The FBI Is Ready To Ruin Roger Clemens' Life And The Houston Astros Aren't Helping

The FBI has begun investigating whether Roger Clemens lied to Congress when he denied taking steroids, officials said Thursday in the case of another baseball star snared in a long-running inquiry into drug use by professional athletes.

Clemens, the All-Star pitcher and seven-time Cy Young Award winner, maintains he has never used steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs. His former personal trainer, Brian McNamee, claims otherwise, testifying that he injected Clemens with human growth hormones and steroids at least 16 to 21 times from 1998 to 2001.

In order for the FBI to investigate Clemens, or anyone for that matter, the FBI feels: 1) They are certain Clemens is lying and 2) They are certain they can gather enough information to nail Clemens.

FBI agents in Washington opened the case a little more than two weeks after both Clemens and McNamee appeared at the same House hearing on Feb. 13, each accusing the other of lying.

"The request to open an investigation on the congressional testimony of Roger Clemens has been turned over to the FBI and will receive appropriate investigative action by the Washington Field Office," said FBI spokeswoman Debra Weierman.

The inquiry came on the heels of a request Wednesday from the House Oversight Committee, could result in perjury or obstruction of justice charges against Clemens. Lawmakers did not ask for a similar investigation of McNamee.

In a statement, Clemens' lead attorney, Rusty Hardin, said the FBI probe did not come as a surprise.

"We've always expected they would open an investigation. They attended the Congressional hearing. So, what's new?" Hardin said in the statement.

Meanwhile, Roger Clemens' 10-year personal services contract with the Houston Astros could be affected by the FBI's investigation into whether he lied to Congress about using steroids.

Astros owner Drayton McLane said Thursday he might re-evaluate the deal -- which kicks in when the star pitcher officially retires -- in light of Clemens' legal issues.

"We'll just have to see what happens," McLane said. "You're just putting supposition into it and we'll just have to wait and see what develops."

McLane said he's also evaluating whether Clemens will continue working with the team's minor leaguers, which he has done the past two days.

"That makes it more complex, it sure does," McLane said, speaking before the FBI announced the inquiry. "We'll just have to look at that and see what transpires. We'll have to evaluate it at the time."

Roger Clemens' Congressional Hearing Was Unfair And Here's The Quote Of The Day

Watching the congressional hearing of Roger Clemens Vs. Brian McNamee really drove me to dislike our government. I mean, where do they get these people from. Doesn't our government have enough already to take care of? As an aside, I noticed from the Clemens hearings that a lot of Congressmen are bitter, old men who almost all the time already have their minds made up before cases begin and when they question people, they are only looking for the answers they want to hear. If the Congressmen don't hear answers they want to hear, they either probe further or just randomly come out with their own point of view. Just because they have more power and a louder voice doesn't mean they are any more credible.

Well, my radical thinking was once again not far from the truth (and I don't mean to pat myself on the back).

In the Roger Clemens primary, the Republicans nominated the Rocket. The Democrats went with Brian McNamee.

"Of all the things to become partisan over," Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, said Thursday, "this was the wrong one."

Cummings was among those who strongly questioned Clemens' credibility in testimony involving the pitcher's former personal trainer, Brian McNamee, during Wednesday's 4½-hour hearing held by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Republicans, for the most part, saved their searing comments for McNamee, who was repeatedly called a "drug dealer" by Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut.

"I thought the tone of the hearing was a little askew," said Rep. Diane Watson, a California Democrat. "I told Mr. Clemens that I didn't think it was going to be a court trial or an inquisition, but I think some of the members did go out of their way to be accusatory without having all of the facts.

"It is hard for me to discern who was not telling the truth and who was. Both men denied the other one's claim. I saw the questioning kind of divided, with some on the Republican side calling Mr. McNamee a liar and some on the Democratic side really questioning Clemens, and so I don't think we got anywhere on that."

Theories abounded over why the sides couldn't see eye to eye.

Richard Emery, one of McNamee's lawyers, said that some Republicans treated his client harshly because of Clemens' friendship with the Bush family. Emery predicted the pitcher will be pardoned by President Bush should Clemens be indicted or convicted of anything related to the hearing.

"It would be the easiest thing in the world for George W. Bush, given the corrupt proclivities of his administration, to say Roger Clemens is an American hero, Roger Clemens helped children," said Emery, an attorney who has worked for liberal causes. "It's my belief they have some reason to believe they can get a pardon."

Now, this site is primarily a sports site, not a political site. So, this is where I SHOULD stop, but there's more to say. However, you get what I'm saying? This case has gotten so absurd now even the President of the United States is thrown into the mix. Have people forgotten this is about baseball, not a political campaign? Anyway....

Not surprisingly, Clemens' camp -- and the GOP -- saw things differently.

"Richard Emery just has to quit smoking his own dope," said Rusty Hardin, one of Clemens' attorneys.

Andrew Marchand of ESPN 1050 in New York also reports that Clemens plans on continuing with his defamation suit against McNamee.

"Absolutely, the defamation is going forward," Joe Householder, the spokesman for Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin. "The lawsuit is going forward."

As for a pardon from a president? "I'm not aware of Mr. Clemens having been charged with anything," White House deputy press secretary Tony Fratto said.

A spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa of California said the hearing's partisan tone evolved because Republican members felt the hearing was overly focused on Clemens instead of the broader concerns raised in the Mitchell report on drugs in baseball.

"It's clear Democrats had expected a government-funded, TV show trial, and now they're whining that Republicans didn't want to play," said the spokesman, Frederick Hill. "The hearing was supposed to be about the Mitchell report. The Democrats are at fault for focusing on individual wrongdoing instead of the validity of the Mitchell report."

Said Issa: "We're not supposed to have these kinds of spectacles."

The ramifications from Wednesday's hearing might not be known a while. McNamee said he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone. Clemens said he has never used either. Since both were under oath, one or both could face charges stemming from making false statements or obstructing.

"It's all hearsay. Everybody is all pointing fingers," San Francisco Giants reliever Steve Kline said of Clemens. "I pity the guy. Half the guys admitted it and they're not getting persecuted. It's just bad for baseball. Who cares about what happened in 1987? It's over. Who cares about Congress? We've got gasoline prices that are off the charts and they're worried about steroids. Maybe this gets people's minds off the war. Everybody's got skeletons in their closet. If you did it, admit it. If he didn't do it, I see why he's fighting his [tail] off," he said.

Perhaps Steve Kline should run for politics. That's the smartest thing anyone has said during this entire episode and because of that, he deserves my pick for quote of the day.

The Congressional Hearings Of Roger Clemens Vs Brian McNamee Thus Far

9:55 A.M.

Well, right now we are just moments away from the big show. The ESPN guys are speculating and filling in time until the congressional hearing begins.

Something new and interesting was revealed though. Andy Pettitte, in his statement yesterday, said he took HGH in 2004....and his father provided Pettitte with those steroids. Imagine that.

I agree with the statement that this is reality television at its finest.

10:11 A.M.

Chairman Henry Waxman, among many claims, made the statement that the sole purpose of this congressional hearing is to confirm the accuracy of the Mitchell Report (not to make Clemens look bad, which will probably happen). Roger Clemens promptly denied steroid use, despite his name being listed 82 times in the Mitchell Report. Therefore, the committee wants to be certain whether they made any mistakes in the report or not. McNamee and Clemens claim to be telling the truth, yet their accounts are completely different. There is nothing in between. After this hearing, there will be no more hearings on steroids in baseball or the Mitchell report, or so Waxman claims.

10:20 A.M.

I agree with ESPN's Jayson Stark's point. This is clearly a lopsided hearing in McNamee's favor. Within the first two minutes of his opening remarks, Rep. Henry Waxman called the Mitchell report "impressive and credible." That tells you exactly what Rep. Waxman believes, and, more importantly, whom he believes.

It's as if the committee has already made up their mind before this hearing started and they are only entertaining Clemens to keep him temporarily at bay. After all, the members of the committee are the ones who assigned George Mitchell to create his report, or so I believe.

10:36 A.M

Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee just swore to tell the truth UNDER OATH. Why do I point this out? Because this is the reason why one of the two men is going to be charged for perjury.

Also, Clemens' lawyers helped talk Waxman out of not canceling this hearing, saying it would be "unfair" to cancel the hearing without giving Roger a chance to testify publicly.

Clemens, in his opening statement, firmly DENIED using steroids or HGH.
McNamee, in his opening statement, CONFIRMED injecting Clemens, Pettitte, and Chuck Knoblauch with steroids and HGH. He also made an apology statement.
Rep. Waxman made it obvious somebody is going to be charged with perjury once this hearing concludes -- because "it's impossible to believe this was a simple misunderstanding. Someone isn't telling the truth."

Now stop right here.....Why would McNamee claim to have injected Pettitte and Knoblauch with steroids (both of which have been confirmed to be true), but for some reason make up a story about injecting Clemens? That makes no sense and McNamee has no reason to lie. That's enough evidence for me to believe Clemens is lying, unless he can prove me wrong in his later testimony.

10:51 A.M.

That was laughable. Clemens agreed Pettitte is a very reliable man based on numerous sources, but then Clemens said Pettitte was wrong about their conversation involving steroids. Clemens said Pettitte "misremembers" the conversation. Can you say "contradiction" on Clemens' part?
Don't you think that's odd? I mean, how can you forget a conversation like that. Well, one thing is sure....Pettitte's testimony really did come in handy and it's making Clemens look stupid. Even Pettitte's wife's testimonies are damaging Clemens' credibility.

11:11 A.M.

I don't understand the whole Clemens bleeding through the pants angle and buying bandages. Is that supposed to be a joke back in 2001 or some kind of evidence?
Rep. Davis reported that McNamee had testified that Mike Stanton once noticed that Clemens was bleeding through his dress pants -- which caused him to start carrying band aids around, presumably for his bleeding butt.
Prompting the following exchange: Rep. Davis: "Mr. Clemens, do you recall bleeding through your pants in 2001?" Clemens: "I do not." Yet, you can't just imagine this stuff.

Also, Jose Canseco claims in his statements that Clemens never went to his barbecue in 1998 and Clemens proved he was playing golf that day. However, I do not believe this is critical evidence in Clemens' steroid use.

11:20 A.M.

Very interesting how Clemens admits to taking B-12 and says McNamee injected him with B-12. McNamee, however, denied injecting Clemens with B-12.
Also, Clemens denied talking to McNamee about HGH 3 times in the early part of his deposition, but in his later deposition he talked to McNamee twice about HGH in regards to his wife getting the injections from McNamee. We have some credibility issues on Clemens' part here.
Make this clear...if you're going to lie, make sure you remember what you said.
Give Clemens some credit though....he's keeping his cool under the hot lights.

11:32 A.M.

Brian McNamee kept the needles he used to inject Clemens because he claimed to be Clemens' friend, but yet had deep mistrust for him. He also kept Chuck Knoblauch's needles too. He felt horrible about being in the position he was in and didn't give the needles to Mitchell immediately when he was making his report. Basically, McNamee admitted to lying on numerous occasions and the congressman actually stated he doesn't believe McNamee at all. This is actually a strong testimony to help Clemens.
Rep. Dan Burton was all over McNamee, wondering about a question many of us have asked: Why would he ever have held onto vials and syringes for five years that could implicate a friend? "He was my employer," McNamee answered.
Burton: "You do this to all your employers?"
McNamee stammered an answer about how he'd "done things before for other people and gotten hurt by it, so I might as well hold onto it."
Burton asked why he didn't give this evidence to the Mitchell investigators immediately. "Because I felt horrible being in the position I was in," McNamee said.
Burton: "You kept needles for five years ... and kept working for him ... and now you say you felt bad?"
McNamee: "No, sir."
Burton: "My goodness."
However, that congressman really annoyed me with his rant about how the law works and how McNamee is trying to breakdown Clemens' career. That wasn't the purpose of this current case and its looks like he just wanted to get that off his chest.

11:48 A.M.

Clemens' side effects from recovering from an injury, based on MRI results from a very reputable doctor and McNamee, was more likely caused by steroids, rather than B-12 shots. Clemens denied that these side effects were from steroid shots. However, no one can seem to remember Clemens' side effects, except McNamee. The congressman is firm in saying that Clemens had to have received a B-12 shot. Score one for Clemens?

Interesting, I didn't know McNamee was a former police officer. Why would a police officer, who is supposed to uphold the legal law, give players illegal steroids? What irony. That's like a fire truck catching on fire.

12:10 P.M.

A very good point was made. Nowhere in the Mitchell report does it say, regardless if Clemens' showed up at Canseco's house in 1998 or not, that they discussed or shared steroids. So, throw that whole Canseco argument out the window.

12:20 P.M.

Clemens claimed 6 times he had no idea Senator Mitchell wanted to talk to him when his report was released, but on 60 Minutes Clemens told Mike Wallace that he knew Mitchell wanted to talk, but his council advised him not to. I don't know how this helps, but I thought I'd mention it. I guess, if anything, this is an attempt to damage Clemens' credibility

12:45 P.M.

The most pointless 5 minutes belongs to Rep. John Mica. He spent his entire line of questioning trying to determine the color of the various injections these two guys claim were given.
For anyone interested, Winstrol is a "powdery white," while testosterone was "oily" and "honey-colored" and HGH, when added to water, was "clear." And Clemens testified that B-12 was "red or pink."

Whew, a 15 minute break. Well, if Clemens does go to jail, at least he'll go to heaven, according to a congress woman. So far, Clemens appears to be squirming more in his seat than McNamee.

Andy Pettitte Tries His Luck On Capitol Hill

New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte talked for about 2½ hours Monday with lawyers from a congressional committee looking into drug use in baseball. Wearing a pinstriped gray suit and bright striped tie, Pettitte was accompanied by his wife and at least one lawyer.

His interview is part of preparation for a Feb. 13 public hearing expected to focus on Roger Clemens' denials of allegations about his use of performance enhancers made in the Mitchell report by former personal trainer Brian McNamee.

Clemens's lawyer told The New York Times that they expected Pettitte's statements would help, not hurt, his former teammate.

"We have nothing to fear about what Andy may testify to," Rusty Hardin, Clemens's lawyer in Houston, told the newspaper. "Everyone says Andy is honest; we have no reason to believe he will lie." Hardin added that when Clemens speaks to congressional investigators, he would strongly deny McNamee's claims that he injected the pitcher with steroids or HGH. "Let me be clear to all the doubters out there: Roger is not going to change his mind about testifying," Hardin told the newspaper. "He is not going to take the Fifth Amendment. There are no bombshells coming from our end. He is going to go in there and answer their questions truthfully under oath."

Pettitte lent credence to former Senate majority leader George Mitchell's findings by acknowledging he received two injections of human growth hormone from McNamee.

A former Yankees teammate of Pettitte and Clemens, Chuck Knoblauch, spoke to committee staff Friday. The day before, an employee of the sports agency that represents Clemens and Pettitte went to Capitol Hill to be interviewed.

McNamee said he injected Clemens with HGH and steroids in 1998, 2000 and 2001. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner has denied the allegations repeatedly and in various settings -- but not under oath.

McNamee also told Mitchell he injected Pettitte two to four times with HGH -- and two days after the report was released in December, Pettitte said he took HGH for two days to deal with an elbow injury in 2002.

The 35-year-old Pettitte, who won four World Series championships with the Yankees, returned to the team last season and went 15-9. This offseason, he put off retirement and agreed to a $16 million, one-year contract to play for the Yankees next season.

Now Miguel Tejada May Go To Jail Too?!

This is what I've been hearing. He too is one of the unfortunate players who had to testify under oath in front of Congress before that damn Mitchell Report came out. Now, they are looking into the credibility of Tejada's statements made back in 2005 and if the concluded evidence goes against his original testimony, he can very well also end up in jail. Damn, I liked Miguel Tejada too. He's always been one of the top shortstops in baseball.

I can almost guarantee that if any of the other players on the Report were questioned by Congress 2 years ago before the Report was released, they would have denied their steroid usage too and lied to Congress.

If Congress would have waited until the Mitchell report was released, things would be radically different for players such as Barry Bonds, Miguel Tejada, and Roger Clemens. Why? Because I'm willing to bet most of these players lied to Congress for fear of the punishment that would come about if they were honest. Lets pretend the 2005 Congressional hearing never happened and Congress was interviewing Tejada for the first time now. Tejada could be honest about his steroid usage and probably get away with it because he would just be one name on a list of many others. You can't punish that many players. Those players on the list, current and retired (along with those current and retired players who haven't been caught yet) can't be punished. Suspensions of this many players would eliminate a large chunk of the MLB! If anything, make them pay a penalty and take money from their contract. But, Bud Selig better not start suspending players because before he realizes it, a large percentage of the star attractions will be gone.

You just continue to ruin baseball George Mitchell and Bud Selig.

Congress asked the Justice Department to investigate whether former American League MVP Miguel Tejada lied to House committee staff when he was interviewed in 2005 in connection with the Rafael Palmeiro steroids case.

House Oversight and Government Committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) opened Tuesday's hearing into the Mitchell report about drug use in baseball by announcing that he and ranking minority member Tom Davis (R-Va.) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey on Tuesday.

"Tejada told the committee that he never used illegal performance-enhancing drugs and that he had no knowledge of other players using or even talking about steroids," Waxman said. "Well, the Mitchell report, however, directly contradicts key elements of Mr. Tejada's testimony."

Said Davis: "We've concluded further investigation is warranted."

Tejada told ESPNdeportes.com that Tuesday was "a terrible day." He was primarily referring to the fact that his brother Freddy Manuel Tejada was killed in a motorcycle accident. But the Astros shortstop did make a statement regarding the committee's remarks.

"Appropriately, I am waiting for the meeting with the Justice Department to discuss issues brought to light in the letter from the committee," Tejada said.

"Unfortunately, at this time I can't comment further on the matter."

When the same House panel held a hearing in March 2005, Palmeiro pointed at the panel and declared: "I have never used steroids, period." Palmeiro was suspended by baseball later that year after testing positive for a steroid.

Tejada

The committee later looked into whether Palmeiro should face perjury charges, but eventually dropped the matter.

Palmeiro said his positive test must have resulted from a B-12 vitamin injection given to him by Tejada. That prompted Congress to talk to Tejada, who at the time was a Baltimore Orioles teammate of Palmeiro's. Tejada was traded to the Houston Astros on Dec. 12.

Astros spokesman Jimmy Stanton said the team had no comment on the Tejada situation.

The letter to the U.S. attorney general contains excerpts from the Aug. 26, 2005, interview of Tejada at a hotel in Baltimore. At the time, he and Palmeiro played for the Orioles.

"Has there been discussion among other players about steroids?" a committee staffer asked, according to the letter.

"No, I never heard," Tejada replied.

"You never knew of any other player using steroids?" Tejada was asked.

"No," he replied.

"Have you ever taken a steroid before?" he was asked at another point.

"No," he said.

Tejada also answered "No" when asked whether he had ever taken any illegal performance-enhancing drugs, andro or any other steroid precursor.

The letter then quotes a portion of the Mitchell report in which Tejada's former Oakland Athletics teammate Adam Piatt said he discussed steroid use with Tejada, and "recalled that he provided Tejada with testosterone or Deca-Durabolin, as well as human growth hormone."

Mitchell's report also included copies of checks allegedly written by Tejada to Piatt in March 2003 for $3,100 and $3,200.

Jeff Kent Is In Favor Of Blood Testing

Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent told The Los Angeles Times on Thursday that Major League Baseball players should undergo blood testing to detect whether they are using banned substances, particularly human growth hormone.

Kent, praised in the Mitchell report for telling reporters in September that "Major League Baseball is trying to investigate the past so they can fix the future," is among the first players to suggest using blood tests. The Major League Baseball Players Association has been against it, citing unreliability.

In September, USA Today reported that MLB was eyeing the development of a mass-use blood test for HGH and would push to have it implemented for the 2008 season if a reliable test was available.

"If there is a valid blood test, I'm sure baseball will consider it," MLB spokesman Rich Levin told USA Today in September. Adding a blood test would be subject to collective bargaining between MLB and the players' union.

"I'd like to see every player take a blood test and have the samples frozen," Kent told The Times. "Not everyone in the game is using HGH, but I would bet it still is being abused.

"Why not have blood tests? If ultimately you want a clean game, then it needs to happen.

"They ought to be testing for drugs in the playoffs, too. They [MLB] never do that."

I feel like players such as Jeff Kent are delighted that big name all-stars are getting busted for steroids. It gives the lesser known players (possibly Jeff Kent for example) a chance to rise up. Of course players like Jeff Kent would throw his two cents in about steroid users. He will never become as great as the power hitters in baseball, but speaking out against steroids gives him a chance to throw his name out there and look good to the public. I mean, c'mon. Jeff Kent? Who is he anymore? That's a random player to speak out.

Roger Clemens Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Ex-Trainer Brian McNamee

Probably everyone by now has seen or at least heard about Roger Clemens' interview with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes. What people may not know is that shortly before the interview was aired, Roger Clemens beat Brian McNamee to court, filing a defamation suit against the former trainer who claimed to have injected him with performance-enhancing drugs.

McNamee's attorney, Earl Ward, told ESPN's T.J. Quinn on Monday that McNamee is determined to file a counter lawsuit against Clemens. Ward said he spoke to McNamee on Monday morning and Clemens' statements in Sunday's "60 Minutes" interview are "a total lie."

No countersuit has been filed yet.

Clemens filed the suit Sunday night in Harris County District Court in Texas, listing 15 alleged statements McNamee made to the baseball drug investigator George Mitchell. Clemens claimed the statements were "untrue and defamatory."

"According to McNamee, he originally made his allegations to federal authorities after being threatened with criminal prosecution if he didn't implicate Clemens," according to the 14-page petition, obtained early Monday by The Associated Press.

The suit, first reported by the Houston Chronicle, states that when McNamee told others that when he first was interviewed by federal law enforcement last June, he denied Clemens had used steroids or human growth hormone. The suit quotes McNamee as saying he was pressured by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella and IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky -- key members of the BALCO prosecution -- to implicate Clemens. The suit did not attribute where the quote from McNamee was obtained.

"After this exchange, and for the first time in his life, McNamee stated that he had injected Clemens with steroids in 1998, 2000 and 2001," the suit said. "Following his recantation, McNamee has relayed that he magically went from a 'target' in a federal criminal drug investigation to a mere 'witness,' so long as he continued to 'toe the line.' "

Richard Emery, one of McNamee's lawyers, said he would seek to remove the case to U.S. District Court in Houston, then to possibly shift it to federal court in Brooklyn.

"I think it's dismissible on its face. I think it's a press release for Clemens and his career," Emery said. "The case is shoddy at best. The prosecutors acted completely professionally in this case. This is a very odd thing for me to be saying, but it's the truth. Sometimes you are bound by the truth."

The suit said that when McNamee initially refused a request from federal authorities that he speak to Mitchell, he was threatened with prosecution. Clemens said McNamee decided only then to cooperate with Mitchell and the suit said McNamee said the interview "was conducted like a Cold War-era interrogation in which a federal agent merely read to the Mitchell investigators McNamee's previously obtained statement and then asked McNamee to confirm what he previously stated."

Clemens asked that damages be determined by a jury.

"Clemens' good reputation has been severely injured," the suit said. "McNamee's false allegations have also caused Clemens to suffer mental anguish, shame, public humiliation and embarrassment."

Ward believes Clemens filing the lawsuit is the pitcher's way of getting out of testifying at next week's congressional hearing about the Mitchell report.

"[The lawsuit is an] amateur and transparent attempt to try to avoid testifying before Congress," Ward told Quinn.

Clemens' attorney has said the lawsuit wouldn't keep him from potentially testifying before the hearing.

A fiery look in his eyes and stubble on his face, Clemens told CBS' Mike Wallace during the "60 Minutes" interview that he would have spoken with baseball drug investigator George Mitchell had he been aware of the extent of McNamee's accusations.

Ward told ESPN's Quinn that he has documentary proof that Clemens hired his attorneys before the Mitchell report came out. Ward claims that Clemens sent investigators to speak with McNamee to ask him what he told Mitchell. Ward says McNamee told those investigators everything he told Mitchell, thus contradicting Clemens' claim that he didn't know what information was going to come out in the Mitchell report.

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner, who was scheduled to hold a late afternoon news conference Monday in Houston, sounded indignant and defiant in a segment of CBS's "60 Minutes" broadcast Sunday night, his first interview since McNamee accused him. The pair are approaching a potential confrontation if the pair testify under oath at a Jan. 16 hearing on Capitol Hill.

he most prominent player implicated in last month's Mitchell report, Clemens steadfastly maintained his innocence and called McNamee's allegations "totally false."

"If he's doing that to me, I should have a third ear coming out of my forehead. I should be pulling tractors with my teeth," said Clemens, who wore a lavender button-down shirt during the interview, taped Dec. 28 at his home in Katy, Texas.

On Friday, when the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform invited Clemens and McNamee to testify, the pair spoke by telephone, an individual close to the situation said, speaking on condition of anonymity because public comments weren't authorized. The conversation first was reported Sunday by Newsday.

The individual would not say what was discussed.

Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, told the Chronicle that it was McNamee who arranged to talk to Clemens on Friday but instead of getting back to Clemens the conversation was leaked "with spin" to Newsday.

"We kept thinking McNamee might change his mind and come to his senses and admit he was lying," Hardin told the Chronicle.

During the "60 Minutes" segment, Clemens said he might be willing to take a lie-detector test and was "shocked" close friend Andy Pettitte used HGH. He said -- again -- that he probably will retire.

"I thought it was an impassioned, disingenuous and desperate plea," said Ward.

One of the few revelations in the much-hyped interview came when Clemens was asked whether he conceivably would take a lie detector test.

"Yeah," he answered. "I don't know if they're good or bad."

After Monday's news conference will come the congressional hearing. Pettitte, former Yankees teammate Chuck Knoblauch and former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, who allegedly supplied McNamee with performance-enhancing drugs, also were asked to appear before the committee.

Lawyers for Clemens and McNamee have said their clients are willing to testify but Hardin wouldn't commit to the date.

Emery said he wanted to hear testimony from Clemens.

"If Congress calls him, he pretty much has to take the Fifth, and if he takes the Fifth, nobody will ever believe him again and all this effort has gone down the drain," Emery said. "And if he doesn't take the Fifth, it's very hard to imagine that a prosecutor isn't going to pursue this. So I think he's put himself in a terrible corner."

Clemens said his lawyer advised him not to speak with Mitchell, who spent 20 months on his investigation.

"If I would've known what this man, what Brian McNamee [had] said in this report, I would have been down there in a heartbeat to take care of it," Clemens said.

Only two active players, Jason Giambi and Frank Thomas, spoke with Mitchell, a Boston Red Sox director and a former Senate majority leader.

In excerpts of the CBS interview that were released Thursday, Clemens said McNamee injected him with vitamin B-12 and the painkiller lidocaine. In the full 14-minute broadcast, Clemens also said he was given an injection of toradol under the supervision of the New York Yankees.

McNamee told Mitchell he injected Clemens with steroids and HGH about 16 to 21 times during 1998, 2000 and 2001 -- before baseball players and owners agreed to ban performance-enhancing substances.

Eighth on the career list with 354 wins, the 45-year-old Clemens said he was angered McNamee's accusations have been accepted as truth by some.

"It's hogwash for people to even assume this," Clemens said. "Twenty-four, 25 years, Mike. You'd think I'd get an inch of respect. An inch."

Clemens said the descriptions McNamee gave Mitchell of injections "never happened."

"If I have these needles and these steroids and all these drugs, where did I get 'em?" he said. "Where is the person out there [who] gave 'em to me? Please, please come forward."

Roger Clemens Defending Himself

Here's a video of Roger Clemens before he appeared on 60 Minutes. In this video, he absolutely denied having anything to do with steroids or other accusations. Is he telling the truth? Its too early to tell right now. Everything is just speculation, but just in case he tells a different story other then what was stated in the Mitchell Report, here he is on tape denying his usage.

Jose Canseco Is Getting On My Nerves

Someone shut Jose Canseco up. Please. One book was enough, but he's writing another book now. Again, on the same topic, which is steroids. Please, just vote this guy into the Hall Of Fame so he'll stop writing books and exposing others as a way to avenge the MLB and the other players who are or will make it in. Don't you see? Roger Clemens was a sure-fire vote for the Hall Of Fame. Jose Canseco is so bothered by the fact that he's not in the Hall Of Fame that he's exposing others to prevent them from potentially entering the Hall Of Fame. Canseco's mindset is that if he can't get in, then no one else will either.

Jose Canseco has finalized a book deal for his sequel to "Juiced" and it is expected to hit bookstores by Opening Day of the 2008 season, two New York newspapers reported Sunday.

Canseco

Robert Saunooke, Canseco's lawyer, told The New York Daily News and The New York Post that the book, which has a working title of "Vindicated" will be co-authored by former Sports Illustrated writer Don Yaeger.

"Jose already has a lot of stuff put together," Yaeger told The Daily News.

Disappointed by the Mitchell report, Canseco hopes to publish "an unjaundiced view, without the rose-colored glasses" of steroid use in baseball, Saunooke told The Post.

"The book is basically going to be -- I don't want to say an attack -- but it will be a clarification of why certain names should have been mentioned [in the Mitchell report] that were not mentioned," Saunooke said of the new book. "We had hoped that the Mitchell report would have been more revealing. It basically ended up being nothing more than [Mitchell saying], 'I talked to a lot of people, some people wouldn't talk to me and it's up to the commissioner,'" Saunooke told The Daily News.

Saunooke told The Post that he and Canseco talked to Sen. Mitchell and provided him with "tons of information and background" on steroid use in baseball. But when the Mitchell report was released, he and Canseco were disappointed that names like Rafael Palmeiro and Ivan Rodriguez were not named.

Canseco's name appears 105 times in the Mitchell report, more than that of Barry Bonds (103) or Roger Clemens (82). In all, the 409-page report identified 86 names to differing degrees, but Clemens clearly was the symbol.

"I saw the list of players, and there are definitely a lot of players missing," Canseco told Fox Business Network this month. "I don't know what they accomplished or what they are trying to prove."

Prodded further about players not included, Canseco said this of Alex Rodriguez: "All I can say is the Mitchell report is incomplete. I could not believe that his name was not in the report."

One of the topics of Canseco's new book, Saunooke told The Post, will be how Mark McGwire asked for immunity before his appearance before Congress in 2005.

Another topic of Canseco's new book might be A-Rod.

In July, Canseco told WEEI Radio in Boston that he had "other stuff" on Rodriguez, who he called a "hypocrite" who "was not all he appeared to be."

"Jose has information about A-Rod and the Yankees that will be in the book. But, I am not sure if Jose is willing to disclose it at this point," Saunooke, told The New York Times in July.

In Baltimore for a Yankees' game against the Orioles that month, Rodriguez told reporters that he hadn't heard Canseco's comments about him. "And I have no comment."

In "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big," Canseco called himself the "godfather of steroids in baseball," saying, "I single-handedly changed the game of baseball by introducing them into the game."

He wrote in that book that he personally injected McGwire with steroids and that he saw McGwire and Jason Giambi inject each other.

Canseco also claimed he introduced the performance enhancers to Palmeiro, Rodriguez, and Juan Gonzalez when he joined the Rangers in 1992.

Canseco hit 462 home runs in a major league career between 1985 and 2001. He played seven full seasons for the A's before being traded to Texas in '92. He also played for Boston, the Yankees, Toronto, Tampa Bay, Oakland again, and the White Sox.

Wow, now Canseco is going to raise debate about Ivan and Alex Rodriguez. I knew there were more names on the list, but I don't want to hear anymore from Canseco. The Mitchell Report was just the first of many lists to come.