Would You Forgive Bonds and Clemens?

While discussing the current situations of Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens with a friend, an interesting question was posed to me. At the time I wasn’t too sure how to answer it, in fact, it took me back and disoriented me like I had just been hit with Mike Tyson left hook straight out of 1985.  I couldn’t believe what I just heard, yet it was so obvious, but I never once considered it.  It wasn’t a complicated question, yet the answer it required was so complex. 

I just can’t believe that I never considered this, and at some point, assuming that both of these men are in fact guilty, has crossed their own minds.  After all that has happened, and has been said, would you forgive Bonds and Clemens if they came out and apologized for their wrong doings?

Now hold on.  I’m sure some of you are jumping out of your seats right now, but think about that for a second.  Throughout all of this I have repeatedly championed the guys like Jason Giambi, Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knoblach, even Brian Roberts, who have admitted their weaknesses while up against the human element of temptation.  This is a completely different situation though, we aren’t talking about after the initial denail.  No, we’re talking today, post congressional fiasco and post indictment.

I don’t know if we could pair Bonds and Clemens in with these guys even if they did admit their guilt as soon as suspicions arose.  Are they too good, have they accomplished too much, have they duped us for too long to accept an apology regradless of the time frame?  Pettitte and Giambi have had their share of accomplishments, but they were never mistaken for a baseball god.  Frankly, I think that I’d be a little pissed off if they released an apology after the initial accusations, but we’d move past it.  That’s what we do as a society, though, in this case, it would not be forgotten.The possibilities of that scenario are long gone though, and unfortunately we’ll never really know how the nation would react.  Certainly, the outcome would be a lot better than staring down a possible prison sentence. 

What I’m wondering is how everyone would react if these guys held a press conference tomorrow announcing their wrong doings and pleading for the nation’s forgiveness.  Could it be had?  Or is it too late?  Do we hate these men to much to ever allow them to vindicate themselves of their sins in our eyes, and invite them back into baseball with open arms, or at least tolerate them?

I can’t speak for everyone, but after all that has happened, I’d need a lot more than an apology.  In the case of the other players, we didn’t really need them to explain anything.  Simply stating that they indulged a time or two was enough, that won’t work for either of these guys now, the time has passed.  I’d require numerous answers from both sides before the healing process could begin.

From Clemens, I’d need to hear it all.  Everything.  I think it might be a little worse for him since his whole affair was public and we all had ringside seats.  Not only would I need to know what he used, and when it was, if he was aware that steroids were going in, now would be the time to admit it.  I’d also want to know the truth about the situation with his wife, and the particulars of his conversations with Pettitte.

The same would pretty much be asked of Bonds.  I’d want him to acknowledge that he was aware of what was going into his body, and I’d also want to know what his doping cycles were.  I’d also like to hear from his trainer, Greg Anderson, to see if there are differing sides to this story, even though it’s very unlikely he would go against Bonds.

Even then, I’m still not sure I could stomach it.  So much deception has been involved in both of these cases, why would this be any different?  People would probably view it as a ploy to avoid prosecution.  If this were to occur everyone would always question their motives, the same way we question Pete Rose’s various apologies.

They need to realize that no matter what happens the Hall of Fame is out of the question.  Nothing has to be proven in the court of law for the voters to keep these guys out.  The same people that are publically persecuting them are the same ones that determine their fate when the day comes to cast those votes.  Would an apology help this?  No, but like Pettitte and the others have realized, you still need to be able to sleep at night.  Even if it was to avoid jail, at least this thing could be put to rest.