Separated at Birth: Wally Szczerbiak & Ben Stiller

Opening Eyes to the Blind Side

If you haven't read the book, you've probably never heard of him.

Michael Oher is an offensive lineman for Mississippi, one of the most underachieving programs in college football. The Rebels have posted three straight losing seasons in the SEC, including an abysmal 3-9 this year.

But Oher -- a 6'5", 325 lb. left tackle -- still has NFL scouts excited, and he's projected to be taken anywhere from the mid-first round to early-second in the 2008 draft.

The Blind Side, by Michael Lewis, tells the story of how Oher arrived at Ole Miss. Without a real family or any significant football background, Oher mysteriously materialized at Briarcrest Christian School, an affluent, nearly all-white high school in suburban Memphis. He was truly a fish out of water.

But Oher was recognized as a young man in need by Sean and Leigh Ann Tuohy, who, after a series of events, more or less adopted the young behemoth. After a highlight video of Oher's junior football season reached Tom Lemming, the person responsible for choosing the high school All-American team, Oher's life would never be the same.

Between studying to get his grades up and fending off would-be suitors from just about every Division I football program in the nation, Oher had an extremely busy -- and rather unusual -- senior year at Briarcrest. But in the end he selected Ole Miss, which is his adopted parents' alma mater.

If you haven't read it yet, pick up the book. It's an excellent read, and Lewis does a great job of stepping back and pointing out the bigger picture. The left offensive tackle has evolved from a position that no one recognizes as special, to a spot at which NFL executives are willing to draft high and pay well.

Most fans remain unable to recognize the value of an offensive lineman, which often supersedes that of a good running back or a decent quarterback. But because of the book, perhaps we can start to wrap our minds around the concept of a star offensive lineman. One day, an offensive tackle will be famous, and not just for signing a big contract.

It could be Michael Oher.

Choosing sides: Do you believe Roger Clemens or Brian McNamee?

For anyone who missed Roger Clemens' interview on 60 Minutes last night, here's a one-word summary: robotic.

Clemens, unsurprisingly, took the deny, deny, deny approach, explaining multiple times in his Texas accent that "it never happened."

He was also critical of those who've assumed the worst about him, arguing that his 20-plus years of Major League service should give him the benefit of the doubt.

"It's hogwash for people to even assume this," Clemens said. "Twenty-four, 25 years, Mike. You'd think I'd get an inch of respect. An inch."

While he's right that citizens are innocent until proven guilty in the court of law, things tend to operate a little differently in the court of public opinion. Especially when it comes to steroid usage.

One of two people here is lying: either Brian McNamee is fabricating this whole thing and Clemens is just trying to clear his name, or McNamee is telling the truth and Clemens is attempting to orchestrate a massive cover-up.

The one factor in Clemens' favor is there may never be physical evidence to substantiate McNamee's claims. Just because you said you did something, doesn't necessarily mean you did. If you can't provide tangible proof, this may become a word versus word situation.

But let's take a closer look at McNamee. Here is a guy who has worked with Clemens for 10 years, befriended him, staked his entire reputation as a physical trainer on the Rocket's success. What does McNamee stand to gain by lying about injecting Clemens with steroids? And after denying involvement in steroids after the Grimsley report was leaked, why would McNamee change course when testifying to Senator Mitchell?

If he was telling the truth the first time, wouldn't he stick with his story?

Furthermore, if Andy Pettite -- who is among Clemens' closest friends and trained with McNamee alongside Clemens -- admits to having used Human Growth Hormone, what does that say for Clemens? I don't know about you, but I find it hard to believe when Clemens says he "had no idea about" what Pettite was doing.

I could go on, but what's the point? All of this and much, much more will come out in Clemens' newly-filed defamation suit against McNamee, and when the two men testify before Congress on January 16.