Tacopina Throwing Haymakers at the Universe While Bosch Tap Dances

"1 gameday down, 161 to go."

It wasn't the bell to signify round one of a heavyweight title fight, but as soon as the 60 Minutes stopwatch stopped ticking Sunday night, Alex Rodriguez's hired gun, Joseph Tacopina, came out swinging.

“Tonight’s further expansion of Bud Selig and Rob Manfred’s quest to destroy Alex Rodriguez goes beyond comprehension,” Tacopina said in a statement. “In a clearly pre-orchestrated display, Selig and Manfred, having known for some time what the result of the arbitration would be (in light of Manfred sitting on the arbitration panel) put forth an unparalleled display of hubris and vindictiveness – complete with Manfred appearing in tandem with the drug dealer Tony Bosch, both in full makeup, celebrating the joint victory of Bosch’s lies and Manfred’s intimidation and payments for testimony. Tonight MLB violated every underpinning of its Basic Agreement and Joint Drug Agreement with the Players Association – which, although it has spoken out in a statement against these actions, clearly does not have the fortitude to act to stop these abuses, as it has not taken advantage of any of its innumerable opportunities to do so over the past year.

“I am sure Selig and Manfred believe this traveling circus serves Manfred's hopes of being the next Commissioner; the departing Commissioner Selig’s hopes of parlaying his success thus far in persecuting Alex into a recast chapter in the history books that would show him as a crusader, rather than the owner that colluded to corrupt the game, and Commissioner that turned a blind eye to steroids for over 20 years while personally profiting from their prevalence to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars; and Tony Bosch's hopes to further capitalize upon his lies through a multi-million dollar book deal that his MLB-provided media agent is seeking to procure for him. But in fact, what they did tonight, in addition to dragging 60 Minutes' name down to the level of supermarket tabloid journalism, is provide the world with further evidence of Bud Selig and Rob Manfred's desperation to sell the fans on the lies that they have paid Tony Bosch to tell.

“Perhaps the clearest message delivered by Selig and Manfred tonight is that their quest to rehabilitate Selig’s irretrievable reputation, and to make Manfred appear tough on PEDs, surely will lead MLB to seek to abolish guaranteed contracts in the 2016 bargaining round, and institute lifetime bans for single violations of drug policy, all while further insulating its corrupt investigative program from any variety defense by accused players, or any variety of objective review. Every MLB player, and indeed every fan, should not only be disgusted by tonight’s Salem Witch Trials display, but they also should be deeply troubled by what it portends for the future trampling of players’ rights, and the distraction and damage this will cause to the game.
“Alex will continue to fight to vindicate his rights – among the fans, and in a genuine judicial forum. “

Later in the day Monday, A-Rod's legal reps sued Major League Baseball and, are you ready for this, the players' union. If A-Rod had any sympathy from his fellow players it probably disappeared when the suit was announced against the MLBPA.  According to Steve Eder of the NY Times, "In the court filing, which named Major League Baseball and the players union, his lawyers sought to vacate his ban for the 2014 season and to hold the players union responsible for its breaches of the duty of fair representation owed to Rodriguez." New union director Tony Clark quickly responded to A-Rod's accusations:

"It is unfortunate that Alex Rodriguez has chosen to sue the Players Association. His claim is completely without merit, and we will aggressively defend ourselves and our members from these baseless charges.

"The Players Association has vigorously defended Mr. Rodriguez's rights throughout the Biogenesis investigation, and indeed throughout his career. Mr. Rodriguez's allegation that the Association has failed to fairly represent him is outrageous, and his gratuitous attacks on our former executive director, Michael Weiner, are inexcusable. When all is said and done, I am confident the Players Association will prevail."

Bosch's interview on CBS proved what most everyone had probably already surmised - the owner of the Biogenesis Clinic of America was only interested in making money. He told correspondent Scott Pelley that he wanted to be sure the players used correctly - he actually stated he felt a responsibility to do so - and later added "and not get caught." You could feel the sleaze oozing off of the guy, who, in not so many words said that PED use is still prevalent game so why shouldn't A-Rod and others use it. It was a lame excuse/reason to be peddling PEDs.

I'd like to hear what a body language expert has to say about the interview, specifically concerning Bosch's grin. I don't believe he was smiling because he found things amusing. It appeared to be more of a stress/nervous reaction. It was clear well before last night that the only reason Bosch is talking is to save his own bacon. Given the choice he'd go right back to doing what he was doing. Though not asked, he certainly would do it all over again.

Pelley mentioned that Bosch went to medical school in Beliz, but held no medical licenses. (There was no mention of degrees either.) Yet none of the players involved in the scandal appeared to have any issue with Bosch's background. That his "expertise" about PEDs was all self taught. It's hard to tell who's dumber, Bosch or those who trusted and believed in him.

You can see the complete 60 Minutes interview and read the transcripts on the 60 Minutes website.

Though the 162 game ban was a major victory for Major League Baseball, the men who run the game didn't come away with their hands clean either. They used questionable means to obtain some of the information in the investigation. This was the exchange between MLB COO Rob Manfred and Pelley:

Rob Manfred: We got a call from a gentleman who identified himself only as Bobby, and said he had the Biogenesis documents and offered to make an agreement with us to get those documents. 

Scott Pelley: Make an agreement? He offered to sell them to you. 

Rob Manfred: That’s correct. That’s correct. 

Scott Pelley: And you offered to buy them? 

Rob Manfred: He offered to sell 'em, and we bought them. 

Scott Pelley: How much? 

Rob Manfred: $100,000 originally, and then there was a second purchase for $25,000. 

Scott Pelley: But when you pay $125,000 to a guy who only identifies himself as Bobby, doesn't that immediately call into question the authenticity of the documents? He's gonna do anything he has to do to collect your $125,000. 

Rob Manfred: We were eyes wide open with respect to the questions that would surround these documents in terms of authenticating them in any legal proceeding, making sure they hadn't been doctored.

MLB then needed Bosch to corroborate what was in the paperwork. The investigation was well underway at that point.  Pelley also asked Bud Selig if the league was attempting to make an example of A-Rod. Selig responded,

 "I wouldn't call an example. I think the penalty fit what I saw was the evidence. Scott, as I looked at everything on all the players and then I got to Alex Rodriguez, and you put all the drug things on one side and then all the things that he did to impede our investigation and really do things that I had never seen any other player do, I think 211 games was a very fair penalty."

This thing is far from over.

Bosch Admits Injecting A-Rod

60 Minutes will air an exclusive interview Sunday evening with Biogenesis of America owner Anthony Bosch in which the key witness in MLB's investigation admitted to injecting Alex Rodriguez with banned substances.

Correspondent Scott Pelley queried Bosch as to what banned substances A-Rod used. Bosch mentioned a human growth hormone, testosterone, and insulin-like growth factor 1. A-Rod reportedly used six banned substances in all.

When asked by Pelley if A-Rod injected himself, Bosch said no, he injected A-Rod because "Alex is scared of needles." The price of doing business was $12K per month, which is basically tip money for Rodriguez. MLB's evidence also included numerous text messages between Bosch and A-Rod.

In promoting the story, Pelley mentioned that representatives of A-Rod attempted to bribe Bosch. When that failed they.tried to get him out of the country. When Bosch started to receive death threats he decided to cooperate with Major League Baseball's investigation into the Biogenesis clinic.

Bosch had initially told MLB investigators that he never gave any banned substances to MLB players. Once he cooperated and MLB felt the death threats were credible, they paid for Bosch's security guards and legal fees, a matter A-Rod considers a bribe.

When MLB COO Rob Manfred, a key figure in the investigation, was pressed by Pelley to tell viewers how MLB knew Bosch was telling the truth. Manfred responded, "The credibility of any witness is determined by … looking the individual in the eye, listening to the story he tells and then lining it up with the other evidence/ And frankly, nobody came in and contradicted what Mr. Bosch said."

60 Minutes attempted to get Rodriguez on the show as well,  but he took a pass.

60 Minutes: A-Rat Leaked Biogenesis Documents, Implicated Others

"I'll get you for this"
"Na Na Na"

60 Minutes, the long time CBS television news magazine, reported that Alex Rodriguez's closest cohorts obtained unredacted documents from the Biogenesis of America clinic and leaked the A-Rod-less contents to Yahoo Sports prior to the New York Times exposé earlier this year. The documents took aim at teammate Francisco Cervelli, the Brewers Ryan Braun, and others.

David Cornwell, the most vocal member of A-Rod's ever growing legal team, slammed the report.

“The allegations are untrue and are another attempt to harm Alex — this time by driving a wedge between Alex and other players in the game,” A-Rod’s lawyer, David Cornwell, said in a statement to “60 Minutes.” “While Alex focuses on baseball and repeatedly states that he is going to respect the appeal process, the drumbeat of false allegations continues.”¹

The no round limit heavyweight fight continues.


1- news.cbslocal.com

And Here's the Pitch...

After viewing Roger Clemens' interview on 60 Minutes (transcript below), I'm neither convinced he's telling truth or lying about steroid use. The only thing clear is this- Brian McNamee was facing federal charges (and may still be) unless he cooperated with the Mitchell Commision and gave them information. And so McNamee did. And Andy Pettitte confirmed some of what McNamee said.

There's no doubt that Clemens is guilty by association in the eyes of many people. They feel if McNamee told the truth about Pettitte, why would he lie about Clemens. Even Mike Wallace asked that of Clemens. My answer to that would be to keep himself from going to federal prison. So we are in a quandary. Everything that Clemens says or doesn't say could be taken in either direction.

When queried by Wallace, Clemens said he probably would retire rather than subject himself to unwarranted scrutiny. Is is really that or is it because he can no longer play without steroids. it goes on and on.

Unless some evidence is produced, this will all continued to be a case of "he said, he said". One thing is certain- Clemens was probably a lot more truthful than Pervez Musharraf or the scumbag former hitman that were interview first.

And Here's the Pitch...

After viewing Roger Clemens' interview on 60 Minutes (transcript below), I'm neither convinced he's telling truth or lying about steroid use. The only thing clear is this- Brian McNamee was facing federal charges (and may still be) unless he cooperated with the Mitchell Commision and gave them information. And so McNamee did. And Andy Pettitte confirmed some of what McNamee said.

There's no doubt that Clemens is guilty by association in the eyes of many people. They feel if McNamee told the truth about Pettitte, why would he lie about Clemens. Even Mike Wallace asked that of Clemens. My answer to that would be to keep himself from going to federal prison. So we are in a quandary. Everything that Clemens says or doesn't say could be taken in either direction.

When queried by Wallace, Clemens said he probably would retire rather than subject himself to unwarranted scrutiny. Is is really that or is it because he can no longer play without steroids. it goes on and on.

Unless some evidence is produced, this will all continued to be a case of "he said, he said". One thing is certain- Clemens was probably a lot more truthful than Pervez Musharraf or the scumbag former hitman that were interview first.

Transcript of Roger Clemens Interview

Thanks to Peter Abraham for finding this from the Boston Globe:

STUDIO OPEN: WITH 354 WINS, ROGER CLEMENS IS ONE OF THE BEST PITCHERS IN THE HISTORY OF BASEBALL. NO QUESTION ABOUT IT. BUT THERE ARE QUESTIONS NOW ABOUT WHETHER ROGER CLEMENS CHEATED TO ENHANCE HIS RECORD AND PROLONG HIS CAREER. ONE OF HIS FORMER TRAINERS, BRIAN MCNAMEE SAYS THAT HE HIMSELF INJECTED CLEMENS WITH STEROIDS AND HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE. MCNAMEE'S ACCUSATIONS WERE THE BIGGEST REVELATIONS IN GEORGE MITCHELL'S REPORT ON STEROID ABUSE FOR MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. BUT CLEMENS INSISTS THE CHARGES ARE PHONY--THAT HE NEVER USED STEROIDS OR ANY OTHER BANNED SUBSTANCE. CLEMENS AGREED TO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS AT HIS HOME OUTSIDE HOUSTON WHERE WE FOUND HIM TO BE FRUSTRATED, EVEN FURIOUS, THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SO QUICK TO BELIEVE HE CHEATED.

CLEMENS: I'm angry that that what I've done for the game of baseball and the personal, in my private life, what I've done that I I don't get the benefit of the doubt The stuff that's being said, it's ridiculous. It's hogwash for people to even assume this. 24, 25 years Mike. You'd think I'd get an inch of respect. An inch. How, how can you prove your innocence?

WALLACE Apparently you haven't done it yet. People I talk to say, "Come on. 45 years old? How does he still throw a ball and compete and so forth? Impossible."

CLEMENS Not impossible. You do it with hard work. Ask any of my teammates. Ask anybody that's come here and and done the work with me.

WALLACE I was down here in 2001. You were pitching to a guy by the name of…

CLEMENS Brian McNamee, that's right.

TRACK: MCNAMEE HELPED CLEMENS WORK OUT--ON AND OFF--FOR TEN YEARS. CLEMENS IS FAMOUS FOR HIS EXHAUSTING WORKOUTS. HE'S BEEN CALLED THE HARDEST WORKING MAN IN THROW-BUSINESS. BUT NOW HE'S BEEN THROWN BY WHAT MCNAMEE TOLD GEORGE MITCHELL.

WALLACE He gave very specific examples of times he says that he injected you with steroids. During the '98 season, you were pitching for the Blue Jays. McNamee was their strength and conditioning coach. From the Mitchell Report, quote: "Clemens approached McNamee, and for the first time, brought up the subject of using steroids. Clemens said that he was not able to inject himself and he asked for McNamee's help. McNamee injected Clemens approximately four times in the buttocks over a several week period, with needles that Clemens provided. Each incident took place in Clemens apartment.

CLEMENS Never happened. Never happened. And if if if I have these needles and these steroids and all these drugs, what, where did I get ‘em. Where is the person out there gave ‘em to me? Please, please come forward.

WALLACE Mitchell Report, quote: "According to McNamee, from the time McNamee injected Clemens with Winstrol, a steroid, through the end of the '98 season, Clemens performance showed remarkable improvement. Clemens told McNamee that the steroids, quote, had a pretty good effect on him. McNamee said Clemens was also training harder and dieting better during this time."

CLEMENS Never. I trained hard my entire career. It just didn't happen.

WALLACE Why would Brian McNamee want to betray you?

CLEMENS I don't know. I'm so upset about it, how I treated this man and took care of him.

WALLACE I imagine he's watching the two of us right now, wouldn't you?

CLEMENS I hope he is.

WALLACE Okay. Anything you want to tell him.

CLEMENS Yeah. I treated him fairly. I treated him as great as anybody else. I helped him out!

WALLACE Again, from the Mitchell Report, quote, "According to McNamee, during the middle of the 2000 season, Clemens made it clear he was ready to use steroids again. And during the latter part of the season, McNamee injected Clemens in the buttocks four to six times with testosterone. Also injected Clemens four to six times with Human growth hormone.

CLEMENS My body never changed. If he's putting that stuff up in my body, if what he's saying which is totally false, if he's doing that to me, I should have a third ear coming out of my forehead. I should be pulling tractors with my teeth.

WALLACE The next season 2001. It's from the Mitchell Report, quote, "According to McNamee, Clemens advised him in August of 2001 that he was again ready to use steroids. And shortly thereafter, McNamee injected Clemens with a steroid on four to five occasions at Clemens' apartment-

CLEMENS Yeah. Never happened.

WALLACE In two of the three years that McNamee claims that he injected you—'98 and 2001 you won 20 games and the Cy Young award as the American League's best pitcher.

CLEMENS I won—in 1997 I won the Cy Young Award. 2004 when he supposedly, I wasn't doing it.

WALLACE Yeah, but these are the years in which McNamee claims that he injected you.

CLEMENS It didn't happen. It didn't happen. It just didn't happen.

TRACK: SO WHILE CLEMENS WAS HIS LEAGUE'S BEST PITCHER DURING TWO OF THE ALLEGED STEROID YEARS, HE WAS ALSO HIS LEAGUE'S BEST THE YEAR BEFORE MCNAMEE SAYS INJECTIONS BEGAN; AND THREE YEARS AFTER MCNAMEE SAYS HE STOPPED GIVING CLEMENS STEROIDS.

CLEMENS Why didn't I keep doing it if it was so good for me? Why didn't I break down? Why didn't my tendons turn to dust? That's all it's good for. It's a quick fix. I don't believe in that. I don't do it.

WALLACE What was your first reaction when you heard what McNamee had said?

CLEMENS I I was shocked. I was angry. A lot of emotions.

WALLACE You're still shocked. You're still angry.

CLEMENS Oh definitely.

WALLACE Did you know ahead of time what was going be in George Mitchell's report?

CLEMENS I did not.

WALLACE Did Brian McNamee tell you what he was going to say to—

CLEMENS Didn't tell me a word.

TRACK: BUT HE DID ASK CLEMENS FOR A FAVOR JUST A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE MITCHELL REPORT CAME OUT.

CLEMENS He emails me and asks me where all the good fishing equipment is down at Cabo that I bought so he can go fishing. Thank you very much. I said, Have a good time, go fishing. Doesn't say a word that you, that you know I'm fixing to bury you with all these accusations and what do we do about it. Didn't say a word about it. That's what pisses me off.

WALLACE Why didn't you speak to George Mitchell's investigators?

CLEMENS I listened to my counsel. I was advised not to. A lot of the
players didn't go down and talk to him.

WALLACE I know.

CLEMENS But if I would've known what this man, Brian McNamee had said in this report, I would have been down there in a heartbeat to take care of it.

WALLACE George Mitchell says he believes McNamee and this is why. McNamee got caught up in a federal steroids investigation, and the federal prosecutors agreed not to charge him if he told the truth about his involvement with steroids. But they would charge him if he gave any false information. So Mitchell says McNamee had strong incentives to tell the truth.

WALLACE What, hold, what did McNamee gain by lying?

CLEMENS Evidently not going to jail.

WALLACE Jail time for what?

CLEMENS Well, I think he's been buying and movin' steroids.

TRACK: CLEMENS SAYS HE LEARNED THAT FROM THE MITCHELL REPORT, WHICH ALSO MENTIONED HIS FELLOW YANKEE PITCHER ANDY PETTITE, WHO ALSO TRAINED UNDER MCNAMEE. MCNAMEE SAID HE'D INJECTED PETTITE TWICE WITH HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE. AFTER THE REPORT CAME OUT, PETTITE CONFIRMED THAT MCNAMEE HAD GIVEN HIM TWO H.G.H..SHOTS TO RECOVER FROM AN ELBOW INJURY.

WALLACE When Andy confirmed that McNamee had indeed told the truth about injecting him, that gave McNamee credibility, made his claims about injecting you seem more believable.

CLEMENS I have I had no knowledge of what Andy was doing.

WALLACE Why would Brian McNamee tell the truth about Andy Pettitte and lie about you?

CLEMENS Andy's case is totally is, is totally separate. I was shocked to learn about Andy's situation. Had no idea about it.

TRACK: AND WE HAD NO IDEA HOW MANY LEGAL INJECTIONS CLEMENS HAS RECEIVED—INCLUDING FROM MCNAMEE .

WALLACE Did your former trainer, Brian McNamee ever inject you with anything?
CLEMENS Yes he did.

WALLACE What?

CLEMENS Lidocaine, and B12. It's for my joints and and B12 I take still today. A lot of trainers—

WALLACE And that's all.?

CLEMENS That's it.

WALLACE Never, never a human growth hormone?

CLEMENS Never.

WALLACE Never testosterone?

CLEMENS Never. Never.

WALLACE And never anabolic steroids?

CLEMENS Never.

WALLACE Swear?

CLEMENS Swear.

TRACK: MCNAMEE'S ATTORNEY COUNTERED THAT MCNAMEE ONLY INJECTED CLEMENS WITH STEROIDS AND HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE-- NOTHING ELSE. BEYOND MCNAMEE, CLEMENS TOLD US HE GOT LEGAL INJECTIONS FROM TEAM TRAINERS, MOSTLY PAIN KILLERS.

CLEMENS The number of shots that you get over the course of a season which was many for me. Whether they be vitamins or, for pain, Thorodol. Pain shots. To go out and perform. I had one of my biggest arguments with Joe Torre. He's wanting to scratch me on the big—one of the biggest starts of the season. Had a small tear in my hamstring and a golf ball in my elbow.

WALLACE Uh-huh

CLEMENS Joe Torre and I were in the the trainers room and he basically shut the door and said, I don't need any damn heroes here. You didn't tell me how bad you're hurtin. I notice you're hurtin'. And I told Joe Torre that I'll be damned if 15 minutes before I'm gonna start a World Series game I'm gonna go out there and look my teammates in the eye and tell ‘em I can't go. I said, as long as the other team doesn't know that I'm hurting, I can get people out throwin' 85 without using my leg. And get you six innings under my belt. I'm gonna take this Torodol shot and hope it works. And mask some of this pain so I can get out there and do my job. That's the things I put my body through And I'm not ashamed of that because I get paid a lotta money to go out and perform. And I appreciate that they put that kind of trust in me.

TRACK: THAT NIGHT, HE THREW A THREE HITTER AND WON THE GAME. WHAT WORRIES HIM TODAY, HE TOLD US, IS ALL THE VIOXX PILLS VARIOUS TRAINERS GAVE HIM. VIOXX, WAS A WIDLEY USED ANTI-IMFLAMMATORY AND PAIN KILLER, BEFORE IT WAS TAKEN OFF THE MARKET FOR CAUSING HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES.

CLEMENS I was eating Vioxx like it was Skittles. And now that, now these people who are supposedly regulating it, tell me it's bad for my heart. I don't know what the future holds because of the the medicine that I've eatin, but I trusted that it was not harmful. And I didn't wanna put anything in my body that was harmful.

TRACK: STEROIDS ARE HARMFUL HE SAID, AND WOULD HAVE SHORTENED HIS CAREER.

CLEMENS Why would I want to get tight or lose my flexibility, put something harmful in my system that's gonna cause me to break down when I've had a 24 year career?

WALLACE Look, because you're at the end of your career, and because you you don't want to give up the career and give up the fame and so forth. So if it's necessary to stick something into you—

CLEMENS I didn't play my career to get fame or go to the Hall of Fame or worry about all that. That's nice. That, all that's nice. Again, it's not who I am. I've worked my tail off to get where I'm at. I'm not gonna put something in my body for a quick fix that's gonna tear me down.

WALLACE What penalty should there be for someone who is taking these performance enhancing drugs?

CLEMENS I think it's a self-inflicted penalty. They break down quick. It's a quick fix. They're in and out of the game.

WALLACE If you were to testify before the congress under oath would you tell them exactly what you told me today?

CLEMENS And even probably more about the Vioxx question.

NEW TRACK: CLEMENS MAY APPEAR AS REQUESTED AT A CONGRESSIONAL HEARING IN TEN DAYS, HIS CHALLENGE IS GETTING PEOPLE TO BELIEVE HIM.

CLEMENS I don't know if I can defend myself, I think people—a lot of people have already made their decisions.

WALLACE Well, a lot of people have made—

CLEMENS And that's our country, isn't it? Guilty before innocent. That's the way our country works now. And then everybody's talking about sue, sue sue. Should I sue? Well, let me exhaust. Let me, let me just spend. How about, let's keep spending. But I'm gonna explore what I can do and then I want to see if it's gonna be worth it, worth all the headache.

TRACK: BRIAN MCNAMEE'S ATTORNEY SAID MCNAMEE WILL DECIDE AFTER WATCHING THIS INTERVIEW WHETHER HE'LL SUE CLEMENS--FOR DEFAMATION. MCNAMEE DECLINED TO TALK WITH US. THE PROBLEM BOTH HE AND CLEMENS HAVE IS PROVING THEY'RE TELLING THE TRUTH.

WALLACE How about a lie detector test?

CLEMENS Some say they're good. Some say they're not. Do whatever. I mean—

WALLACE So as far as you're concerned you would conceivably?

CLEMENS Yeah. I don't know if they're good or bad.

WALLACE Were you to pass a lie detector test, would that help prove that you're telling the truth and help restore?

CLEMENS Would it?

WALLACE I don't know.

CLEMENS I don't either.

TRACK: AND HE DOESN'T KNOW IF HE'LL EVER PITCH AGAIN.

CLEMENS But I understand that as a public person, you're gonna take some shots. The higher you get up on the flagpole, the more your butt shows? And I understand all that. But I'm tired of answering to ‘em. That's why I will not ever play again. I don't want to answer to it. I want to slide off and be just a citizen.

WALLACE You're retiring? Period.

CLEMENS Probably.

WALLACE Not for sure, but—

CLEMENS I would say, yeah. If I sit here and tell you right now, I would say yes.

WALLACE You're not going to pitch again?

CLEMENS You'll never see me pitch again.

TRACK: BUT HE HAS RETIRED THREE TIMES BEFORE AND HE TOLD US HE COULD UN-RETIRE AGAIN.

WALLACE After listening to you in this interview, do you think people are going believe you? Believe that you, Roger Clemens never took steroids?

CLEMENS I think the people that know me believe me and understand what I'm about. And I can't—the, the people that are out there that have been saying the things that they've been sayin', I don't know if I'll ever swing their opinion, These accusations are not gonna change me as a person. I'll, I'll do everything I can to prove ‘em wrong. And and I still don't know if that's good enough.

Transcript of Roger Clemens Interview

Thanks to Peter Abraham for finding this from the Boston Globe:

STUDIO OPEN: WITH 354 WINS, ROGER CLEMENS IS ONE OF THE BEST PITCHERS IN THE HISTORY OF BASEBALL. NO QUESTION ABOUT IT. BUT THERE ARE QUESTIONS NOW ABOUT WHETHER ROGER CLEMENS CHEATED TO ENHANCE HIS RECORD AND PROLONG HIS CAREER. ONE OF HIS FORMER TRAINERS, BRIAN MCNAMEE SAYS THAT HE HIMSELF INJECTED CLEMENS WITH STEROIDS AND HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE. MCNAMEE'S ACCUSATIONS WERE THE BIGGEST REVELATIONS IN GEORGE MITCHELL'S REPORT ON STEROID ABUSE FOR MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. BUT CLEMENS INSISTS THE CHARGES ARE PHONY--THAT HE NEVER USED STEROIDS OR ANY OTHER BANNED SUBSTANCE. CLEMENS AGREED TO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS AT HIS HOME OUTSIDE HOUSTON WHERE WE FOUND HIM TO BE FRUSTRATED, EVEN FURIOUS, THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SO QUICK TO BELIEVE HE CHEATED.

CLEMENS: I'm angry that that what I've done for the game of baseball and the personal, in my private life, what I've done that I I don't get the benefit of the doubt The stuff that's being said, it's ridiculous. It's hogwash for people to even assume this. 24, 25 years Mike. You'd think I'd get an inch of respect. An inch. How, how can you prove your innocence?

WALLACE Apparently you haven't done it yet. People I talk to say, "Come on. 45 years old? How does he still throw a ball and compete and so forth? Impossible."

CLEMENS Not impossible. You do it with hard work. Ask any of my teammates. Ask anybody that's come here and and done the work with me.

WALLACE I was down here in 2001. You were pitching to a guy by the name of…

CLEMENS Brian McNamee, that's right.

TRACK: MCNAMEE HELPED CLEMENS WORK OUT--ON AND OFF--FOR TEN YEARS. CLEMENS IS FAMOUS FOR HIS EXHAUSTING WORKOUTS. HE'S BEEN CALLED THE HARDEST WORKING MAN IN THROW-BUSINESS. BUT NOW HE'S BEEN THROWN BY WHAT MCNAMEE TOLD GEORGE MITCHELL.

WALLACE He gave very specific examples of times he says that he injected you with steroids. During the '98 season, you were pitching for the Blue Jays. McNamee was their strength and conditioning coach. From the Mitchell Report, quote: "Clemens approached McNamee, and for the first time, brought up the subject of using steroids. Clemens said that he was not able to inject himself and he asked for McNamee's help. McNamee injected Clemens approximately four times in the buttocks over a several week period, with needles that Clemens provided. Each incident took place in Clemens apartment.

CLEMENS Never happened. Never happened. And if if if I have these needles and these steroids and all these drugs, what, where did I get ‘em. Where is the person out there gave ‘em to me? Please, please come forward.

WALLACE Mitchell Report, quote: "According to McNamee, from the time McNamee injected Clemens with Winstrol, a steroid, through the end of the '98 season, Clemens performance showed remarkable improvement. Clemens told McNamee that the steroids, quote, had a pretty good effect on him. McNamee said Clemens was also training harder and dieting better during this time."

CLEMENS Never. I trained hard my entire career. It just didn't happen.

WALLACE Why would Brian McNamee want to betray you?

CLEMENS I don't know. I'm so upset about it, how I treated this man and took care of him.

WALLACE I imagine he's watching the two of us right now, wouldn't you?

CLEMENS I hope he is.

WALLACE Okay. Anything you want to tell him.

CLEMENS Yeah. I treated him fairly. I treated him as great as anybody else. I helped him out!

WALLACE Again, from the Mitchell Report, quote, "According to McNamee, during the middle of the 2000 season, Clemens made it clear he was ready to use steroids again. And during the latter part of the season, McNamee injected Clemens in the buttocks four to six times with testosterone. Also injected Clemens four to six times with Human growth hormone.

CLEMENS My body never changed. If he's putting that stuff up in my body, if what he's saying which is totally false, if he's doing that to me, I should have a third ear coming out of my forehead. I should be pulling tractors with my teeth.

WALLACE The next season 2001. It's from the Mitchell Report, quote, "According to McNamee, Clemens advised him in August of 2001 that he was again ready to use steroids. And shortly thereafter, McNamee injected Clemens with a steroid on four to five occasions at Clemens' apartment-

CLEMENS Yeah. Never happened.

WALLACE In two of the three years that McNamee claims that he injected you—'98 and 2001 you won 20 games and the Cy Young award as the American League's best pitcher.

CLEMENS I won—in 1997 I won the Cy Young Award. 2004 when he supposedly, I wasn't doing it.

WALLACE Yeah, but these are the years in which McNamee claims that he injected you.

CLEMENS It didn't happen. It didn't happen. It just didn't happen.

TRACK: SO WHILE CLEMENS WAS HIS LEAGUE'S BEST PITCHER DURING TWO OF THE ALLEGED STEROID YEARS, HE WAS ALSO HIS LEAGUE'S BEST THE YEAR BEFORE MCNAMEE SAYS INJECTIONS BEGAN; AND THREE YEARS AFTER MCNAMEE SAYS HE STOPPED GIVING CLEMENS STEROIDS.

CLEMENS Why didn't I keep doing it if it was so good for me? Why didn't I break down? Why didn't my tendons turn to dust? That's all it's good for. It's a quick fix. I don't believe in that. I don't do it.

WALLACE What was your first reaction when you heard what McNamee had said?

CLEMENS I I was shocked. I was angry. A lot of emotions.

WALLACE You're still shocked. You're still angry.

CLEMENS Oh definitely.

WALLACE Did you know ahead of time what was going be in George Mitchell's report?

CLEMENS I did not.

WALLACE Did Brian McNamee tell you what he was going to say to—

CLEMENS Didn't tell me a word.

TRACK: BUT HE DID ASK CLEMENS FOR A FAVOR JUST A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE MITCHELL REPORT CAME OUT.

CLEMENS He emails me and asks me where all the good fishing equipment is down at Cabo that I bought so he can go fishing. Thank you very much. I said, Have a good time, go fishing. Doesn't say a word that you, that you know I'm fixing to bury you with all these accusations and what do we do about it. Didn't say a word about it. That's what pisses me off.

WALLACE Why didn't you speak to George Mitchell's investigators?

CLEMENS I listened to my counsel. I was advised not to. A lot of the
players didn't go down and talk to him.

WALLACE I know.

CLEMENS But if I would've known what this man, Brian McNamee had said in this report, I would have been down there in a heartbeat to take care of it.

WALLACE George Mitchell says he believes McNamee and this is why. McNamee got caught up in a federal steroids investigation, and the federal prosecutors agreed not to charge him if he told the truth about his involvement with steroids. But they would charge him if he gave any false information. So Mitchell says McNamee had strong incentives to tell the truth.

WALLACE What, hold, what did McNamee gain by lying?

CLEMENS Evidently not going to jail.

WALLACE Jail time for what?

CLEMENS Well, I think he's been buying and movin' steroids.

TRACK: CLEMENS SAYS HE LEARNED THAT FROM THE MITCHELL REPORT, WHICH ALSO MENTIONED HIS FELLOW YANKEE PITCHER ANDY PETTITE, WHO ALSO TRAINED UNDER MCNAMEE. MCNAMEE SAID HE'D INJECTED PETTITE TWICE WITH HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE. AFTER THE REPORT CAME OUT, PETTITE CONFIRMED THAT MCNAMEE HAD GIVEN HIM TWO H.G.H..SHOTS TO RECOVER FROM AN ELBOW INJURY.

WALLACE When Andy confirmed that McNamee had indeed told the truth about injecting him, that gave McNamee credibility, made his claims about injecting you seem more believable.

CLEMENS I have I had no knowledge of what Andy was doing.

WALLACE Why would Brian McNamee tell the truth about Andy Pettitte and lie about you?

CLEMENS Andy's case is totally is, is totally separate. I was shocked to learn about Andy's situation. Had no idea about it.

TRACK: AND WE HAD NO IDEA HOW MANY LEGAL INJECTIONS CLEMENS HAS RECEIVED—INCLUDING FROM MCNAMEE .

WALLACE Did your former trainer, Brian McNamee ever inject you with anything?
CLEMENS Yes he did.

WALLACE What?

CLEMENS Lidocaine, and B12. It's for my joints and and B12 I take still today. A lot of trainers—

WALLACE And that's all.?

CLEMENS That's it.

WALLACE Never, never a human growth hormone?

CLEMENS Never.

WALLACE Never testosterone?

CLEMENS Never. Never.

WALLACE And never anabolic steroids?

CLEMENS Never.

WALLACE Swear?

CLEMENS Swear.

TRACK: MCNAMEE'S ATTORNEY COUNTERED THAT MCNAMEE ONLY INJECTED CLEMENS WITH STEROIDS AND HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE-- NOTHING ELSE. BEYOND MCNAMEE, CLEMENS TOLD US HE GOT LEGAL INJECTIONS FROM TEAM TRAINERS, MOSTLY PAIN KILLERS.

CLEMENS The number of shots that you get over the course of a season which was many for me. Whether they be vitamins or, for pain, Thorodol. Pain shots. To go out and perform. I had one of my biggest arguments with Joe Torre. He's wanting to scratch me on the big—one of the biggest starts of the season. Had a small tear in my hamstring and a golf ball in my elbow.

WALLACE Uh-huh

CLEMENS Joe Torre and I were in the the trainers room and he basically shut the door and said, I don't need any damn heroes here. You didn't tell me how bad you're hurtin. I notice you're hurtin'. And I told Joe Torre that I'll be damned if 15 minutes before I'm gonna start a World Series game I'm gonna go out there and look my teammates in the eye and tell ‘em I can't go. I said, as long as the other team doesn't know that I'm hurting, I can get people out throwin' 85 without using my leg. And get you six innings under my belt. I'm gonna take this Torodol shot and hope it works. And mask some of this pain so I can get out there and do my job. That's the things I put my body through And I'm not ashamed of that because I get paid a lotta money to go out and perform. And I appreciate that they put that kind of trust in me.

TRACK: THAT NIGHT, HE THREW A THREE HITTER AND WON THE GAME. WHAT WORRIES HIM TODAY, HE TOLD US, IS ALL THE VIOXX PILLS VARIOUS TRAINERS GAVE HIM. VIOXX, WAS A WIDLEY USED ANTI-IMFLAMMATORY AND PAIN KILLER, BEFORE IT WAS TAKEN OFF THE MARKET FOR CAUSING HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES.

CLEMENS I was eating Vioxx like it was Skittles. And now that, now these people who are supposedly regulating it, tell me it's bad for my heart. I don't know what the future holds because of the the medicine that I've eatin, but I trusted that it was not harmful. And I didn't wanna put anything in my body that was harmful.

TRACK: STEROIDS ARE HARMFUL HE SAID, AND WOULD HAVE SHORTENED HIS CAREER.

CLEMENS Why would I want to get tight or lose my flexibility, put something harmful in my system that's gonna cause me to break down when I've had a 24 year career?

WALLACE Look, because you're at the end of your career, and because you you don't want to give up the career and give up the fame and so forth. So if it's necessary to stick something into you—

CLEMENS I didn't play my career to get fame or go to the Hall of Fame or worry about all that. That's nice. That, all that's nice. Again, it's not who I am. I've worked my tail off to get where I'm at. I'm not gonna put something in my body for a quick fix that's gonna tear me down.

WALLACE What penalty should there be for someone who is taking these performance enhancing drugs?

CLEMENS I think it's a self-inflicted penalty. They break down quick. It's a quick fix. They're in and out of the game.

WALLACE If you were to testify before the congress under oath would you tell them exactly what you told me today?

CLEMENS And even probably more about the Vioxx question.

NEW TRACK: CLEMENS MAY APPEAR AS REQUESTED AT A CONGRESSIONAL HEARING IN TEN DAYS, HIS CHALLENGE IS GETTING PEOPLE TO BELIEVE HIM.

CLEMENS I don't know if I can defend myself, I think people—a lot of people have already made their decisions.

WALLACE Well, a lot of people have made—

CLEMENS And that's our country, isn't it? Guilty before innocent. That's the way our country works now. And then everybody's talking about sue, sue sue. Should I sue? Well, let me exhaust. Let me, let me just spend. How about, let's keep spending. But I'm gonna explore what I can do and then I want to see if it's gonna be worth it, worth all the headache.

TRACK: BRIAN MCNAMEE'S ATTORNEY SAID MCNAMEE WILL DECIDE AFTER WATCHING THIS INTERVIEW WHETHER HE'LL SUE CLEMENS--FOR DEFAMATION. MCNAMEE DECLINED TO TALK WITH US. THE PROBLEM BOTH HE AND CLEMENS HAVE IS PROVING THEY'RE TELLING THE TRUTH.

WALLACE How about a lie detector test?

CLEMENS Some say they're good. Some say they're not. Do whatever. I mean—

WALLACE So as far as you're concerned you would conceivably?

CLEMENS Yeah. I don't know if they're good or bad.

WALLACE Were you to pass a lie detector test, would that help prove that you're telling the truth and help restore?

CLEMENS Would it?

WALLACE I don't know.

CLEMENS I don't either.

TRACK: AND HE DOESN'T KNOW IF HE'LL EVER PITCH AGAIN.

CLEMENS But I understand that as a public person, you're gonna take some shots. The higher you get up on the flagpole, the more your butt shows? And I understand all that. But I'm tired of answering to ‘em. That's why I will not ever play again. I don't want to answer to it. I want to slide off and be just a citizen.

WALLACE You're retiring? Period.

CLEMENS Probably.

WALLACE Not for sure, but—

CLEMENS I would say, yeah. If I sit here and tell you right now, I would say yes.

WALLACE You're not going to pitch again?

CLEMENS You'll never see me pitch again.

TRACK: BUT HE HAS RETIRED THREE TIMES BEFORE AND HE TOLD US HE COULD UN-RETIRE AGAIN.

WALLACE After listening to you in this interview, do you think people are going believe you? Believe that you, Roger Clemens never took steroids?

CLEMENS I think the people that know me believe me and understand what I'm about. And I can't—the, the people that are out there that have been saying the things that they've been sayin', I don't know if I'll ever swing their opinion, These accusations are not gonna change me as a person. I'll, I'll do everything I can to prove ‘em wrong. And and I still don't know if that's good enough.

The Daily Yankeeland

Roger Clemens has completed his 60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace, and needless to say, we are skeptical that anything new will come out of this fluff piece. Newsday's Shaun Powell has his take on it and he's more cynical about it than us.

Just to clarify a misconception about Jim Leyritz. No, he's still a putz. It's not that. But Leyritz's license in Florida was not suspended as some media outlets had reported. His Florida license was no longer good in NYC. Either way he's up shit's creek.

One more thought (does it ever end) from Hank Steinbrenner concerning Roger Clemens-

"I'm not signing Clemens," Steinbrenner, the Yankees' senior vice president, said in a telephone interview yesterday.

"Andy (Pettitte) is (signed) for one year and he's only 35 and he knows how to pitch in the big games," Steinbrenner said. "Roger does, too, but let's face it, he's going to be 46 (in August).

"Pettitte is just as good with the young pitchers, though Clemens was great with the young kids last year. I don't think Roger is going to come back anyway."

Now if we could only believe anything Hank says.

Can't wait until there are some actual baseball related stories going on.

The Daily Yankeeland

Roger Clemens has completed his 60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace, and needless to say, we are skeptical that anything new will come out of this fluff piece. Newsday's Shaun Powell has his take on it and he's more cynical about it than us.

Just to clarify a misconception about Jim Leyritz. No, he's still a putz. It's not that. But Leyritz's license in Florida was not suspended as some media outlets had reported. His Florida license was no longer good in NYC. Either way he's up shit's creek.

One more thought (does it ever end) from Hank Steinbrenner concerning Roger Clemens-

"I'm not signing Clemens," Steinbrenner, the Yankees' senior vice president, said in a telephone interview yesterday.

"Andy (Pettitte) is (signed) for one year and he's only 35 and he knows how to pitch in the big games," Steinbrenner said. "Roger does, too, but let's face it, he's going to be 46 (in August).

"Pettitte is just as good with the young pitchers, though Clemens was great with the young kids last year. I don't think Roger is going to come back anyway."

Now if we could only believe anything Hank says.

Can't wait until there are some actual baseball related stories going on.

In This Corner

The "he said, he said" battle between Brian McNamee and Roger Clemens is starting to heat up. Clemens has already stepped up with a video defense and an upcoming interview with 60 Minutes. Now McNamee's lawyers have brought in attorney Richard D. Emery to help defend the personal trainer against accusations of lying to the Mitchell investigation.

McNamee's attorney, Earl Ward, asked Emery to come on board because of his experience with libel and defamation cases, and in case the situation were to arise where McNamee would want to sue Clemens.

“If Roger Clemens continues to play fast and loose with the truth on ‘60 Minutes’ and he continues to call Brian McNamee a liar then we will proceed with a defamation suit,” Emery said in a telephone interview. “It is one of the only avenues Brian has to defend himself against the claims that he lied.”

Source

In This Corner

The "he said, he said" battle between Brian McNamee and Roger Clemens is starting to heat up. Clemens has already stepped up with a video defense and an upcoming interview with 60 Minutes. Now McNamee's lawyers have brought in attorney Richard D. Emery to help defend the personal trainer against accusations of lying to the Mitchell investigation.

McNamee's attorney, Earl Ward, asked Emery to come on board because of his experience with libel and defamation cases, and in case the situation were to arise where McNamee would want to sue Clemens.

“If Roger Clemens continues to play fast and loose with the truth on ‘60 Minutes’ and he continues to call Brian McNamee a liar then we will proceed with a defamation suit,” Emery said in a telephone interview. “It is one of the only avenues Brian has to defend himself against the claims that he lied.”

Source

Clemens' Investigating, Meeting with Reporters

Roger Clemens' team of attorneys has started its own investigation (hopefully this is more than OJ looking for the real killers) into ties to steroid use by their client, and the Rocket will meet with reporters on January 6, the same night his 60 Minutes interview will air.

Attorney Rusty Hardin said "the investigation of the allegations had found several individuals had not spoken with Mitchell’s investigators, but who were around Clemens during the time in which he is alleged to have been using illegal performance-enhancing drugs".

“We are convinced the conclusions in Mitchell’s report are wrong and are investigating the findings ourselves,” Hardin said in a telephone interview. “At this stage we have uncovered a lot of logical people who we thought Mitchell was going to talk to but never talked to him or his investigators. That’s troubling.”

Clemens' interview with Mike Wallace will take place in his home in Katy, Texas (looking for home court advantage?).

When asked if Clemens would admit that he was injected by McNamee but did not believe at the time it was steroids or human growth hormone, Hardin said Clemens would answer that question if asked by Wallace or reporters.

“The answer to that question and others will be resolved by Roger when he talks,” Hardin said. “He’ll be more than glad to answer those questions to Wallace and others.”

This is so far from being over.

Clemens' Investigating, Meeting with Reporters

Roger Clemens' team of attorneys has started its own investigation (hopefully this is more than OJ looking for the real killers) into ties to steroid use by their client, and the Rocket will meet with reporters on January 6, the same night his 60 Minutes interview will air.

Attorney Rusty Hardin said "the investigation of the allegations had found several individuals had not spoken with Mitchell’s investigators, but who were around Clemens during the time in which he is alleged to have been using illegal performance-enhancing drugs".

“We are convinced the conclusions in Mitchell’s report are wrong and are investigating the findings ourselves,” Hardin said in a telephone interview. “At this stage we have uncovered a lot of logical people who we thought Mitchell was going to talk to but never talked to him or his investigators. That’s troubling.”

Clemens' interview with Mike Wallace will take place in his home in Katy, Texas (looking for home court advantage?).

When asked if Clemens would admit that he was injected by McNamee but did not believe at the time it was steroids or human growth hormone, Hardin said Clemens would answer that question if asked by Wallace or reporters.

“The answer to that question and others will be resolved by Roger when he talks,” Hardin said. “He’ll be more than glad to answer those questions to Wallace and others.”

This is so far from being over.

Step up to the Mike

Mike Wallace spoke with the NY Times about his upcoming interview with Roger Clemens. Wallace and 60 Minutes first profiled Clemens back in 2001, and Wallace and the Rocket have become friends since. Wallace has been friends with George Steinbrenner for years, but the 89-year old "correspondent emeritus" will have no problem giving a fair and balanced report.

Clemens' reps reached out to 60 Minutes to do the piece in attempt to continue to do damage control in the wake of the Mitchell Report.

“When we went down there to profile him, we went to his home, I watched him exercise, I watched him work out and he became my friend,” Wallace said. “He trusts me and is going to talk to me and I hope he can answer all the questions on my mind.”

Wallace is already working on his line of questions.

“Why would McNamee say these things he said?” said Wallace, a point that has been asked by others because McNamee was compelled to meet with Mitchell’s investigators by federal prosecutors and could be in legal jeopardy if found to be lying.

“Mitchell is thorough, fair and careful,” Wallace added, “so you have to take that into consideration as well when you are thinking about questions to put to Roger.”

The report will air on CBS, Sunday, January 6.

Step up to the Mike

Mike Wallace spoke with the NY Times about his upcoming interview with Roger Clemens. Wallace and 60 Minutes first profiled Clemens back in 2001, and Wallace and the Rocket have become friends since. Wallace has been friends with George Steinbrenner for years, but the 89-year old "correspondent emeritus" will have no problem giving a fair and balanced report.

Clemens' reps reached out to 60 Minutes to do the piece in attempt to continue to do damage control in the wake of the Mitchell Report.

“When we went down there to profile him, we went to his home, I watched him exercise, I watched him work out and he became my friend,” Wallace said. “He trusts me and is going to talk to me and I hope he can answer all the questions on my mind.”

Wallace is already working on his line of questions.

“Why would McNamee say these things he said?” said Wallace, a point that has been asked by others because McNamee was compelled to meet with Mitchell’s investigators by federal prosecutors and could be in legal jeopardy if found to be lying.

“Mitchell is thorough, fair and careful,” Wallace added, “so you have to take that into consideration as well when you are thinking about questions to put to Roger.”

The report will air on CBS, Sunday, January 6.

Clemens Steps Up Denial

Roger Clemens is standing by his statement that he never used steroids or HGH, and recorded the video posted below. Clemens will also appear on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace to address the matter.

Clemens Steps Up Denial

Roger Clemens is standing by his statement that he never used steroids or HGH, and recorded the video posted below. Clemens will also appear on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace to address the matter.

I'm Alex Rodriguez

In what was a clear case of additional damage control, Alex Rodriguez sat down for an interview with 60 Minutes' Katie Couric. The interview, which aired last night, was filmed shortly after the release of the Mitchell Report, and its accompanying circus. Even C-Rod made a brief appearance.

A-Rod took the opportunity to flatly deny the use of any illegal substances, as well as deny ever having seen anyone else using steroids or HGH. There aren't too many people outside of Jose Canseco who think that A-Rod has been cheating.

He also talked about he "stunk" during post-season play and how it was "unacceptable".

Then we got down to the brass tacks of why this interview was granted. A-Rod talked about how shocked and mortified he was, when while watching the World Series, he heard FOX's Ken Rosenthal announce that A-Rod would be opting out of his Yankees' contract. He took the opportunity to again apologize to the Red Sox and Rockies for what occurred.

A-Rod did admit that ultimately he was responsible since it was his agent/attorney that took these actions. However, he also stated that he did not know that the Yankees were interested in retaining him prior to opting out. It's hard to imagine this intelligent person not knowing what was going on in the world around him.

"When I realized things were going haywire, at that point I said, 'Wait a minute, I've got to be accountable for my own life. This is not going the way I wanted it to go.' So I got behind the wheel."

Rodriguez also talked about his strained relationship with Boras, and the lack of communication that is currently taking place between them. He then talked about how he, on the advice of Warren Buffett, approached the Yankees himself to apologize, and to see if they were still interested. And the rest is history.

Some people will come away from this interview thinking A-Rod was sincere. Others will believe it is just more of the too slick PR approach that has created a bad taste in the mouths of his colleagues and baseball fans. We think there were parts of both, but unfortunately more of the latter.

You can view pieces of the interview on the official 60 Minutes website.

I'm Alex Rodriguez

In what was a clear case of additional damage control, Alex Rodriguez sat down for an interview with 60 Minutes' Katie Couric. The interview, which aired last night, was filmed shortly after the release of the Mitchell Report, and its accompanying circus. Even C-Rod made a brief appearance.

A-Rod took the opportunity to flatly deny the use of any illegal substances, as well as deny ever having seen anyone else using steroids or HGH. There aren't too many people outside of Jose Canseco who think that A-Rod has been cheating.

He also talked about he "stunk" during post-season play and how it was "unacceptable".

Then we got down to the brass tacks of why this interview was granted. A-Rod talked about how shocked and mortified he was, when while watching the World Series, he heard FOX's Ken Rosenthal announce that A-Rod would be opting out of his Yankees' contract. He took the opportunity to again apologize to the Red Sox and Rockies for what occurred.

A-Rod did admit that ultimately he was responsible since it was his agent/attorney that took these actions. However, he also stated that he did not know that the Yankees were interested in retaining him prior to opting out. It's hard to imagine this intelligent person not knowing what was going on in the world around him.

"When I realized things were going haywire, at that point I said, 'Wait a minute, I've got to be accountable for my own life. This is not going the way I wanted it to go.' So I got behind the wheel."

Rodriguez also talked about his strained relationship with Boras, and the lack of communication that is currently taking place between them. He then talked about how he, on the advice of Warren Buffett, approached the Yankees himself to apologize, and to see if they were still interested. And the rest is history.

Some people will come away from this interview thinking A-Rod was sincere. Others will believe it is just more of the too slick PR approach that has created a bad taste in the mouths of his colleagues and baseball fans. We think there were parts of both, but unfortunately more of the latter.

You can view pieces of the interview on the official 60 Minutes website.