The Daily Yankeeland - 11/25

Robinson Cano's season was one of the biggest disappointments of 2007. It came on the heels of a bad 1st half in 2006 and has Yankees management concerned. Apparently it has Cano worried too. Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long recently spent time in the Dominican Republic with the inconsistent basemen and came away impressed. Here's what he told the NY Post.

"I was as impressed with what he looks like as I have ever been in my whole life," hitting coach Kevin Long said of Cano yesterday after spending six days last week in the Dominican Republic with the second baseman who led the list of Yankees disappointments last season.

"He hired a personal trainer from New Jersey who is kicking his [butt], and he looks great," Long said. "His body fat is at 11 percent, his stomach is cut."

"He works on hitting and doing agility drills for two hours, rests and goes to the weight room for three hours," Long said of Cano, who enters the second-year of a four-year, $30 million deal. "There isn't a whole lot of heavy lifting. It's more cardio and light weights."

Newsday's Wally Matthews thinks no word from CC Sabathia means he doesn't want to be a Yankee.

It's been a pleasure not having to hear anything about Roger Clemens or Brian McNamee, but they're back in the news. Word is federal agents have collected DNA samples to help determine if Clemens perjured himself in front of Congress. (Isn't that like trying to con a con man?)

Sunday was the last official tour of the current Yankee Stadium. It was bittersweet for those who took part.

The Yankees 2009 Spring Training schedule has been announced.

Going to a Bar-Mitvah or Jewish wedding? Wear a Yankees Yarmulke!

The Trenton Thunder were the first recipients of the Team of the Year award from "This Year in Minor League Baseball".

Share

Clemens Takes Another Shot

Things got even worse for Roger Clemens yesterday when it was revealed that Brian McNamee wasn't his only performance enhancing drug provider. Kirk Radomski, the primary sleaze bag in the Mitchell Report, reportedly turned over receipts to the Feds for HGH shipments sent to Clemens' house. Oh, and they were sent to the attention of Brian McNamee.

The shipments coincide with the time that Debbie Clemens allegedly used the PED. Just when you thought this would go away, we're right back in.

Source: NY Post

Share

Clemens Delivers a Giampology

As reported by The Journal News, Roger Clemens has apologized to his family and fans for mistakes he made in his personal life. Clemens would not go into specifics of what he was apologizing for and maintained that he never used HGH or steroids.

"Even though these articles contain many false accusations and mistakes, I need to say that I have made mistakes in my personal life for which I am sorry," Clemens said in a statement issued by spokesman Patrick Dorton. "I have apologized to my family and apologize to my fans. Like everyone, I have flaws. I have sometimes made choices which have not been right."

If Clemens had used this approach in admitting to using performance enhancing drugs perhaps he wouldn't be in the situation that he is now, and his legend may have remained intact.

"I believe my personal life has nothing to do with the accusations of steroid and HGH use," Clemens said. "I have already made clear that I did not use them. Now I have been accused of having an improper relationship with a 15-year old girl. Nothing could be further from the truth. This relationship has been twisted and distorted far beyond reality. It is just one of many, many accusations that are utterly false.

"I realize that many people want me to simply confess and apologize for the conduct that I have been accused of, but I cannot confess to, nor apologize for, things I did not do. I have apologized to my family for my mistakes, and having offered this apology to the public, I would ask that you let me and my family deal with these matters in private."

Rusty Hardin, Clemens' moron at law, said he and his client are reconsidering the anti-defamation lawsuit brought against Brian McNamee. Someone please tell Mr. Hardin that the damage is done.

Share

Master Motivator

Brian McNamee is telling kids "don't do what I did" as part of his "penance" for distributing/using steroids and generally being an a-hole. McNamee met with a small number of work out buffs in Everett, Massachuesetts, warning them of the perils of performance enhancing drugs.

“My lifetime of actions can be defined by one singular monumental mistake,” he said in a 12-minute talk at a friend’s supplement store. “I believe firmly that everyone deserves a second chance. Every second chance needs a first step. Today, I’m taking that first step.”

“You have to be careful what you get yourself involved in,” he said. “The best guide is to go with your gut feeling. If it doesn’t feel right, you probably shouldn’t be going.”

Share

McNamee's World Crashing Down

Brian McNamee hasn't been having the best time over the last 6 months or so. It wasn't any better yesterday. McNamee blacked out while driving and crashed head on into a bus on Thursday.

McNamee was driving his Lexus around 12:30 pm in Far Rockaway, NY when he says he blacked out due to a on-going medical condition. Neither McNamee or anyone on the bus was seriously hurt. No information was available from police as of Friday morning.

Source: NY Post

Share

McNamee Lawyers Throw a Brushback

Lawyers for Brian McNamee are attempting to have Roger Clemens' lead attorney, Rusty Hardin, disqualified from the defamation suit brought by Clemens. The reasoning behind it is that Hardin has also represented Andy Pettitte, who would be one of the key witnesses for the McNamee team. This woud, according to McNamee's lawyers, create a conflict of interest for Hardin.

“To successfully prosecute Mr. Clemens’s claim, and consistent with his duty of loyalty to Mr. Clemens, Mr. Hardin would be obligated to disclose confidential information about Mr. Pettitte to undermine Mr. Pettitte’s credibility,” the brief said.

Hardin sent out an email about the case and was a little more subtle than his usual approach.

“Brian McNamee’s statements to the Mitchell commission and others concerning steroid and H.G.H. use by Roger Clemens are absolutely false and the very definition of defamatory,” Hardin said in an e-mail message. “We look forward to trying this matter before a jury rather than in the court of public opinion.”

McNamee's team is also trying to protect their client's statement to federal investigators from being made public.

We can only hope the case doesn't go to trial until the off-season so that Andy Pettitte isn't distracted.

Source: NY Times

Share

Oh to be in Tampa...

...now that 9 inches of snow have fallen; followed by freezing rain. It also created some technical difficulties for us; hence no posts yesterday. It was definitely the kind of day that made us wish we were down in spring training. Plenty went on yesterday though. And no we just don't mean J-Lo giving birth to twins. Though she too has been annoyed by the papparazzi.

A photograph owned by an 11-yr old could bring down Roger Clemens. Or more precisely, a then 11-yr old. A report came out yesterday that a Florida family is in possession of a photo of Clemens that was taken at the infamous Canseco house party in 1998.

The family apparently contacted Brian McNamee's lawyer, Richard Emery, with the information. The photo in question is hanging on a wall in the unnamed family's home.

"The boy remembers the party," Emery said. "He's 10 years older now, but it was the only time he was ever at Canseco's house. And all the baseball players were there. It was a big event in this kid's life. He has this picture on his wall, both pictures on his wall. He kept those pictures.

"The mother remembers dropping him off at 1:30 and picking him up two hours later. And Clemens was still at the party. It was very clear, but they didn't want to give us the picture because they were all concerned. Apparently he's a baseball player in college, draft-eligible perhaps. They were very worried about this picture affecting this kid's life."

Now whether or not the photo can be proven to have been taken on the same exact day remains to be seen. Even a timestamp is not necessarily concrete proof.

Share

To Hell with Texas

If we cross our fingers is it considered lying?





Hopefully Andy Pettitte's press conference is the last we have to hear from him or Roger Clemens for a while. If we hear y'all used that often again, we're going to bite through our tongues. Pettitte's press conference/public apology concluded a short time ago.

As expected Pettitte was humble in his press conference today. He was apologetic, though he still feels that using HGH to rehab an injury is not trying to get an edge. We wholeheartedly disgree with him on that subject. Lets cut the semantic bullshit. If you are using an illegal substance and another pitcher with the same injury is not using any illegal substance, you are in fact getting an edge over that other pitcher.

Pettitte, of course, talked a lot about his faith in God, the bible, etc., to ad nauseum. After saying he would answer all questions, he quickly retreated from any questions about the specifics of his testimony before congress, particularly those involving Roger Clemens. He did answer 95% of what was thrown at him, though most of the questions/answers got highly repetitive after 5 minutes.

Pettitte does realize his relationship with Clemens could be very much hurt by this whole mess and he also felt genuinely bad about Brian McNamee's situation. He also seemed ready to accept any punishment that baseball or others may hand down. Pettitte also realizes it could be very hard this season to keep the low profile he normally maintains.

As we said earlier today, Pettitte has taken a hit in our hearts and minds. He was a player to look up to. Now he's a player that you can never be sure is telling the complete truth.

Share

The Daily Yankeeland

Hideki Matsui feels his surgically repaired knee will be ready to go come opening day. For Matsui that means being able to play left field. How Joe Girardi ends up using Matsui, Johnny Damon, and Jason Giambi remains to be seen.

Mike Mussina says things are not going to be easy for Andy Pettitte this season. The team is expecting 190-200 innings and 15 wins out of the left-hander, but Moose knows how much crap Pettitte will have to put up with in visiting ball parks.

Despite previous enthusiasm, it wouldn't be surprising at all if Pettitte disappeared from the public spotlight after this season.

Derek Jeter says the game has definutely taken a hit from all of the steroid controversy and is truly embarrassed by the poor publicity that the game is dealing with.

Brian McNamee's attorney Earl Ward said yesterday that Roger Clemens shouldn't worry if he ends up with jail time. That's because the Rocket's good buddy Dubya would most certainly pardon him. Rusty "JR Ewing" Hardin's response to Ward's allegations? "He needs to stop smoking his own dope."

No one should be surprised by the disgraceful split among party lines during the hearing. That's just Washington, D.C. at its' worstbest. Rep Dan Burton (R-Indiana) could definitely have his pic next to the word "hypocrite" in the dictionary. The best response yesterday though probably came from Oversight Chairman Henry Waxman:

“I think Clemens and McNamee both came out quite sullied, and I didn’t think it was a hearing that needed to be held in order to get the facts out about the Mitchell report,” Waxman said.

Then why did you have a hearing, Henry? It's your committee!

Phil Hughes has some great pics on his blog from his weekend at a NASCAR event with Shelley Duncan and Ian Kennedy. He also convinced IPK to answer some questions from fans.

Randy Levine is pissing someone(s) off for a change. This time it is Bronx Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr.. Diaz asked Levine how many Bronx residents were hired to work on construction of the new Stadium. Levine could not provide an answer, upsetting the Bronx pols.

Then Levine got into it with Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo. She wanted to know why a community foundation that was supposed to dole out 800k a year from Yankees contributions to Bronx non-profits,had taken more than a year-and-a-half to hold its' initial meeting. Levine told her to go ask Bronx Borough Prez Adolfo Carrión. A ticked off Arroyo blasted Levine and walked out of the meeting.

Keep up that great P.R. work there, Randy.

No decision yet in Chien-Ming Wang's arbitration case, but the right-hander was not upset by yesterday's proceedings, which in fact went quite smoothly.

Share

What a Bunch of Boobs

As you know by now, Debbie Clemens and Jessica Canseco have been brought into the fray based on the now famous infamous party at the Canseco house. Also, Debbie Clemens was injected with HGH by Brian McNamee and had a bad reaction. It was reportedly done without Roger Clemens' consent or knowledge.

Now things have really gotten spicy stupid. According to McNamee's recollection of the party, Mrs. Clemens and Mrs. Canseco talked about, and compared, their breast implant jobs.

"...which was involving Jose (Canseco), Jose's wife and Roger's wife when they went inside, when the guys showed up. I mean, they talked -- no disrespect, but they talked about how great Jose's wife's augmentation job was to Debbie and showed her. And then Debbie showed her, her augmentation job."

It's just getting slimier by the minute. What next? Jose and Roger were comparing shrinking kahones?

Thanks to The Big Lead for this find.

Share

Nannygate

Much of yesterday's circus they call a hearing centered around a party held by Jose Canseco in 1998. Yes, that is correct; they want people to recollect who/what/where from almost 10 years ago.

It was at that party, at the home of Canseco and his wife, that Brian McNamee saw Roger Clemens speaking with Canseco. McNamee feels that conversation may have been what prompted Clemens to approach him about the use of steroids.

Clemens denied being at the party and Canseco and his (now former) wife signed an affidavit confirming Clemens' statements.

When questioned why he knew Clemens was definitely at the Canseco's, McNamee recalled that he saw a child running loose near the pool area and a woman came to collect him. When McNamee asked who the child and woman were, someone told him that it was one of Clemens' kids and their nanny.

The nanny would turn out to be one of the most influential people on the day. Oversight committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif) asked why it took so long for Clemens' representatives to get back to the committee with the nanny's contact information. The response made Roger Clemens look very bad.

Clemens found out last Friday that the committee was looking for the nanny's info, so he got it. But instead of just giving it to the committee, he contacted the nanny and asked her to come to his home to meet with him (and without it being said, his lawyer(s)). The nanny, who does not speak English very well, agreed and met with Clemens, who had not had contact with her since 2001 or 2002, over the weekend.

Clemens claimed he merely was meeting with her to make sure she told the truth. Clemens' people then did not give the contact info to the committee until Monday. Finally, the nanny was contacted and questioned. Her response was damaging to Clemens' story.

While she did not recall any party, she did confirm that the Rocket and his wife were at Canseco's house during the time period in question. In fact, Debbie Clemens, the kids, and the nanny stayed overnight at one point.

This left Clemens spinning his wheels and clearly damaged his alibi/testimony. He could come back and try to say, using semantics, that he merely answered he was not at a party, but that would not fly. He clearly stated he was not at the Canseco household.

So what happens now? While Congress may be done with all of this, it would not be out of the question for federal investigators to further delve into the matter and determine if Clemens lied under oath.

The circus/witch hunt continues.

Share

Be Sure to Wash Hands

Well we wasted our morning and afternoon watching the circus they call a Congressional Hearing. Except for a few things, we didn't learn anything different from what we already knew. Brian McNamee's smarmy level definitely went up. This guy is definitely a sleaze and has no problem twisting the truth to save his butt.

Roger Clemens looked bad at times, tripped up on a few items. He's no saint, that's for sure. He came off as defiant, almost belligerent in his opening statements. We're not going to go into full detail of what was said.

But if you'd like, you can look at the Oversight Committee's website for transcripts, depositions, etc... Oh, and yes, a lot of the Congressional reps came off looking like buffoons.

Be sure to answer our new poll question about Roger Clemens over in the right sidebar. Thanks!

Share

The Circus is in Town

So today is the day everyone has been waiting for- everyone who wants to waste their time. Lets face it, nothing, and I mean nothing, is going to come out of today's Congressional hearings on performance enhancing drugs. This is the ultimate dog and pony show.

Why will people, us included, tune in? Because of the gossip angle. Will Roger Clemens contradict himself? Will Brian McNamee slither out of his chair? Did Andy Pettitte implicate Clemens in his deposition?

The pols that are running the show are eating this up. They love the attention and the face time, but why are they using our tax dollars for this? They have no judicial capacity. According to committee member Darrell E. Issa (R-Calif), who may have his own agenda, the committee should not be dealing with this matter at all.

"It has jurisdiction to investigate any federal program and any matter with federal policy implications." That's what it says right on the committee's website, backing up Issa's point.

Issa also stated, in an interview with ESPN Radio's Michael Kay last night, that committee co-chair Henry Waxman (D-Calif) promised that no criminal charges would result as part of the hearings. Then why is this even happening? And are you trying to tell us that if Roger Clemens perjures himself, a federal criminal investigation won't be in full attack mode (if it isn't already). In other words, Waxman is really just saying we won't directly begin criminal proceedings.

While this may be entertaining - could it be even more boring than the hearings in 2004? - this will turn out to be an incredible waste of time and money.

Share

Pettitte Contradicts Clemens

We all knew this was a possibility, but now it has become fact. Andy Pettitte was excused from testifying before congress today, but in his deposition last week he made comments that contradicted statements made by Roger Clemens. Pettitte's statements lined up more with Brian McNamee's according to Tom Davis (R-Virginia), the co-chair of the congressional oversight committee investigating the use of P.E.D. in baseball.

Right off the bat, we are a little baffled by Davis' motives in making this information public prior to the hearing. It would have become public once the hearings were held, but the early dissemination of information just makes this look more and more like a witch hunt.

Clemens has already responded that Pettitte's information was incorrect and felt that Pettitte misunderstood conversations they had when discussing medications. It's interesting that Clemens didn't accuse Pettitte of lying- probably because he knew like everyone else, that Pettitte had no reason to lie and would have made himself look bad if he had done so.

Reports came out last night that Pettitte was excused due to too many inconsistencies in his deposition, but that seems to be an afterthought today. In addition to Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch and Kirk Radomski were all excused from further testimony, which means that Clemens and McNamee are the only two left in this congressional clown car.

Source

Share

Just Go Away

Radomski, Clemens, McNamee, Bonds, Canseco, and your lawyers, your agents, your book writers. We are getting incredibly sick of the daily onslaught of "he said/he said".

The "crazy" meter was pinging off the charts this week. Brian McNamee brought Mrs. Rocket, Debbie Clemens, into the mix by saying that he taught her how to inject HGH.

Meanwhile, Roger Clemens may have a future as a lobbyist in D.C.. He's met with several members of Congress this week to discuss his situation. Somehow autographs and photos have also been a part of it. We're not fans of Mike Lupica (the latest- the Lisa Olsen situation- just further proves with a dick the lip is), but his critical piece on Clemens in today's Post is a good one.

Clemens' lawyers are also out to prove McNamee is a liar by rebuking his claim that Clemens was at a Jose Canseco hosted party in 1998. Clemens' "team" obtained an affidavit from Jose Slime that stated Clemens was not there.

Kirk Radomski, who received 5 years probation on Friday for his part in the steroid scandal, is backing McNamee.

"I'm defending Brian, that is right,'' Radomski told ESPN.com. "I believe him over Clemens and his lawyers. I think he is very believable. He was a cop. He knows the consequences of lying. He has more to lose than to gain by lying.''

There's one little problem with that, Kirksleeze - anabolic steroids are also illegal when not prescribed/injected by a real doctor. The former cop didn't seem to have a problem with that one.

Darrell Issa (R-Calif), a member of the panel that deposed Roger Clemens, expects Congress to turn everything over to the Justice Department.

"I'm convinced that we will." Issa said when asked if the committee would hand up a criminal referral at the end of the explosive congressional investigation. "I'm predicting that now. I hope I'm wrong."

It would seem more appropriate for the Justice Dept. to handle this matter rather than Congress.

And in case you forgot, the Barry Bonds federal case is still in the works.

Bonds' lawyers have asked U.S. District Judge Susan Illston to throw the case out, (nice try), or to order the prosecution team to consolidate the charges. Illston is scheduled to hear from Bonds' legal team on Feb. 29 before proceeding further.

Share

Debbie Clemens in the Fray

Jim Baumbach of Newsday is reporting that Brian McNamee told congressional investigators that Debbie Clemens used HGH as an anti-aging property. That is the word according to a source familiar with the testimony. Lawyers for both sides would not comment.

The source stated that McNamee showed Debbie Clemens how to inject herself. Roger Clemens has been meeting privately the last 2 days with federal prosecutors.

Share

Lets Get Physical

The Roger Clemens-Brian McNamee tête-à-tête took a bit of a strange twist yesterday. McNamee reportedly turned over physical evidence last month that will show Clemens' use of P.E.D.

McNamee gave BALCO investigators vials that contained traces of steroids and HGH, as well as blood-stained syringes and gauze pads that may contain the Rocket's DNA. We're not sure which is more disturbing- Clemens using the stuff and lying, or McNamee keeping this stuff.

The evidence was turned over to the Justice Department on December 10 and was sent for testing. McNamee will discuss the evidence when he meets with congressional lawyers tomorrow for his deposition.

Clemens, obviously, could be in big trouble if the tests show his DNA. But his lawyers will most certainly question the validity of the evidence, as it easily could have been tampered with by McNamee.

Just like Clemens' haircut, this gets uglier every day.

NY Daily News

Share

The Daily Yankeeland

It's hard to get the focus back on baseball today; we're still too filled with glee. But here goes.

Andy Pettitte took his turn in Washington, D.C. yesterday, being deposed in preparation for his February 13 appearance before congress.

Pettitte refused to speak with reporters before or after his 2- 1/2 hr appearance. Pettitte's lawyer re-iterated his client's stance.

“Out of respect for the sensitive nature of these proceedings, and out of deference to the committee’s request for confidentiality, we, on behalf of Mr. Pettitte, will not comment on the nature or specifics of his testimony,” the lawyers Jay K. Reisinger and Thomas J. Farrell said.

Needless to say, Roger Clemens must be sweating right about now, concerned about what Pettitte said in his deposition. Brian McNamee's counsel has been making it known that Pettitte would testify that he discussed HGH with Clemens, contradicting Clemens' statements on 60 Minutes. The Rocket has his turn to be deposed today. NY Times

* * *

On the brighter side, Shelley Duncan has pronounced himself fit and ready to go for spring training. Duncan was treated in the off-season for blood clots.

* * *

MLB.com's Harold Reynolds recently sat down with Derek Jeter for some one-to-one time.

* * *

The Yankees are exploring the possibility of having Kevin Mench as an addition outfielder/right-hander bat for this up-coming season. The downside is listening to Michael Kay talk about how big Mench's head is over a 162 game schedule.

* * *

The final touches on Robinson Cano's new deal will be complete as soon as the Yankees get the results of the physical Cano took last week.

Share

The Daily Yankeeland

Chuck Knoblauch has his day before congress today as he is being deposed concerning his involvement, or lack thereof, with steroids and HGH. Knoblauch was in good spirits as he arrived carrying his son Jake earlier this morning.

UPDATE 1:00 PM EST - Here are details of Knobby's day.

Agent Jim Murray met with congressional leaders yesterday. Murray's name was repeatedly mentioned on the taped phone conversation between Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee.

* * *

A lot of pundits are saying that Phil Hughes level of success will dictate Brian Cashman's future since the trigger was not pulled on the Johan Santana deal. That's not really a fair assessment since Hank Steinbrenner did not appear to really want to spend the kind of money it would take to sign Santana long term.

Barring an injury, there's no question Santana will continue to be a star for the Mets. It's really not fair to compare how Phil Hughes and/or Ian Kennedy do in their careers.

* * *

Morgan Ensberg's reason for signing with the Yankees? - “When I looked at all the options available, certainly I felt like the opportunity here was the best shot at playing every day."

* * *

Muscling Up: Robinson Cano has reportedly put on 5 lbs of muscle over the winter.

* * *

MLB.com has a piece today exploring A-Rod's chances for a title as a Yankee.

Share

Pettitte Could Contradict Clemens

If we are to believe Brian McNamee's lawyer, Earl Ward, Andy Pettitte may contradict Roger Clemens' claim that the Rocket knew nothing of Pettitte's HGH use when its the left-hander's time to meet with Congress. Ward believes Pettitte will testify that he discussed HGH with Clemens some time between the 2001 and 2002 seasons. That conversation reportedly lead to Pettitte's talk with McNamee on the subject.

"We're hopeful based on Andy's reputation that he will corroborate Brian's statements with regard to Roger," Ward said in a telephone interview.

"Based on what we know, there was a situation where Andy was speaking to Roger in Brian's presence, then Andy came over to Brian and essentially said, 'Why didn't you tell me about this stuff?' He referred to HGH," Ward said. "Brian discouraged him and then several months later, when he (Pettitte) got injured, he came back and asked Brian about it, and that's when Brian injected him. We believe that based on the fact that Andy came to Brian and asked him about HGH, it was Roger who told Andy about HGH and that's why he asked Brian about it."

Pettitte was originally slated to be deposed yesterday, but it was pushed back until February 4. Pettitte's lawyer, Jay Reisinger, would not elaborate on what his client will discuss with Congress.

Share