TAMPA – Andy Pettitte had his closer, Mariano Rivera, nearby for support yesterday, yet no chance at the closure he so yearns for from a tryst with human growth hormone that even he now calls “stupid.”
GM Brian Cashman labeled Pettitte’s hour-long press conference “a good first step” on what the left-hander and the organization hope ends with Pettitte reclaiming his good name.
Yet anyone who thinks it is more than a first step resides between naive and foolish. Pettitte did well under difficult circumstances, blending the humility and affability that has continued to evoke positive portrayals despite revelations about his cheating and lies. But Pettitte had no chance of gaining finality on this day. Not a shot.
Flanked at a makeshift dais by Brian Cashman and Joe Girardi, Pettitte stated how uncomfortable it was to be talking before the 150 or so media members gathered at Legends Field. However, the unpleasantness hardly will stop now. Do not forget that while the public may deplore Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee more, Pettitte is the only one still active. Clemens and McNamee can hide. Pettitte can’t – not out on the mound before large crowds and inquisitive media. He has seven months of that on his dance card.
He also must prove still capable as a top-end starter, that this ordeal has not sapped his desire, energy or concentration. Pettitte will downplay it, but he is as vital as any Yankee, so badly do they need his projected veteran durability and dependability as cover for talented young starters. And like it or not, Pettitte is an integral element in maintaining front-office harmony.
It is obvious now that Hank Steinbrenner wanted Johan Santana – wanted him badly. His brother, Hal, and Cashman did not want to give up the necessary prospects or money. Pettitte’s early December revocation of his retirement plans provided the Hal/Cashman alliance the excuse to disembark from Santana talks. So Pettitte cannot go 9-12 with a 5.00 ERA now. That will unleash more than nasty cynicism that Pettitte could not excel without illegal drugs. It would likely leave Cashman unemployed and deepen a fissure between the Steinbrenner sons that could unsettle the Yankees organization for years.
And we have not even mentioned the potential for Pettitte to have to testify against a person he was still describing yesterday as loving “like a brother.” For Clemens is still moving forward with his defamation case against McNamee. Their lawyers are due in a federal court in Houston in April. Additionally, there is still the potential for the Justice Department to serve perjury charges against Clemens, at which point it is hard to see Pettitte as anything short of a hostile witness against the Rocket.
Because though Pettitte still showed signs yesterday of idolizing Clemens – still being entranced by the “Rocket” myth – he also unleashed subtle, yet powerful damage on Clemens. He mentioned several times that McNamee “told the truth about me.” So the subliminal message continued to be: Why would McNamee be honest about Pettitte’s drug involvement and lie about Clemens?
And though Pettitte lawyered up, refusing to elaborate on Clemens’ drug history, he did reiterate to check out the deposition he gave under oath to the House Oversight Committee. Pettitte’s sworn declaration was that Clemens had admitted steroid use to him.
Clemens has strayed toward ruthlessness to try clearing his name, and Pettitte should not feel fully safe from Rocket’s wrath, not when he is siding with McNamee and exposing Clemens as a cheater.
Lastly, Pettitte cannot have new sordid revelations arise about him, not when he insists his dirt is now fully exposed. Not when he has portrayed the congressional deposition and this press conference as cleansing confessional.
“There are no other surprises out there,” he said. “Anything else that comes up is false allegations.”
On a day when we honored two presidents – Washington and Lincoln – renowned for their honesty, Pettitte again asked us to believe in his veracity. But he has told us he was telling the truth before, and it wasn’t the truth. That is one huge reason why there was no closure yesterday, a reason why in many ways the worst could still be in front of, not behind, him.