Congressional Hearing

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

McNamee is gettin ate.

[Guest Bigelow34]

McNamee is coming off very bad as he sounds really hesitant and shaky on everything. This stupid Canseco party allegation may bite him in the ass as far as credibility goes.

 

McNamee is just a mess. They are pointing out holes left and right in everything he says. The only time Clemens came across shaky is when Pettitte comes up, as you can tell he is trying not to toss him under the bus.

 

Also, this Tampa Bay/B-12 shot date mix-up thing is just burying him.

 

I have Roger ahead on points right now.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

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[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Color me uninterested

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

If you missed any...

 

 

 

Editor's Note: Jayson Stark is blogging live during today's congressional hearing. Check back frequently for updates throughout the day.

11:49 a.m. ET
OK, it's party time.

Rep. Davis told McNamee about a long list of people who didn't recall Clemens attending the fabled Jose Canseco party in Miami where McNamee claims Clemens and Canseco first talked about steroids.

McNamee didn't back down.

He gave vivid detail of a woman running after a child in a green bikini. And when he asked who that was, he said he was told, "Roger Clemens' nanny."

"I know Roger showed up a little bit later," McNamee claimed.

Asked how he knew, McNamee gave an answer that indicated he and Clemens talked many times about what a fabulous time they'd had at that party.

"We had numerous conversations," McNamee said, "about how great that party would have been if we didn't have a game that night."

Is it possible Clemens showed up so late, after playing golf, that no one else remembers him being there? That's the question. Right?

11:41 a.m. ET
Curt Schilling had the bloody sock. Roger now has the bloody pants.

Rep. Davis reported that McNamee had testified that Mike Stanton once noticed that Clemens was bleeding through his dress pants -- which caused him to start carrying band aids around, presumably for his bleeding BUTT. Yikes.

Prompting the following surreal exchange:

Rep. Davis: "Mr. Clemens, do you recall bleeding through your pants in 2001?"

Clemens: "I do not."

You can't make this stuff up.

11:37 a.m. ET
First big exchange involving McNamee:

Rep. Tom Davis grilled McNamee about the infamous taped phone conversation, in which Clemens asked him to "tell the truth."

"Why didn't you just tell Mr. Clemens ... `Roger, I did tell the truth?' " Davis asked.

McNamee: "Because ... I realized I was being taped. ... But if you listen to it and know my jargon, I did say that. I said, `It is what it is' ... meaning, `I did tell the truth.' "

Anyone who re-listens to the tape of that conversation will have that same impression -- that they both knew this was being taped and that each, in his own way, was trying to trap the other. That, I've long thought, is why so many things went unsaid that day.

11:29 a.m. ET
And obviously, Rep. Cummings doesn't believe any of Roger's story. Any of it.

Three direct questions from Rep. Cummings:

• "Mr. Pettitte said he had 'no doubt' about his recollection. ... Why would he tell Congress that one of his closest friends was taking an illegal performance-enhancing drug if there was any doubt in his mind?"

• On Pettitte's wife, Laura, also saying Pettitte had told her that Clemens had admitted using HGH: "If that conversation never happened, why would Laura Pettitte remember that conversation?"

• "What possible reason would Mr. Pettitte have to fabricate a statement about you, his friend?"

Clemens' answer: "Andy would have no reason to."

Wow. Elijah Cummings' 15 minutes won't go down on Clemens' career highlight reel. Wouldn't you say?

11:20 a.m. ET
But here's a more dubious portion of Clemens' account of their discussion of HGH.

So what was that conversation about that Pettitte referred to? Clemens gave an answer way out of left field.

He said he recalled talking to Pettitte about a TV show in which three older people said they'd used HGH and improved their quality of life.

They may indeed have had that conversation. But could Andy Pettitte possibly have come away from that discussion thinking he'd just heard his friend, the living legend, Roger Clemens, tell him he'd actually used HGH.

Tough to believe.

11:18 a.m. ET
Rep. Cummings kept right on bearing down.

"Mr. Clemens, do you think Mr. Pettitte was lying when he told this committee you admitted using Human Growth Hormone?

Clemens: "Andy Pettitte is my friend. He was my friend before this. He'll be my friend after this. And again, I think he has misheard."

The example Clemens gave of why he was sure Pettitte had "misheard?"

Clemens said he was "shocked" when he heard that Pettitte had used HGH. And they were so close, he's sure that "if Andy Pettitte thought I used HGH, he would have come to me and asked me about it."

Plausible. Right? These men were, in fact, as close as two players could be. So that is indeed one of the big questions. If Clemens was using it, wouldn't he and Pettitte have talked about it extensively -- not just in two conversations, years apart?

11:07 a.m. ET
More drama:

Rep. Elijah Cummings started his questioning by making sure Clemens knew he was under oath -- "and you know what that means? Is that correct?"

"Yes, sir," the Rocket replied.

Rep. Cummings then praised Pettitte as being "one of the most respected players in the major leagues and one of the most honest people in baseball."

"I would agree with that. Yes, sir," Clemens responded.

But when Cummings then confronted Clemens with Pettitte's testimony that the Rocket had told him he'd used HGH, and asked Clemens if this was true, Clemens gave him a stern, "It is not."

"So you did not tell Mr. Pettitte you used Human Growth Hormone?"

"I did not," Clemens said.

Again, whew. Anybody think Rep. Cummings believes a word coming out of Clemens' mouth?

11:01 a.m. ET
Just a thought as the questioning of the Rocket gets rolling:

Since he's under oath, any chance one of these Congressmen could ask Roger what the heck actually happened when he threw that bat at Mike Piazza?

He didn't really think that was the ball, did he?

Sorry to digress. Just thinking.

10:59 a.m. ET
The big moment from McNamee's statement:

"I never injected Mr. Clemens or anyone else with Lidocaine or B-12. I have no reason to lie -- and every reason not to."

A moment later:

"I told the investigators I injected three people -- two of whom I know confirmed my account. The third is sitting at this table."

Whew. Is this really happening?

10:58 a.m. ET
You body-language watchers should have a field day with this one.

As Rep. Waxman was speaking, Clemens looked him right in the eye, while McNamee looked everywhere but at that podium.

But as McNamee spoke, Clemens looked straight down at the floor, as if he were trying to make himself believe this man wasn't even speaking.

Quite a show.

10:54 a.m. ET
One more highlight from Clemens' statement:

He took pains to make sure the committee knew he wasn't slamming their buddy, George Mitchell. Good strategy!

"I'm not saying Senator Mithcell's report is entirely wrong," Clemens said. "I'm merely saying Brian McNamee's statements about me were wrong."

Apparently, the Rocket has noticed that this committee is essentially the George Mitchell Fan Club.

10:52 a.m. ET
The anger in Clemens' voice during that opening statement was unmistakeable. There was an edge in his voice and a look in his eye that didn't look the slightest bit contrived.

Heck, he even admitted it. He was steaming as he read those words.

"I've chosen to live my life with a positive attitude," he said. "Yet I'm accused of being a criminal. I'm not supposed to be angry about that?"

Revealing words.

10:47 a.m. ET
Rep. Waxman's opening statement covered so much ground, it's tough to summarize it all. But let's just say he didn't mess around.

• He praised Andy Pettitte effusively for his honesty, saying "Mr. Pettitte's honesty makes him a role model, on and off the field." Again, this was an ominous sign for the committee's willingness to believe Clemens' side of the story.

• Rep. Waxman made it obvious somebody is going to be charged with perjury once this hearing concludes -- because "it's impossible to believe this was a simple misunderstanding. Someone isn't telling the truth."

• He said that if Brian McNamee isn't telling the truth about Clemens, that's "inexcusable." But if Clemens isn't telling the truth about McNamee, "he's acting shamefully." And Rep. Waxman reiterated he doesn't see how there's any gray area. One is lying. One is telling the truth. "And I don't think there's anything in between."

• Rep. Waxman said, unequivocably, that McNamee's accounts were "bolstered" by the testimony of Pettitte and Chuck Knoblauch. Again, not good news for the Rocket.

• Rep. Waxman did scold McNamee for failing to tell investigators the whole truth on two occasions -- once when he was questioned about the infamous Florida date-rape incident several years ago, the other when he failed to tell prosecutors the full extent of how often he injected Clemens and McNamee because, in McNamee's words, he was trying not to hurt the guy." Waxman then said, firmly, "That's no excuse."

• Finally, Rep. Waxman went through a long list of areas in which Clemens' account was "in direct conflict" with the testimony of McNamee and Pettitte. Waxman particularly singled out Clemens' alleged conversations about HGH with Pettitte -- one in 1999 or 2000, the other in 2005. In the first, Pettitte testified that Clemens told him he'd used HGH. In the second, Clemens claimed Pettitte had misunderstood and that he'd actually said his wife had used HGH. Waxman said Clemens and McNamee agreed that McNamee had injected Debbie Clemens in 2003. And that, Waxman said, "makes it impossible" that Clemens could have told Pettitte three or four years earlier that his wife was the HGH user, not him.

So unless the Rocket can explain his way out of all those "inconsistencies" clearly and convincingly, that perjury charge is going to be almost inescapable. Isn't it?

10:28 a.m. ET
Here's a shocker. Rep. Waxman said he wanted to cancel the hearing and just issue written reports. But Clemens' lawyers helped talk him out of that, saying it would be "unfair" to cancel the hearing without giving Roger a chance to testify publicly.

Whew. Careful what you wish for.

10:15 a.m. ET
An attorney I know told me before the hearing to watch for signs that the committee favors one side or the other going in.

How about this for a sign:

Within the first two minutes of his opening remarks, Rep. Henry Waxman called the Mitchell report "impressive and credible."

That tells you exactly what Rep. Waxman believes, and, more importantly, whom he believes. Wish Roger luck trying to change his mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?...sional_hearings

 

 

 

Jayson Stark's Live Blog

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

Clemens is gettin emotional.

[Brett Favre 0]

The Nanny screwed over Clemens.

[naiwf 0]

The nanny, Pettitte, Mrs. Pettitte, Knoblauch and McNamee are all liars if you believe Rog. If not, he's just sinking here under the weight of the lies he can't keep straight.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

I listened to a fair bit of the hearings while running my errands. Everyone is really coming off bad here. McNamee got raked over the coals for lying to investigators in previous incidents. Clemens is going to get buried under the lies, as another poster states. If you watch the committee members, you can tell which side they are on based on the questions they ask. About three or four of them obviously have their minds made up.

 

It is hard to feel bad for Clemens. He did not need to take on this challenge, and he is going to lose out in the end. But I still find it disconcerting that individual athletes are vilified in these scandals. Steroid problems extend far beyond Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds.

[Brett Favre 0]

McNamee is a liar though. Dude lied about everything.

[naiwf 0]

You could argue that McNamee lied to keep guys (and himself) out of trouble, but Clemens has been proven to have lied more times under oath than McNamee over the course of the hearing. As Al said, Clemens didn't need to fight this, but by doing so he's coming out like McGwire, Sosa, Palmeiro and Bonds. Let's keep in mind that Pettitte used HGH in 2002, lied about using HGH in 2004, and he was PRAISED for being an honest man by someone on the committee because he ultimately told the truth. Roger just keeps on lying because his HOF candidacy is dwindling with every passing moment.

[hyperchord24 0]

Not to mention Clemens throwing his wife under the bus saying that she had an HGH injection behind his back and once she reacted badly to it, Clemens didn't, you know, get a doctor.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Not to mention Clemens throwing his wife under the bus saying that she had an HGH injection behind his back and once she reacted badly to it, Clemens didn't, you know, get a doctor.

There's a difference between a reaction and serious reaction. I take insulin injections three times a day, sometimes the after-effects are uncomfortable. It does not cause me to immediately call a doctor. Generally if something causes itching and discomfort, a person will wait a day or two before seeking medical attention.

[claydude14 0]

Some of these members are clearly Clemens marks. One guy's final question was "which uniform will you be wearing to the hall of fame?" and some lady finished up by saying she was sure "Clemens would go to heaven."

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

Awesome.

 

His PhD is a mail in one.

[hyperchord24 0]

Not to mention Clemens throwing his wife under the bus saying that she had an HGH injection behind his back and once she reacted badly to it, Clemens didn't, you know, get a doctor.

There's a difference between a reaction and serious reaction. I take insulin injections three times a day, sometimes the after-effects are uncomfortable. It does not cause me to immediately call a doctor. Generally if something causes itching and discomfort, a person will wait a day or two before seeking medical attention.

That's fine. If your spouse KNEW what they were taking. Clemens claims he didn't know she took an HGH shot and knows nothing about HGH. If your spouse was taking something behind your back that you didn't know anything about, you wouldn't immediately get medical attention, or at least advice? Come on. Look, you at least know what to expect with these insulin shots. Clemens claims to know NOTHING about HGH and the effects thereof.

[naiwf 0]

Why are they letting Clemens talk about his upbringing, and playing for team USA when the questions have absolutely NOTHING to do with that?

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

PhD = Pile it Higher and Deeper

 

 

Greatness.

 

 

 

And that last dude w/ the son who sent the text messege, just sonned Clemens.

[snuffbox 0]

Darrel Issa just licked the Rog taint.

[tominator89 0]

This is a glorious waste of time, yet I can't stop watching.

[claydude14 0]

How come no one mentions that Frank Thomas spoke to Mitchell, voluntarily? Clemens just says that the only player he knows who talked was Giambi.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

No. Fucking. Way.

 

 

 

They want to have a discussion in the records as to what "It is what it is" means.

[Jaxxson Mayhem 0]

.........................................................So Clemens' wife wanted the shots for youthfulness..........................

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Not to mention Clemens throwing his wife under the bus saying that she had an HGH injection behind his back and once she reacted badly to it, Clemens didn't, you know, get a doctor.

There's a difference between a reaction and serious reaction. I take insulin injections three times a day, sometimes the after-effects are uncomfortable. It does not cause me to immediately call a doctor. Generally if something causes itching and discomfort, a person will wait a day or two before seeking medical attention.

That's fine. If your spouse KNEW what they were taking. Clemens claims he didn't know she took an HGH shot and knows nothing about HGH. If your spouse was taking something behind your back that you didn't know anything about, you wouldn't immediately get medical attention, or at least advice? Come on. Look, you at least know what to expect with these insulin shots. Clemens claims to know NOTHING about HGH and the effects thereof.

Well again, if you take something illegal, you probably aren't going to seek immediate attention unless it's a serious, serious issue.

[Guest]

You can tell that the Pettitte stuff is really bothering Clemens, emotionally, anyway.

[claydude14 0]

Pettitte's testimony is the key.

[Guest Blue Man Czech]

Haha, Clemens just got gaveled. Take that, you bastard.

[Broward83 0]

So I started watching just after noon.

 

It seems that half of, if not more than half of these people are fucking Clemens marks and are doing everything they can to say: "Hey.. Rog, c'mon man.. we're with ya.. just say McNamee is a lying douche and we've got ya!"

 

McNamee saying that he did what he did to protect who he was working for makes sense. Why, during the boom of it all throw people under the bus and lose out on money when you can protect MLB (since they're paying you) and others who are paying you a nice chunk of change?

 

I see Roger getting off clean and clear with McNamee getting raped.

[Nightwing 0]

Completely off-topic, but does anyone else think that Henry Waxman (The Chairman) looks like a giant mouse?

 

And man, no one is coming out of that looking good.

[Guest Blue Man Czech]

Not counting the fawning jackasses in Congress, I think the public backlash against Roger Clemens for his transgressions is strong enough to prove that the similar backlash against Bonds wasn't just a black witchhunt, as conjectured by the mentally retarded.

 

I can see where the ears and teeth might lend Henry Waxman some light rodential tendencies.