If there's one thing we can all learn from this off-season, it's that a little apologizing goes a long way.

In the wake of the Mitchell Report's release, we saw two types of people emerge: those who own up to errors in judgment and those who embark on denial crusades. Dandy Andy Pettitte fell into the former category, acknowledging the veracity of Mitchell's report in his case immediately with a public mea culpa. He didn't beat around the bush; he simply explained his reasons for using HGH (whether those reasons are true or even important is still up in the air in my mind), admitted it was a mistake and issued a sincere apology. He didn't stop there though - when he got to camp he approached each of his teammates individually and apologized yet again! None of the boys seemed to think that was necessary, but it was a nice gesture nonetheless. Hughsie remarked "that's just the kind of guy he is," which is a sentiment that warms my YC heart.

The fanbase as a whole seems to agree with Hughsie and I. On Monday, as Pettitte concluded his batting practice pitching session, the crowd of fans in Tampa gave him a standing "we forgive you and love you, Dandy Boy!" ovation. It is great to see that everyone is letting Pettitte off the hook, so to speak. His apologies have effectively cleared his reputation and he'll be able to perform much better this season without the cloud of anger from fans some thought might hang over his head.

Pettitte's quick return into the good graces of the fans makes me wonder whether Clemens would have gotten the same treatment had he followed suit and plead guilty (assuming he IS guilty, which I think most of us do, even though that's not really fair... eh, forget fair, he juiced and we all know it) rather than fight what appears to be a losing battle against McNameanie and the public. I know that I would have been more than happy to forgive him had he acknowledged his guilt, and I think - and correct me if I'm wrong here - that a large contingent of fans would have done likewise. Now that he's already denied and theres no turning back, though, if indisputable damning proof surfaces, I see no feasible way Clemens could get the same forgiveness we extended to Pettitte.