Mike Piazza’s strategy for keeping the steroid media monkey off his back? Telling reporters the truth – off the record. This made it harder for the reporters to report the story, and I think gave them less incentive because it wouldn’t be as much of a ‘gotcha’.

I’m sure there are examples of politicians using this off the record truth telling strategy with reporters and it plays right into the self-important “villager’ mindset that corrodes the reporting of many DC insiders.