 100% accurate in naming players who used PED’s since the Mitchell Report release, says Clemens used HGH. Pettitte, Clemens’ best friend, says the Rocket used HGH. McNamee even admitted that he injected Debbie Clemens, Roger’s wife, in 2003, a claim that she corroborated. Clemens got bigger and stronger as he approached – and passed – 40 years of age. His numbers got better at a time when they should have gotten worse. With all of that on the table, in addition to his ego-driven personality, it’s hard to argue that Clemens didn’t take PED’s.

Clemens blamed a miscommunication (about his alleged admission of usage in 2005 to Pettitte, as the Rocket now claims he meant his wife), a television show (another admission to Pettitte, although Clemens says the characters took HGH, but not himself), and even his mother (for illegal B-12 shots, which he said his mother recommended in 1988). However, nowhere will you find any blame upon himself.

He’s in a similar boat now, as Barry Bonds has been in the past few years. However, Bonds was battling the media, and Clemens has a much tougher opponent in Congress. The Rocket isn’t finding the going easy, especially in dealings with Rep. Elijah Cummings.

Cummings asked questions that Clemens had trouble responding to, and they are the same questions that baseball fans with common sense are asking, especially regarding Pettitte. Following detailed questions, Cummings simply hammered the question home: “What possible reason would Mr. Pettitte have to fabricate a statement about you, his friend?” Clemens didn’t really have an answer for that.

However, as always, there will be people on Clemens’ side. You can mark Rep. William Lacy Clay as one of those blinded by the Rocket’s glare. After Clemens’ tried to make himself the victim, saying, “You can tell your boys I did it the right way, and I busted my butt to do it,” Clay clearly bought what Roger was selling. In a moment seemingly inappropriate given the circumstances, Clay responded, “A colleague of mine, Mr. Capuano of Massachusetts, wants to know what uniform you’re going to wear to the Hall of Fame.”

Would Bonds have been asked such a question? In no way, shape, or form. This is because his image has been roasted by the media. But what makes him different than Bonds? Both were arrogant with the media, underwent body transformations and astronomical stats increases through their early 40’s. The only difference is their race. While no one would openly admit to being a racist, it’s interesting that they are so similar, yet their public perception is so different, thanks to an ivory-loving media covering Clemens from his ivory-tower.

There will always be spineless, star-struck fans of Clemens unwilling to come to grips with the fact that their hero cheated. It saddens me that he will never be brought to justice in the public eye. But slowly, people are starting to realize the kind of man Clemens is. Cummings is one of those people who is able to reassess the situation and honestly evaluate the information in front of him. As a result, he delivered the quote that hit me the hardest. “It’s hard to believe your story. I hate to say that. You’re one of my heroes. But it’s hard to believe you,” Cummings said.

In biblical lore, Adam and Eve sinned when they believed the snake. Now, baseball history depends on whether fans will believe this snake.