Clemency for Clemens. That would be an outrageous development that would come with its own slogan.

And there is Tejada. And others from the Mitchell Report still playing, like Eric Gagne, Troy Glaus, Paul LoDuca, Gary Matthews, Jr., and Gary Sheffield.

There is also Andy Pettitte, an honest man bobbing in a sea of charlatans. He provided testimony to Congress that damaged Clemens, and he’ll be asked about it from now until he can withdraw to the privacy of his home after the season.

There is some humor to be found in all these headlines, because if we didn’t poke a little fun we’d all go mad. But there is also a lot of sadness for a great game whose caretakers did to it what some chemical plants do to certain rivers.

Baseball’s owners and players brought this upon themselves by not recognizing a problem and acting to head it off. That’s all old news now. It’s the new news that’s the burning issue.

There won’t be a week that goes by in which there isn’t some news blast about the use of steroids and performance-enhancing drugs, about a legal maneuver by one of the accused, about some activity in Washington that brings the game under closer scrutiny.

In the interim, the 2008 season will take place, with lots of storylines and loads of thrills. But will fans be able to put blinders on and block out the constant stream of steroids-related negativity? Will every player who has a big year be looked upon with doubt?

Can baseball be trusted again?

The answer is a resounding yes. But it will take a long, long, long time, and a great deal of repair work. This is hardly an open-and-shut case.

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