That event was the first time I had ever heard of Roger Clemens’ steroid use, so he’s not completely a hack or, at least, he wasn’t back then.
OT
1995 or 96....2-3 years before the epic McGuire-Sosa HR binge, I'm sitting at a Red Sox spring training game in Jupiter, FL with a buddy whose brother-in-law was a MLB journeyman who spent a few years on the Pirates with Barry Bonds. That day, the Sox sent 2 stars to this road game....Mo Vaughn and Jose Canseco....2 massive men. Their teammates that day were all minor leaguers, all tiny humans when compared to these 2 behemoths.
During the National Anthem with the Sox players standing shoulder to shoulder, I said to my friend, "What's wrong with this picture."
He proceeded to illuminate me on the behind the scenes pharmaceuticals used by MLB players and which players, he named a dozen, who were deeply involved. It was a who's who of MLB giants, both hitters and pitchers, from across the entire league. All but one on that list were incriminated in one way or another years later.....including Clemens. The one who never received public scrutiny is a HOFer now.
Turns out my friend's brother-in-law was in tight with Bonds while a Pirate and heard all the stories and saw first hand MLB stars seeking out Bonds for juicin advice with every player's ultimate goal of securing massive future contracts.
Bonds was the pied piper and these superstar rats eagerly followed his lead .
A few years later, a reporter spotted Andro pills in McGuire's locker and the rest is history.
I can't tell you how many arguments I had with my die hard Saux buddies when I would proclaim the Rocket was a juicer long before there was any hint of it. Wish there were futures bets back then.
Note: my buddy did not include Vaughn on his list