Clemens Invited To Testify, Files Defamation Suit

U.S. House Committee Invites Clemens, Pettitte To Testify On Capitol Hill

TAKING THE HILL: Clemens indicated that he “will accept the invitation to appear before Congress” on January 16.  However, in Houston, Barron & Flood report Clemens’ lawyer Rusty Hardin is “currently in trial and wants to accompany Clemens to the hearing, so the date may be in question.” Clemens said, “I hope I get a chance to say a lot of things to them in my opening statement, and then I’m going to answer questions. That’s all I can do” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/7).  During his interview of Clemens on "60 Minutes" yesterday, CBS' Mike Wallace asked, "If you were to testify before Congress under oath, would you tell 'em exactly what you told me [that he denies ever using steroids or HGH]?" Clemens, who said earlier in the interview that he was concerned with the amount of Vioxx -- an anti-inflammatory and pain killer that was taken off the market in '04 for causing heart attacks and strokes -- he took during his career,  responded, "And even probably more about the Vioxx question."  Read more on Clemens' "60 Minutes" appearance (CBS, 1/6).  St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bryan Burwell on Sunday morning said watching Clemens testify before Congress “is going to be a whole lot more fun than watching him handle marshmallows from the old second-hand lion Mike Wallace” (“The Sports Reporters,” ESPN, 1/6).

CLEMENS FILES SUIT: In Houston, Flood & Barron report Clemens filed a defamation lawsuit Sunday night claiming that McNamee was “threatened with jail if he didn’t connect the pitcher to steroids.” The lawsuit, filed previous to CBS’ airing of Clemens’ “60 Minutes” interview, “doesn’t request a specific dollar amount.” Hardin said that the suit was filed “not to get money, but to clear Clemens’ name and discover how the allegations against Clemens came about.” The lawsuit states McNamee “made the allegations with actual malice, knowing they were false” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/7).

NOVITZKY: On Long Island, David Lennon reported it “now seems [Clemens] has attracted the unwanted attention” of IRS special agent Jeff Novitzky, who was “responsible for the indictment of Barry Bonds in November.” A source said that Novitzky has “turned his focus toward Clemens in the wake of the verbal sparring between Clemens and McNamee” (NEWSDAY, 1/5).

Hearst Corp. Seeking Explanation From Government On Sharing Information With Mitchell

REAX: In Houston, Richard Justice writes, “If Congress really cared about steroids, it would have passed meaningful legislation years ago. This latest round of hearings isn’t about doing anything. … It was only a matter of time before Congress saw an opportunity for some potentially great television” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/7). ESPN.com’s Howard Bryant said of asking Clemens and others to testify before Congress, “When you look at that guest list, I don’t see any executives. I don’t see any GMs. I think we need to hear from them too” (“The Sports Reporters,” ESPN, 1/6).  In Dallas, Evan Grant writes, "Baseball, Congress and 60 Minutes need to spend more time coming up with solutions than figuring out who was injecting whom at a point when there were no penalties and no testing procedures" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/7).

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