The biggest story of the past weekend may have been the NFL Playoffs, but the most interesting was definitely the Roger Clemens interview and subsequent backlash. Mike Wallace interviewed Clemens on 60 Minutes, where the Rocket continued to deny any steroid use but still sounded a little shaky. He made some good points and some bad, here’s a look at how Clemens came out.

One of the better comments the Rocket made was when he said that he had been busting his butt for 24 years and still did not get an inch of support. This was a good point; he has received little or no credit for his lifetime of achievements and clean record. This statement is good to gain some support because it cries to the fundamental assumption of innocence until proven guilty (although he had something to say about that as well).

Another good comment was Clemens point that there has been no proof of a supplier of the alleged steroids. This helps to further polarize the issue. If there is no proof that he took them (i.e. a positive test), and no proof that McNamee got the steroids (i.e. a supplier) than it truly becomes the word of an American Baseball Legend vs. a no-name trainer.

The worst comment he made was the one that he didn’t. Mike Wallace repeatedly asked Clemens why Brian McNamee would lie about the steroids, and Clemens came up with nothing. He repeatedly answered with “I don’t know” and the only reason he came up with in the end was for McNamee to avoid jail time. Wallace squashed that excuse because McNamee would get more jail time for perjury if he lied about injecting the Rocket.

Another damaging comment was when he did not say that he would take a lie detector test. All he said was that he did not know if they were accurate or not. Even if he doesn’t end up taking one, he should have said that he would be willing. It doesn’t exactly scream innocence when he skirted that question.

The Rocket alluded to the fact that it would be financially hard on him to sue McNamee for defamation, or to sue everyone that he believed had slandered him. He made $20 million last year; I don’t think his financial security is in jeopardy. All that comment did was make him look cheap and unlikable, and right now he needs the public to like him.

Since the interview, the Rocket held a press conference in which he aired an odd phone call between himself and McNamee that allegedly occurred on the fourth of the year. It made McNamee look like a man who was either barely still on the edge or had just fallen off of it. This helped Clemens out greatly because it helps his cause in this battle of one man’s word against another’s. His consul further explained that they were not calling McNamee a liar, but were still following through on a defamation suit. Where this will go is anyone’s guess. But the real question is whether or not anyone believes that the Rocket was fueled naturally. I’m not sure yet, he is starting to really fight these allegations hard, but there still is no evidence either way. It’s the Rocket against his former trainer and neither one has made a truly strong case.

This leaves the case to be settled in the court of public opinion and the public is very unforgiving and suspicious in this “Steroid Era.”