O's first to face juiced up Rocket???

[Boy Howdy]

Perhaps the Orioles were the first team to face the PED-enhanced version of Roger Clemens. So says the Pearlman book that I'm looking forward to reading:

*****

"...Clemens actually purchased the steroids and the needle by himself and approached McNamee to shoot him up in his apartment suite at what was then the SkyDome Hotel. McNamee reluctantly agreed. According to Pearlman, Clemens made the first start of his career on the juice, pitching against the Baltimore Orioles.

It did not go well.

But five days later, starting against the Orioles again, the results began to show. His fastball got faster. He got stronger. McNamee claims that he injected Clemens between 16 and 20 times that season.

Pearlman writes that Clemens began shooting up Winstrol, Ben Johnson's choice of drugs, every fourth day and then being fond of the results he upped the urgency to every third day. The fastball, the book insists, which had topped out at 92 miles an hour in Boston, was suddenly being thrown at 100 m.p.h..."

*****

Seems to be referring to June 14 & June 19, 1998.

Clemens was mediocre in those two starts against the Orioles, and so-so again in his next outing against the Expos. He was 8-6 with a 3.77 ERA for the year at that point, with exactly one double-digit strikeout game in 16 starts.

He went 12-0 in 17 starts the rest of the way though, lowering his overall ERA to 2.65 and having big-K games like 11, 10, 10, 14, 15, 18, 11, 11, 15 & 11.

[fansince71]

Yep, say goodbye to the HOF Roger, ya cheater.

[Boy Howdy]

I'd discourage anybody from trying to read anything into what I'm about to type, but I'm going to mention it anyway because I think it's interesting.

The Blue Jays were back in Baltimore four weeks after this stuff allegedly got started, and I vividly remember being in the park on July 13 (because, as a fan of Dominican players, I left work early to attend the Nerio Rodriguez/Juan Guzman matchup).

During pre-game BP, Clemens and Jose Canseco stood together having a long one-on-one conversation, and I remember staring at them like it was yesterday. PED's were the last thing on my mind, but I remember being unable to look away just because it was so disorienting to see Clemens wearing something other than a Boston uni, and I was still thrown off by seeing Canseco in anything other than Oakland digs. I also assumed I was observing two future Hall of Famers talking shop.

Again, I'm not trying to suggest or imply that I have the slightest idea what they were talking about, but looking back on it now it really makes me wonder...

[QBsILLEST1]

Yeah, anyone who posted 1.87 ERA in your age 42 season, should raise some red flags. Most pitchers by this time in their life are struggling to maintain a 5.00 ERA and stay in the majors all together, and at age 42, Roger posts his best ERA of his career? Its no different than Bonds hitting over 40 HR and over a .360 avg in his age 39 season. Its superhuman and unnatural and the only explanation for this could be the JUICE!

[Palmoripken]

Yeah, anyone who posted 1.87 ERA in your age 42 season, should raise some red flags. Most pitchers by this time in their life are struggling to maintain a 5.00 ERA and stay in the majors all together, and at age 42, Roger posts his best ERA of his career? Its no different than Bonds hitting over 40 HR and over a .360 avg in his age 39 season. Its superhuman and unnatural and the only explanation for this could be the JUICE!

Well there's also the fact that Bonds' helmet size and shoe size increased as well. That's just not natural along with the stuff you mentioned.

[QBsILLEST1]

Well there's also the fact that Bonds' helmet size and shoe size increased as well. That's just not natural along with the stuff you mentioned.

Yes thats very true, Roger on the other hand didnt have that textbook "steroid body" though. I guess thats the effect of using different roids though. Just as A-Rod never seemed to get dramatically larger.

[Palmoripken]

Yes thats very true, Roger on the other hand didnt have that textbook "steroid body" though. I guess thats the effect of using different roids though. Just as A-Rod never seemed to get dramatically larger.

Yeah different chemicals perhaps. I think the perception I remember having as a kid was that steroids make you big as hell. This is why I was so shocked that Palmeiro got busted. Just doesn't make sense for a guy to hit 73 home runs at age 37. I mean guys can still have good years at 37 but that kind of year it just doesn't make sense and Clemens as you said was putting up a sub 2 ERA in his early 40's.

[Elbren]

I'd discourage anybody from trying to read anything into what I'm about to type, but I'm going to mention it anyway because I think it's interesting.

The Blue Jays were back in Baltimore four weeks after this stuff allegedly got started, and I vividly remember being in the park on July 13 (because, as a fan of Dominican players, I left work early to attend the Nerio Rodriguez/Juan Guzman matchup).

During pre-game BP, Clemens and Jose Canseco stood together having a long one-on-one conversation, and I remember staring at them like it was yesterday. PED's were the last thing on my mind, but I remember being unable to look away just because it was so disorienting to see Clemens wearing something other than a Boston uni, and I was still thrown off by seeing Canseco in anything other than Oakland digs. I also assumed I was observing two future Hall of Famers talking shop.

Again, I'm not trying to suggest or imply that I have the slightest idea what they were talking about, but looking back on it now it really makes me wonder...

It amazes me the amount of Hate that Canseco seems to generate. Say what you want about the guy, but it seems like every name he drops eventually gets proven to be a steroid user. Whether we like it or not.

[OrangeJerseys]

Yes thats very true, Roger on the other hand didnt have that textbook "steroid body" though. I guess thats the effect of using different roids though. Just as A-Rod never seemed to get dramatically larger.

That probably has as much to do with the differences in workouts as the differences in hormones they were taking.