Former MLB P Jason Grimsley accused Jose Canseco, Lenny Dykstra, Glenallen Hill and Geronimo Berroa of using steroids, according to a federal affidavit cited by Lance Pugmire of the L.A. TIMES. U.S. District Court Judge Edward Voss granted a government motion to unseal the affidavit on Thursday, 18 months after the document was first released with players’ names blacked out. Grimsley “also named Chuck Knoblauch as [an HGH] user, and accused former teammates David Segui and Allen Watson of using performance-enhancing drugs.” The affidavit contradicts an October 1, 2006, L.A. Times story that cited sources saying Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Brian Roberts, Jay Gibbons, Miguel Tejada and Segui and former Yankees strength coach Brian McNamee were named in the document. But Clemens, Pettitte, Gibbons and Roberts are not named, and the “only mention of Tejada in the affidavit was a conversation he had with teammates about baseball’s ban on amphetamines.” L.A. Times spokesperson Stephan Pechdimaldji said, “We regret our report was inaccurate and will run a correction.” Voss said the release of the affidavit “proves that The Times never saw the unredacted affidavit. … At best, the article is an example of irresponsible reporting. At worst, the ‘facts’ reported were simply manufactured.” Pugmire notes another section of the affidavit includes Grimsley’s “description of a conversation with former Orioles teammates [Rafael] Palmeiro, Tejada and Sammy Sosa about how they were going to play when [MLB’s] ban on amphetamines took effect with testing” ( L.A. TIMES, 12/21 ). CLEMENS: In Houston, Jose Ortiz writes Clemens’ “claims of innocence received an unexpected boost” with the release of the Grimsley affidavit. Clemens’ lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said, “As the record now clearly proves, Roger was telling the truth then, just as he continues to tell the truth today. Roger Clemens did not take steroids, and anybody who says he did had better start looking for a hell of a good lawyer” ( HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 12/21 ). But also in Houston, Steve Campbell writes despite the affidavit, in the “court of public opinion ... Clemens is getting battered around” ( HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 12/21 ). Meanwhile, Government Reform Committee Chair Henry Waxman’s Chief of Staff Philip Schiliro said Waxman has “not decided whether to call baseball players to testify” at a January 15 hearing on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball, contradicting a statement made by Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) , the ranking minority member on the committee. Schiliro: “We haven’t ruled out inviting players.” In N.Y., Duff Wilson notes Schiliro’s statement “left open the possibility” that Clemens could be asked to testify under oath ( N.Y. TIMES, 12/21 ). RADOMSKI NAMES: Former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski’s affidavit was also unsealed on Thursday and was obtained exclusively by ESPN. ESPN.com’s Quinn & Gomez note “most of the names found in the unsealed affidavit appeared in Mitchell’s report” and those not used by Mitchell “were not exceptional.” Of the 23 entries, “only 13 different names are listed.” According to the affidavit, Radomski “received a $3,500 check” from former Mets P Sid Fernandez in February ’05, six years after Fernandez retired from MLB. But the affidavit “does not specify what Fernandez’s check bought.” Federal prosecutors “asked the judges to unseal the files, saying they no longer needed to protect the information as part of their ongoing investigation into performance-enhancing drug distribution.” The Hearst Corp., which owns the S.F. Chronicle and Albany Times-Union, had sued to have the Radomski file unsealed. Hearst Corp. Chief Counsel Eve Burton “did not say whether she plans to continue with the lawsuit, but criticized the fact that ESPN was the only outlet that obtained the document” ( ESPN.com, 12/21 ).
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