MLB FanHouse

Clemens and McNamee Emails Find Their Way Into Court Document and They Are Hysterical

Will Brinson — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Gossip, MLB Media Watch, PEDs

Nothing particularly new to report on the Brian McNamee-Roger Clemens end of things, other than what Watson covered yesterday (Pettitte may have to come into court). It is interesting though, that McNamee's lawyers have ramped up their talk about the DNA tests on the syringes they presented to the court and how said tests will prove that Clemens is fibbing.

Of course, none of that is as interesting as finding out that a) Roger Clemens stinks at spelling, and b) his email address is Rocket something-something at something dot com. My guess is "Rocketman22 at aol dot com". From the Smoking Gun (who, naturally has copies of the emails, which were attached to a brief filed yesterday):

The e-mails ... were sent in October 2006, following the publication of a Los Angeles Times story reporting that Clemens and teammate Andy Pettitte were identified as steroid users in a confidential federal affidavit (the Times story proved to be erroneous). In the first e-mail, Clemens tells McNamee that, "Pet and I talk about the BS coming out. What a crock of sh*t!"

The athlete added, "Who knows next week they will be saying we robbed a bank or something. Stay hot. 22." After commiserating about problems caused by the Times report, McNamee sought to dispel any concerns "in regards to being a rat or flipping on you or anyone of my clients." Though Clemens now claims that McNamee has wholly fabricated accounts of his steroid use, the athlete did not appear to bat an eye when his crony referred to being a "rat" and "flipping" on the baseball legend. A cynic might refer to that as evidence of guilt on the pitcher's part.

Yes, that's right. Roger Clemens signs his emails "22", calls Andy Pettitte "Pet", and, as mentioned above, his email address starts with "rocket". Oh, and he thinks that "dushbag" is the proper spelling for a commonly used vernacular insult that revolves around a feminine hygiene product. Nowhere to go but up from here.

Clemens and McNamee Emails Find Their Way Into Court Document and They Are Hysterical originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pettitte May Be Forced to Testify in Clemens/McNamee Case

Matt Watson — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:50:00 EST

Filed under: New Orleans, Yankees, AL East, PEDs

The third-place Yankees are in no position to deal with yet another distraction (Hank said what?! A-Rod is sleeping with who?!), but it's possible that Andy Pettitte, the team's best and most reliable pitcher this year, may be called in to testify in the defamation suit brought against Brian McNamee by Roger Clemens.

According to the New York Daily News, one of the claims Clemens is making against McNamee is that McNamee defamed Clemens by telling Pettitte Clemens used PEDs. McNamee's lawyer, Richard Emery, wants the judge to determine if the statute of limitations on that claim has passed, and doing so may require a hearing in which Pettitte will be forced to leave the Yankees and testify.

Sounds bad for the Yankees, right? It could get even worse. Emery has also requested that the defamation suit be moved from Houston to New York, which would allow Emery to subpeona a long list of witnesses, which includes Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi, Mariano Rivera, as well as team trainers and doctors.

All of a sudden, dealing with paparrazi on the A-Rod/Madonna beat doesn't seem too bad.

Pettitte May Be Forced to Testify in Clemens/McNamee Case originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joe Buck Actually Makes a Funny Joke

Josh Alper — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:55:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Video, PEDs

Joe Buck visited with David Letterman last night and actually got off a pretty good line about the recent allegations about steroid users supplementing their intake with Viagra. The joke comes after some other discussion that we'll talk about after you've watched the video, which comes courtesy of Bugs & Cranks.

Nice of Buck to spend less time talking about how he and, by proxy, other members of the media just ignored PEDs 10 years ago than he did castigating Randy Moss for pretending to drop his pants. It wasn't a case of what we know now, it was a case of people like Buck looking the other way. In fact, he seems a lot more aggrieved by the fact that people somehow thought a broadcaster shouldn't be hugging a player during a game. Because it's all about him at the end of the day.

Joe Buck Actually Makes a Funny Joke originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 08:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jay Gibbons is Coming to an Independent Ballpark Near You

Mullet — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:10:00 EST

Filed under: Orioles, AL East, Baltimore, PEDs

Jay Gibbons, everybody's favorite admitted HGH user and alleged victim of collusion, is finally going to play some baseball again. But don't go looking for him on television. You'll have to drive out to beautiful Islip, NY to find Gibbons with his new team: the Atlantic League's Long Island Ducks.

"I'm looking forward to getting back and playing ball again," said Gibbons, who will likely start working out with the Ducks in the next couple of days. "It's been 10 weeks, so hopefully I can get out on the field some time this week."

Boy, what a drop off for a 30-year-old outfielder who could probably still play some ball. Yeah, he's had some injuries lately ... and he may not be that good. But even so, there's not a major league team willing to give him a job in AAA? The fact that he has to go all the way to an unaffiliated Independent team while so many others mentioned in the Mitchell report have jobs in the majors means that it's not collusion. But it's just weird.

Jay Gibbons is Coming to an Independent Ballpark Near You originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Has Jay Gibbons Been a Victim of Collusion?

Josh Alper — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:10:00 EST

Filed under: Orioles, AL East, Baltimore, PEDs

There's been a lot of discussion about possible collusion by major league teams to keep Barry Bonds from continuing his career. For all his foibles, the man can still rake and it's surprising that no team is willing to hold their nose long enough to benefit from his 1000 or so OPS.

Buster Olney writes at ESPN.com that other players tainted by the Mitchell Report can't seem to find work either. He mentions Nook Logan and Jay Gibbons, late of the Orioles, as two players who aren't getting sniffs. He also includes a copy of a letter that Gibbons has written to all 30 major league teams.

All I need is a chance -- any chance -- anywhere. I am more than willing to begin the process of proving that I can and will be a productive major league player by playing in the minor leagues.

As you know, I have played seven seasons in the big leagues and have hit 20-plus homeruns in three seasons and have hit .277 in three seasons (2003, 2005 and 2006). At 31 years old, I have NO DOUBT that my best baseball is ahead of me.

I have some doubts about that. I'd never tell a man to give up his dream of playing in the big leagues but Gibbons doesn't have a ton of great baseball ahead of him. The only interesting thing about Gibbons's career is that he hit .277 in three separate seasons.

Honestly, it is. In three years with varying amounts of at-bats, ending up with exactly the same average is pretty impressive. Being a 31-year old corner outfielder with injury problems and minimal power isn't impressive, though. It's hard to see how the Mitchell Report is playing more of a role than that in costing Gibbons big league employment.

The problem with Olney's thesis is that Logan and Gibbons were both marginal players before teams had a reason to look in different directions. The idea that there's collusion against players named in the Mitchell Report or otherwise painted with the PED brush is hard to support. It didn't hurt Paul Lo Duca or Jose Guillen, for example, and wouldn't hurt either of the guys Olney mentions if they were better players. Not that Lo Duca is a good player but that's a different post for a different time.

At any rate, don't cry too much for Gibbons. He's guaranteed $12 million from the Orioles over the next two years and his desire to keep playing has met with success. Not in the big leagues but with a team in the independent Atlantic League where, if he plays well enough, he might generate enough interest for another shot.

Has Jay Gibbons Been a Victim of Collusion? originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Was The Rocket Fueled by Viagra as Well?

Josh Alper — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:15:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Gossip, PEDs

Remember when Rafael Palmeiro stepped out of the shadows and told the world that he was a proud user of Viagra? Snickers abounded that the man who swung a big bat at the plate couldn't in the bedroom but, if a report in the New York Daily News is true, there may have been another reason why Palmeiro used the little blue pill.

The paper reports this morning that Roger Clemens was a regular user of them as well. Not to take care of his large stable of blonds, though. Rocket, Palmeiro and other alleged steroid users use them because they believe they can help build endurance and deliver oxygen, nutrients and PEDs to muscles more efficiently. BALCO honcho Victor Conte said it's well-known in his circle.

"All my athletes took it. It's bigger than creatine. It's the biggest product in nutritional supplements."

Viagra's been found with cyclists busted in Italy and a liquid form of the drug was discovered, along with anabolic steroids, near the dead body of NFL draft prospect Heath Benedict in March. The World Anti-Doping Agency is funding a study to determine if the drug aids training and performance among athletes.

They may have a hard time implementing the study, though. Several years ago, the head of a doping research laboratory e-mailed Dick Pound, the unfortunately named (especially in this case) then-head of WADA, about Viagra. Pound's inbox filtered the message to his spam folder along with so many other too cheap to be believed come-ons for the drug.

Was The Rocket Fueled by Viagra as Well? originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toronto's Offensive Problems Run Deeper Than Drug Testing

Josh Alper — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:15:00 EST

Filed under: Blue Jays, AL East, Toronto, PEDs

There's been a lot made of the drop in offense in the American League this season with reasons ranging from weather to a paucity of good young players used to explain why the bats aren't thumping as they have in the past. There's been another reason tossed around as well, the presumed disappearance of steroids in the post-testing game of baseball.

Jeff Blair of the Toronto Globe and Mail picks up on this during a look at the scuffling Toronto Blue Jay offense in general and Alex Rios in particular. He describes J.P. Ricciardi watching Rios take a called third strike and say, cryptically, that we'll see a lot less balls in the seats.

If you're J.P. Ricciardi, you can't just attribute it to the Mitchell report or anything like that, because you're an employee of Major League Baseball and, well, he just can't go there, you know?

I think if Ricciardi could use something like that to explain away his team's offensive production, he'd be wise to do it actually. Wouldn't make it true but it might give him an out.

Using PED's to write off the decline in offense makes no sense. It doesn't take into account that the players using weren't just power hitters, weren't just hitters and didn't just play in the American League. It doesn't explain why the National League is outpacing its 2007 performance to this point in the season and it certainly doesn't explain why Rios and the Jays can't hit.

Even if it were true that the lack of steroids had returned us to the Dead Ball era, it doesn't begin to explain Toronto's problems. Ricciardi is arguing that the lack of balls flying over the fence is what's driving down offensive numbers. It's not true.

Take the Blue Jays. They've hit 30 home runs in 47 games and are scoring 3.79 runs per game. If it were true that good offensive baseball were reliant on the home run, then Minnesota and Oakland, with fewer homers per night than the Jays, would be lagging behind them. They aren't though, in fact each team is scoring more than a half-run per game more than Toronto.

Hell, it's still just May and offense might pick up and start to resemble years past. Even if the league averages rise, though, expect Toronto to be at the bottom of the pack.

(H/T BBTF)

Toronto's Offensive Problems Run Deeper Than Drug Testing originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 21 May 2008 10:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hank Aaron Warns Against 'Unrewarding Shortcuts'

Eamonn Brennan — Mon, 19 May 2008 09:20:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Media Watch, Milwaukee, PEDs

Former home run king Hank Aaron was pegged to give the commencement address at Concordia University Saturday; what would he say? It's still only a few months after Barry Bonds broke his all-time home run record and then vanished (against Bonds' will) into the night. Would Aaron discuss it? Or leave it alone?

Turns out, he was willing to talk, and willing to speak his peace his with reporters beforehand:

"I still," Henry Aaron was saying, "consider myself the home-run king."

Oh, snap! That's more than Aaron has ever said on the matter, either positively or negatively. He then goes on to kinda back off that statement, talking about how Bonds was an incredible player, that he hopes the ordeal is over soon so Bonds can get on with his life, and so forth. Then, in his actual commencement, Aaron went with this:

"This is advice from an old man who has been a lot of places, seen a lot of things," said Aaron, who casts a regal appearance at 74. "Be careful before you make choices. Avoid shortcuts. They are quick fixes and unrewarding."

No word on whether Bonds was wearing a Concordia U cap and gown, but he might as well have been. That was a commencement speech to an audience of one. Which is kind of like an army of one, but with way more steroids and way less self-respect.

These latest words from Aaron are a lot different from the taped message after Bonds hit No. 756.

Hank Aaron Warns Against 'Unrewarding Shortcuts' originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 19 May 2008 09:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paul Lo Duca on 'Softball Girls', Nelson Figueroa, and Cheating

Mullet — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Washington, DC, Mets, Nationals, NL East, MLB Gossip, PEDs

Paul Lo Duca has been on the DL most of the season with a broken wrist, and isn't going to be back until close to the all-star break. That's too bad, because it means we're not going to hear nearly as many great quotes out of Lo Duca as we normally would. Thank goodness that the Nationals let Lo Duca travel on the road trip to New York (the Nats don't usually let injured players travel, but gave Lo Duca a pass because he lives in NY), or else we probably wouldn't have heard Paul's take on "Cheer-gate" and Nelson Figueroa, courtesy of his appearance on WFAN (through Adam Rubin's Mets blog at the Daily News):

"I don't know. I'm not a big fan of it to be honest with you. I'll be honest with you. You know, we're struggling. Guys are just trying to have a little fun. I think they saw Figueroa getting a little upset, so they amped it up a couple of notches. I do think it's a little bush league. At first it started off as a little fun, until he got mad. I don't agree with it. But, also, Nelson Figueroa has nine wins in the big leagues and he needs to keep his mouth shut."

So I'm confused, it was all right until Figueroa got mad ... but Figueroa shouldn't actually tell anybody he's mad? I see. Sounds like Lo Duca didn't want to take sides and just hate each side of the argument equally.

Speaking of hate, some who formally loved Lo Duca now may hate him because of his appearance in The Mitchell Report, which was more than a mere cameo. Until now, all we've heard from Lo Duca was the prepared apology. While on WFAN, he went into it in a little more detail.

"I apologized. It's something I did a long time ago. The perception, and people think that, hey, he did it last year. No. I did it a long time ago. And it was a mistake I did. I wish it would have never happened. It's something I'll have to deal with. But, you know, I'm sort of glad. I think it was a monkey that's been on my back for a long time that finally flew off. It was something that I'm not proud of, obviously.

"I don't view myself as a cheater. Obviously it's something I did. And obviously it's something that helped me. But, you know, a lot of people don't realize I got into a bad collision and got run over at home plate one year, in '95 in Double-A. And I got it prescribed to me by a doctor. A lot of guys did it. There's a lot of guys in front of me that did it. Like I said, I'm not making excuses. It was part of survival. You want to be at home or you want to be playing? That's the way it was. I apologized for what I did, but that's plenty true."

It's too bad that Lo Duca waited this long for that. He's been candid on most subjects most of his career, especially in his time here in New York. People probably would have wanted to hear this sooner instead of the canned apology, or the almost apology where he was almost run down on the road. But, better late than never. Here's hoping the second half of the season produces not only a healthy Lo Duca, but a chatty Lo Duca.

And keep your eyes on the road, buddy.

Paul Lo Duca on 'Softball Girls', Nelson Figueroa, and Cheating originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 14 May 2008 15:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There Can Be Only One: MLB Edition

Matt Watson — Tue, 13 May 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Video, PEDs

Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, sharing the secret of their success:

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll recognize this as a pretty ingenious spoof of the NBA's ubiquitous split-screen commercials. (Did I even need to explain that? I mean, even Time Magazine has copped that schtick.) For more split-screeny goodness, hit up BENandERIC.com's YouTube page -- it'll be the funniest four and a half minutes of your day.

There Can Be Only One: MLB Edition originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 13 May 2008 08:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Barry Bonds Chorus Grows Louder

Eamonn Brennan — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:26:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Rumors, PEDs, MLB Biz, MLB Transactions

OK, everyone hates Barry Bonds. We get it. Those of us who believe he did steroids, and believe he, at least in some meaningful way, tainted the game of baseball's most historic record by doing so, well, there's reason to dislike the man. Few would disagree.

What is ridiculous, however, is the fact that this man has yet to even field an offer from a team. It's not as though he's been forced to turn embarrassingly low offers down. He hasn't even been asked to play. No veteran minimums. No condition-laden half-contracts. Nothing. Which is, for lack of a better overused exclamation, utterly ridiculous. So, like David Pinto before me, I'm with Childs Walker:

I hope some club signs Barry Bonds this summer. And I hope he leads that team to the playoffs with a fusillade of walks and 450-foot homers. I don't wish for this because I have any rooting interest in Bonds. Whether he never homers again or hits 50 more, my opinion of him won't change.

No, what I'm rooting for is the unconventional, a general manager who doesn't give a hoot about disapproving scrutiny as long as Bonds can help his team win. If we're going to create entertainment markets in which we reward those who win at all costs, then by Job, I want some executive to stick his neck out and make this move.

Nuance is a beautiful thing. You can hate Barry Bonds the person all you want -- hey, if it suits you, you can hate everything Barry Bonds represents -- but, even if you hate him, you can also recognize that his signing would help almost any baseball team in the major leagues. That most GM's don't seem to recognize that, or don't have the balls to act on it, is pretty sad.

The Barry Bonds Chorus Grows Louder originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 08 May 2008 18:26:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Does Frank Thomas Deserve a Spot in the All-Star Game?

Josh Alper — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:30:00 EST

Filed under: Oakland, Athletics, MLB All-Star Game, PEDs

I like Frank Thomas, like him a lot. I was a teenager who devoured baseball when he hit the scene and, even though he never played a game for my team, I always dug him. His numbers, his size and his absolutely perfect nickname added up to make him one of my favorite players. My admiration for him only grew as he fought off injuries to return to productivity and went even higher when he stepped up to speak out against steroids and to the Mitchell Report by his own volition. So he's a stand-up guy and a fantastic hitter but he isn't a 2008 All-Star.

I say that in response to a very well argued piece on Big League Stew today by Kevin Kaduk. He brings up the Big Hurt's long absence from the game, 1997 was his last trip, and his place in the firmament of baseball's great hitters but focuses the argument on rewarding him for being the rare voice against steroids in baseball.

Yes, Frank had a phenomenal career - and it's possible it could continue past '08 - but this campaign is motivated by more than just Thomas' impressive numbers. It's also rooted in the fact that over the past few years, we've scolded suspected star after suspected star for possible steroid use. Yet we've done absolutely nothing to reward and applaud the players who have actually spoken out against it.

Those players absolutely should be applauded, I just think the onus is on another group.

The Baseball Writers Association of America has drawn a line in the sand and told Mark McGwire he cannot pass. Your view on their rationale may vary but the best way for reward Thomas for doing the right thing is to assure that he gets into Cooperstown on the first ballot. If players like McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Barry Bonds are forced to wait their turn and watch from afar while Thomas gives his speech it will mean much more than one All-Star game that, quite frankly, he doesn't deserve to be part of.

The Hall of Fame is where you celebrate the totality of a man's career, the All-Star Game is where you celebrate a few months of fine baseball. I don't see how taking a spot away from a deserving player in 2008 honors Thomas more than it punishes another player.

The saving grace to this is that, outside of Hideki Matsui, no DH on the ballot is sniffing an All-Star level of performance. That may make Thomas a more paletteable choice but I'm for the Midsummer Classic featuring baseball's best, something Thomas hasn't been this season.

Does Frank Thomas Deserve a Spot in the All-Star Game? originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 07 May 2008 18:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeff Nowitzky Casts Sauron's Eye at Jose Canseco

Eamonn Brennan — Tue, 06 May 2008 13:33:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Police Blotter, MLB Rumors, PEDs

Jeff Nowitzky sees all. He hears all. There is no transgression that goes uninvestigated, no morally questionable steroid-related behavior outside his purview. The latest target of his wrath is not just Roger Clemens -- he's turning his gaze toward Jose Canseco, and accusations that Canseco tried to blackmail players, namely Magglio Ordonez, into investing in Canseco's movie project in exchange for not being named as a user in "Vindicated."

Nowitzky is concerned about that alleged blackmail, and Jose Canseco's lawyer, Greg S. Emerson, sounds pretty scared:

Emerson said that left him concerned that the investigators may be declaring "open season on the messenger," meaning Canseco. "I don't know if that is happening, but that is what it looks like is happening and I don't like that one bit," he said. In several recent telephone interviews, Emerson made it clear how troubled he was that Novitzky asked whether Canseco had tried to solicit money from players who may have been fearful he would name them in "Vindicated."

Emerson is right to be fearful, for Lord Nowitzky's wrath is especially vindictive towards those lesser beings who do not cooperate with his investigations. Should those lesser beings chose the correct path -- cooperation -- and Lord Nowitzky is more than willing to provide a seat in His Dark Court. Is Lord Nowitzky not merciful?

Jeff Nowitzky Casts Sauron's Eye at Jose Canseco originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 06 May 2008 13:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Roger Clemens's Alleged Affairs and His Defamation Suit

Josh Alper — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Gossip, PEDs

Here at FanHouse, we're long on sports opinion but, with one notable exception, a little lighter when it comes to the rules of evidence for litigation. We're a sports blog, so that's okay, but when things like the Roger Clemens defamation suit come around it does leave us a bit exposed. Around these parts, we've made a lot of reference to how the numerous allegations of infidelity reflect on Clemens's character and, by extension, his chances of succeeding in said suit.

According to Howard Wasserman at the Sports Law Blog, the two things don't have anything to do with one another.

First, any effect on Clemens' reputation from these statements came after McNamee's statements and the Mitchell Report and damage to reputation must be measured from the time of the libelous statements. Second, McNamee's statements damaged Clemens's professional reputation--his status as the greatest pitcher of his generation--and his reputation for marital fidelity has nothing to do with that professional reputation. Third, character is not the same thing as reputation.

In short, the stories about affairs might serve to cement Clemens as a creep in the court of public opinion but they don't hold much weight in a court of law. The one exception Wasserman notes is if Clemens lied about the affair when asked but his statement admitting he made mistakes seems to close that door.

From Brian McNamee's (and his lawyers) standpoint, what benefit do they gain from this information coming out? It could taint the jury pool, I suppose, so that any eventual trial would still be impacted by the volumes of discussion about Clemens's character or to simply embarrass him into dropping the suite. Either way, it would seem hard to see a way that the information could come into play during the actual trial.

That leaves Clemens's lawsuit right back where it started and, frankly, it still doesn't look so hot. He would have to prove that McNamee didn't inject him with steroids and proving a negative is quite difficult.

(H/T Baseball Musings)

On Roger Clemens's Alleged Affairs and His Defamation Suit originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 05 May 2008 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roger Clemens Still Not Dropping Suit

Eamonn Brennan — Sat, 03 May 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Gossip, MLB Police Blotter, MLB Rumors, PEDs

At this point, Roger Clemens is a beaten man. Whoever, or whatever, leaked the recent stories about his adultery -- not least of which, the one about his relationship with the then-15-year-old Mindy McCready -- Clemens is, as my father might say, licked. Done. Finito. His reputation will never be the same, ever, and he'd do best to move on with his life secure in the knowledge that he's no longer the most popular jock in the school. Save any further embarassment to himself and to his family.

Alas, he hasn't quite come to grips yet:

They considered premature, at best, speculation that the former star pitcher is ready to drop his defamation lawsuit against his former trainer.
"Absolutely, there's been no action taken to dismiss his lawsuit," Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said via phone from Las Vegas.

"First of all, I'm highly skeptical that Rusty and Roger will be smart enough to drop the suit, because they have not been smart enough to realize that was the best course," McNamee's lawyer, Richard Emery, said via phone from New York. "So I don't know why all of a sudden they would do what's best for themselves."

Is it just me, or are McNamee's lawyers the ones with bluster to spare these days. Those are the taunts of the victor. In the meantime, Rusty Hardin is sending meek little missives from Las Vegas, where presumably he and Roger are scouting up-and-coming talent for their country music label.

Roger Clemens Still Not Dropping Suit originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 03 May 2008 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Truth or Consequences: On Roger Clemens and Difficult Clients

Stephanie Stradley — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:20:00 EST

Filed under: AL East, MLB Gossip, PEDs

Mike Florio is an attorney who writes for ProFootballTalk.com and Sporting News, mostly on issues of football. Yesterday, he had an interesting legal article about the Roger Clemens ~~self-immolation~~ saga. He puts the blame on Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, for the devolving mess that is now Clemens' reputation. He discusses Clemens legal case in depth here, and in short at PFT saying in conclusion:

"And if, in the end, Clemens knew damn well what the risks were and opted to proceed down a path of potential self-destruction, Hardin should have simply told him to get another lawyer."

Though I have to agree with him that the Clemens case has been a text book for celebrities on how not to preserve your reputation using the legal process, I disagree with my legal colleague on how much responsibility he puts for the Clemens mess on Hardin.

We are likely going to never know the details of Rusty Hardin's advice to Roger Clemens. Such discussions are privileged.

All we can know is what we know publicly of both men.

I've met Rusty Hardin very briefly in social settings, but don't really know him. Though some dismiss him as an idiot, Hardin has a longstanding reputation for being an experienced, detail-oriented, skilled advocate who has prevailed in some very difficult cases. I cannot fathom that someone with his abilities and experience wouldn't have informed his client about the possible consequences of testifying in front of Congress or what can be revealed during a defamation suit.

What we know of Clemens is that he is a very prideful, competitive man. Someone who cares deeply about his reputation, though maybe not enough to be careful to keep out of situations that might end up looking bad.
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Repeatedly, both Hardin and Clemens have publicly expressed what risk Clemens is taking in speaking the truth as Clemens sees it. As Hardin states:

"He knew every one of the potential legal risks he was running. He made the decision that he had nothing to fear in the end result, though in the short-term, there would be problems. He knew the short-term problems. This referral [to the Justice Department] is one of them. He knew about it.

"But he is absolutely insistent that he did not take steroids, he did not take human growth hormone, and it would have been hypocritical and in violation of everything he's ever believed in to act as if he did by hunkering down. Rightly or wrongly, he chose not to hunker down, but to come out publicly and defend himself."

I don't know what the truth is as it relates to Clemens. But what I can tell you from my legal experience is that it is very common for clients not to want to take responsibility for bad things that they do. That you can tell them all the bad consequences that could happen if they don't settle a lawsuit or don't take a plea, but it won't get them to budge.

Strangely enough, often the most accomplished people are the ones who are the most resistant to fessing up.

Many clients would prefer to pursue a possible legal path of destruction for themselves and their families because they want to blame others instead of admit the truth. At the end of the day, they tell themselves and others that it was their lawyer who did them wrong, or they were screwed over the government, a jury, a vast conspiracy or the media--anything other than the pain of admitting fault.

And sometimes, clients are actually telling the truth and get caught up in a legal system that can brutalize the innocent.

If Clemens ever went to jail, he would go as someone who theoretically was being wronged by the system, instead of as an admitted steroid cheat. (Unless, of course, he eventually says he took steroids).

Ultimately, if you had to fire every client who didn't tell you the truth or follow your advice, you would have few clients. From Presidents to paupers, people follow self-delusional and self-destructive paths every day because they loath admitting the entire truth to themselves, their attorneys, their families and the world at large.

Actually, it seems to me that Rusty Hardin has the perfect client. Why fire a client who believes in publicly defending himself and has loads of cash?

Previously at FanHouse:
Everything Roger Clemens

Truth or Consequences: On Roger Clemens and Difficult Clients originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 02 May 2008 14:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yanks Juicy Prospect Suspended 50 Games

Yankees Chick — Thu, 01 May 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Yankees, AL East, PEDs

The baseball world has been pretty obsessed with all things PED over the last few years, but the focus has mainly been on questioning veterans' performances (guess who?) and broken records (guess who else?) when perhaps the more important issue is the kids who are using the stuff to try to boost their chances of making it to the minor leagues. Despite all the public backlash any confirmed steroids user receives and the increased chances of getting caught (note to baseball players: unlike the WWE, MLB does test for drugs sometimes and if you get caught you might actually get in trouble), every year there are a handful of prospects that get on the sauce and wind up being served with a lengthy suspension and a heaping helping of humiliation.

The latest kiddo to add their name to the growing "I swear I thought it was a cortisone shot dudes!" is Yankees pitching prospect Angel Reyes, who is just 20 years old. It was announced today that Reyes has been suspended 50 games after his urine tested positive for stanozolol metabolites. The lefty isn't necessarily considered a "top" prospect for the Yanks -- he posted a 5.28 ERA in 16 games in the low-level minors last year -- but no team wants to deal with the bad press that comes along with a steroids bust.

Who will be next on the list??

Yanks Juicy Prospect Suspended 50 Games originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 01 May 2008 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Giants Don't Have Barry Bonds Anymore but They Do Have a Drug Cheat

Josh Alper — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Giants, NL West, San Francisco, PEDs

Eliezer Alfonzo of the Giants became the first player punished under Major League Baseball's drug policy this season (Jordan Schafer, the Braves prospect suspended earlier this month was disciplined under the minor league guidelines, if you're wondering) when he was suspended for 50 games today. Go figure. The Giants decide to wipe their hands of Barry Bonds, because all of the off-field steroid drama meant more than his productivity, only to have another player find their way to the juice.

If there's a saving grace, it's that Alfonzo didn't come up with any of the now familiar, well-worn bogus excuses for failing a drug test.

"I know what I did was wrong, and now I will pay the penalty. As a father, I now have to look my children in the eye and explain to them that I have made a big mistake, one, unfortunately, that they are also going to have to deal with, as well as me."

Like so many of the players who've tested positive and/or found themselves in the Mitchell Report, Alfonzo, a catcher, is a marginal player trying to maintain a spot in the big leagues. It hasn't worked for him. Alfonzo was sent to Fresno at the end of camp. He's on the team's 40-man roster, though, so he's subject to the big league penalty.

Alfonzo is the first Giant to test positive since MLB started caring about drug use in 2004. Seeing as how they employed Bonds for most of that time, that's almost as impressive as Alfonzo's honesty.

The Giants Don't Have Barry Bonds Anymore but They Do Have a Drug Cheat originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buster Olney Admits He Didn't Do a Good Job of Covering Steroids in Baseball

Josh Alper — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:55:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Media Watch, PEDs

There were three groups who worked in concert to really help the steroid era in baseball grow to the epic heights it eventually reached. There were the players taking the drugs, obviously, and the teams who looked the other way when their players showed up with new bodies and new productivity out of the blue. And then there was the media which sat in the clubhouse, heard the rumors and chose to turn players like Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire into paragons of virtue during the late 90's.

Bud Selig has said that the first two groups are off the hook, more or less, but one member of the media admitted that he wasn't doing his best when it came to the steroid issue. Nashville Scene covered a recent speaking engagement with a candid Buster Olney.

Last Tuesday at the Wildhorse Saloon, ESPN's Buster Olney owned up: "I think I did a lousy job covering the steroid issue," he told the audience at the Nashville Sports Council's First Pitch Luncheon. In other words, he did a good job of not covering the steroid issue in those dark and fateful years B.M. (Before Mitchell).

I'm not sure what the exact moment was when Sosa and McGwire went from "saving" baseball to tarnishing the game's integrity but the shift was pretty complete among those covering the game. For all the calls to keep such players out of Cooperstown there's been little self-assessment like Olney's. And while Olney's statements are appreciated, it's a bit telling that he gave them at a Nashville luncheon and not on his widely-read ESPN blog.

(H/T Steroid Nation)

Buster Olney Admits He Didn't Do a Good Job of Covering Steroids in Baseball originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Selig Decides Nobody's Getting in Trouble for the Mitchell Report

PostmanR — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:59:00 EST

Filed under: MLB Gossip, PEDs

After Bud Selig decreed any player named in the Mitchell Report wasn't going to be sent to the corner for their (alleged) transgressions, it should only follow suit that members of management named in the report weren't going to get a slap on the wrist either.

Our assumptions have been confirmed.

As part of Selig's announcement April 11 that players wouldn't be disciplined, management and the players' association agreed that players will join Major League Baseball in "efforts designed to educate youth and their parents regarding the dangers of performance-enhancing substances." The union also agreed to contribute $200,000 to "an anti-drug, charitable, educational or research organization."

"I don't use the word amnesty. I don't think there is amnesty because I think that whatever they're doing, they're doing something as a result of what they did. And the club officials and the clubs will be treated in exactly the same manner," Selig said. "That would be unfair if they weren't."

Asked as a follow-up whether that meant management officials wouldn't be suspended of fined, Selig responded: "They're going to be treated the same way."

To be honest, I sort of agree with Selig here. The names are out; the players and management named within have already received a considerable amount of scorn. That's probably punishment enough. Sure, suspensions could be levied, but how would that all work fairly? Because individuals were named for different degrees of involvement, things could get a bit messy on how it would all shake down. Better to look to the future on this than the past.

In any event, I look forward to MLB educating our youth about steroids, don't you?

Selig Decides Nobody's Getting in Trouble for the Mitchell Report originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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