Roger Clemens in Court: 'Texan Stubbornness' or Just Plain Nuts?

Roger Clemens goes on trial in federal court today, and a blister ain’t going to get him out of this one. Facing six counts, including perjury, obstruction of justice, and making false statements, the Rocket could be looking at a max of 30 years behind bars and a $1.5 million fine. This morning, Dan Shaughnessy reminisced on Clemens’ career and decided that his old Texan stubbornness is what landed Clemens in trouble. A fair point, but maybe what landed Clemens in trouble is the fact that he’s sort of a freakin’ nut. Yeah, he’s officially in court for lying to Congress, but let’s not forget that this is a guy who helped his wife obtain HGH to inject into herself (to look good for a photo shoot apparently), cheated on said wife while carrying out a long term relationship with a 16-year-old, was also reportedly involved with the ex-wife of golfer John Daly, and, oh by the way, once tried to decapitate Mike Piazza with a bat. So like I said, a total nutball.

The latest craziness was Clemens’ pre-trial plea that the government’s star witness against him, Brian McNamee, his former trainer, collected syringes with his DNA in an attempt to blackmail him. ESPN’s T.J. Quinn reported,

During a pre-trial hearing in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, defense attorney Rusty Hardin said Clemens’ longtime personal trainer, Brian McNamee, was worried that a rape investigation involving him would lead the Yankees to fire him as their strength coach. Their argument is that McNamee took syringes and gauze pads with Clemens’ DNA and tainted it with performance-enhancing drugs with the intention of blackmailing Clemens into giving him a job.

What do they say about the company you keep? Whether Clemens or McNamee is the liar here, nobody looks good. Over at ESPN, by the way, Quinn offers an excellent breakdown of the trial and the cast of characters involved. Study up, because chances are, as things go forward, this all will only get more bizarre.