Clemens

Here's the latest ...

NEW YORK (AP) - Roger Clemens beat Brian McNamee to court, filing a defamation suit against the former trainer who claimed to have injected him with performance-enhancing drugs.

Clemens filed the suit Sunday night in Harris County District Court in Texas, listing 15 alleged statements McNamee made to the baseball drug investigator George Mitchell. Clemens claimed the statement were "untrue and defamatory."

Watched the interview on 60 Minutes last night ... I just think when it comes down to it, it's going to end up Clemens' word against McNamee's. I think Clemens was so defiant during the interview because

a) He really never got steroids or HGH and McNamee is only saying he injected Clemens with them because he was under pressure from someone (BALCO investigators?) to implicate him specifically.

b) McNamee told Clemens he was giving him lidocaine and B-12 when he was really giving him steroids or HGH. Clemens may have asked him, as his personal trainer, to hook him up with something to help in some way, but keep it legal, and McNamee knew what Clemens didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Or maybe it was a "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" type of deal where McNamee told Clemens, "This'll do the trick," and Clemens said, "OK, great, thanks buddy," without knowing what it actually was.

Clemens knew what he was getting into but knew he'd be able to deny everything because it would end up his word against McNamee's and he would just play dumb if HGH or steroids ever came up because nobody else would ever come out and say I was standing there when McNamee told Clemens he was injecting him with either one.

So I guess the point is I couldn't say for sure (I'm not sure anyone could at this point) but if I had to guess I think Clemens will end up OK when it's all said and done. Because he can deny and, to some extent, even plead ignorance. But there are no betting slips like there are for Pete. It's one man's word vs. another's. Unless, like I said, someone corroborates McNamee's claim and says, "I was there, Clemens knowingly had McNamee inject him with steroids and HGH." But I doubt anyone would come forward.