Calling the subject of his ‘The Rocket That Fell To Earth’, “perhaps the worst interview in the history of organized sports”, author Jeff Pearlman caught Roger Clemens’ Tuesday morning interview with ESPN’s Greenberg and Golic and concludes said appearance accomplished little besides promote the work of the 354 game-winner’s adversaries.
Before today, American Icon was languishing on Amazon, hovering from anywhere between 1,000 to 4,000, looking like yet another steroid-related book that would come and go without much thought (Now it™s No. 98). That™s what™s starting to happen in the world of books and, to a lesser extent, newspapers and magazine”people are tired of steroids; of the disappointments and the finger pointing. It™s a topic that no longer seems to interest people. They need to be given a reason to read such a book. A reason to pay attention.
In case you missed it, this morning Clemens was a joke. Blathering, babbling, inane, nonsensical. Whatever he utters sounds foolish and contrived. He backs himself up by repeatedly mentioning his foundation (As in, how could I have used? I have a foundation!). He seems to think by resorting to the ol™ ballplayer trick of calling media folks by their nicknames (Well, Greenie ¦) he™s forging a bond. That might have worked 20 years ago in the Red Sox clubhouse.
SI.com’s Jon Heyman took particular delight in Clemens citing his stepfather’s heart troubles, adding, “My second favorite part was when he said he was going to be the same “outgoing” person he’s always been. Funny, I missed that side of him. In my experiences covering Clemens over the years, he was intense, dark, snobby, aloof and intimidating, but rarely outgoing. The only times he seemed to really get excited was when another person of close or equal fame was around.”