By virtue of a snow day in upper Maryland, I got to stay home from work. I actually forgot about the McNamee/Clemens hearing until I finally sat down at my computer at nearly 10:40am. After seeing news feeds about the hearing, I rushed to my TV and turned on ESPN.
Of the nearly five hours of interrogation testimony, I learned a little, and just shrugged the rest as a monkey trial of proportions. Let’s just say what I learned is somewhat significant:
- McNamee was exposed as a liar by Rep. Burton for lying to federal agents in the past.
- There was a picnic/BBQ hosted by Jose Canseco in June of 1998 where steroids came up for the first time. I didn’t know people kept golfing receipts from 10 years ago. I don’t keep my own receipts for more than a week.
- The biggest bombshell was Rep. Waxman’s announcement at the beginning of the hearing that Andy Pettitte has a sworn affidavit that he and Clemens discussed HGH use.
- Dumb to ask Clemens which uniform he’d wear in the Hall of Fame.
- Clemens didn’t know what a vegan was. Now, that’s a true Texan.
- Clemens turned out to be a bigger goat than McNamee, even with all of the “you are a liar” statements from Rep. Burton.
- Members of the committee failed to ask the really tough questions. One question that stands out is why the committee did not ask Clemens why two of three people McNamee says he injected support that statement and the third is not.
- Rep. Waxman also said in his opening statement that the committee had discussed canceling the hearing, but Rusty Hardin, Clemens’ lawyer had requested the hearing go on as scheduled so Clemens “could set the truth about himself.” Alan Schwarz from the Times said it well when he put the blame on Clemens himself.
Roger Clemens really brought this on. He did not have to put himself in a position to testify before Congress. He basically begged for today’s opportunity to make a public case for his innocence.
What I am left with is disgust and anger at this whole thing. More now than ever before, I believe McNamee. Clemens comes out of this looking worse than before and it appears that a federal investigation will more likely happen.
Now only if all of this could go away and I’d enjoy the opening of Spring Training. I won’t get my wish granted anytime soon.
