Radomski's cooperation was a boon to the Mitchell investigation. In three personal meetings and a telephone conversation, he revealed contacts he had not only with McNamee but several other players, including former Dodgers catcher Paul Lo Duca. Canceled checks from players to Radomski and even a personal note from Lo Duca on Dodgers stationery were part of Mitchell's report.
McNamee's allegations against Clemens and Pettitte then surfaced in the Mitchell Report, a 400-plus page account of performance-enhancing drug use in baseball that leaders of the game commissioned. McNamee was required to tell investigators what he knew as part of his own plea agreement on steroids-dealing charges.
Before Friday's sentencing, Radomski's attorney, John F. Reilly, asked U.S. District Judge Susan Ilston for the "leniency" of probation, noting Radomski's role in exposing baseball's drug-tainted players.
The attorney also noted Radomski, 38, had no previous criminal history, and is working six days a week, 10 hours a day to support his car detailing business in St. James, N.Y.
Radomski is now headed to the same hearing room where congressmen held the memorable March 17, 2005, steroid inquiry starring a somber Mark McGwire and an agitated Rafael Palmeiro.
McGwire repeatedly said "I'm not here to discuss the past" when asked about his own alleged doping, prompting a rebuke from Rep. Mark E. Souder (R-Ind.), who told him, "As far as this being about the past, that's what we do. This is an oversight committee."
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lance.pugmire@latimes.com
bill.shaikin@latimes.com
