The ridiculous, almost laughable saga that is Roger Clemens and his steroid use took another turn on Thursday when an excerpt of the upcoming "60 Minutes" interview The Carpetbagger gave to Mike Wallace was released.
Clemens insists he's "never" taken any steroids.
From the Boston Globe:
Roger Clemens said former trainer Brian McNamee injected him with the painkiller lidocaine and the vitamin B-12 -- not any performance-enhancing drugs.
In the first excerpts released from the pitcher's interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," which is to be broadcast Sunday night, Clemens maintained the denials he has issued since McNamee implicated him in the Mitchell report on doping in baseball, which was released Dec. 13.
McNamee, a former strength coach for the Blue Jays and Yankees, told Mitchell he personally injected Clemens with steroids in 1998 while they were with Toronto, and with steroids and human growth hormone in 2000 and 2001 while with New York.
"Roger took bunches of his shots over his career, much the way racehorses do, unfortunately," Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said after the excepts were released Thursday.
Clemens issued a video statement on Dec. 23 denying McNamee's accusations and plans to hold a news conference Monday. Clemens did not mention injections of painkillers or vitamins.
"That short statement didn't go into any details and simply told the public at large he did not take steroids or any other performance-enhancing drugs. That's never been a contention of his," Hardin said.
"The reason he hasn't stepped out personally before now was really our decision, not his, and that was to more deliberately look into how in the world the Mitchell report could have reached what we believe was this totally wrong conclusion before we started talking out. Now we're more comfortable with all of that, and he's going to answer whatever questions they have."
During the CBS interview, recorded last Friday at Clemens' home in Katy, Texas, Clemens was asked whether McNamee had injected him with any drugs.
"Lidocaine and B-12," Clemens responded. "It's for my joints, and B-12 I still take today."
Lidocaine is a local anesthetic that can be used by dentists and in minor surgery. It also is available as part of ointments used to treat skin inflammation.
Clemens told CBS that McNamee's accusation was "ridiculous" and said he "never" used banned substances.
"Swear?" CBS's Mike Wallace asked Clemens.
"Swear," Clemens responded.
I can't wait to see this interview on Sunday night. He really wants us to believe that McNamee was giving him nothing but painkillers and Vitamin B-12. How stupid and gullible does he think baseball fans out there are? Granted he's fighting for his reputation, but this really sounds like a joke. And what I really want to see is if Wallace asks him about his buddy Andy Pettitte and how he came clean about his steroid use almost immediately, while Clemens continues to deny his use. So McNamee was telling the truth about Pettitte but lying about The Carpetbagger?
Clemens better be ready for what may happen after this interview, as McNamee and his lawyer are threatening Clemens with a defamation suit if they feel Clemens is calling McNamee a liar.
Sure sounds like he's doing just that. Get ready for an upcoming firestorm.
I once said that enough bad things couldn't happen to Roger Clemens to satisfy me.
But this comes close.
Mind you, all those shots occurred ONLY in those Cy Young Years:
ReplyDelete"& The Envelope, Please"
It was The B12 Shots that enraged him over Piazza?
ReplyDeleteWhat is it that is in the pipe he's smoking?
& in '01, I saw Roidger collapse on the mound, twice:
ReplyDeleteI don't think it was the pie he ate;
Once vs The Indians & once in the 5th Inning of the LDS, Game 5.
"I once said that enough bad things couldn't happen to Roger Clemens to satisfy me.
ReplyDeleteBut this comes close."
He's got absolutely no one to blame but himself. You live by the needle, you die by the needle.
One less Yankee hat in the HOF.
I've been thinking about record books and all. If MLB went through all of the records, eliminating wins for every pitcher proven to use steroids during the time period of that win, while also eliminating hits and homers for batters proven to have used during that time period - and calling those occasions when they faced each other, both on steroids, a wash - I bet we'd finally get to the bottom of this whole thing. Those who were losing their wins, hits, etc., would jump up and start pointing fingers at everybody else who hadn't been implicated yet, saying, "He did it, too! Take away his hits!"
ReplyDeleteThey're almost all big, whiny crybabies. I guarantee that would be the reaction, and then we'd find out a whole bunch more names.
Or... we can just skip the whole thing and pretend it never happened and get on with just enjoying the games again.
Or one less Red Sox hat in HOF, MCW. I would guess if Clemens had made the Hall (and I think he now won't, he would have gone in with the Sox hat. At least Sox fans won't have to worry about that embarrassment now.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit Suldog, I'm not for asterisks or eliminating records from the books. For guys who were on the juice like Clemens, Bonds, etc. I think fans will just ignore those records, as they should.
2 Days After my Birthday on January 14th, on 1/16, Ol' Roger will be called before The House Of Representatives, acc'd'g to CNN & ESPN:
ReplyDeleteI hope that he's wearing Pampers