The Big Grimsley Boy

So the Cardinals back in, the Dodgers win out, the Tigers run out of time to complete their collapse, and all anyone can talk about is steroids. The name on the Grimsley list that most interests me is Roger Clemens, whose symptomology seems to mirror Barry Bonds' closely, but who gets a free pass because, well, I'm not quite sure why he gets a free pass, except that he used to play for the Yankees. Either that, or most sportswriters are afraid he'll throw a jagged bat-end at them. But consider:

• Huge noggin
• Comes across as a surly, unlikeable jerk who makes strange use of his kids at press conferences
• Unprecedented performance past the age of 40, and a massive late-career kick
• Manages to find a way to miss a large chunk of the regular season, potentially long enough for all sorts of gunk to rinse out of his system
• Suddenly prone to leg trouble

Now, I am certainly not saying that Roger Clemens is on any sort of performance enhancing substance. What I am saying is that, considering the eerie parallels between their track records and behaviors, there's no logical reason for Bonds to have been pummeled relentlessly while Clements got nary a whisper, and that it will be interesting to see if that changes - if the wolves come out of the woodwork - now that somebody's named the Rocket's name.

My guess, of course, is that America has decided that Bonds is the villain of the piece, and that anyone else will get handwaved as the dogged pursuit of Aaron's pursuer continues. But if that scent finally grows cold, the Grimsley boys might suddenly have to answer some questions. And that will be something new.