Clemens & Pettitte Fingered By Grimsley
From Newsday -
Roger Clemens, one of professional baseball’s most durable and successful pitchers, is among six players allegedly linked to performance-enhancing drugs by a former teammate, The Times has learned. The names had been blacked out in an affidavit filed in federal court.
Others whose identities had been concealed include Clemens’ fellow Houston Astros pitcher Andy Pettitte and former American League most valuable player Miguel Tejada of the Baltimore Orioles.
According to the 20-page search warrant affidavit, signed by IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky, Grimsley told investigators he obtained amphetamines, anabolic steroids and human growth hormone from someone recommended to him by, a source said, former Yankees trainer Brian McNamee. McNamee is a personal strength coach for Clemens and Pettitte.
Personally, I believe that Clemens has been using PEDs – and I would love for that to be proven in order for it to be part of his legacy.
Since Pettitte has always been Clemens’ puppy dog, it should not shock me, if true, that Andy followed Roger down this path.
I’ve always been a big fan of Pettitte – so, this news saddens me today. The book that Pettitte wrote is entitled “Targeting A Life Of Integrity & Purity.” If these charges are found true, I guess that’s not exactly going to help book sales, huh?
I’ve always thought that Clemens was taking something later in his career, and wonder even if he did have some kind of phantom 50 game suspension to start this season…I have never expected Pettitte one bit because I never even thought of the fact that they worked out together…so I guess that would make sense that if Clemens was using them, then so was Pettitte…it certainly wouldn’t shock me…
Also, Grimsley joined the Yankees in 1999, the same year as Clemens..so I’m thinking if Pettite starting using anything it wasn’t until that point..I just hope he wasn’t using anything in that 1-0 win over the Braves in the World Series in ’96….that was one of the best pitched games in Yankees history…
Curious to see if Clemens and Pettitte will get the “Bonds” treatment…
I know it’s speculation, but I find it hard to believe that if Clemens had a 50 game suspension to start the season, that someone would keep that under wraps.
Grimsley joined the Yanks in 1999, but Clemens had put up back to back triple crown seasons in Toronto, so if he had been using, then would’ve been the time to start checking, I suppose.
Can’t be sure if he was or wasn’t using anything in 1996. Shouldn’t put too much stock in it; if he was, I’m sure he was on the same stuff in gm 1 of that series.
I STILL don’t get why anyone cares. Nothing Grimsley says will ever change how I feel about Rocket and Andy. I hate Bonds because he’s a douchebag who doesn’t seem particularly grateful for the opportunities he’s been given to be wealthier than the average lawyer, doctor, or computer whiz. I don’t hate him for any other reason. As long as these guys say “please”, “thank you”, and “see you at the game” then I don’t give a damn what they did in the name of entertaining me.
Steve, what do you have against Clemens? You would “love” for him to be exposed as a cheat and have one of the greatest pitchers in history (steroids or not) diminished and baseball lose one of its best superstars? Whatever your feelings for Clemens, I would hope you wouldn’t put them ahead of all of baseball. Clemens is in the discussion as one of the best right-handed pitchers ever. Losing that to some steroid scandal would basically cave baseball in at this point. I’m not sure it could even recover from that.
Everyone thinks Clemens used ‘roids because he’s still pitching well at 44. He’s not the first person to pitch well in his 40s. Did Ryan use ‘roids? Is the Unit on ‘roids? I guess Moyer’s and Kenny Roger’s 70-mile-an-hour fastballs are the product of ‘roids. I wonder what Warren Spahn was on.
You’re also leaving out crucial information here. Grimsley was a scared little punk who was so nervous about being arrested he originally agreed to wear a wire. He’s a typical suspect giving his interrogators whoever and whatever they want. He’s already denied providing these names; he said they were “suggested” to him. I put ZERO credence in what Grimsley blubbered when he got busted.
As for Andy: before Roger ever came around, he had won 21 games in a season and pitched over 850 innings in his first four seasons in the bigs. He didn’t need steroids to succeed.
This proves nothing, and I don’t believe a word of it. Because even if all of these people DID use ‘roids, why the hell would they tell Grimsley?
I believe in innocent until proven and all that, but would anyone be shocked if this turns out to be true? PEDs were/are everywhere in baseball. Their use is not limited to the Cansecos of the world.
And does anyone really think that Clemens and Pettitte were the only ones on the ’99-’00 Yankees using PEDs, especially if McNamee was the enabler? Is it a coincidence that guys like Jeter, Bernie, and Knobby all had their best power numbers when McNamee/Grimsley were with the team? Maybe, but I wouldn’t be shocked if something else was going on.
The article itself fingers the three Orioles mentioned- Tejada, Roberts, and Gibbons- as anabolic steroid users. Clemens and Pettitte were fingered as using “athletic performance-enhancing drugs,” whatever that means.
Now my memory is foggy on this, but I believe Jose Canseco wrote in “Juiced” that Clemens either didn’t use, or if he did, Canseco didn’t know about it. Clemens and Canseco were good friends, and played together with Boston, Toronto, and briefly New York. So he was right there for one of Clemens’ big comeback seasons in Toronto (98), he was there in two of his last few seasons in Boston (95-96), and he was there in the middle of his New York run (2000). Canseco was never shy about naming names, and he’s not fingering Clemens.
So Clemens is going to tell Jason Grimsley all about what he is using, but he’s not going to tell a good friend who he played with on 3 different teams, who was basically a steoroid guru? I’m not buying it. And for all we know “athletic performance-enhancing drugs” means creatine or Andro or horny goat weed (yes, there is such a product).
Anyway, as a Yankee fan and as a baseball fan, I certainly hope that these allegations aren’t true and tend to believe they are not, in the case of the former Yankees.
As far as Clemens “50-game suspension”, people had the same theory regarding Michael Jordan’s first retirement was a suspension because of his association with gamblers, and I don’t buy either one.
See, this is why this is so damaging. You go from a journeyman pitcher agreeing to names asked of him (fearing jail time) to Jeter, Bernie and Knobby being accused of using steroids. It will never end. We should just say “everyone in baseball in the ’90s used steroids” and leave it at that.
And for the record, I seriously doubt either Bernie or Jeter used steroids.
Oh come on Jeter and Bernie now? Let’s just indict anyone that hit, say, 10 home runs or more in any single season from 1996 to now. Again, Canseco specifically mentions Jeter in his book as someone who NEEDS to use steroids–you see, Canseco thinks they are a good thing.
Steve,
you may want to change the title:
‘ Grimsley has complained to friends, the Times said, that federal agents attributed statements to him that he did not make.
“I’m told he has denied saying all of this,” Randy Hendricks, who represents Clemens and Pettitte, told The Associated Press on Saturday night. “It’s an agent’s recollection about a conversation he had about conjecture.” ‘
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/6018380
Just to dispute what Christopher said (re: ’99-’00).
Knoblauch’s best power year was away from the Yankees (all of his great years were with the Twins). In 1996, Knobby slugged .517, hitting 13 home runs, 14 triples, 35 doubles, and had a batting average of .341 (Yankee fans never saw this Knoblauch). He did hit 18 home runs in ’99, but that probably had more to do with the short porch in left. Then he fell apart in ’00, hitting only 5 home runs. Knobby never hit .300 with the Yankees.
It’s not true about Jeter, either. He hit 24 home runs in ’99, but 21 in ’01, and 23 in ’04. Considering the way he started it, 2004 was his most impressive season; he didn’t have the 9 triples he had in ’99 that year, but he hit 44 doubles and 23 homers. ’99 was a great year, but he was coming off a similar year in ’98 (19 home runs).
2000 was probably Bernie’s best power year, but not by much, and it was pretty much in line with his prime-year numbers.
Regarding Jeter and Bernie – next time I try sarcasm, I’ll ring a bell for you. My point is that it’s foolish to believe that every team in the majors had PED users except for the Yankees.
In regards to Grimsley having zero credence – of the 6 people Grimsley named (Clemens, Pettite, Gibbons, Roberts, Tejada, and Segui), Segui has come out and confirmed his usage of PEDs. So either Grimsley took a very lucky guess or he knows what he’s talking about.
Where exactly was there sarcasm in what you wrote?
“I believe in innocent until proven and all that, but would anyone be shocked if this turns out to be true? PEDs were/are everywhere in baseball. Their use is not limited to the Cansecos of the world. And does anyone really think that Clemens and Pettitte were the only ones on the ’99-’00 Yankees using PEDs, especially if McNamee was the enabler? Is it a coincidence that guys like Jeter, Bernie, and Knobby all had their best power numbers when McNamee/Grimsley were with the team? Maybe, but I wouldn’t be shocked if something else was going on.”
I think you make a legitimate point. Just one I disagree with. And the numbers don’t back it up, either. But, sorry, I don’t see any sarcasm in there.
Steve,
Whats with the Roger hating? How about a little explaination?
I personally believe MLB has hidden test results and would cover up any big names who got caught.
I feel like baseball is letting me down. We have commentary on this over at RightLinx, which is normally a political site but this is a big story:
“Say it Ain’t So, Roger Clemens”
http://www.rightlinx.com/?p=298
~~~Whats with the Roger hating? How about a little explaination?~~~
He’s a phoney. He likes to come across as “team, team, team.” But, in reality, all Roger Clemens cares about is “Roger Clemens.”
That “retirement” stunt that he pulled in 2003 clinched it for me.
I tend to agree with you on this Steve, although I do still respect Clemens and hope these allegations aren’t true.
Anyway, I really feel that getting the Tigers in the ALDS is a lucky break, I hope I’m not wrong. As long as the Yanks go out and play up to their ability they should have no problems beating them, and Kenny Rogers, if he is the game one starter, is such a better draw than Santana. Anyway, I’ll still be nervous as hell all series!
I didn’t even realize Rogers came out of the pen to choke away the game. Hopefully the Yanks still get him in a game at the Stadium.
I hear Yankee fans talk all the time about the “stunt” that Clemens pulled when he said he was going to retire. If the Yankees had re-signed Pettitte (which they should have done) Clemens would have retired and he’d be in the Hall in two years. But the Yanks let Andy walk to the Astros, the Astros and Andy recruited Roger, and off he went. And the guy you call a me-first player took a hometown discount to go play for them.
You’re going to have to give me an example of Clemens putting himself before the team. From what I saw, and what other players say about him, Clemens was a great teammate. Just ask what non-teammate Curt Schilling, whose career Clemens saved, thinks about Clemens as being only about himself.
Ask a Red Sox fan or a Blue Jays’ fan what they think about Clemens. I used to ignore that – until 2003. Then I knew what they were talking about.
Red Sox didn’t want him anymore. Blue Jays traded him.
Did they trade him – or – did he demand a trade?
Ask a Red Sox fan or a Blue Jays’ fan what they think about Clemens.
==========
Fans, always a reliable source…
Sox didn’t want Clemens.
Clemens did demand a trade, but changed his mind. Not that big a deal, he isn’t the first player to do so, nor will he be the last.
As for 2003, he’s entitled to change his mind. He isn’t the first player to do so.
Clemens demanded a trade from the Blue Jays. And those fans have nothing to complain about. Clemens had his most dominant season with the Jays in ’97. He won 21 games on a team that only won 76 for the year. He was utterly unhittable that year: 264 IP, 204 hits, 292 SO, 2.05 ERA. And he was equally as good the next year, when the Jays once again finished in third, when he only gave up 169 hits in 234 innings.
He was getting older and wanted a ring. The Jays wouldn’t put a winning team around him and he got tired of that. He had every right to want to leave.
Clemens gave the Jays’ fans the two most dominating seasons by a pitcher they’ll ever see (Halladay is great, but he won’t touch those kinds of numbers).
I always look back at those two seasons Clemens had with the Jays with awe. Oddly, his numbers ballooned after that with the Yanks. But he got his rings. Which is why he wanted the trade to begin with.
Oddly, his numbers ballooned after that with the Yanks.
=============
Chalk that up to the exchange rate
I’ve never understood the whole hate-Roger thing from New Yorkers. He came here in a trade, pitched reasonably well in the regular season, had a couple of truly amazing games in the postseason (2001 LCS vs. Seattle comes to mind) and really got into the Yankee/Monument Park culture. He left NYC to go home and pitch 30 minutes away from his wife and 4 boys for a lot of money that anyone else would’ve accepted. He gave Yankee fans no indication that we was going to unretire and head to Houston.
If he goes to Boston for 2007 like folks on ESPN are reporting/salivating, I would be pissed but I’d understand. He’s certainly no more or less phony or self-involved than anyone else in pro sports, or in life, to be honest. The day someone offers me $3M a month to show up to work once a week, I’ll do just about everything within the confines of the law to sign that contract…