Update on hearings

From the Oversight Committee web site, this helpful collection of affidavits and other information.

2:06 Now Clemens is reading a statement from his wife, Debbie, on the use of HGH. I guess the point was to exonerate Roger from knowledge that she used it.If it were me, and my wife was dragged into the fray, I thing I would be more excised. And why did McNamee wait so long to make his statement about her.The Congresswoman is now showing photos from various stages in Clemens’ career, noting that his size had not changed much over the years (as Bonds’ and Sosa’s did over later in their careers).

Rep. Cummings says if it comes down to Clemens and McNamee, he believes Andy Pettitte the most (although therefore, by extension, McNamee). McNamee’s allegations have proved true about Chuck Knoblach and Pettitte, so why would he lie about Clemens?

Clemens’ is pleading ignorance about Pettitte’s usage; now he says Pettitte misunderstood his comments.

Rep. Cummings: Even Clemens agrees that Pettitte is an honest man, “but suddenly he misunderstood you ….You’re one of my heroes, but it’s hard to believe you.”

McNamee’s not saying anything new when he says the Mitchell Report just scratched the surface of drug abuse in baseball/sports.

Rep. Watson: What would you say about your own involvement as a trainer?

McNamee: “I’m not proud of it, and I wish I wasn’t here, but I am and I hope something good comes out of it.”

Rep. Watson: Each member of the committee and the viewers will draw their own conclusion. But Knobloch and Pettitte confirmed what McNamee has alleged. Clemens interrupts and is chastised. Says to McNamee that he took a lot of hits today, some warranted and some not and apologized for some comments that have been made.

Waxman concluded by basically saying the hearings were held to try to break the link between professional sports and drug use. We didn’t want to look at the past. We didn’t even want these hearings.

The hearings adjourned at 2:41 p.m. Let the parsing begin. I remember a scene in Airplane in which a group of reporters ran to a line of pay phones with such force and speed that they knocked over the whole row. That’s how I imagine things would be at this moment if not for cell phones.