Steroids

WASHINGTON — Lawyers for Roger Clemens, seeking to discredit a key government witness in the All-Star pitcher's perjury trial, contend that Brian McNamee is telling lies, on which he is cashing in. McNamee, a former strength coach, has said he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone. Rusty Hardin, the lead Clemens attorney, said in his opening statement Tuesday that the former trainer had become a celebrity as a result of the allegations he made against Clemens.

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 -- 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.

The Angels agreed to terms on a minor league contract with veteran reliever Juan Rincon on Sunday, a somewhat curious signing considering the history between the 33-year-old right-hander and Angels Manager Mike Scioscia. Rincon, then with the Minnesota Twins, served a 10-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug in 2005, a season in which he went 6-6 with a 2.45 earned run average in 75 games. Rincon had pitched effectively against the Angels shortly before his suspension, and Scioscia cited him as an example of why he felt the first round of penalties was "woefully feeble.

In Argentina, soybean production is flying high. That means another banner year for farm equipment salesman Carlos Meniavere. His company, Apache, expects sales of its planters and harvesters to increase 20% this year over 2010. Local demand for his machines, costing $75,000 and up, has risen sharply. So have foreign sales. Apache's relatively low manufacturing costs have led to deals with buyers in Brazil, Venezuela, Russia and other markets. "We're going to sell 400 units this year and export to 10 countries.

The Roger Clemens circus has run its course. Call in the clowns. The fat lady is singing. On July 14, his trial was stopped in its second day. Government prosecutors had allowed inadmissible information to be seen. The judge remarked that they had made a mistake that a first-year law student wouldn't. Hard to pick sides here: Bumbling government lawyers or an allegedly juiced-up major league pitcher? On Sept. 2, lawyers will weigh in again with arguments on whether to start a new trial.

Reporting from Washington — In a Washington courtroom not far from where 11-time All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens testified before Congress, one of Major League Baseball's biggest names went on trial Wednesday before a jury of 12 ordinary citizens and a national public disgusted by performance-enhancing drug scandals that have mocked the credibility of the game. Clemens won seven Cy Young awards in a legendary career that typically would make him a lock for the Hall of Fame. But now he stands charged with perjury, obstructing Congress and making false statements for telling investigators and declaring in an open hearing three years ago that he never used steroids or HGH — a human growth hormone.

In a Washington courtroom not far from where 11-time All-Star pitcher Roger Clemens testified before Congress, one of baseball's biggest names went on trial Wednesday before a jury of 12 citizens and a national public disgusted by performance-enhancing drug scandals that have mocked the credibility of the game. Clemens won seven Cy Young Awards in a career that typically would make him a lock for the Hall of Fame. But now he stands charged with perjury, obstructing Congress and making false statements after telling investigators and declaring in an open hearing three years ago that he never used steroids or HGH - a human growth hormone.

How fast is Peter Bourjos? In the first at-bat of his life, he singled to center, caught the ball and tagged himself out. True story. It was his T-ball debut, and he was accustomed to chasing down his own hits when playing at the park with his father. So when he knocked the ball into the gap, he sprinted into the outfield, picked it up, and ran it back to the infield. "I gave the ball to some kid on the other team and he was like, um... " said Bourjos. How fast is Peter Bourjos?

Looks like Charlie Sheen isn't the only drug Charlie Sheen has been on. In the new issue of Sports Illustrated the actor admitted to using anabolic steroids during the shooting of the 1989 film "Major League," in which he portrayed a baseball player named Ricky Vaughn. Sheen said he used the performance-enhancing illegal substance for about two months to improve his game, and claims his fastball went from about 79 to 85. While we hear much about the long-term effects of anabolic steroids, are there risks for taking the drug short term?