Clemens could have had this all behind him if he had admitted he gave in to the temptations of the steroid era. Instead, he picked this fight.
View full sizeFormer pitcher Roger Clemens doesn't come across as a guy you want to root for in court ... kind of like his baseball career.The next high-profile defendant to go on trial can't help but come off as more sympathetic than Casey Anthony.
Oh? Right.
Roger Clemens.
Scratch that.
Jury selection began Wednesday in Clemens' trial for perjury, making false statements and obstruction of Congress.
(By the way, if they start putting people on trial for obstruction of Congress, congressmen are in serious trouble.)
Prospective jurors will hear a long list of names of potential witnesses. Some may never be called, but the court needs to ferret out possible conflicts of interest.
(If you're a Red Sox fan, that probably means you're out.)
The names: Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch, Mike Stanton, GM Brian Cashman, Jorge Posada, Wade Boggs, David Cone, Mark McGwire and a number of other former players, including Jose Canseco.
Everybody loves a parade.
This one could be quite the spectacle if Clemens' legal team goes ahead with its intended defense. It claims trainer Brian McNamee conjured up evidence to blackmail Clemens -- even while other players (Pettitte, Knoblauch and Stanton) admit McNamee injected them with steroids.
And you thought J.K. Rowling had a fantastic imagination.
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton didn't sound convinced it would be fair to allow testimony from other players who have admitted McNamee gave them steroids and HGH. He voiced concern it could hurt Clemens in the eyes of the jury.
But he likely will allow that testimony if Clemens goes full speed ahead with the blackmail defense.
Is there a lesson to learn from Barry Bonds' perjury trial, given that Bonds got off with a minor obstruction of justice finding?
Not in any way that benefits Clemens.
One big difference between Clemens and Bonds -- other than Bonds claiming he unwittingly used steroids -- is that Bonds' personal trainer refused to testify.
McNamee has provided the meat of the case against his former client and will happily do so again.
The other issue is Clemens was adamant in his testimony before a House committee (under oath) that he never took a shot of anything stronger than B-12. In doing so, Clemens is leading with his chin.
When hasn't he?
His good buddy (for now) Pettitte admitted steroid use, then said he quickly stopped. Though he made himself out to sound like Bill Clinton ("I didn't inhale"), Pettitte brings a lot of credibility to the stand. He says Clemens told him in 1999 or 2000 about using HGH.
Clemens could have had this all behind him if he had admitted he gave in to the temptations of the steroid era.
Actually, he didn't have to admit anything. He volunteered to testify.
He picked this fight.
Either he's surprisingly innocent, or the least sympathetic figure to be in court in the past two or three days.
Spinoffs
Cowboys receiver Roy Williams is suing for the return of a $76,600 engagement ring he mailed along with a DVD and $5,000 for dental work to his girlfriend (a former Miss Texas) on Valentine's Day. What could be better than a proposal through the mail? Hey, maybe he got down on one knee on Skype. But somehow after such a romantic gesture, she still said no. . . .
Why do I get the impression that six Nigerian princes got a prompt positive response from Williams when they marked their email to him "Urgent Request For Assistance in Transferring Millions out of Africa."? . . .
View full sizeBrowns draft pick Greg Little.Thomas Levet fractured his leg jumping into a pond after winning the French Open. His leg is in a cast and he will miss the British Open. Why again do some people insist golfers are not athletes? . . .
A former North Carolina football player filed a lawsuit seeking reinstatement after being declared ineligible for academic misconduct. Defensive end Michael McAdoo also received $110 in improper benefits during a trip to D.C. with -- you guessed it -- teammate (and Browns draft pick) Greg Little. . . .
No word on whether Little, who accumulated 93 tickets at UNC, tried to park on the White House lawn. . . .
Pyeongchang, South Korea, won the 2018 Winter Olympics on Wednesday despite the Demilitarized Zone running through Gangwon Province. . . .
No word on how they expect to tell the Olympic biathlon from the real thing. . . .
Qatar, which won the 2022 World Cup despite 112-degree temperatures, suddenly looks like a good choice.
He said it
"If they were holding negotiations over here, they'd be done." -- Former NFL coach Jim Mora, during a Middle East NFL-USO Coaches Tour, meaning that war would put the lockout in perspective and bring the two sides to the table.
What Mora is forgetting is that by fighting over how to split $9 billion, the two sides have already established they don't embarrass easily.
He said what?
"It's based loosely on my life." -- Terrell Owens, on a post-career sitcom he's pitching, in which his character lives with his mother, two women he fathered children with, four kids and his best friend.
I'll chip in if some NFL team signs him immediately.
You said it
Bud: Tiger Woods is still recovering from his bad knee and will not play in the British Open. What's your excuse? -- Tom Hoffner, Broadview Heights
I have what doctors consider a dangerously high body-fat percentage.
Bud: Is it true that a watched soccer match never scores? -- Pat
I'll let you know when I watch one.
Bud: Did New York pass its same-sex marriage law so Alex Rodriguez could marry the one person he truly loves -- himself? -- Tim, Solon
Yes. It's hinted at in A-Rod's new book: "Enough About Me. What About You? What Do You Think of Me?"
Bud: If you can get a picture at a certain angle, you'll swear that golfer Sergio Garcia and Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera are identical twins. -- W. Augis, Newbury
I'm reminded of the movie "Arthur" when he says of the fianc e he doesn't want to marry, "Susan's quite beautiful when the light hits her a certain way. Of course, you can't depend on that light."
Bud: After watching over and over again [Fausto] Carmona running down the first-base line, I'm convinced when he's not pitching he's 'Ketchup' in the Ketchup-Mustard-Onion race at Progressive Field. Can you verify this? -- Doug, Westlake
First-time "You said it" winners receive a T-shirt from the mental_floss collection.
Bud: If the Yankees were playing a team composed of Hitler, Mussolini, bin Laden, Saddam, Pinochet, Gaddafi, Pol Pot and Castro, would you root for the lesser of the two evils or would you pull for the Yankees? -- Wayne Kuznar
Repeat winners receive counseling.
Bud: Will Fausto Carmona be the next spokesman for Life-Alert? -- Joe S.
Repeat winners also receive help when they've fallen and can't get up.
To reach Bud Shaw: bshaw@plaind.com, 216-999-5639
Source: http://www.cleveland.com/budshaw/index.ssf/2011/07/countdown_to_roger_rocket_clem.html
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