Clemens, Pettitte Named as Steroids Users in Report

Dec. 13 (Bloomberg) -- Seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens and longtime friend and teammate Andy Pettitte are among the players identified as users of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball's report on steroid use. Clemens, a 45-year-old who pitched for the New York Yankees last season, used steroids, according to the 20-month investigation by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell. Pettitte, who yesterday signed a one-year, $16 million contract to remain with the Yankees, used human growth hormone, the report said. Clemens, through lawyer Rusty Hardin, denied using drugs. ``I respectfully suggest it is very unfair to include Roger's name in this report,'' Hardin said in a statement. ``He is left with no meaningful way to combat what he strongly contends are totally false allegations.'' Randy Hendricks, who with his brother Alan represents the pitchers, said in an e-mail that he would comment after reading the Mitchell report and didn't immediately respond to a follow- up request. Yankees spokesman Howard J. Rubenstein said the team is reviewing the report and has no comment. Mitchell's report was released today in New York. Its contents are based largely on the criminal investigation involving Kirk Radomski, a former New York Mets clubhouse worker, and a probe by state prosecutors in Albany, New York, and includes the names of current and former major-league players including Miguel Tejada, Chuck Knoblauch and Lenny Dykstra. Oldest Player Clemens was the oldest player in the American League last year, when he made a prorated salary of $18 million after coming back from his second retirement in midseason. Pettitte, 35, pitched with Clemens with the Yankees and when both were on the Houston Astros. Clemens and Pettitte used drugs with the help of a former New York Yankees strength trainer, Brian NcNamee, Mitchell said. Clemens asked McNamee to inject him with Winstrol because he was unable to do it himself, the report said. Winstrol is a brand name for the steroid stanozolol, and is the same drug that sprinter Ben Johnson was found to be using when he won the gold medal in the 100 meters at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. It also was the drug that brought a 10-day ban for Rafael Palmeiro in 2005, months after the Baltimore Orioles' designated hitter wagged a finger at a U.S. congressional committee and swore he never used steroids. Pettitte Case The report said Pettitte approached McNamee in 2002 looking for help ``to speed his recovery'' from elbow tendonitis. ``McNamee traveled to Tampa at Pettitte's request and spent about 10 days assisting Pettitte with his rehabilitation,'' the report said. ``McNamee recalled that he injected Pettitte with human growth hormone that McNamee obtained from Radomski on two to four occasions.'' Both players have denied taking drugs. Clemens was listed in a 2005 book by former player and admitted steroid user Jose Canseco as among other major-leaguers who had taken banned substances. The Los Angeles Times reported last year that Jason Grimsley, another ex-player, also identified Clemens as a steroid user under questioning by federal agents. Several other former Yankees, including Knoblauch, David Justice, Denny Neagle, Kevin Brown and Glenallen Hill were named in Mitchell's report as having received steroids or growth hormone from Radomski. Clemens has 354 victories, first among active pitchers and eighth on the all-time list, and 4,672 strikeouts, second behind the retired Nolan Ryan. He won a record seven Cy Young Awards as his league's best pitcher of the year, and was named the AL Most Valuable Player in 1986. With Yankees Clemens broke into the major leagues with Boston in 1984 and stayed with the Red Sox until signing as a free agent with Toronto after going 10-13 in 1996. He was traded to the Yankees in 1999. He said he was retiring at the 2003 World Series, then played for the Houston Astros for three years before retiring again. He then came back and pitched for the Yankees again last season. Clemens didn't re-sign with the Yankees, and the Hendricks brothers said that if he did return to baseball, it would be another midseason start. Pettitte, a left-hander, returned to the Yankees last season after three years with Clemens in Houston. He went 15-9 with 215 1/3 innings pitched, and had 141 strikeouts. His career record is 201-113 over 13 seasons, with 1,844 strikeouts and a 3.83 earned run average. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=aDppaNnF53QA&refer=amsports Sports