Roger Clemens; Queen of Denial

[Guest themetfairy]

Perhaps Roger should take a cue from John Rocker -

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Metfairy -"Perhaps Roger should take a cue from John Rocker."

I would be quite pleased if Clemens would quietly fade away as the subject of scorn and ridicule as Rocker eventually did.

[Guest AG/DC]

Chris Shays, not looking forward to meeting the Rocket:

Congressman blasts Roger Clemens' taped-call tactic against Brian McNamee

By CHRISTIAN RED and MICHAEL O'KEEFFE

DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITERS

Wednesday, January 9th 2008, 12:36 PM

Cataffo/News

A congressman said he didn't like that Roger Clemens (r.) taped a conversation with Brian McNamee on Jan. 4.

One of the congressmen who will interrogate Roger Clemens next week blasted the pitcher's efforts to discredit his former trainer Brian McNamee, calling the attempt "sleazy."

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), a member of the House Oversight Committee - the panel that will question Clemens next week, said he is disturbed by Clemens' attacks on McNamee.

"I'm not comfortable that there was a dialogue between the two men," said Shays, referring to the taped conversation between Clemens and McNamee that was played at Monday's press conference in Houston. "It's really ugly."

Shays also said he wasn't convinced by the seven-time Cy Young Award winner's performance on "60 Minutes" on Sunday. Clemens adamantly denied using performance-enhancing drugs during the interview with veteran journalist Mike Wallace.

"With Roger Clemens' body language, I'm not comfortable when he was making those denials," Shays said.

Shays did not want players to be part of the hearing, and he said he was "dreading" the Jan. 16 hearing where Clemens, McNamee, Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch and former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski are scheduled to testify under oath.

"I'm not looking forward to putting players in the position where they might perjure themselves," Shays said. "When they try to commit perjury, we have an obligation to go after them."

Shays said he "wouldn't be surprised" if the committee had already requested the tape. A Capitol Hill source told the Daily News that the committee would also be interested in hearing a tape of a Dec. 12 meeting between McNamee and two private investigators sent to New York by Clemens and Pettitte.

Clemens has already said he will appear at next week's hearing, but Jay Reisinger, the lawyer for Pettitte, said on ESPN Radio yesterday that it is "premature" to say if Pettitte will attend next Wednesday's hearing on Capitol Hill. Pettitte could be subpoenaed if he refuses to appear.

Meanwhile, McNamee's lawyer, Earl Ward, said he is considering filing an ethics complaint with the State Bar of Texas against Clemens' attorney Rusty Hardin because the pitcher's lawyer contacted McNamee, a witness in a federal investigation, without notifying Ward. Clemens spokesman Joe Householder declined to comment.

In St. Petersburg, Fla., police released documents yesterday that said McNamee lied to them when he was questioned during a 2001 sexual assault investigation. McNamee denied having sex with a possibly drugged woman in a hotel pool, which conflicted with accounts from security guards and other witnesses. Witnesses quoted in police reports obtained by the Daily News last year also contradict McNamee's statement. McNamee was not charged in the case.

"The allegation in Florida was investigated and it went nowhere," Ward said. "It's just an attempt to further damage his character."

For the record, Shays had this to say about his last hearing with baseball players on the subject:

"Let me just say that they were deceitful,'' Shays, a Republican, said of the collective baseball group. "They weren't cooperative. And they were arrogant. And they were like, 'How dare you question us,' kind of attitude. And I want you to know I don't take offense at that. There are certain things as a member of Congress I don't like. But personally, I was just stunned by it because I haven't see worse behavior in anyone in my 20 years in public life in Congress.''

[nymr83]

I can't wait for Congress to rip into Clemens. I bet they can't wait either, what better way to bring your approval ratings up without having to do anything meaningful?

[Guest AG/DC]

New schedule: next week's hearing will only features appearances by Senator Mitchell, Don Fehr, and Bud Selig. Clemens, MacNamee, and the other players invited will appear next month.

Perhaps this is to make things more comfortable for Congressman Shays, or perhaps its to give Roger more time to line up some plausible bullshit. Likely its neither. But Nymr who can't wait is going to have to wait.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Uh, oh.

Could be scary for Rajah that this news "breaks" the second he's done testifying for Congress.

[Benjamin Grimm]

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Uh, oh. Could be scary for Rajah that this news "breaks" the second he's done testifying for Congress.

Very nice! I hope this is Roger's ticket to jail.

(It's interesting that McNamee would have saved this yucky stuff. It's just like Monica and that blue dress.)

[nymr83]

my honest guess (with no proof)? i think mcnamee saved it either because he could forsee being in a position to play stool-pigeon some day or because it would present an opportunity to blackmail Clemens.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Clearly McNamee is motivated by more than the thought of vindicating himself. Holding back this evidence until after Clemens has perjured himself shows that this is personal.

It sure seems like he wants Clemens to go to prison.

[HahnSolo]

I thought McNamee gave this to the Feds before Clemens testified?

[Benjamin Grimm]

HahnSolo wrote: I thought McNamee gave this to the Feds before Clemens testified?

Actually, it turns out that he did. (I wasn't aware of that when I made my previous post.)

He turned the stuff in back on January 10.

[Guest AG/DC]

I think MacNamee probably has all sorts of shit lying around from stuff he used to do. I do.

I just didn't used to poke people in the butt.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I also have a lot of old crap lying around.

But none of it has blood on it. Stuff with blood (or semen, Monica) I'd probably clean or dispose of.

[Guest holychicken]

I keep all my old blood and cum around. . . . just in case.

[metsmarathon]

i'm actually not terribly surprised by it. it's smart of any little fish who helps some bigger fish break the law to keep records and evidence. and macnamee had been a cop, too, right? and really, what's he supposed to do, go to the beach and dump the bloody syringes?

[Benjamin Grimm]

metsmarathon wrote: what's he supposed to do, go to the beach and dump the bloody syringes?

That would be illegal!

Oh, wait...

[Centerfield]

I hate Clemens, but I'm skeptical about this evidence. Wouldn't it be possible for McNamee to take steroids, and mix it with Roger's blood that he might have had from legitimate injections? (cortisone, B12 etc.)

[Guest AG/DC]

Possibly, indeed, but reports indicate that it certainly doesn't discredit him.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Centerfield wrote: I hate Clemens, but I'm skeptical about this evidence. Wouldn't it be possible for McNamee to take steroids, and mix it with Roger's blood that he might have had from legitimate injections? (cortisone, B12 etc.)

If that were the case, then there would probably also be traces of the B12, or cortisone, or whatever.

If it's just blood and steroids, and Clemens says that the steroids were added later, then the question is, why was he being poked in the butt with an empty syringe?

[Guest AG/DC]

Unless CSI is lying to us, it'd be tough for an amateur to get that sort of stuff by the pros.

[metirish]

Clemens is back on the Hill today with two lawyers and a PR person and is slated to meet six more representatives after meeting 12 yesterday, why is he being indulged like this?

[A Boy Named Seo]

holychicken wrote: I keep all my old blood and cum around. . . . just in case.

I laugh every time I read that.

The fact that Clemens is going around smiling and shaking hands and trying to meet these peeps in person indicates to me that he's nervous and trying to use his extreme likability, charm, and charisma to win these guys and gals over.

Good luck with that.

[metirish]

Newsday is reporting that McNamee told the federal prosecutors Thursday that Debbie Clemens took HGH....doesn't say when.......WOW.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Oh my gawsh goodness gracious. Of all the dramatic things I've seen...

[Frayed Knot]

metirish wrote: Newsday is reporting that McNamee told the federal prosecutors Thursday that Debbie Clemens took HGH....doesn't say when.......

Hey she had to prep for that SI swimsuit issue.
A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, yaknowwhattimean?

[Benjamin Grimm]

They shouldn't say such things about her after she put her butt on the line like that.

[Guest AG/DC]

Sports Illustrated needs to be investigated.

These are role models!

[Guest holychicken]

It's funny how Pettitte came out of this smelling like roses, really, just by admitting it right away. . .while Clemens, who denied it, might come out smelling like the inside of a jail cell.

[Frayed Knot]

Frayed Knot wrote: Hey she had to prep for that SI swimsuit issue.

I was kidding when I wrote this earlier but apparently that was exactly the timing of the whole thing. (as per Bill Madden on WFAN)

[Benjamin Grimm]

As we've seen so many times before, there's often a greater consequence in covering up a deed than in committing it.