We're Not Buying It

If Roger Clemens and his team of advisers thought they'd win in the Court of Public Opinion, they appear to be sadly mistaken.

While Clemens certainly didn't pull a McGwire in his much-ballyhooed Capitol Hill appearance last week, survey after survey shows the average guy or gal just doesn't believe him. Our own admittedly-unscientific KCBS poll showed only 9% believe Clemens is telling the truth. Interestingly, 29% believe neither Clemens nor accuser Brian McNamee.

Meanwhile, Clemens' "misremembering" buddy Andy Pettite is buying himself a huge bucket of good will by "manning up". His Tampa news conference, in which he apologized to his fans and employers for using human growth hormone, stands in stark contrast to Clemens' scorched-earth battle to buff a tarnished image.

Pettite quoted the Bible, specifically John 8:32: "the truth will set you free". Pettite is a devout Christian, and it's easy for the cynical to roll their eyes when yet another athlete starts wearing his faith on his sleeve.

But Pettite's faith, in this case, led him to do the right thing. In his words, "you have to tell the truth". Few doubt that he's doing exactly that. Few believe that his pal Clemens is.