Clemens Hearing Report Card: Rep. Davis

The Clemens hearing is over now, and the assorted parties have retreated. The Clemens Hearing Report Card will assess the key players' performances in a way that has about as much to do with baseball as the hearing itself did. Next up: Tom Davis!

Were it not for the strident shouting of Dan Burton, Roger Clemens would not have had a better friend on the committee today than Tom Davis. Whereas Burton probably damaged Roger's cause with his name calling and good-old-boy BS, Davis remained composed and careful. It actually took the listener a minute or two to see what Davis' larger point was, and at least one listener appreciated a little nuance in defense of Clemens.

The problem is that once that nuance wore off, Davis was no better than Burton. He shouted, called Brian McNamee names, tried to create doubt about Clemens' butt abscess by calling it a "palpable mass" -- let us never utter those words again -- and completed the trifecta with the most offensive comment of the day. In regards to medical questions asked of Clemens, Davis said: "This is a new form of lynching!" That comment alone betrays the deep confusion and sadness in Mr. Davis' core, an abyss that can only be described by the letter grade directly below. But hey, at least he didn't scream.

Rep. Tom Davis: D

More Clemens Coverage:
Roger Clemens Hearing Live Blog Part 1 | Part 2
The More Talk About Andy Pettitte, the Worse It Gets for Roger Clemens
Clemens, McNamee Each Have Their Fans in Congressional Hearings