A Lesson In Sports History?
Jill Jackson is a Capitol Hill field producer for CBS News.
Potential hall-of-famer Roger Clemens and former trainer-turned-foe Brian McNamee were both due at the congressional hearing room at 10 a.m. to answer lawmakers' questions about Clemens' alleged steroid use … with the help of McNamee.
The public wanted to witness this event. The line went all the way from one end of a long hallway to the other. Some wore Clemens shirts to show their support.
When Clemens finally walked past, surrounded by police, the crowd's reaction was staid and quiet.
McNamee slipped into the hearing through a side entrance.
Two teenagers from Arlington, Va., waited in line for four hours. They said they are both big baseball fans – but think Clemens is a cheater. After 20 minutes in the hearing, both teens said the wait was completely worthwhile. They had gotten brief access to two of the handful of seats available for the public to rotate in to watch just a few minutes of the hearing.
It was their first congressional hearing – and they said they had witnessed history.
Plus, their parents let them skip school.