Product Description
It was an epic downfall. In twenty-four seasons pitcher Roger Clemens put together one of the greatest careers baseball has ever seen. Seven Cy Young Awards, two World Series championships, and 354 victories made him a lock for the Hall of Fame. But on December 13, 2007, the Mitchell Report laid waste to all that. Accusations that Clemens relied on steroids and human growth hormone provided and administered by his former trainer, Brian McNamee, have put Clemens in the crosshairs of a Justice Department investigation.

Why did this happen? How did it happen? Who made the decisions that altered some lives and ruined others? How did a devastating culture of drugs, lies, sex, and cheating fester and grow throughout Major League Baseball's clubhouses? The answers are in these extraordinary pages.

American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America’s Pastime is about much more than the downfall of a superstar. While the fascinating portrait of Clemens is certainly at the center of the action, the book takes us outside the white lines and inside the lives and dealings of sports executives, trainers, congressmen, lawyers, drug dealers, groupies, a porn star, and even a murderer—all of whom have ties to this saga. Four superb investigative journalists have spent years uncovering the truth, and at the heart of their investigation is a behind-the-scenes portrait of the maneuvering and strategies in the legal war between Clemens and his accuser, McNamee.

This compelling story is the strongest examination yet of the rise of illegal drugs in America’s favorite sport, the gym-rat culture in Texas that has played such an important role in spreading those drugs, and the way Congress has dealt with the entire issue. Andy Pettitte, Jose Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, and Chuck Knoblauch are just a few of the other players whose moving and sometimes disturbing stories are illuminated here as well. The New York Daily News Sports Investigative Team has written the definitive book on corruption and the steroids era in Major League Baseball. In doing so, they have managed to dig beneath the disillusion and disappointment to give us a stirring look at heroes who all too often live unheroic shadow lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Pot calls kettle black
This book has a tremendous amount of information and detail.Unfortunately, the political biases of the writers skews the book to the point where none of the characters are sympathetic.Why should anyone be charged with perjury for lying to congress?They lie to us all the time without consequence.You learn of the abuse of power by these House committee's.They see an interesting item in the paper so they decide to investigate it. All the democrats are hero's and the republicans are villians.Clemen's is a smarmy weasel of a man but so are the investigators, the feds, witnesses, and prosecutors.It is hard differentiate the good guys from the bad guys.One of the funniest lines is at the end of the book when the authors are talking about baseball being unable to police themselves. "The reality is that baseball is not just a game, it is also a multibillion-dollar industry that has perpetually proved unable to police itself; those are the conditions necessary for government intervention, and in fact, it has taken only a handful of law enforcement officials to bring the sport to account." The authors obviously missed the irony of this sentence.Who polices congress?The voters?Sure seems like the pot calling the kettle black to me.

American Icon is a compelling book
What makes American Icon highly readable and entertaining is not so much the "drug story", though that is well documented, but the details concerning the cast of characters. Briam McNamee, a former New York City policeman with a P.hD from a diploma mill, who might have been outstanding if he had stayed in police work; Andy Pettite's father who because of ilness, was a user of Human Growth Hormone, his son eventually admitting that he too used it to cure a sore arm.And, of course, Roger Clemens,prodigious athlete that he was, appaently using illegal drugs to give himself "an edge" as he told Mike Stanton (another user).Not to mention the lawyers and minor chracters that make the book almost like a novel.

As Boring As Reading A Transcript
I have had (and still have) a strong dislike for Roger Clemens since the broken Mizuno throwing incident involving Mike Piazza which is depicted on the cover of American Icon (and turns out to be the highlight of the book).So, my hope was that somewhere in the 450 or so pages there would be some profound or at least interesting revelations and insights regarding Clemens and the game.There were v-e-r-y few, but if there is a theme, it would be that Roger clearly made his living with his arm and not his mind.Who woulda known?!!

The book is a lame shadow--so to speak--of the much more interesting and insightful Game of Shadows.Also, American Icon's political hackery, which is supressed for the first 300 or so pages, becomes especially annoying towards the end.Beyond the lack of content, the authors' political bias is also a major and self-evident weakness.

The book is 70 pages of interesting transcripts (not even turned into dialogue in several parts) crammed into a 450 page doorstop.

Good investigation tainted by strong editorializing
I believe American Icon tells a very strong and convincing problem regarding the drug problem in American Sports especially baseball and steroids. The 3 authors here do a great job of examining the culture of drug abuse in baseball and more specifically how Roger Clemens used steroids to cheat and extend his career.Most critically, the book demonstrates that lengths that Clemens used, including destroying the names of others who dared to endanger his own carefully crafted image.

The writing is at times overly analytical and does drag during the section detailing the congressional hearings.This results in less attention being paid to Clemens other transgressions which garner only a chapter of mention towards the end of the book.I also found that the book focuses on proving Clemens and overlooks the transgressions of Brian McNamee is trainer, Andy Pettite and Jose Canseco. Still it is a solid book and well worth your time to read if you are a real baseball fan and want a reading about how sorted steroids have become in baseball.

McNamee v. Clemens
American Icon is the magnum opus of the New York Daily News's sports investigative team that gives a detailed account of "the fall of Roger Clemens and the rise of steroids in America's pastime." The book's authors Teri Thompson, Nathaniel Vinton, Michael O'Keefe and Christian Red take on the Herculean task of covering the last eleven years of Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee's relationship as well as the story of baseball's performance enhancing drug abuse. The result is a strange mix of biography, punditry, political history, true crime, and tabloid journalism. Why exactly it is titled `American Icon' is elusive as many Americans do not consider Roger Clemens to be emblematic of American identity. Barack Obama and Sonya Sotomayor even eclipse him in this category, but I digress.

The authors make McNamee look like a sympathetic character telling the truth, but he does seem to have the stronger case. He had no desire to come out against Clemens and only gained the avoidance of prison time by doing so. He was caught between a rock and hard place and found himself reluctantly throwing the star pitcher under the bus. To his great fortune he was protected by two stellar lawyers pro bono who defused and deflated Clemens's bulldog defense. Most importantly the tangible evidence seems to be on his side. Clemens now faces public humiliation, legal defeat, and perjury charges as he has been exposed as an unfaithful husband, inconsistent in his testimony, and the victim of his own denials. His Hall of Fame career has almost been forgotten in the wake of the Mitchell Report.

Whatever one makes of the contents of this book, one will be left feeling that baseball is tainted. The ugliness of the lives of superstar athletes is laid out before the reader in exquisite detail. Drug abuse, marital infidelity, debauchery, deceitfulness, arrogance, and intimidation mark the pathetic lives of people their fans so naively envy. From the players union to the pitcher's mound, baseball seems rotten through and through. By far and away the strongest point the book makes is that the news-gathering and reporting of ESPN and sports writers in general should not be considered trustworthy. Of ESPN and Peter Gammons they write, "Gammons was in something of a difficult spot. His conflict symbolized that of ESPN itself, trying to appear as a legitimate news-gathering operation without harming its role as baseball's broadcast partner and head cheerleader." The conflict of interest could not be more glaring in that sports journalism cannot both serve objective reporting standards that follow the evidence where it leads and be committed to creating enthusiasm and fanfare among viewers and readers.

Those who love baseball will find themselves in a similar difficult spot. We want to get behind our favorite teams and cheer for the success of our favorite players. We want to honor hard work and fair play. But with the ongoing revelations of what basically amounts to cheating, how can we declare our love for a game played by cheaters? ... Read more

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Follows the life of Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens and his notable pitching accomplishments in his chosen sport. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Could not set this book down
The storyof Roger Clemens is a story of ups and downs. When a scout for the Minnesota Twins offers Roger a chance at the majors for only $1000, Roger turns the offer down. The scout says he will never have another chance to play in "The Bigs" as baseball players call it. Will Roger ever make it to the majors. Read this excellently written book to find out. ... Read more

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Roger Clemens/Darryl Strawberry brings these two legendary players straight into the homes of their millions of fans. With action-packed photos and record sheets for the 1988 season, it is a must-have for every baseball aficionado. Original. ... Read more

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Magazine published monthly ... Read more

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Features 4 Bound-in exclusive Upper Deck Baseball cards. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Notable Sports Figures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 3388 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Takes a close look at the people in sports who have captured attention because of success on the playing field, or controversy off the playing field. This work features biographies on more than 600 people from around the world and throughout history who have had an impact not only on their sport, but also on the society and culture of their times. It also includes not only the record-breakers that dominated and changed their sport, but also the controversial figures that made headlines even apart from athletic events. ... Read more

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Inside the Magical Seasons is the story of the 2004 and 2005 Houston Astros, a chronological journey that begins with the goosebump signings of a pair of Texans named Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens -- and ends with the first World Series in franchise history. The Foreword is written by Clemens, who won his first National League Cy Young Award and became the winningest living pitcher during that two-year run. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Autobiography of a Young Pitching Phenom
Rocket Man is a well-done autobiography by a great pitcher that describes not only his playing career, but his childhood as well.With co-author Peter Gammons, Roger Clemens talks of his rough childhood and how he wasable to, with hard work and determination overcome many obstacles andbecome a baseball superstar. ... Read more

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Joe Matson, or "Baseball Joe," as he was better known throughout the country, sprang to his feet and held out a New York paper with headlines which took up a third of the page. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A kinder and gentler time
If you get tired of being assaulted by pr0fanity on the streets, on the TV, in movies and in literature, you might just enjoy this series.Yes it was originally written for younger readers, but it takes us back to a time in history when men were manly and women ladylike.It was anything but a perfect time from our perspective, there is comman acceptance of racial stereotypes, but that was the way it was.The language, the story, the hero is all good clean fun.I wish I could find more in this series.The author, Lester CHadwick, is a pen name for Howard Roger Garis who wrote the Tom Swift series, the Bobbisie Twins series and others.It's good stuff that won't keep you up at night.Enjoy. ... Read more

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"Joe Matson, or Baseball Joe, as he was better known throughout the country, sprang to his feet and held out a New York paper with headlines which took up a third of the page." ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Sporting News, published by Sporting News Publishing Co. on May 13, 2005. The length of the article is 2505 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: One down, five to go: the unusual events and unlikely heroes of baseball's first month.(Major League Baseball )
Author: Kyle Veltrop
Publication: The Sporting News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 13, 2005
Publisher: Sporting News Publishing Co.
Volume: 229Issue: 19Page: 16(4)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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In a landmark work that continues the tradition established fifty years ago by the legendary Tom Meany, sports analyst David Shiner fills in the last fifty years with portraits of modern baseball’s Greats. From Aaron to Yastrzemski, Dave tells the stories of how and why the greatest players achieved so much. Filled with thrills and insights into what made them tick, Baseball’s Greatest Players is a hit in its own right. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Linking Baseball's Best
As we share Shiner's nostalgia, we rediscover Aaron, Mays, McCovey, Mantle, and Gibson, old heros, old memories. Baseballs Greatest Players, The Saga Continues is more than a Who's Who of baseball, it's a way of life, a catalog of events, a collection of memories. As Shiner reveals the greatest players, we, who are old enough to remember, bask in their glory and relive our own unachieved ambitions.

But Shiner does more than take us back, he bundles the past with the present and into the future, tyingthe memories together forever in our minds. McGuire's record-setting season rekindles other home run hitters: Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Mickey Mantle, even Babe Ruth. We connect to the present, even anticipate the future. McGuire's 70 home run season triggers a vision of people diving into San Francisco Bay to retrieve the balls Barry Bonds his in 2001, the year he surpassed McGuire's record.

Baseball fans will love this book, others will like it. It's clearly, simply, and accurately presented and guaranteed to stir a memory or two.

One For The Books
With the writing of Baseball's Greatest Players, author David Shiner takes a serious risk.The only thing a sports fan loves more than making a "greatest list" is arguing voluably about why the other guy's list is WRONG!One read of this book will shut down most any other greatest list's chances, and it does so with style, wit, and a healthy dose of readable fact.

In its text, Shiner's book fulfils both the needs of casual fan's interest and the SABR-members desire for solid, quantifiable statistical evidence.But it goes beyond just fact and storytelling to get to the intangibles that separate the players truly great between the white lines from those whose personality and dedication supported not just their teams, but the game itself.

Baseball, more than any other sport (though Canadian hockey fans will rightly take exception to this) carries its past with it.This continuity, this love of the game that both transcends and unites generations is served well by Shiner's writing.Buy Baseball's Greatest Players, and take it to a sports bar near you.You won't go wrong.

50 Years of Baseball's Best Players--Fun and Interesting!
It's hard not to enjoy this well written, easily readable book on baseball's best players of the past 50 years.Lively anecdotes plus comprehensive (but not boring) analysis shows exactly why these are the best players of the game.I got a kick out of remembering a lot of things I had almost forgotten, like just how good Bob Gibson was.Some of the facts are amazing, like that in the last two years Sandy Koufax pitched, there were 8 games where the Dodgers only scored one run for him--but he won 4 of them.This book also avoids wallowing in sex and drug garbage.It's a baseball book, not National Enquirer.Balanced, interesting, a really solid piece of work.

Fun & Interesting Book on Baseball
Brief synopses of baseball's best players during the past 50 years.Fun and informative.Enjoyed reading this, think others would also.

GREAT BOOK ON BASEBALL'S GREAT PLAYERS!
What an enjoyable book!I loved it.Great short biographies of the greatest baseball players from the past 50 years.For the serious baseball fan or the novice (or anyone who wants to know the story behind legendary players like Mantle and Mays, or why Ricky Henderson really IS one of the greatest players ever).Whether you are ten or eighty, this book is fun, interesting, and helps explain why millions love baseball--and their heroes!Makes a great gift for kids or adults.Exciting stories, well written. ... Read more

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Baseball player & team stats for 1987 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Winnipeg Free Press, published by Thomson Gale on December 19, 2007. The length of the article is 431 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: 'I did not take steroids...'; Clemens claims he's clean, should be cut some slack.(Sports)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Winnipeg Free Press (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 19, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: c4

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Winnipeg Free Press, published by Thomson Gale on December 14, 2007. The length of the article is 856 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Rocket booster stage revealed; Clemens leads list of MLB steroid cheats named in report.(Sports)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Winnipeg Free Press (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 14, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: c1

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This digital document is an article from Winnipeg Free Press, published by Thomson Gale on December 16, 2007. The length of the article is 772 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Rocket loses thrust for launch into hall; But some won't give thumbs-down yet.(Sports)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Winnipeg Free Press (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 16, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: c4

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more