“Whatever repercussions come with it, I’ll take it like a man and do my job,” he said.

He was asked about the so-called code of the locker room, which is very much like the code of Las Vegas — what happens there stays there.

“Code or no code — when you get put under oath — you just be honest,” he said.

What a concept. Imagine where we’d be if that ever caught on.

It may be easier for Pettitte to come clean, if that’s what he’s done, than it might be for Clemens, who stands accused by his trainer of having also taken steroids and over a much longer time than Pettitte’s admitted use.

Those who have known Pettitte during his 13-year career are not surprised in the least that he would resort to taking HGH if that would help him to keep pitching through an injury. He’s not the kind of guy who’s going to shut it down when he feels someone is relying on him. And he’s not going to feel good collecting a paycheck if he doesn’t feel he’s earning it.

The 2004 episode, he said, was just after he had signed a big contract with Houston as a free agent. He knew he would ultimately need surgery, but he’d heard that HGH could help soft tissue heal, so he injected himself twice before thinking better of what he was doing. It was very much like his account of being injected on two consecutive days by his and Clemens’ trainer, Brian McNamee — he was hurt and thought the drug could help him get better. Not stronger and faster, just healthy again.

You can easily argue with his conclusion that he’s not a cheater, but you should also respect his explanation: He didn’t try HGH when he was healthy so he could throw the ball harder; he tried it in the hopes that he could throw the ball at all.

“I think the truth will set you free,” Pettitte said. “I think I’ll be able to sleep a lot better at night when all this goes by.”

Clemens could learn a lot from his old friend. Even now, it’s not too late.

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