Rusty Hardin

WASHINGTON - Roger Clemens, known as "The Rocket" for the fastball that dominated major league batters, won his most critical contest yet Monday when jurors found him not guilty of lying to Congress about steroid use. For nearly five years, Clemens steadfastly had denied using steroids or human growth hormone, but this time a jury believed him, or at least was unconvinced by the testimony of his former trainer Brian McNamee that he had regularly...

Jordan Hill has not picked a team for next season, but the unrestricted free agent has already selected one of the most high-powered attorneys in the sports world: Rusty Hardin Jr. The Houston-based lawyer successfully represented Roger Clemens in his perjury trial and is defending Adrian Peterson against allegations that the Minnesota Vikings running back shoved a police officer at a nightclub. Hardin is scheduled to appear in a Houston courtroom Tuesday to represent Hill, the Lakers power forward who faces third-degree felony assault charges after allegedly choking a former girlfriend in February when Hill played for the Houston Rockets.

WASHINGTON — New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte threw the perjury prosecution of his friend Roger Clemens into disarray Wednesday when he testified that he could have misunderstood a conversation with Clemens about human growth hormone. Pettitte said he thought Clemens told him sometime in 1999 or 2000 that he used HGH, but he admitted under cross-examination that he was hazy on the details. Is it possible, asked Clemens lawyer Mike Attanasio, that Pettitte misunderstood the critical conversation?

WASHINGTON - Roger Clemens, known as "The Rocket" for the fastball that dominated major league batters, won his most critical contest yet Monday when jurors found him not guilty of lying to Congress about steroid use. For nearly five years, Clemens steadfastly had denied using steroids or human growth hormone, but this time a jury believed him, or at least was unconvinced by the testimony of his former trainer Brian McNamee that he had regularly...

Jordan Hill has not picked a team for next season, but the unrestricted free agent has already selected one of the most high-powered attorneys in the sports world: Rusty Hardin Jr. The Houston-based lawyer successfully represented Roger Clemens in his perjury trial and is defending Adrian Peterson against allegations that the Minnesota Vikings running back shoved a police officer at a nightclub. Hardin is scheduled to appear in a Houston courtroom Tuesday to represent Hill, the Lakers power forward who faces third-degree felony assault charges after allegedly choking a former girlfriend in February when Hill played for the Houston Rockets.

New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte threw the prosecution of his friend Roger Clemens into disarray Wednesday when he testified that he could have misunderstood a conversation he had with Clemens about human growth hormone. Pettitte said he thought Clemens told him some time in 1999 or 2000 that he used HGH, but he admitted under cross-examination that he was hazy on the details. Is it possible, asked Clemens lawyer Mike Attanasio, that Pettitte misunderstood the critical conversation?

WASHINGTON -- Jury selection begins Monday in the do-over trial of All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens, nine months after the first trial was ditched when jurors saw inadmissible evidence left on a video screen by prosecutors. Clemens was indicted for perjury, obstruction of Congress and making false statements after he told a House of Representatives committee in 2008 that he never had used steroids or HGH - human growth hormone - while pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.

Roger Clemens' federal criminal trial on six counts — including obstruction of Congress, making false statements to Congress and committing perjury before Congress — is scheduled to begin Wednesday in Washington. The trial of perhaps the dominant pitcher of a generation, starting with jury selection, is expected to last four to six weeks, Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young Award winner, faces a maximum prison sentence of 30 years if convicted of the charges, which arose after he testified in February 2008 before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

WASHINGTON — Brian McNamee, the key prosecution witness in the Roger Clemens perjury trial, said he had never made up details about the pitcher's drug use, but that some of his memories of it had become clearer over time. During cross-examination Wednesday, McNamee, a former strength trainer, described a conversation with Clemens in early 2004 in which the pitcher asked whether McNamee still had a source to obtain steroids. According to McNamee, Clemens told him, "I want to get really huge, I want to get strong.

WASHINGTON — All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens is tangled in a web of deceit that he made for himself, prosecutors said as they fired their opening salvo in the retrial of his perjury case. Not only did Clemens lie to Congress about his use of steroids and human growth hormone, Assistant U.S. Atty. Steven Durham told the jury, but he crafted a cover-up story to mislead legislators and protect his own reputation. Clemens could have chosen to "be a hero" when he testified to the House Committee on Government Oversight and Government Reform and admit his mistakes, Durham said, but instead he chose to lie. "He became trapped and couldn't get out; that's why we're here," he said.

WASHINGTON — Rusty Hardin, lead attorney for Roger Clemens, got the former pitcher's chief accuser to admit to a series of lies in a day of aggressive cross examination, but did not undermine his credibility with a single grand stroke. Clemens is on trial for perjury, accused of lying to Congress about his use of performance enhancing drugs. Brian McNamee, a former trainer who worked closely with Clemens, admitted that in 2007 he lied to federal agent Jeff Novitzky and the Mitchell Commission, which was investigating performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.

WASHINGTON — Brian McNamee, the key prosecution witness in the Roger Clemens perjury trial, said he had never made up details about the pitcher's drug use, but that some of his memories of it had become clearer over time. During cross-examination Wednesday, McNamee, a former strength trainer, described a conversation with Clemens in early 2004 in which the pitcher asked whether McNamee still had a source to obtain steroids. According to McNamee, Clemens told him, "I want to get really huge, I want to get strong.

WASHINGTON — An anxious wife drove Brian McNamee to hold on to evidence of Roger Clemens' steroid use for self-protection, the former trainer testified at the former pitcher's federal perjury trial. "She kept saying in the midst of a battle royale, 'You're going to go down if something ever happens,' " McNamee said. So as a measure of insurance, McNamee said, he held on to a beer can filled with a used needle, a syringe and a glass steroid ampule he had fished out of Clemens' recycling bin in 2001.

WASHINGTON — New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte threw the perjury prosecution of his friend Roger Clemens into disarray Wednesday when he testified that he could have misunderstood a conversation with Clemens about human growth hormone. Pettitte said he thought Clemens told him sometime in 1999 or 2000 that he used HGH, but he admitted under cross-examination that he was hazy on the details. Is it possible, asked Clemens lawyer Mike Attanasio, that Pettitte misunderstood the critical conversation?

New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte threw the prosecution of his friend Roger Clemens into disarray Wednesday when he testified that he could have misunderstood a conversation he had with Clemens about human growth hormone. Pettitte said he thought Clemens told him some time in 1999 or 2000 that he used HGH, but he admitted under cross-examination that he was hazy on the details. Is it possible, asked Clemens lawyer Mike Attanasio, that Pettitte misunderstood the critical conversation?

WASHINGTON — All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens is tangled in a web of deceit that he made for himself, prosecutors said as they fired their opening salvo in the retrial of his perjury case. Not only did Clemens lie to Congress about his use of steroids and human growth hormone, Assistant U.S. Atty. Steven Durham told the jury, but he crafted a cover-up story to mislead legislators and protect his own reputation. Clemens could have chosen to "be a hero" when he testified to the House Committee on Government Oversight and Government Reform and admit his mistakes, Durham said, but instead he chose to lie. "He became trapped and couldn't get out; that's why we're here," he said.

The judge in the Roger Clemens federal perjury trial abruptly declared a mistrial on the second day of testimony after the government inadvertently allowed the jury to hear statements from a U.S. congressman discussing the credibility of one of the key witnesses against the former All-Star baseball pitcher. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton was livid Thursday that a video screen was left on in the courtroom while he and the lawyers privately discussed an issue away from the jury, and yet the jurors could clearly see written comments by U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.)

The attorney for Roger Clemens gave his strongest hint yet that the former baseball star might not testify in his trial on charges of lying to Congress about using performance-enhancing drugs as he pressed potential jurors not to hold Clemens' silence against him. Several members of the jury pool under selection in Washington federal court said they would weigh evidence from both sides before deciding on a verdict. The judge and Clemens' attorney had to repeatedly explain the legal principle of innocent until proven guilty and that prosecutors alone bear the burden of proving his guilt.

WASHINGTON -- Jury selection begins Monday in the do-over trial of All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens, nine months after the first trial was ditched when jurors saw inadmissible evidence left on a video screen by prosecutors. Clemens was indicted for perjury, obstruction of Congress and making false statements after he told a House of Representatives committee in 2008 that he never had used steroids or HGH - human growth hormone - while pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees.

A federal judge in Washington ruled Friday that Roger Clemens must face another trial on charges of lying about drug use, although the judge criticized prosecutors' mishandling of evidence during a July mistrial and questioned the fairness of making the former star pitcher pay to defend himself twice. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton set a new trial for April 17. Clemens attorney Rusty Hardin said he may appeal Walton's decision. Walton said if Clemens wants to do that, he must request an expedited review by the appeals court to avoid more delays in the case.