Day 2: Wall of Denial

Tonight the popular 'old folks news show' (my grandfather started his Sunday Snooze whenever it started) "60 Minutes" aired their interview with Roger Clemens, in which Clemens "swears" that he did not take steroids.

Clemens called the accusations of his steroid use "ridiculous" and insisted that he "never" used any banned substance.

"Swear?" Wallace asks.

"Swear," Clemens responds.

After The Mitchell Report came out, through his lawyer and through his agent, Clemens had issued earlier statements disputing McNamee's claims, even threatening to sue McNamee as well.

Clemens posted a video on his Web site (a couple of days before Christmas) that contains the quote: "Let me be clear: The answer is no, I did not use steroids, human growth hormone, and I've never done so. I did not provide Brian McNamee with any drugs to inject into my body."

Yet, when asked by Mike Wallace if McNamee had ever injected him with drugs, Clemens answered, "Lidocaine and B-12. It's for my joints, and B-12, I still take today."

Suddenly, I did not provide him with any drugs has changed to ..... Lidocaine and B-12.

Clemens wants the benefit of the doubt, and there will be those who will stand behind him and pat him on the buttocks and will do so, but for me, his statistics in his aging years, his over-reactional rage to the bat that he threw towards Mike Piazza in the 2001 World Series, as well as the trainer's detailed accusations of dates and drugs, and his accusation of Andy Pettitte also using banned substances coming true, only makes me think the The Rocket is most probably living behind a wall of denial, to which that wall may or may not be coming down if he gets called to answer before congress later this month.

Which leads us..into today's Baseball Song of the Day.

BSOD 2:

Song: Wall of Denial
Album: In Step
Artist: Stevie Ray Vaughn
Released: June 1989

Wall of Denial Lyrics

A wall of denial - is fallin' down
Wo it's fallin' so hard - down to the ground
Never knew something so strong could be washed away by tears
But this wall of denial was just built on fear

We've all had our demons from the garden of white lies
Dressed them amused them pullin' wool over our eyes
Go so far as to love them to keep from letting them go
All the while they we're killin' us but we couldn't let it show

No matter what the trouble we carry round inside
We're never safe from the truth but in the truth we can survive
When this wall of denial comes tumblin' down
Down to the ground

Simple things in life bring the greatest pleasure
A smile, a kiss, a little baby's laughter
It makes no difference if we run away in fear
The little things in life hold us so near

No matter what the trouble we carry round inside
(We're) never safe from the truth but in the truth we can survive
When this wall of denial comes tumblin' down
Yeah this wall of denial must tumble down
Down to the ground