Archive for August, 2010

by Mike Bako

When it comes to throwing a 95 mile per hour fastball past hitters there are few people that did it better and longer than Roger Clemens. When it comes to handling a crisis communication situation few people have done it worse and with a bigger deaf ear than Roger Clemens.
In the face of overwhelming evidence that Clemens used performance enhancing drugs during his playing career and then lied about it under oath in front of Congress federal prosecutors have indicted the once sure shot hall of fame pitcher for perjury. Throughout all of this Clemens has maintained his innocence through a series of bizarre sit-down interviews and press conferences.
Clemens is beginning to fall into  the same category as former BP CEO Tony Hayward. Just when you think he cant do anything more to sully his image or to say something out of context he does. Hayward had his “I want my life back” statements and he was also found to have gone to the yacht races while the Gulf Coast was swamped in oil.  Images speak louder than words sometimes and Hayward paid the price for this. In the case of Clemens the images of him playing golf at a charity event only hours after entering a not guilty plea stand in the same category of tone deafness that Hayward exhibited.
No one is telling Clemens that he should not enjoy his life and spend time with his family but by going out and leisurely playing golf while his legacy and freedom are at stake shows that he still thinks he has his fastball when it comes to handled his image but in reality he is in need of a relief pitcher.