Pitcher's Duel: Clemens, Trainer On Hill

Both Head To Meetings With House Members; Ex-Trainer Says He Has Syringes Used On Pitcher

(AP)  Brian McNamee and Roger Clemens both planned to be on Capitol Hill for a day of separate meetings and vastly different stories.

McNamee gave federal prosecutors syringes and other physical evidence his lawyers say back the personal trainer's allegations of drug use by the star pitcher.

Clemens, who gave a deposition Tuesday, was scheduled to hold one-on-one meetings Thursday with members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, two people familiar with the plans said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement was made.

Among the members Clemens planned to meet with was Rep. Tom Davis, the committee's ranking Republican, one of the people said. Committee chairman Henry Waxman is not scheduled to meet with Clemens.

McNamee was due to meet with committee staff Thursday morning to give his own deposition, and his legal team said it will bolster his story with details of the evidence.

His side turned over gauze pads and syringes they said had Clemens' blood to IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky in early January, a person familiar with the evidence said, speaking on condition of anonymity because McNamee's lawyers did not want to publicly discuss details. The syringes were used to inject Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone, the person said. A second person, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the evidence was from 2000 and 2001.

"I think this is a significant point in the case. We believe that this is significant corroboration," said McNamee's lead lawyer, Earl Ward.

Lanny Breuer, one of Clemens' lawyers, called McNamee's allegations "desperate smears" and said the trainer "apparently has manufactured evidence."

"It is just not credible," Breuer said in a statement. "Who in their right mind does such a thing?"

In December's Mitchell Report on doping in baseball, McNamee said he injected Clemens 16 times with performance-enhancing drugs in 1998, 2000 and 2001.

Richard Emery, another of McNamee's lawyers, said the committee will be given a description of the evidence that was turned over to prosecutors.

"It does change the nature of the case from a he-said, she-said to something about physical evidence," Emery said.

Doping expert Don Catlin said steroids still could be detected in a sample that old.

"But if you don't find it, it doesn't mean it wasn't there before," said Catlin, who added there are sure to be chain-of-custody issues.

He said HGH would be much less stable.

After his five-hour sworn deposition Tuesday, Clemens said that he again denied using performance-enhancing drugs. By denying under oath that he used performance-enhancing drugs, Clemens put himself at legal risk.

Keith Ausbrook, the committee's Republican general counsel, told The Associated Press the committee was not aware that such physical evidence existed.

"Unknown and unexpected evidence comes in at all times in any investigation," Ausbrook wrote in an e-mail. "We will still need to examine McNamee's evidence and hear what he has to say."

McNamee, the former personal trainer for Clemens and Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte, also told former Senate majority leader George Mitchell that he injected Pettitte with HGH. Pettitte confirmed in December that he used HGH for two days.

Emery said McNamee's legal team planned to hold a news conference following their client's deposition in Washington on Thursday and will discuss the evidence in greater detail then. Because the items were turned over several years after the events under discussion, Clemens' side could challenge whether they were tampered with.

"Brian McNamee is obviously a troubled man who is obsessed with doing everything possible to destroy Roger Clemens," Breuer said in a statement. "McNamee lied to the police who were investigating him for sexual assault, he lied to Senator Mitchell, he lied to the federal government, and now he apparently has manufactured evidence. He has changed his story repeatedly on this matter. He claims to love Roger Clemens, he says he modeled being a father on Roger Clemens, he said Roger treated him like family - but he now claims he kept blood, gauze, and needles from Roger Clemens for seven years. It defies all sensibility."

Emery said it was unnecessary for McNamee's side to persuade the Justice Department that the evidence was authentic.

"They'll decide themselves what they believe is the case and make their own decisions based on the facts as they have it. All we know is what we believe is the truth," he said.

McNamee's turning over of the syringes first was reported by the New York Daily News on its Web site.

Clemens and McNamee are to testify at a committee hearing next Wednesday along with Pettitte, former Yankees second baseman Chuck Knoblauch and Kirk Radomski, the former New York Mets clubhouse attendant who pleaded guilty in April to felony charges of distributing steroids and laundering money. He is scheduled to be sentenced Friday in federal court in San Francisco.

"Roger is looking forward to testifying before Congress next week to set the record straight," Breuer said. "He will not waiver, nor will he shrink from this because he is telling the truth. We ask all fair-minded people to listen. It is time for Brian McNamee to be subject to the same scrutiny as Roger Clemens."

[opedanderson]

FAKE FAKE FAKE FAKE

LIES LIES LIES LIES

Government should absolutely be involved in this. We are being sold a bill f goods. A grand scam is pushed upon us. How many government subsidies have gone into the building of stadiums,etc. Remember the bridge in Minn. that collapsed? It was only a mile from one such stadium. It''s fake. Fire them all....players, managers, owners....

[bookwerm314]

Please, US Government, STOP WASTING YOUR TIME ON THIS! WE have more important issues, like the falling dollar, lack of financial regs to prevent bubbles, stupidity and lack of action in congress on immigration, you are all so so stupid and off track, electro shock is needed. Or a bunch of Taser shots. Look, if they want to bulk up, I sure don''t care, and neither should you. This is not related to National Defense, NOT related to the health of the country, and really is none of your *** business.

[godseyesore-2009]

Now why would they have gauze and syringes from 2001? That is biological waste material and would be handled as such, otherwise is inviting disease. Are these trainers total idiots?
Something is fishy here.

[beckajw]

Let''''s wait and hear Andy Pettitte''''s testimony first before making any declarations. The trainer''''s lawyers are claiming that Pettitte will finger Clemens. If he does, that''''s it for Roger and probably his Hall of Fame chances - not because he took steroids, but becasue he lied about it.






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Posted by rafterman1

But you''re not waiting, you''ve already decided he took them and lied about it.

[bobnjersey]

[His side turned over gauze pads and syringes they said had Clemens'' blood to IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky in early January, a person familiar with the evidence said, speaking on condition of anonymity because McNamee''s lawyers did not want to publicly discuss details. The syringes were used to inject Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone, the person said. ]

he doesn''t have a blue dress w/ stains on it ... does he?

[smiley676]

Uh, who keeps used needles? This was obviously a set up. And the trainer is a trusted person in sports. There is still no proof that Clemens knew he was being injected with steroids or wanted to be injected with steroids.

[ramos937]

I always like Roger and admired his accomplishments on the baseball field. It is tough enough to learn that he cheated by taking steroids but also that he lied about it when he was caught.

If it were only a case where it is McNamee''s word againist Roger''s then I would take Roger''s but in this case, McNamee has the actual evidence. In this case, Roger is in much deeper legal trouble than before he testified under oath to the agents. I wonder if his attorneys cautioned him about lying under oath. Now, he faces some real jail time.

[cheddarboy82]

who cares about this anymore...just make gear legal to use. Then all these idiots can stop crying

[hungry1968]

AGAIN --- Our elected political leaders have nothing better to worry about then a bunch of over paid junkies permanently tainting a sport?

What about war, taxes, immigration, health care, etc, etc, etc.......

[honestabe8]

sgtRDS: until the consumer base loses its love of professional athletics, big bucks will be paid. in terms of the "love of the game", i seriously doubt that people would bash their bodies without major compensation.

[connapa]

All that proves is that the trainer had access to Clemens. Anything that he has, unless there were several witnesses who will testify that he placed those items in sealed evidence bags and has some type of chain of custody to prove that they weren''t tampered with, is inadmissable as evidence.

[tomanyt]

They kept gauze and syringes for 2000/2001????? Something doesn''t smell right.

[fstop100]

MLB should clean it''s own house. Congress should look at the rest of our problems.

[thomderr]

SgtRDS:
You are so correct! But now, we have to explain to most who is Al Kaline.

I''ve met him and yes, he is the gentleman.

[blackbug99]

Last time I looked Baseball didn''t kill 3000+ Americans in a senseless war, or cause housing foreclosures on a historic scale. Maybe, these are the things the Congress, that we elect and pay for, should be investigating. If it''s illegal, then arrest them and let the legal system handle it. When people are dying and losing homes, I could give a squat if a "juicer" hits harder or runs faster. I''d also like CBS to do a cost study on this waste of time. Including the forests they''ll cut down to print this report on.

On this so called evidence, what doctor keeps old syringes and gauze? Did he think they''d become ebay collectibles?

[edward1975-2009]

Glad to see that Congress is attempting to fix something. They can''t find time to address the serious issues facing this nation, but let a few ball players do steriods and they get all fired up. What a joke our political system has become. What next hearing on why people were late paying the paperboy.

[novamba]

Does anything in this story matter? who cares? This is such a pitiful waste of time for such an inept congress. Its the economy, stupid!!!!

[rowdytexan2]

It''s a shame that people would choose to distort their bodies and ruin their health for fame and glory. Maybe if they weren''t paid these insane gazillion dollar contracts only those who really are passionate about athletics would want to compete. Same with models who purge all their food and ruin their health.

This witch hunt is out of hand. Our country has some really serious issues to worry about other than this krap.

[stupidrules3]

The things our government officials will do to look busy.... I have sent e-mails to both my senators to protest the wasted effort of crucifying overpaid idiots and gloryhounds. One of them actually replied to me, even if it was just a thank you for my opinion. The other one Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn) has yet to respond to any e-mail ( illegal immigration,out of control government spending, etc,). What about investigating the inflated egos of our senators? Their waste of my tax dollars is criminal.

[anonymous010]

And Congress should be wasting their time and our money with this because...?