http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/9578270/Former-Sooner-star,-NBA-player-Tisdale-dead-at-44
Wayman Tisdale, a 12-year NBA veteran and Oklahoma University's all-time leading scorer and rebounder, has died after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 44.
A noted musician, Tisdale played at a charity event during the All-Star weekend in February. (David Sherman / Getty Images)
Tisdale was selected No. 2 overall in the 1985 NBA draft, behind only Patrick Ewing. He played four seasons in Indiana, five in Sacramento and four in Phoenix.
Tisdale first learned he had a cancerous cyst below his right knee after he broke his leg in a fall at his home in Los Angeles in 2007. His leg was amputated last August, but he had made several public appearances since.
During and after his playing career, Tisdale was a talented jazz bass guitarist. He released his first album in 1995 when he was a member of the Suns.
Tisdale is survived by his wife, Regina, and their four children.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Wie still winless; for some reason still talked about like she's a star
http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/9573734/Wie-off-the-cart-path,-on-a-career-path
My first vision of Michelle Wie spurred this unmistakable thought: She was a can't-miss star in the making who would dominate and revolutionize women's golf.
More from the New York Post
Vaccaro: Trip will test Mets
She seemed more composed and mature than most 23-year-olds and her swing was as sound as Tiger Woods' swing. Her future could not have been more promising. She surely was better than even-money to become the Woods of women's golf.
That was some six years ago, the last time Wie played a pro event in the New York-New Jersey area until this week's Sybase Classic at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, N.J., where she's playing for the first time.
What transpired from those years of early-teen innocence slowly turned into an ugly sideshow worthy of a Jerry Springer episode.
Wie spun uncontrollably into a head-case spiral to golfing oblivion because of questionable direction and advice from her parents and greed from sponsors bent on cashing in on her star power.
"They weren't my best moments," Wie said yesterday. "But I feel like I've learned a lot from struggling more than I have playing well."
Just four years after those moments of brilliant promise at age 13, Wie became a cheap circus act. She futilely played in PGA Tour events (0-for-8 and a withdrawal attempting to make the cut) on sponsor's exemptions offered to bring more attention to low-profile tournaments and all the while exploiting Wie.
With the obvious talent she has, one can't help but wonder how much better she would be today had she followed a more traditional career path and competed against her women contemporaries.
It should be noted that Morgan Pressel, Yani Tseng and Inbee Park beat Wie in amateur match-play competitions and all won an LPGA major championship in their teens.
Where would Wie's career be had she followed the same path?
The path her parents chose for her was all a pathetic mistake -- one that wasn't corrected until she finally went to the LPGA Tour's Qualifying School last winter and qualified the hard way to get her tour card.
"One of my proudest moments," Wie said of making it through Q School.
Fellow LPGA member Christina Kim said everyone "is very relieved that she's finally out here full time."
"She did whatever she felt was the right way to get out here," Kim said. "She lived her life with conviction and for someone her age it's very difficult to do and it's something you have to respect."
Speaking of respect, Lorena Ochoa, the No. 1-ranked player in the world and one of the most respected players on the LPGA Tour, uttered some words Wie should have lived by years ago.
"I think I first need to prove and achieve my goals here on the LPGA. This is where I belong," Ochoa said when asked if she has aspirations to compete against players on the PGA Tour one day.
Wie is not dwelling on the past.
"There's nothing I can do to change the past if I wanted to, so all I can do is focus on the future, focus on now," Wie said. "It's a fresh new start for me. I'm moving forward now."
Hopefully forward for Wie will soon lead to victories and a return of that same exuberance I saw in her eyes six years ago.
My first vision of Michelle Wie spurred this unmistakable thought: She was a can't-miss star in the making who would dominate and revolutionize women's golf.
More from the New York Post
Vaccaro: Trip will test Mets
She seemed more composed and mature than most 23-year-olds and her swing was as sound as Tiger Woods' swing. Her future could not have been more promising. She surely was better than even-money to become the Woods of women's golf.
That was some six years ago, the last time Wie played a pro event in the New York-New Jersey area until this week's Sybase Classic at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, N.J., where she's playing for the first time.
What transpired from those years of early-teen innocence slowly turned into an ugly sideshow worthy of a Jerry Springer episode.
Wie spun uncontrollably into a head-case spiral to golfing oblivion because of questionable direction and advice from her parents and greed from sponsors bent on cashing in on her star power.
"They weren't my best moments," Wie said yesterday. "But I feel like I've learned a lot from struggling more than I have playing well."
Just four years after those moments of brilliant promise at age 13, Wie became a cheap circus act. She futilely played in PGA Tour events (0-for-8 and a withdrawal attempting to make the cut) on sponsor's exemptions offered to bring more attention to low-profile tournaments and all the while exploiting Wie.
With the obvious talent she has, one can't help but wonder how much better she would be today had she followed a more traditional career path and competed against her women contemporaries.
It should be noted that Morgan Pressel, Yani Tseng and Inbee Park beat Wie in amateur match-play competitions and all won an LPGA major championship in their teens.
Where would Wie's career be had she followed the same path?
The path her parents chose for her was all a pathetic mistake -- one that wasn't corrected until she finally went to the LPGA Tour's Qualifying School last winter and qualified the hard way to get her tour card.
"One of my proudest moments," Wie said of making it through Q School.
Fellow LPGA member Christina Kim said everyone "is very relieved that she's finally out here full time."
"She did whatever she felt was the right way to get out here," Kim said. "She lived her life with conviction and for someone her age it's very difficult to do and it's something you have to respect."
Speaking of respect, Lorena Ochoa, the No. 1-ranked player in the world and one of the most respected players on the LPGA Tour, uttered some words Wie should have lived by years ago.
"I think I first need to prove and achieve my goals here on the LPGA. This is where I belong," Ochoa said when asked if she has aspirations to compete against players on the PGA Tour one day.
Wie is not dwelling on the past.
"There's nothing I can do to change the past if I wanted to, so all I can do is focus on the future, focus on now," Wie said. "It's a fresh new start for me. I'm moving forward now."
Hopefully forward for Wie will soon lead to victories and a return of that same exuberance I saw in her eyes six years ago.
Umpire touches player - Leyland goes nuts
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4166378
MINNEAPOLIS -- Umpire Paul Schrieber has apologized for making contact with Detroit Tigers slugger Magglio Ordonez during a confrontation Wednesday night.
In the seventh inning against Minnesota, Schreiber called Ordonez out on strikes. Ordonez argued that the pitch was low. As Schrieber spoke to him, the umpire placed his hand on Ordonez's back and steered him toward the dugout.
Schrieber read a brief statement before the Tigers-Twins series finale on Thursday. He said he "should not have placed my hands on him, period. For doing so, I apologize to both Magglio Ordonez and the Detroit Tigers."
Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected for coming to Ordonez's defense, screaming in Schrieber's face. His ejection came in seconds. Before the game Thursday, Leyland and Ordonez said they did not think Schrieber's act had malicious intent.
"Did you see what happened? OK, then you write what you saw," Leyland said angrily following the game, according to MLB.com. "I don't have to say a word. You write what you saw. And I hope you all got the guts to write what you saw.
"I don't need to say anything. Write what you saw. I don't need to say a word. If you watched the ... game, then write what you saw."
Usually, players, managers and coaches are suspended if they make contact with an umpire.
A three-run home run by Miguel Cabrera that had given Detroit an 8-7 lead preceded Ordonez's strikeout. Minnesota won the game 14-10 in 13 innings on Joe Crede's walk-off grand slam.
Ordonez was not available for comment after the game.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Umpire Paul Schrieber has apologized for making contact with Detroit Tigers slugger Magglio Ordonez during a confrontation Wednesday night.
In the seventh inning against Minnesota, Schreiber called Ordonez out on strikes. Ordonez argued that the pitch was low. As Schrieber spoke to him, the umpire placed his hand on Ordonez's back and steered him toward the dugout.
Schrieber read a brief statement before the Tigers-Twins series finale on Thursday. He said he "should not have placed my hands on him, period. For doing so, I apologize to both Magglio Ordonez and the Detroit Tigers."
Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ejected for coming to Ordonez's defense, screaming in Schrieber's face. His ejection came in seconds. Before the game Thursday, Leyland and Ordonez said they did not think Schrieber's act had malicious intent.
"Did you see what happened? OK, then you write what you saw," Leyland said angrily following the game, according to MLB.com. "I don't have to say a word. You write what you saw. And I hope you all got the guts to write what you saw.
"I don't need to say anything. Write what you saw. I don't need to say a word. If you watched the ... game, then write what you saw."
Usually, players, managers and coaches are suspended if they make contact with an umpire.
A three-run home run by Miguel Cabrera that had given Detroit an 8-7 lead preceded Ordonez's strikeout. Minnesota won the game 14-10 in 13 innings on Joe Crede's walk-off grand slam.
Ordonez was not available for comment after the game.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Karen Cunagin Sypher pleas not guilty
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4164209
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A woman accused of trying to extort millions of dollars from Louisville coach Rick Pitino pleaded not guilty Wednesday. She later defiantly announced she "will not break" while surrounded by supporters on the courthouse steps.
Karen Cunagin Sypher was mostly silent at her arraignment but proclaimed her innocence to reporters afterward. Her attorney indicated he might seek a change of venue because of extensive publicity.
Sypher's arraignment came one day after her indictment on federal charges of trying to extort money from Pitino and lying to the FBI. A criminal complaint last month claimed her demands included college tuition for her children, two cars, her house to be paid off and $3,000 per month.
The demands later escalated to $10 million, according to the complaint.
Sypher, the estranged wife of a longtime Pitino aide, told reporters after the hearing that the charges had created "a very dark cloud" for her family, which she called "very unjust to me, very unfair."
Seemingly bolstered by her supporters, Sypher said she was prepared to see the case through to "the very end" and then added: "I will not break."
"Justice will prevail," she said. "Yes, yes. I have to believe in the justice system. I have to."
Sypher, 49, remains free on her own recognizance. Her trial was scheduled for June 29.
Pitino attorney Steve Pence said in a statement last month, when Sypher was charged, that the coach "takes no comfort in this prosecution and remains astonished by these events." Pence said Wednesday that no further statement would be made.
Kenny Klein, spokesman for Louisville athletics, also declined to comment.
The estranged wife of Louisville equipment manager Tim Sypher was greeted outside the courthouse by eight supporters. They held hand-made signs with sayings including "Money Power" and "Leave Karen Sypher Alone." Sypher, accompanied by two of her sons, hugged the group of family and friends, who accompanied her to the courtroom.
Sypher's attorney, Thomas Clay, entered the not guilty plea on her behalf.
She faces a maximum of seven years in prison and a $500,000 fine if convicted of both charges.
Clay said after the hearing that Sypher's version will eventually be heard and said he will consider filing a motion to move the trial out of Louisville.
"Because of the extensive publicity, it's going to be one of the first things I consider," he said.
The case became public last month when Pitino released a statement saying someone had tried to extort him. The coach said he reported it to the FBI. Sypher surrendered to authorities a few days later when she was named in the criminal complaint.
Authorities have not said what information Sypher might have been trying to use to allegedly extort Pitino. They have said the coach believed it was related to an unspecified 2003 encounter with her.
Several media outlets have declined to air interviews with Sypher, saying the allegations are of a personal nature and are unsubstantiated.
Pitino took over Louisville's basketball program in 2001. He has coached three different schools to the Final Four -- Louisville, Providence and Kentucky, where he won a national title. He also coached the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks in the NBA.
Pitino signed a three-year contract extension with Louisville in May 2007 that could keep him at the school through 2013. The deal pays him an annual salary of $2.5 million a year if he stays until the end of the contract. He'll receive loyalty bonuses of $3.6 million in 2010 and 2013 if he remains with the school.
He has recently said there is no truth to rumors that he is considering a return to the NBA.
USC's Tim Floyd pulls a Eddie Sutton
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4164328&name=katz_andy
Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood said Wednesday that he asked USC coach Tim Floyd a point-blank question about former USC star O.J. Mayo during an exploratory interview for the Arizona head coaching job last month and was told by Floyd that there were no issues with Mayo's recruitment.
On Tuesday, Yahoo! Sports reported that Floyd gave Mayo's handler, Rodney Guillory, $1,000 in cash before Guillory went to Las Vegas for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. The allegation was made by Louis Johnson, a former member of Mayo's inner circle, who said Guillory told him he received the money in an exchange in Beverly Hills.
Johnson said he told the NCAA, FBI, IRS and the U.S. Attorney's office that Floyd had paid Guillory. Johnson said he saw Guillory meet Floyd outside a café while he drove around the block. He told them Guillory showed him $100 bills in an envelope. Johnson made allegations against USC a year ago on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" and detailed a case against the Guillory and the Trojans of extra benefits that were provided to Mayo.
Livengood, who said he considers himself a "good friend" of Floyd's over the past few decades, said Arizona would have investigated the Mayo matter further had Floyd become a serious candidate for the vacant head coaching job.
"There would have been more questions. We would have been thorough. It was too important a hire," said Livengood, who pointed out that he couldn't get information out of the NCAA because "they can't comment on it."
Floyd did meet with Livengood and UA president Robert Shelton in Tucson on April 2, but Livengood said it was because Shelton couldn't meet in another location.
"Quite frankly, it was overblown," Livengood said of Floyd's candidacy. He said had current Arizona coach Sean Miller been able to commit earlier when Miller was the head coach at Xavier, the process would have been over, indicating Miller was the target choice.
"I looked into a number of things and the question was asked about O.J. and he was very candid about it," Livengood said. "I asked Tim, 'There's a lot of things being talked about the past year on O.J., tell me about it?' He said, 'There's no issue with O.J.'"
Livengood said Floyd left the meeting and then called back the next day and said they didn't need to talk further because he was going to stay at USC.
As a result, Arizona avoided an Indiana-type situation in which the Hoosiers hired Kelvin Sampson from Oklahoma after he had been sanctioned by the NCAA. More violations occurred while at IU and Sampson resigned in his second season. The program is still dealing with the effects of hiring a coach who had an NCAA issue hanging over him.
Livengood said it would be easy to say Arizona dodged a bullet in hiring Miller and not going further with Floyd. But he didn't want to seem like he was "piling on."
"It was an exploratory thing, that's all it was," Livengood said. "The end result for Arizona was excellent. Sean's doing a great job."
• USC doesn't have an official gag order, but the Trojans aren't commenting on the story. Reached Wednesday, USC officials made it clear there won't be anything to say during an ongoing investigation. Floyd is out of town this week, according to a school official.
• Here's what would happen procedurally based on Yahoo! Sports' report: If Johnson told the NCAA of the alleged payment, the NCAA would conduct follow-up interviews to see if anyone saw Floyd and Guillory meet in Beverly Hills (valet, café worker, etc.) and would check to see if there were receipts from a lunch. A follow-up with Floyd could also occur. Still, it could ultimately come down to a he said-he said in this case, especially when dealing with cash.
• The consensus among coaches and at least one adminstrator contacted Wednesday came down to one question: How could Floyd be so careless in dealing with a cash payment in broad daylight? If this is true, the arrogance -- the "stupidity" to quote one coach -- was beyond comprehension among those contacted.
• The ACC coaches met in Amelia Island, Fla., and they agreed to keep the schedule as is with 16 games instead of 18, while also declining to look at splitting the conference into two divisions.
ACC associate commissioner Karl Hicks said the coaches and athletic directors felt there is already so much parity in the league and didn't want to dampen the coach's willingness to play "big intersectional rivalries." Adding two more conference games would possibly discourage that from happening. While there was some debate as to whether two more league games might help the RPI, the consensus was, 'Why take two more opportunities out with more conference games?'
The athletic directors agreed. Hicks said if they had gone to divisions, four teams would lose their two permanent partners and another eight would lose one and you would "blow all that hard work up" of the current schedule.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Mark Cuban says sorry - what a crybaby
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2009/news/story?id=4160606
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, locked in a verbal sideshow with Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin ever since Saturday's Game 3 of the playoff series against Dallas, apologized to Martin and his mother in his latest posting on his blog.
The billionaire team owner has been accused of calling Martin a "thug" or a "punk," depending on the account, but as Cuban said on the early Tuesday morning posting, "That has become irrelevant."
"I shouldn't have said anything. Now, the reality is that this has gotten out of hand," Cuban wrote on blogmaverick.com, with the posting titled, "An Apology to Kenyon Martin's Mom."
Mike and Mike in the Morning
ESPN NBA analyst Jon Barry breaks down the NBA playoffs. He says Mark Cuban's comments to Kenyon Martin's mother were way out of line. Jon also thinks that as well as the Cavs are playing, they will lose in five games to the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
More Podcasts »
"When tempers and such start impacting the fan experience both in Dallas and Denver, and it requires special security, that's not what I want for Mavs or Nuggets fans. No one takes more abuse and gets more threats on the road than I do. So I know exactly how it feels," Cuban wrote. "I've also had my family and friends spit on at games in this series. So I know how unpleasant that is as well.
"So at this point I would like to apologize to you and your mom, KMart, for my comment. I should have not said anything and I was wrong. Hopefully you will accept the apology and we can move on."
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, locked in a verbal sideshow with Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin ever since Saturday's Game 3 of the playoff series against Dallas, apologized to Martin and his mother in his latest posting on his blog.
The billionaire team owner has been accused of calling Martin a "thug" or a "punk," depending on the account, but as Cuban said on the early Tuesday morning posting, "That has become irrelevant."
"I shouldn't have said anything. Now, the reality is that this has gotten out of hand," Cuban wrote on blogmaverick.com, with the posting titled, "An Apology to Kenyon Martin's Mom."
Mike and Mike in the Morning
ESPN NBA analyst Jon Barry breaks down the NBA playoffs. He says Mark Cuban's comments to Kenyon Martin's mother were way out of line. Jon also thinks that as well as the Cavs are playing, they will lose in five games to the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
More Podcasts »
"When tempers and such start impacting the fan experience both in Dallas and Denver, and it requires special security, that's not what I want for Mavs or Nuggets fans. No one takes more abuse and gets more threats on the road than I do. So I know exactly how it feels," Cuban wrote. "I've also had my family and friends spit on at games in this series. So I know how unpleasant that is as well.
"So at this point I would like to apologize to you and your mom, KMart, for my comment. I should have not said anything and I was wrong. Hopefully you will accept the apology and we can move on."
Clemens speaks out
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090512&content_id=4683724&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
Roger Clemens, participating in an interview Tuesday for the first time in months, repeated his denial that Brian McNamee injected him with performance-enhancing drugs, called allegations of such use "hurtful" and said that excerpts he has read from a book that has just hit stores are "completely false."
Clemens appeared on the "Mike and Mike in the Morning" show on ESPN Radio and ESPN2 TV, his first high-profile media appearance since his Jan. 6, 2008, segment on "60 Minutes," during which he denied steroid use. Five weeks later, on Feb. 13, Clemens testified under oath at a Congressional hearing that he has never used performance-enhancing drugs.
Clemens said that any evidence, such as syringes provided by McNamee, his former trainer, that allegedly link him to the use of steroids or human growth hormone cannot exist.
"Impossible, because he's never given me any," Clemens said. "He's never given me HGH or any performance-enhancing drugs."
"American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America's Pastime" was written by four reporters from the New York Daily News who, according to a story published Monday by that newspaper, concluded that Clemens had lied last year in a deposition and at the hearing.
"It's piling on," Clemens said. "It's hurtful at times, but I'm moving on.
"All I can do is speak the truth and from the heart. I know what your polls say, [but] I get great responses in every city I go to. ... When you've got someone out there crawling up your back to make a buck -- and that's what it is -- how do you defend a negative? The garbage that's in this book, I've got an opportunity to [talk about] that today."
The Daily News said that its reporters -- Teri Thompson, Nathaniel Vinton, Christian Red and Michael O'Keeffe -- came to their conclusion after interviewing scores of sources, including Major League Baseball players and executives, Players Association officials, political leaders, law-enforcement agents, steroid suppliers, trainers, doctors and gym rats.
The reporters also reviewed thousands of pages of documents -- including court records, Congressional depositions, medical files and the Mitchell Report -- while preparing the book.
Clemens, a 354-game winner who last pitched in 2007 for the Yankees, reportedly is being investigated by the Justice Department regarding whether he may have lied to the House committee during the February 2008 hearing. Clemens also sued McNamee for defamation. A judge dismissed most of that suit, but it remains active. Clemens said that he has not been summoned by Congress.
"The legal proceedings are still going on," Clemens said. "Like I said, I'm trying to stay positive about it. I know I'm a public figure, but I'm getting out there and doing the things I normally do. I hear people saying that you're not doing this or doing that, but I've been doing what I normally do," instructing high school and college players as well as taking part in charity events such as dinners and golf tournaments.
Clemens offered generic answers to questions from hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic about Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez, who this year have been connected to steroid use, recently in the case or Ramirez and dating back, for Rodriguez, to his seasons with the Rangers. Ramirez was suspended last week for 50 games and Rodriguez admitted to using steroids from 2001-03 after a report revealed that he had tested positive in survey testing in 2003.
He said that he didn't know the "exact details" of Ramirez's suspension, and said of Rodriguez, a teammate in 2007, "I just wish him the best."
Clemens repeatedly said that he talks to young people about the dangers of steroid use, and restated his claim that former teammate Andy Pettitte "misremembers" a conversation the left-hander testified to that he and Clemens discussed steroid use.
Gene Grabowski, senior vice president of Levick Strategic Communications, which has been hired by Clemens, appeared on the show an hour earlier and explained why his client had decided to begin speaking publicly again.
"He realizes that he has to get out there, defend himself, and in the end we'll find out that he's been falsely accused," Grabowski said. "It's no coincidence. This book ... there's nothing new in it. It's a patchwork job, a narrative [of newspaper stories] woven together in a more enticing way. It's filled with a lot of the lies that were repeated before.
"Roger feels a need to get out there and tell his side of the story before it gets out of hand and people's opinions are cemented."
Roger Clemens, participating in an interview Tuesday for the first time in months, repeated his denial that Brian McNamee injected him with performance-enhancing drugs, called allegations of such use "hurtful" and said that excerpts he has read from a book that has just hit stores are "completely false."
Clemens appeared on the "Mike and Mike in the Morning" show on ESPN Radio and ESPN2 TV, his first high-profile media appearance since his Jan. 6, 2008, segment on "60 Minutes," during which he denied steroid use. Five weeks later, on Feb. 13, Clemens testified under oath at a Congressional hearing that he has never used performance-enhancing drugs.
Clemens said that any evidence, such as syringes provided by McNamee, his former trainer, that allegedly link him to the use of steroids or human growth hormone cannot exist.
"Impossible, because he's never given me any," Clemens said. "He's never given me HGH or any performance-enhancing drugs."
"American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America's Pastime" was written by four reporters from the New York Daily News who, according to a story published Monday by that newspaper, concluded that Clemens had lied last year in a deposition and at the hearing.
"It's piling on," Clemens said. "It's hurtful at times, but I'm moving on.
"All I can do is speak the truth and from the heart. I know what your polls say, [but] I get great responses in every city I go to. ... When you've got someone out there crawling up your back to make a buck -- and that's what it is -- how do you defend a negative? The garbage that's in this book, I've got an opportunity to [talk about] that today."
The Daily News said that its reporters -- Teri Thompson, Nathaniel Vinton, Christian Red and Michael O'Keeffe -- came to their conclusion after interviewing scores of sources, including Major League Baseball players and executives, Players Association officials, political leaders, law-enforcement agents, steroid suppliers, trainers, doctors and gym rats.
The reporters also reviewed thousands of pages of documents -- including court records, Congressional depositions, medical files and the Mitchell Report -- while preparing the book.
Clemens, a 354-game winner who last pitched in 2007 for the Yankees, reportedly is being investigated by the Justice Department regarding whether he may have lied to the House committee during the February 2008 hearing. Clemens also sued McNamee for defamation. A judge dismissed most of that suit, but it remains active. Clemens said that he has not been summoned by Congress.
"The legal proceedings are still going on," Clemens said. "Like I said, I'm trying to stay positive about it. I know I'm a public figure, but I'm getting out there and doing the things I normally do. I hear people saying that you're not doing this or doing that, but I've been doing what I normally do," instructing high school and college players as well as taking part in charity events such as dinners and golf tournaments.
Clemens offered generic answers to questions from hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic about Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez, who this year have been connected to steroid use, recently in the case or Ramirez and dating back, for Rodriguez, to his seasons with the Rangers. Ramirez was suspended last week for 50 games and Rodriguez admitted to using steroids from 2001-03 after a report revealed that he had tested positive in survey testing in 2003.
He said that he didn't know the "exact details" of Ramirez's suspension, and said of Rodriguez, a teammate in 2007, "I just wish him the best."
Clemens repeatedly said that he talks to young people about the dangers of steroid use, and restated his claim that former teammate Andy Pettitte "misremembers" a conversation the left-hander testified to that he and Clemens discussed steroid use.
Gene Grabowski, senior vice president of Levick Strategic Communications, which has been hired by Clemens, appeared on the show an hour earlier and explained why his client had decided to begin speaking publicly again.
"He realizes that he has to get out there, defend himself, and in the end we'll find out that he's been falsely accused," Grabowski said. "It's no coincidence. This book ... there's nothing new in it. It's a patchwork job, a narrative [of newspaper stories] woven together in a more enticing way. It's filled with a lot of the lies that were repeated before.
"Roger feels a need to get out there and tell his side of the story before it gets out of hand and people's opinions are cemented."
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