The Final Score

Clemens hasn't been true to his word for years. His retirement, then unretirement, then retirement...etc. is truly indicative of this man's lack of commitment to his word. How can we truly believe that he is telling us the straight story now?

There were a couple of major missed opportunities in last night's 60 Minutes episodes, both having to do with "proof". Mike Wallace should have made Clemens commit to a confirmed date for a lie detector test. How squirmy did Roger get when pressed about taking a test. His "re-framed" the discussion to suggest that if he failed the test it's because the tests are not conclusive, but if he passed the test he wouldn't be vindicated because the press and public jury have already made up their minds regarding his guilt. So, in essence, why bother taking it if it's a lose-lose proposition? BALONEY!!!!

The second was with Pervez Musharraf. When asked about his take on Bhutto's supporters claiming that he was involved, he said that no one should place blame without evidence. Just two minutes earlier in the interview, and repeatedly in the press, he has blamed the al-Qaeda person from the tribal region within Pakistan. Using Musharraf's own logic, since he is accusing him, where is Musharraf's proof?

"The lady protests too much, methinks."

Hamlet III ii

Ah, was that Clemens’ mind as canny as his pitches! Everything about his 'dramatic' (in the Clinical Psych sense) performance on '60 Minutes', from his belligerent demeanor to his outrageous statements ("I'd have ears growing out of my head!") point to the truth of the allegations contained in the Mitchell Report.

Many of Clemens' colleagues succeed in re-inventing themselves in their 4th decades as their power starts to fail, relying instead on baseball smarts as opposed to athleticism (Craig Schilling springs to mind immediately, though there are many others.) However would be consistent with both Clemens' massive ego and obvious lack of anything resembling personal insight (as demonstrated on '60 Minutes') that he should resort instead to a pharmaceutical Fountain of Youth.

I had completely forgotten about the Piazza incident, which would have occurred during the alleged steroid period. 'Roid Rage' accounts for that behavior far more accurately than the amphetamines which were suspected at the time.

While supernumerary ears have never been associated with the exogenous administration of supra-physiologic performance enhancing hormones, there are certain anatomic irregularities that might suggest their abuse. For example, Growth Hormone can lead to a thickening of the jaw and finger bones -- it might be interesting to compare pictures of the Rocket's face over the decades. And as for anabolic steroids? Atypical body hair, male pattern baldness, acne, and, Rocket, would ya mind stepping behind the curtain and dropping your drawers?

Is this Paul Quantrill?

Brian McNamee is liar.

Talk about Roid Rage when Pedro threw Old Man Don Zimmer on the ground and hit so many Yankees batters. I believe Pedro's use Ped and Hgh. Everyone is guilty. Thanks to Bud Selig and Players Union. Welcome to Steriod Era Pedro.

According to ESPN:

“For more than a month in 2001, McNamee was a suspect. However, no charges were filed. Early in the investigation, the woman lied to investigators about her reason for being at the Renaissance Vinoy hotel — she was having an affair with another Yankees employee who was married, and didn’t want to reveal that. When investigators realized this, they declined to pursue the investigation of McNamee. A few months later, the Yankees quietly let McNamee go. But Clemens and Pettitte kept using him as their personal trainer.”

Hardin’s petition is a PR masterpiece, and it explains the rape issue as follows:

Clemens fired McNamee after the allegation and after the Yankees fired him. McNamee contacted him and begged for his job back, saying that he was only trying to resuscitate the woman, and that he took the rap for someone else. Clamens, not knowing that the police concluded McNamee was lying, and giving him the benefit of the doubt, rehired him.

I wonder if Congress will get into that incident? I read somewhere that one of the things McNamee lied about was where he met the woman, and at some point they were hanging with other people in Knoblach’s room. Apparently Congress called just the people involved in the McNamee allegations (wonder why?), but I wonder if they ask McNamee and/or Knoblach about that night.

Buster olney just said on espn that one of the reasons mcnamee was let go by the yankees in 2000 was because he was the subject of a rape investigation

wonderful witness you got there

olney also said he doesn't think clemens will ever get elected to the hall of fame now either

so the all time hits leader

the all time home run hitter

and the #8 all time wins leader in major league history will quite possibly never see the inside of the hall of fame

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12132007/sports/mcnamee_questioned_in_01_sexual_battery__612457.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/15/sports/baseball/15mcnamee.html?pagewanted=print

and here is a synopsis from an ESPN article:

"Despite his efforts to branch out, McNamee kept a low profile until October of 2001, when he was suddenly in the New York tabloids. According to police reports, an employee of a St. Petersburg, Fla., hotel where the Yankees were staying had noticed a man and a woman apparently having sex in the hotel pool, while another man looked on from a few feet away. All three were naked in the pool. One of the men, Charles Wonsowicz, the former St. John?s pitcher who was now the Yankees? video technician, left immediately when confronted by the employee. The other, McNamee, continued to hold on to the woman until the hotel employee asked him to leave again, according to police documents.

?You mean now?? he said. McNamee got out of the pool, leaving behind the woman, who witnesses said appeared ?out of it.? She said to the hotel employee, ?Help me,? and then McNamee pulled her out of the pool and tried to put clothes back on her.

Employees called police, and an ambulance also arrived. It turned out the woman had ingested a near fatal dose of GHB, a powerful drug used by bodybuilders, teenage ?ravers? and date rapists ? who have used it to incapacitate victims. A bottle of the GHB was found on the pool deck.

Police investigated the incident as a rape and questioned McNamee the next morning.

The report of Detective Don Crotty, who questioned McNamee, cites McNamee as lying several times during the questioning: about where he first met the woman, saying it was the hotel lobby rather than another bar, as other witnesses said; and about his whereabouts over the course of the night. McNamee didn?t mention that he was with the woman with several other Yankees players in Chuck Knoblauch?s room. He denied to police that he even knew Wonsowicz, his college teammate and fellow Yankees employee. He said Wonsowicz looked familiar, and he might be a ?green fly,? ballplayer slang for a hanger-on who looks for autographs.

For more than a month in 2001, McNamee was a suspect. However, no charges were filed. Early in the investigation, the woman lied to investigators about her reason for being at the Renaissance Vinoy hotel ? she was having an affair with another Yankees employee who was married, and didn?t want to reveal that. When investigators realized this, they declined to pursue the investigation of McNamee. A few months later, the Yankees quietly let McNamee go. But Clemens and Pettitte kept using him as their personal trainer."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/sports/baseball/08clemens.html

McNamee's lawyer, said that McNamee lied to Clemens lawyers about being pressured by the feds.

Ward's explanation of why he says McNamee lied:

"He lied to them and tried to say, 'Well, they pressured me,' because he wanted to continue to stay in the good graces of Roger,"

If HGH or steroids are addictive, then there should be an easy way to tell if Clemens has used either one: Put him in a locked room with a table laden with HGH and steroids, and leave him alone for a day or so, filming what happens. Call it "Reality Court", or something.