Yesterday's news about Roger Clemens' alleged affair with musician Mindy McCready (I never heard of her before yesterday, so I refuse to call her a "star") was so far out of left field that absolutely nobody could have expected it. Was it too strange to be true? Was a Cy Young pitcher really lovestruck by a 15-year-old girl he met in a karaoke bar? Clemens lawyer Rusty Hardin came out swinging with a strong denial, telling the Houston Chronicle:
"There's no question in my mind that this is a really filthy smear campaign orchestrated by [Brian] McNamee's lawyers clearly intended to do anything they can to ruin Roger's reputation. ... I'll let Roger speak for himself on the matter, but it is clear that the Daily News throughout this entire episode has been the house mouthpiece for McNamee's lawyers, and this is just one more example."Um, Rusty, perhaps you should have talked to your client. While Clemens has yet to officially address the issue, McCready did, admitting it was all true.
From the New York Daily News:
"I cannot refute anything in the story," a tearful but resolute McCready told the Daily News, which broke the story at midnight Sunday.Everyone has latched onto the idea that Clemens was shacking up with a 15-year-old, but the Daily News' sources indicate that the relationship didn't turn intimate until after she moved to Nashville; according to Wikipedia, McCready moved when he was 18. This is obviously a pretty important point to get across; it's the difference between a married Clemens committing adultery versus statutory rape. While Hardin tried to describe McCready as a close family friend, the Daily News reports that McCready never actually met Debbie Clemens.
[...] "Yes, I have known Roger Clemens for a long time," McCready said, reading from a prepared statement. "He's a kind and caring man. He's also a legendary athlete. The central topic in the debate, however, regards his professional life, not his personal life.
"There are legal matters working their way through the system that have nothing to do with me. From my point of view, that is where the focus should remain."
If Clemens didn't break any laws, why is any of this relevant? Because Clemens is suing Brian McNamee for defamation, claiming that McNamee's allegations of steroids have harmed his otherwise sterling reputation. Richard Emery, McNamee's lawyer, claims he didn't have anything to do with Monday's article, but admitted that the news may help his client since it may help prove that Clemens' isn't the shiny clean family man that he's claimed, to be.
Either way, Clemens brought this upon himself by suing McNamee.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Man, Roger is an idiot. All he had to do was give the Petite apology and none of this would have happened. Egomaniacal fool.
Posted at 4:38AM on Apr 29th 2008 by alejandro de Castro
2. Will busch give him a pardon for that also
Shame on you roger
Posted at 6:41AM on Apr 29th 2008 by Frederick
3. Agree completely, alejandro. "It was either using or going on the DL. I didn't want to let my teammates down and I felt like I had to earn my money by playing, that's the only reason I did it. I'm sorry if I let anyone down."
Posted at 7:42AM on Apr 29th 2008 by nickstoli
4. Roger may or may not be guilty. read this womans history. she has been in trouble with the law since she was 11. she is trying to restart her "career" so sometimes negative publicity is better than none at all. I don't think he is guilty in this instance. McCready has a history of lying. (maybe we should see if she didn't mean Canseco)
Posted at 9:51AM on Apr 29th 2008 by iowayanksfan
5. clemens had a 15 year old in his hotel room. nice. and even the apologists should blush about being intimate with an 18 year old 15 years your junior. what a scumbag...
Posted at 1:00PM on Apr 29th 2008 by travy
6. hmmm....maybe she wasn't 18 when he had the affair after all...check this out from a country bio website
"She began voice lessons at an early age as well as opera, and she graduated with honors from high school at the age of 16. Although college was expected from her family, Mindy followed her heart and moved to Nashville to follow her dream. Within a year, her fairytale dream became a reality. She was signed to the most prestigious record label in Nashville and in a moment her entire life changed. She was overwhelmingly successful. "
http://www.gactv.com/gac/ar_artists_a-z/article/0,,GAC_26071_4745664,00.html
Posted at 1:10PM on Apr 29th 2008 by Michael gifford
7. He's a great pitcher because he's a slime bag that throws nothing but slime balls.
Posted at 1:21PM on Apr 29th 2008 by hee haw
8. This makes either Clemens or his lawyer look particularly bad in light of their denials yesterday.
Also, I have a lot of trouble believing McCready's convenient admission that she had a relationship with him, but that it didn't become inappropriate until it was at least legal.
Posted at 4:53PM on Apr 29th 2008 by Travis M. Nelson
9. WHAT A MESS. ROGER, YOUR EGO KEEPS GETTING IN THE WAY. YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN DENY ANYTHING WITH A STRAIGHT FACE AND GET AWAY WITH IT. YOU SHOULD HAVE KEPT YOUR MOUTH SHUT, APOLOGIZED TO PETTITE, AND WOULD HAVE BEEN DONE WITH IT. GOOD LUCK, IT'S ONLY GOING TO GET ROUGHER FORM HERE ON.
Posted at 8:04PM on Apr 29th 2008 by ROBERT RAYA
10. he is old news, a true butt hole like pete rose
Posted at 8:05PM on Apr 29th 2008 by prosandbagger
11. Once a cheater always a cheater.
Posted at 10:13PM on Apr 29th 2008 by Jason Forthofer
12. Roger Clemens can't help it if a teenagers had the hots for him because of his baseball icon status or his money. Let sleeping dogs lie.
Posted at 2:04AM on Apr 30th 2008 by George B Vieto
13. Roger....A 15 year old! Get ready for the Hall of Shame.
Posted at 6:12AM on Apr 30th 2008 by Charles
14. Roger Clemens' alleged affair with musician Mindy McCready (I never heard of her before yesterday, so I refuse to call her a "star")
___________________________________
The fact that you hadn't heard of her doesn't negate that she was/is a "star". She's been in rehab lately and out of the spotlight. She's had major Country hits a few years ago. What an ignorant and arrogant statement in your part. Do your homework, "journalist", next time.
Posted at 11:43AM on Apr 30th 2008 by joefigblues
15. Considering he gave all his children names beginning with "K" (Kodak, Kettle Korn, Kalamazoo, Kinko's), is it any wonder he met McCready in a KaroKe bar? That's krazy!
Posted at 11:44AM on Apr 30th 2008 by WackyWade
16. So now they are saying that Roger didnt get so big off the steriods, it was all the free Girl Scout cookies.......
Posted at 11:30PM on Apr 30th 2008 by tjc490
17. Never heard of McCready, huh? Sorry, but that speaks as much to your ignorance and lack of awareness than anything else. She's been in the public eye for more than a decade and has been quite infamous in recent years for unstable, questionable behavior usually linked to drug use. She's certainly not Faith Hill or Shania Twain, but yeah, those who are modestly aware of the world around them have at least heard of her. In your defense, I'm sure many of the morons who will become acquainted with this story in the next few days will have much the same reaction.
Posted at 1:01PM on May 2nd 2008 by Dave
18. A family friend is one that's friendly with the whole family....and gets a Christmas card with a photo of the wife, kids, and dog every year. Why am I thinking that never happened?
Posted at 4:16PM on May 2nd 2008 by cavs fan