Arrogance personified

For Roger Clemens, sorry seems to be the hardest word

I'm sorry. I got caught up in the moment. I justified it to myself as trying to be my best. I was wrong.

Something like that from Roger Clemens, and it all would be over now.

We wouldn't be thinking of him as a child molester, liar, steroid cheat, creep. Roger Clemens must be the most arrogant person on the planet. And his case is going to be taught in PR classes for years under the heading of ''Why you cut your losses.''

If he only would have admitted and apologized for his steroid use in the first place, when the Mitchell Report came out, then most people would have been waiting to forgive.

I've always thought apologies were overrated. Most of these public apologies seem self-serving and phony. Clemens portrayed himself as one thing and turned out to be a fraud. If a heartfelt apology isn't in his heart, then I guess it would be wrong to lie again by saying he's sorry.

But at this point, Clemens is asking us to believe that the Mitchell Report was wrong, Brian McNamee was wrong, Andy Pettitte was wrong, the Democratic Party was wrong, the New York Daily News was wrong, Mindy McCready was wrong.

And it was all from refusing to say, ''I'm sorry.''

Clemens spent his career coming directly at hitters, and he's used to having his way, blowing people away by muscling them. That's what he's trying to do now. And it keeps burying his name deeper and deeper every day.

The Daily News wrote Monday that Clemens had a 10-year affair with country singer McCready, starting when she was 15. McCready told the paper, ''I cannot refute anything in the story.''

Her father told the New York Post that her relationship with Clemens wasn't physical until years later, after McCready's long-term engagement to actor Dean Cain -- Superman on the old TV show ''Lois & Clark'' -- was over.

Why didn't she deny the original story? Well, apparently that has something to do with her fear of perjuring herself, which might lead to some custody issue.

You can see how this story just keeps spinning wildly, all because of Clemens' arrogance. It's a lesson in how not to handle a personal crisis.

According to Clemens and his apologists, McNamee, his former trainer, is a low-life liar for accusing him of using steroids. Pettitte, his former teammate, ''misremembered.'' McCready seems to be trying to pump up her career.

Clemens went on ''60 Minutes.'' He's under FBI investigation.

People are hurt. His name and career are finished.

All to avoid saying he's sorry?

Why did he tape his phone call with McNamee? Why did he go in front of Congress to deny? Most importantly, why did he file a suit against McNamee for turning him in?

Didn't he know McNamee might have more goods on him?

That's where arrogance switched lanes into stupidity.

He's insisting he's right, demanding that you believe he's right. I'm going to throw the fastball high and tight, and you will not be able to hit it.

''I'm sorry.'' Just say that, Roger, and we wouldn't have known that your wife was on steroids. We wouldn't have heard that she and Jose Canseco's wife compared boob jobs.

''I'm sorry.'' If we would have heard that, then Barry Bonds still would be playing baseball, Marion Jones would not be making license plates.

And where would Clemens be? Mostly forgiven, with his life not in shambles. People still would argue over whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame.

But one arrogant refusal after another has boldly buried his name forever.

I never believed Brian Roberts' explanation, that he dabbled in steroids, decided that wasn't who he was, then stopped. I never would sign anyone named in the Mitchell Report, not because they're the only cheaters, but because they're all symbols.

That said, Cubs fans still want Roberts. He seems to have been forgiven.

At this point, Clemens' steroid use is almost lost in all the other things he has brought on.

And let's say there is that one tiny chance that he never did steroids, never cheated on his wife with a minor, never did any of this stuff. Fine, then say you're innocent and shut up. Don't start filing lawsuits.

Cut. Losses.

But no one can believe that now, anyway. There's not a lot Clemens can do, but he might want to look in his closet and understand that everything there is going to come out.

The bigger the stories about him get, the more Clemens feels he's going to fight them. Truth is not a bad strategy.

But his whole life is going down the tubes now because he wants to come at the world with one more fastball.