Clemens Scrutiny Increases
On Saturday the New York Times reported that the FBI was looking into a possible connection between Clemens and a Houston-area fitness facility with apparent ties to HGH and steroid distribution. The owner of the health club, Shaun Kelley, denies any involvement with the drugs and claims limited interactions with Clemens. The two solid facts in this story are (1) a 20-minute meeting between Clemens and Kelley witnessed by a former employee and (2) the admission of lawyers connected with the FBI probe that Shaun Kelley Weight Control is now part of the investigation into Clemens testimony.
Upon reading the article it struck me that this piece is strung together by a lot of weak evidence. Clemens is allowed to have a meeting with whomever he likes, whether that person is the Pope or a convicted felon. Shaun Kelley is neither one as far as I can tell, and I see no problem with being acquainted with him. The Time story is instructive only insofar as it shows where the FBI investigation is headed.
The real reporting gold star for this case goes to Henry Waxman’s aides. At his behest, they put together a document citing seven contractions between Clemens testimony and the evidentiary record. For instance, Clemens claims that Andy Pettitte misunderstood him in 1999 or 2000 when they spoke about HGH use. Pettitte remembers Clemens discussing his use of HGH. Clemens stated that Pettitte must have misheard; the conversation was about Debbie Clemens’ use of the drug. But according to the record, Debbie Clemens didn’t begin taking HGH until 2003 or 2004, at best three years after the “misremembered” exchange. Maybe Clemens is clairvoyant and was predicting his wife’s future drug use for Pettitte?
Another gem from the Waxman document is the investigation into an abscess on Roger’s rear in 1998. Brian McNamee contends it developed after a steroid injection he administered. Clemens disagrees, saying it resulted from a B-12 injection. The medical record does not state that Clemens received any B-12 injection although the Blue Jays team physician remembers administering one to Clemens around that time. But the most damning fact is that no one would admit that the abscess could likely have been caused by a B-12 injection. According to the report:
“Mr. Craig [the Blue Jays trainer] told the Committee that he had never seen a side effect like Mr. Clemens’s from a vitamin B-12 injection in almost 30 years as a trainer.”
Seems pretty hard to swallow Clemens’ story then. But at least a few congressional republicans are doing so, according to Newsweek. It’s for their sakes that I hope the FBI probe is quick and decisive.
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