The Bounce: Experts doubt Clemens’ account
by Dick Patrick on Feb. 14, 2008, under Sports
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There were many points of contention during the congressional hearing with Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee, his former personal trainer.
Clemens says he has never used performance-enhancing drugs. McNamee says he gave Clemens steroids, testosterone and human growth hormone.
McNamee says: He worries if he was responsible for an abscess on Clemens’ buttock after giving him an injection of the steroid stanozolol, also known as Winstrol. McNamee says that injections of Winstrol need to be done slowly; his was done too quickly.
Clemens says: The only injections he received were vitamin B-12 and Lidocaine.
Expert says: “A lot of times it’ll put a knot in your (butt) the size of a golf ball,” says Victor Conte, the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative, which provided performance-enhancing drugs to athletes.
Conte, who served prison time for his role in the BALCO scandal, used Winstrol regularly for seven years, injecting himself.
“You have to use a different technique for Winstrol than you do for testosterone. If you’re pushing testosterone, you’ve got to push pretty hard to get it out of there, and it takes awhile. If you’re pushing Winstrol, you push, and, bam, it’s all in. I’ve never heard of pushing the fluid in there more quickly causing an abscess. Abscesses usually have to do more with lack of cleanliness.”
Committee chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., says: Clemens’ lawyers interviewing his former nanny, who went unnamed, before she was questioned by the committee presented problems in appearance and that coaching could have occurred.
Clemens’ lawyer, Rusty Hardin, says: He did what any lawyer would do for a client.
Expert says: “Technically Hardin’s right,” said Wisconsin Law School professor and former federal prosecutor Frank Tuerkheimer. “Nobody owns a witness. The fact the committee indicated they wanted to talk to someone doesn’t mean they own him or her. There’s nothing wrong with Hardin talking to her.
“That said, I’d be sure a court reporter was around, a third person in the room. You don’t want to get in (an argument) about what was said.”
Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., says: Displaying photos of Clemens pitching over the years, she observes his body did not change much. Clemens says that’s accurate. The implication: He did not use performance-enhancing drugs.
Expert says: Size alone isn’t a telltale sign of drug use. “That flies in the face of changes in performance by sprinters and endurance athletes who use small doses over time,” says Chuck Yesalis, who has written about drugs in sports. “I look for changes in performance beyond what one would expect by the normal saw-tooth curve of improvement or, as you get older, a slow degradation. For some athletes I’d give that more weight than changes in body type.”
Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., says: He found a troubling revelation in McNamee’s deposition. The trainer said in 2000 that New York Yankees pitcher and union player representative David Cone told him during a team flight that the owners didn’t want drug testing, but they needed the players’ cooperation on a ruse.
Their strategy: Baseball was a sport of hand-eye coordination, which steroids wouldn’t help. Therefore, testing wasn’t needed. Souder’s worry: Baseball can’t be trusted in policing itself.
Expert says: “I’ve been railing for years about the fox guarding the henhouse,” Yesalis says. “Going back to the ’80s, I’ve questioned whether any of these organizations – baseball or the NCAA or any sport – really want to control this problem.”
Roger that: He was afraid
Roger Clemens’ lips were pressed together tight, the corners turned slightly upward, his mouth pulled wide.
“There’s only one interpretation,” said Dan Hill, an expert in analyzing facial expressions, “and that’s fear.”
Hill doesn’t profess to be able to declare with certainty whether the star pitcher or his former trainer, Brian McNamee, was telling the truth during their testimony before Congress on Wednesday. But after viewing video clips of portions of the hearings, Hill concluded Clemens seemed more nervous than McNamee.
“To be fair, it could be fear of being unfairly stripped of the Hall of Fame,” Hill said. “He also could be lying.”
Added Hill: “(McNamee) does not look like he’s broken or wavering or nervous.”
The Associated Press
For a Knight, the son rises
LUBBOCK, Texas – Pat Knight walked into the locker room after his first win as a head coach and the man who made it all possible was already there.
Texas Tech beat No. 18 Kansas State 84-75 on Wednesday night in Pat Knight’s third game after succeeding Bob Knight, his father and mentor and the winningest coach in Division I history, who applauded from his seat in a box.
“He was waiting for me in the locker room,” Pat Knight said of his father, who he said looked a little worn out. “It feels good, believe me, to get the first one but that’s only one. I’m still only 1-2. Now if I was 3-0, I’d think about retiring.”
The Associated Press
QUOTABLE 'If I walked in here, and it was even-steven, you and Mr. McNamee, I must admit that the person I believe most is Mr. Pettitte.'
REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS, D-Md.,
on pitcher Andy Pettitte's sworn affidavit that Roger Clemens used human growth hormone
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SPORTS SOUND-OFF
O’Neill’s strategy open to question
Re: No-Zone O’Neill reconsidering?
• Whether it’s zone or man defense, I just want a better effort on both ends of the court. It’s like someone hit the snooze button on this team. Wake up and get to 20 wins. If Kevin O’Neill goes to the zone, I’m throwing a party. Drinks all around. ADAM P.
• I don’t get too frustrated with O’Neill for only playing zone – but the bench usage and substitution does drive me nuts. Keeping Jordan Hill out most of the first half of most of our games is frustrating. And keeping starters in when you are blowing out the other team drives me nuts, too. Now the team is really wearing down and now what? We have no bench experience and our starters are out of gas. ANTHONY H.
• Bottom line – aside from our injuries – we have NO bench to pull help from. Daniel Dillon can and has played better than he did last Sunday, but I doubt if he will ever be a scoring threat. And, keep in mind, before putting all blame on KO, the bench (and regulars) were inherited by KO from Lute. These are Lute’s recruits, and KO “has what he has.” TIM G.
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NUMBER OF THE DAY
1,264
NBA career victories for Golden State coach Don Nelson. Top 6 winningest coaches (x – active):
1. Lenny Wilkens 1,332
2. x-Don Nelson 1,264
3. x-Pat Riley 1,204
4. x-Jerry Sloan 1,069
5. Larry Brown 1,010
6. x-Phil Jackson 954
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TRIVIA CORNER
In which event has Tiger Woods competed in the most without winning?
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Answer: The Northern Trust (Los Angeles) Open, where Woods is 0-11.
