DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum The Clemens Hearing

If anyone cares...

They just caught McNamee in 2 lies. Lying about Clemens being at Canseco's party and him lying to investigators about not having any further evidence (then he later brought up the syringes and gauze pads).

Both of these guys are getting worked over pretty well and neither looks good but I think McNamee looks worse for admitting to lying.

The witch hunt continues

Pettitte told Congress Clemens admitted to using human growth hormone
Feb. 12, 2008
CBSSports.com wire reports

WASHINGTON -- Roger Clemens told Yankees teammate Andy Pettitte nearly 10 years ago that he used human growth hormone, Pettitte said in a sworn affidavit to Congress, the Associated Press learned Tuesday.

Pettitte disclosed the conversation to the congressional committee holding Wednesday's hearings on drug use in baseball, a person familiar with the affidavit said. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the document had not been made public.

According to the person familiar with the affidavit, who said it was signed Friday night, Pettitte also said Clemens backtracked when the subject of HGH came up again in conversation in 2005, before the same House committee held the first hearing on steroids in baseball.

Pettitte said in the affidavit that he asked Clemens in 2005 what he would do if asked by the media about HGH, given his admission years earlier. According to the account told to the AP, the affidavit said Clemens responded by saying Pettitte misunderstood the previous exchange in 1999 or 2000 and that, in fact, Clemens had been talking about HGH use by his wife in the original conversation.

"We don't know what Andy said," Clemens' lead lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said in a statement e-mailed to the AP by his spokesman. "We look forward to hearing tomorrow."

The existence of the affidavit first was reported by the New York Times. The details of its contents was first reported by the AP.

The news came on the eve of Clemens' much-anticipated appearance to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. His former personal trainer, Brian McNamee, is Wednesday's other main witness. McNamee told baseball investigator George Mitchell that he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH at least 16 times from 1998 to 2001. Clemens repeatedly has denied those allegations, including, he said, under oath in a deposition last week.

Pettitte also sat for a deposition at the beginning of last week, and had been scheduled to testify at the hearing. But he asked the committee to allow him to give an affidavit instead of appearing at the hearing, the person familiar with the document said. Pettitte was dropped from the witness list Monday.

McNamee also accused Pettitte of using HGH, and after the Mitchell Report's release in December, Pettitte acknowledged that he did.

On Tuesday, Clemens made the rounds on Capitol Hill one last time, wearing a gray pinstriped suit and squeezing face-to-face meetings into the busy schedules of committee members. He met with five lawmakers over a four-hour span Tuesday, on top of the 19 he saw Thursday and Friday.

"I enjoyed talking with him," said Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., who said the discussion included baseball stories and personal accounts about the Sept. 11 attacks. "It's always good to meet the person who is in the spotlight. ... I told him, 'This is not a trial.'"

But it might very well feel like one when Clemens and McNamee sit at the witness table and -- under oath -- offer what will surely be contradictory versions as to whether Clemens used steroids and HGH.

"I couldn't tell you who's telling the truth," Watson said.

Before Pettitte's affidavit came to light, Clemens got some help in his public relations push from a different ex-teammate Tuesday.

"I have never had a conversation with Clemens in which he expressed any interest in using steroids or human growth hormone," Jose Canseco said in a sworn affidavit, dated Jan. 22, that was submitted to the committee. "Clemens has never asked me to give him steroids or human growth hormone, and I have never seen Clemens use, possess or ask for steroids or human growth hormone."

In his affidavit, Canseco disputes various statements of McNamee's in the Mitchell Report. The affidavit also says "neither Senator Mitchell nor anyone working with him" contacted Canseco to attempt to corroborate things McNamee said.

Canseco's book about steroids in baseball, Juiced, drew Congress' attention in 2005, leading to that year's hearing.

The anticipation of Wednesday's hearing rivals -- if not surpasses -- that of the hubbub before March 17, 2005, when Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro testified before the same committee in the same wood-paneled House hearing room. McGwire avoided answering questions about steroid use that day by repeatedly saying "I'm not here to talk about the past" -- and his reputation has shown no signs of recovery.

"I think Roger's fully prepared to testify fully and truthfully," Hardin said. "He IS here to talk about the past."

McNamee has kept a low profile in the buildup to the hearing. He gave a closed-door deposition under oath last week, two days after Clemens did, and has been waiting until the hearing itself to retell his story.

Clemens didn't have much to say Tuesday as he walked the hallways from appointment to appointment. He said he was getting a chance to meet some "interesting people," and he waved appreciatively when two bystanders yelled: "We love you, Rocket!"

In a late addition to its case, Clemens' camp planned to submit to the committee on Wednesday a letter from a Baylor College of Medicine professor who examined medical records supplied by Hardin's office. The physician, Dr. Bert O'Malley, wrote that the records, which covered Clemens' time with four baseball clubs from April 1995 to August 2007, were "devoid of suspicious indications" of steroid use.

Although some congressmen have emphasized the hearing is not solely about Clemens or even baseball -- concern about steroids and substance abuse among young people is the oft-stated mission -- the focus on the 45-year-old pitcher became more apparent after several other witnesses were scratched. Like Pettitte, former Clemens teammate Chuck Knoblauch and convicted steroids distributor Kirk Radomski were dropped Monday.

The only scheduled witness besides Clemens and McNamee is Charles Scheeler, a lawyer who helped produce the Mitchell Report.

I'm still not sure why Congress is involved in this.

Face time.

It's going to be tough to know what is 100% truth in this situation.

I think McNamee is mostly telling the truth. Heck, Pettitte backed McNamee's story....and Pettitte is Roger's close friend.

McNamee screwed up a little when he didn't go after Clemens with everything right away. As if he wanted to see if Clemens would admit to it before McNamee had to tell everything. Like he was trying to save Roger a little. And when Roger denied it, McNamee started digging to get as much as he could out there (and ended up not being 100% correct).

I never liked Roger....so I'm obviously biased but he looks like he's off to jail soon.

It's the same thing with Bonds...just put Clemens in there.

Except, Clemens isn't getting torched by the media...not yet at least.

They also caught Clemens in a lie as well. He had previously stated when this all started that he had never talked to McNamee about HGH, ever. He later stated that he only talked about HGH with McNamee when McNamee was going to inject Clemen's wife with HGH.

Both have faulty stories and have obviously lied at certain points, but the sticking point fo rme so far has been Pettite. Pettite has said, under oath, that he talked to Clemens about HGH and that Clemens talked about using HGH. Pettite has absolutely nothing to gain by lying here, and even Clemens admitted that Pettite is the most honest he has ever met, so I fail to see why he would lie about one of his best friends in a situation where he has nothing to gain, and in a situation where his very close friend could end up in prison.

ndutyme,
I think that Clemons was the poster boy for the league and that he was nicer to the media by far. Now, with Clemons trainer being right about Pettite and Knoblock(sp), Clemons is going down. Maybe not today, but soon, he will fall also. And like Excel said, baseball was so hell bent on getting Bonds, they will now take down the face of the league!!

Have at it then.

But I haven't seen Roger take the verbal abuse that Barry did, but in the end it really doesn't matter to me.

I'd like to see some of the posters on here who were so quick to say Barry ruined the game, say the same for Roger.


Arguably the best hitter and pitcher in baseball history, may have cheated...does the make the game bad? Not to me, they still have to have skill to perform.

You want a level playing field...legalize steroids and call it a day

Roger hasn't and likely will not take the abuse that Bonds took but I don't think color has anything to do with it. Bonds built up animosity between himself, the media, and the fans for 15 years before Steroids became an issue.. Clemens is pretty new to this and doesn't have time to alienate people the way Bonds did.

Bonds didn't ruin the game.. bad collective bargaining, no salary cap, poor marketing and generally stupid management are ruining the game... steroids is only a small part.

If legalizing roids is the only way to level the field, then I don't want it level. As the father to an 11-year-old son, it would kill me to have to tell him, "Well if you want to make it in baseball, you have to take roids or you can't compete." That would suck.

But on the bright side, congress is worried about Clemens, the senate is worried about Goodell... as long as those guys aren't enacting laws, the country as a whole should be ok.

I'm probably in the minority on this one, but I don't think Bonds "built up animosity" by himself. The media and fans expect these athletes to be more than what they are...PEOPLE! If the guy aint cool talking to some reporter who the day before raked him over the coals...I can't blame him...same thing with fans...some drunk yahoo in the stands disrespecting everything about the man, including his family, why would I want to turn around and sign an autograph. Keep in my, outfielders hear it all, more than I could ever deal with. I'd end up in the stands, beating the snot outta someone who calls my mom out her name....

You're right about congress, though, but they'll find a way to screw this up too

Yes, the media whooped everyone into a frenzy with Bonds, reporters just racking him over the coals plus with Barry getting ready to break the homerun record, it was a perfect storm. Barry being an a-hole did not help matter much also. Was there some racial overtones with it, maybe a little but more had to do with Barry being the first big name, Barry being an a-hole and the home run record.

With the Clemons case, he will get raked over the coals, once all the Clemons butt kissers finally realize that he was taking roids like alot of other players. As a matter of fact, now that Clemons has done all the denying, his fall will be worse than Barry's because of how hard he is fighting/lying!

Clemens pressed by Congress, denies accusations by Pettitte, McNamee

By RONALD BLUM
and HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Sports Writers
February 13, 2008

AP - Feb 13, 11:49 am EST


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Roger Clemens struggled to find the right words under questioning during a congressional hearing Wednesday and denied new accounts of drug use made against him by former teammate and close friend Andy Pettitte.

Using words like "misremembered" and mispronouncing the last name of his chief accuser, Brian McNamee, Clemens rambled and stumbled during his early remarks on Capitol Hill.

Clemens' reputation and legacy were on the line, and there was the possibility that criminal charges could follow after the seven-time Cy Young Award winner testified.

"I have never taken steroids or HGH," Clemens said, his voice rising. "No matter what we discuss here today, I am never going to have my name restored."

It seemed clear nearly from the start that the committee would not treat Clemens with kid gloves, despite all the face-to-face sit-downs he did with representatives in recent days -- sometimes posing for photos with or signing autographs for staff members. Still, Rep. William Lacy Clay, a Missouri Democrat, asked Clemens what uniform he would wear when he goes into the Hall of Fame.

Clemens' entry to Cooperstown appeared to be assured before the accusations by McNamee became public in December's Mitchell Report.

Exactly two months after the report was released, Clemens and McNamee were separated by one seat in the same wood-paneled room where Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro saw their careers tarnished during a hearing in March 2005.

In a reference to McGwire's evasions that day, Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., admonished Wednesday's witnesses by saying: "It's better not to talk about the past than to lie about the past."

Clemens briefly stared at McNamee during his accuser's opening statement; for the most part, they did not look at each other. Members of Congress immediately questioned the credibility of both Clemens and McNamee.

Committee chairman Henry Waxman pointed out inconsistencies in Clemens' comments and accused him of possibly attempting to influence statements to the committee by the pitcher's former nanny. Rep. Dan Burton repeatedly read remarks McNamee had made, and each time the former trainer was forced to admit they were untrue.

"This is really disgusting. You're here as a sworn witness. You're here to tell the truth," the Indiana Republican said. "You're here under oath, and yet we have lie after lie after lie after lie, of where you've told this committee and the people of this country that Roger Clemens did things -- I don't know what to believe. I know one thing I don't believe and that's you."

The first congressman to question Clemens, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., set the tone within minutes, repeatedly reminding Clemens he was under oath and admonishing the pitcher to "keep your voice up." McNamee also was asked to pull his microphone closer.

The hearing started about an hour after several teams opened spring training. This was far from the sunny settings of Florida and Arizona.

Debbie Clemens, the pitcher's wife, sat behind her husband and listened as Waxman implicated her in HGH use, citing statements by Pettitte.

Even one of Clemens' attorneys was given a hard time. At one point, Lanny Breuer stood up from his seat behind Clemens and interrupted a congressman to say he would like to speak in place of his client.

"I'm sorry, the rules don't provide it," Waxman said.

A lawyer who helped prepare former Senate majority leader George Mitchell's report on doping in baseball sat between accuser and accused. It was two hours into the hearing before that lawyer, Charles Scheeler, was addressed by the committee.

IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky, a key member of the federal prosecution team against Barry Bonds, watched from a second-row seat. Asked why by a reporter, he declined comment.

Bonds, baseball's home run king, was indicted in November on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice stemming from his 2003 testimony to a grand jury in which he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. Because of his denials under oath, Clemens could be subjected to a similar criminal probe.

A flat-panel television on each side wall of the hearing room showed evidence, including Pettitte's affidavit.

Pettitte, who was excused from testifying, said in a statement to the committee that Clemens admitted to him as long as 10 years ago that he used HGH. Waxman read from affidavits by Pettitte and Pettitte's wife, Laura, supporting the accusations.

"Andy Pettitte is my friend. He was my friend before this. He will be my friend after this and again. I think Andy has misheard," Clemens said. "I think he misremembers of our conversation."

McNamee told Mitchell that he injected Clemens 16 to 21 times with steroids and human growth hormone from 1998-01. McNamee also said that Pettitte and Chuck Knoblauch used HGH.

"I have helped taint our national pastime," McNamee said. "Make no mistake: When I told Sen. Mitchell that I injected Roger Clemens with performance-enhancing drugs, I told the truth. I told the truth about steroids and human growth hormone. I injected those drugs into the body of Roger Clemens at his direction. Unfortunately Roger has denied this and led a full-court attack on my credibility. And let me be clear, despite Roger Clemens' statements to the contrary, I never injected Roger Clemens -- or anyone else -- with lidocaine or B-12."

Waxman said McNamee, a former New York City police officer, lied to police seven years ago during an investigation of a possible rape. He also was tough on Clemens.

"We have found conflicts and inconsistencies in Mr. Clemens' account. During his deposition, he made statements that we know are untrue," Waxman said, adding that some of Clemens' statements "are simply implausible."

In his statement, McNamee made new accusations.

"I have had that opportunity to think about these events and consider the specific drug regimens we used," McNamee said. "As a result, I now believe that the number of times I injected Roger Clemens and Chuck Knoblauch was greater than I initially stated."

McNamee worked with Clemens for several years. Still, he added: "While I liked and admired Roger Clemens, I don't think that I ever really trusted him."

Pettitte issued a statement shortly before the hearing started and acknowledged using HGH in 2004. In December, he admitted taking HGH for two days in 2002.

Last week, Pettitte was asked to discuss drug use in a deposition and affidavit before a congressional committee.

"In that affidavit, Andy informed the committee that in addition to the two shots a day of HGH he took for two days in 2002, he also took HGH for a one-day period in 2004, shortly preceding season-ending elbow surgery," his lawyer, Jay Reisinger, said in a statement released to The Associated Press.

"Andy had not previously mentioned this usage because he acquired the substance from his father, who had obtained it without Andy's knowledge in an effort to overcome his very serious health problems, which have included serious cardiac conditions."

In the affidavit, Pettitte said that Clemens told him nearly 10 years ago that he used HGH. Pettitte also said Clemens backtracked when the subject of HGH came up again in conversation in 2005, before the same House committee held the first hearing on steroids in baseball.

Pettitte said in the affidavit that he asked Clemens in 2005 what he would do if asked about performance-enhancing substances, given his admission years earlier.

Pettitte said Clemens responded by saying Pettitte misunderstood the previous exchange in 1999 or 2000 and that, in fact, Clemens had been talking about HGH use by his wife in the original conversation.

During an exchange between Waxman and Clemens about details of tracking down Clemens' former nanny for possible testimony, the pitcher's two lawyers stood and one, Rusty Hardin, interrupted Waxman.

After the committee asked last week for the nanny's name, Clemens spoke Sunday with the nanny for the first time in several years.

"There's always going to be a question whether you tried to influence her testimony," Waxman said.

Pointing a finger and speaking loudly, Hardin kept trying to get a word in, and Waxman kept cutting him off.

"I was doing y'all a favor," Clemens said. "I'm hurt by those statements that I would get in the way of finding anything you guys were looking for."


http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-steroids-clemens&prov=ap&type=lgns

Quote:

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Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro saw their careers tarnished during a hearing in March 2005.

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...and so will be Clemens career. The vast majority of people have already made up their minds about Clemens.

j/c If he did in fact take hgh, and it was not yet band? Why is there all this ruckus? Just asking, I mean if it was not band? then should that keep him out of the HOF? Is it any different then taking a cortisone shot?

To the best of my knowledge, cortizone is not illegal, HGH has always been illegal, whether it was specifically against MLB rules or not...

However then this becomes a criminal court case and not something congress should be dealing with... not that they should be dealing with it anyway.

I didnt realize that it has been illegal, Not questioning you , but where did you get this info.? Just asking because I had never heard this till now Maybe I should watch the new's more?

I just made it up to make you look bad.

Heck! I dont need you to do that.

Seriously, I just assumed it was.... but as I looked it up in the 4 minutes since my post, it appears there is quite a raging debate over it's legality... Now I'm not so sure.

Not as smart as you thought you was?

Evidently I misoverestimated my own intelligence.

LMFAO!

and you were right there with a 4 word post of a sarcastic comment... are we all that predictable?

Dont make her put the war bucket on and come after you!

I'm afraid we are.

We used to be more spontaneous... before Shotty showed up.