Clemens and McNamee sound sort of like Bush and Cheney.

A fastball pitcher still throwing in the mid-90s after the age of 40, as Clemens did, is a true rarity, except if his name is Nolan Ryan, who was blessed by God.

I think Clemens is guilty, but I don't buy the argument of "just look at his record the past decade!" I picked him up in a couple of carry-over fantasy leagues mid-season 2001 and another pre-season 2002 precisely because I thought he could have similar longevity as Ryan. And steroids never crossed my mind. Maybe he couldn't have done it clean, but I don't find Clemens' later years unbelievable. He's a power pitcher, sure, but he also knows how to pitch. And he has lost some off his fastball over the past several years. It isn't like he was throwing as hard as he did in the 80s or 90s.

0% chance you paid for the $400 meal. I think you meant, the NY Times Mag paid.

$400 for 3 at an exclusive steakhouse? Sounds like no cocktails, no wine. What is the point?

I went to Sullivan's on Christmas Eve and simply laughed at their prices. $34 for a NY Strip, something like 7 or 8 dollars for creme brulee. Want spinach with bacon dressing? 6 bucks please. 7 bucks for french onion. 8 bucks for creamed spinach and 6 bucks for mashed potatoes.

Must be good to have an expense account.

#2 - sometimes those accounting departments never process the receipts correctly - it is always a gamble, especially with an amount that big. You need everyone in the chain of command to say yes, and anyone there can say no and stop the check from being cut.

Pat Jordan, author of "A False Spring," and "A Nice Tuesday," is a freelance writer. His latest book, "The Best Sports Writing of Pat Jordan" (Persea Books), which features profiles of both Roger Clemens ("When Will Roger Clemens Grow Up?") and Tom Seaver ("The Best of Friends"), will be released next month.

Please tell me that this is not the "objective" article to which Clemens took undue offense.

#2 - sometimes those accounting departments never process the receipts correctly - it is always a gamble, especially with an amount that big. You need everyone in the chain of command to say yes, and anyone there can say no and stop the check from being cut.

Reminds me of two stories I have.

Every year this local corporation used to send several people to the Greenbrier in West Virginia as a sort of business/vacation. Well, one year one of the guys decided to clean out his mini-fridge of all of its goodies thinking that all of it was free. The corporation got a bill for close to a $1000, they of course made the guy pay.

The other story involveds some execs who went over to London a few years back on business. Evidently they got the big contract so they decided to go out to some fancy restaurant to celebrate. They ate the finest food they could and drank the finest wine they could. The bill came to $16,000 and that was with the restaurant comping the food. It made headlines and the execs got fired.


As a consumer I hate expense accounts because they make everything more expensive for those who don't have one. As a restaurant owner I love expense accounts especially for pharmacuetical reps. They don't care what anything costs. But in the past we have gotten some phone calls from the home office asking to explain certain charges, and a few reps got into some hot water over their spending.

Wait, which one worked out 10 hrs a day?

Man, Clemens looks like a load in that picture!

This article has officially given me a wiggins.

I used to look like Clemens in that second picture and, let me tell you, it was not muscle that was filling out my shirt. That looks more like a guy who's put on some extra weight as he's gotten older and simply gotten lucky that it's evenly distributed rather than winding up with Schillings beer gut. But, of course, I could be completely wrong and he could be more muscled up than your typical first baseman.

Clemens always seemed rounder than you'd think, given how much he works out. He doesn't look fat in a David Wells-ish way (faint praise!), but you'd think he'd be lighter.

Maybe he'd be El Guapo-fat if he didn't work out and watch his steak intake.

Clemens always seemed rounder than you'd think, given how much he works out.

Clemens isn't a bodybuilder. 2006 World's Strongest Man Phil Pfister is rounder than you'd think, too.

Clemens isn't a bodybuilder. 2006 World's Strongest Man Phil Pfister is rounder than you'd think, too.

I would guess that Clemens does a lot more aerobic training than Pfister. I'd guess that even Clemens's "heavy weight-lifting routine" involves higher reps than Pfister's.

From the Jordan article:

They began at 9 a.m. under McNamee's watchful eyes, with light weight-lifting for an hour, then an hour run, then a trip into Clemens' own personal gym, where he did a few hours of calisthenics, wind sprints, and throwing before going to lunch. After lunch, Clemens and McNamee went to an exclusive Houston men's gym (Clemens told me that President Bush worked out there), where Clemens pedaled a stationary bike for an hour and then performed a heavy weight-lifting routine for another hour. Then after dinner at home, Clemens worked out again until 9 or 10 in the evening.

Just to be clear: I am not doubting that Clemens exercises. I do not think a round face implies any connection to steroids, a propensity to lie on 60 Minutes, or anything like that.

I just always thought that this amount and type of exercise would sell more jeans.

Anybody know a link to the piece that got him banned?

It must be this one:

Late Innings; Roger Clemens Refuses to Grow Up

Brian McNamee, an assistant strength-and-conditioning coach for the Yankees and Clemens's personal trainer, joins us for dinner. As we get settled at our table, Clemens picks up the menu. ''Give me direction -- can I have a steak?'' he says. McNamee nods. ''And potatoes?''

''Dry,'' McNamee says.

thanks.

that wasn't that horrible of an article.

I would guess that Clemens does a lot more aerobic training than Pfister. I'd guess that even Clemens's "heavy weight-lifting routine" involves higher reps than Pfister's.

I wouldn't. Given the demands of strongman competition, I guarantee you Pfister does a surprising amount of cardio, and that he's doing sets of 10-15 with weights most serious gym rats couldn't lift for a single.

Even young, Clemens had a strongman/lineman body type. Big, powerful legs, big, powerful glutes, broad shoulders, and a waist that was thick with both muscle and fat. That type of body produces a ton of power and doesn't fatigue easily, but it's never going to be used to model underwear--no matter how extreme the training regimen.

The title of that article explains why Clemens would get mad. Also I figure he wouldn't have been happy with his personal trainer being hit around a bit in the article as well.

Y'know, after reading it I can easily see how McNamee could've injected Clemens with steroids and never told him about it. Same with other trainers and other athletes. The trainer makes all their money via the success of the guy they got. If that player slows down after using them the trainer will never get another job. So, what is a trainer (who hasn't made millions yet) going to do? They would do anything to keep that job. For 1997 I could've seen Clemens doing anything to prove to Boston that they were wrong to say what they said (that he was washed up, getting old, a 10 game winner not a 20 game anymore, etc.). However, everything McNamee claims occurs in '98 or later when the incentive for Clemens drops. Perhaps in '99 his first year with the Yanks to get that WS ring he also had the incentive. The 300 wins, 4000 K's could be incentives, but were they enough?

This is the issue we hit with Clemens vs McNamee. McNamee has a lot at stake to nail Clemens, but has no physical proof (receipts, etc). Clemens incentive to use steroids was probably highest in the 96/97 offseason (4 seasons of under 12 wins in a row, although he was very effective despite the low W total). The 98/99 offseason while having some incentive (wants to do well in NY) has a weakness in the fact he just won two pitching triple crowns (why use steroids if you are at the top of the game - Bonds using came after he saw others using them to get past him with no penalty).

If McNamee had been Clemens personal trainer for that 96/97 offseason then I could easily see Clemens being guilty as anything. If McNamee had any receipts or other solid proof Clemens bought steroids/HGH then I could see it. But the incentive for Clemens was minimal during his time with McNamee. If I was McNamee (or someone trying to catch Clemens in a lie) I'd be chasing down Clemens personal trainer(s) pre-98 to see if I could get one of them to testify. But from 1998 on I just have trouble seeing why Clemens would decide to start on drugs, and if he was always on them why he doesn't have the paper trail that others have (Troy Glaus for example).

Even young, Clemens had a strongman/lineman body type. Big, powerful legs, big, powerful glutes, broad shoulders, and a waist that was thick with both muscle and fat. That type of body produces a ton of power and doesn't fatigue easily, but it's never going to be used to model underwear--no matter how extreme the training regimen.

Indeed, Clemens makes that very point in the original article being discussed here, saying something like "A lot of guys work out so that they look nice in a suit. My work is aimed at preparing me for pitching."