WASHINGTON – Shots of energizing vitamin B-12 were readily available in the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse, a former catcher testified Wednesday, though he never saw pitching ace Roger Clemens actually use one.
Clemens has insisted he received shots of vitamin B-12 or the painkiller lidocaine from former strength coach Brian McNamee between 1998 and 2001 during his years with the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees. McNamee and prosecutors contend Clemens received banned anabolic steroids or human growth hormone – and then lied to Congress.
‘Ready to go’
In testimony for Clemens’ defense Wednesday, one-time catcher Charlie O’Brien recalled routinely seeing “four or five needles (of B-12) already lined up ready to go” for players in the Toronto Blue Jays’ clubhouse.
The shot “usually kind of peps you up a little bit,” said O’Brien, who played with eight teams over 19 years in professional baseball. “It felt like they did – I don’t know whether it was a mental thing or not.”
Former player Darrin Fletcher, a catcher in 1998 when Clemens joined the team, also testified that he never saw Clemens receive vitamin B-12 shots in the clubhouse, but he did contradict McNamee’s assertion that the trainer never talked about B-12 shots with Clemens or anybody else. Fletcher said McNamee privately suggested to him (Fletcher) in 1998 or 1999 that he take an injection of vitamin B-12 to give him “a little energy, maybe a little kick start to get going” in recovering from an injury.
Prosecutor Steve Durham tried to cast doubt on the accounts. Vitamin B-12 shots were usually pink or red liquid rather than the clear liquid that O’Brien recalled, Durham asserted.
“I think it was clear, I didn’t actually look at it,” testified O’Brien who played for eight teams during a 19-year career. “I would have been already turned over” to receive the injection.
Clemens defense attorney Rusty Hardin, seeking to bolster O’Brien’s credibility, asked if he ever saw multiple shots given players in succession that were “pre-loaded” and “lined up ready to go,” as Clemens has asserted?
O’Brien: “Yes sir.
Hardin: “You’re sure?”
O’Brien: “Positive.”
Prosecutors previously solicited testimony from Toronto Blue Jays’ trainer Tommy Craig and New York Yankees’ head trainer Gene Monahan that vitamin shots were never readily available to players as Clemens described – and never administered by coaches such as McNamee.
Fabricated account?
Clemens faces six felony counts of lying to Congress in sworn testimony in 2008 in which he denied using perfor mance-enhancing drugs.
The obstruction of Congress count stems in part from the star pitcher’s sworn statement to Congress that vitamin B-12 shots were so common in Toronto that players would come into the locker room after games to find “four or five needles already lined up ready to go.”
Prosecutors contend Clemens’ account was fabricated to cover up receipt of injections of performance-enhancing drugs injected by McNamee.
stewart.powell@chron.com
No comments:
Post a Comment