Furthermore, Lidocaine pretty much affects only the joint that it’s injected into, and doesn’t really have a systemic effect.
Lidocaine, under the brand name Xylocaine, is also used to treat irregular heartbeats, and can be injected into the muscle or delivered via an intravenous drip. People who use the drug for this reason are given kits so that they can self-administer their shots. This local painkiller can also be injected to numb an area prior to surgery or other medical procedure.
Now let’s get back to Clemens and look at his excuse with our basic understanding of the substances involved and their delivery systems. Let’s start with the Lidocaine since Clemens claims that these shots were to help him alleviate pain in his joints.
Given the delicate nature of injections into a joint and/or tendon sheath you have to be amazed that Clemens allowed this kind of procedure to be administered by non-medical personnel in a non-clinical setting, without any apparent medical supervision. Since Lidocaine can only be obtained via a prescription Clemens needs to be asked where the drug came from. The other obvious questions revolve around the lack of medical supervision with regard to this extremely delicate injection regimen, and in what joints did Clemens receive these shots.
This kind of therapy is not a one-shot deal, and according to Clemens’ lawyer Rusty Hardin, "Roger took bunches of his shots (sic) over his career, much the way racehorses do, unfortunately." This makes Clemens’ excuse that much more interesting, and as a result of this statement questions have to be asked of both Clemens and his lawyer with regard to who administered all of these shots and what kind of shots they were.
The Vitamin B-12 shots are basically harmless and are as likely to be a placebo as actually performance enhancing. Using these injections just speaks to a basic lack of knowledge with regard to effective treatments that so many people have. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of pro athletes who get B-12 shots. Since there are no real toxic side effects from over using this vitamin, it is a “no-harm/no-foul” admission that allows Clemens to admit he received shots – probably with the added claim that the pitcher is afraid of needles – of some basically harmless stuff.
Article comments
1 - DB21
didn't McNamee say that Clemens supplied the PEDs? So how could Clemens not know what they were?
2 - Joe R
I've not seen anything that says McNamee was handed a vial of PEDs and he filled the syringe with it. What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty beyond a resonable doubt? Even if Clemens did use steroids how exactly did it give him a benefit? He still had to throw the ball and everyone still had the opportunity to hit it. He didn't gain any speed in his fastball. In fact as time went on his speed declined. He wasn't able to avoid injury problems. As time went on his Career ERA went up. He did have some good years with the Astros but I believe it's because he was in a different league with more hitters who never faced him before. If you look at his overall career stats he was nothing more than consistent with moderate decline in his later years. Look at Nolan Ryans career. He had a strong workout regimine and pitched into his mid 40's. Does it mean he used PED's? If PED's really helped that much why is Clemens the biggest name in the report? Why aren't more of those names worthy of HOF potential?
One guy with a criminal past opens his mouth against you and you don't even get the benefit of the doubt before people want to throw away a career. Why? Because the Mitchell farce would be nothing without throwing a big name in it. Why release a report without more proof? This is turning into a game of one mans word against anothers. Unless you show me more evidence (i.e. video or audio proof of what the injections were, or a credible witness to the incidents) I say INNOCENT! PUT HIM IN THE HALL! It shouldn't be about Clemens having to prove his innocence but about Mitchell and MaNamee proving his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
3 - sal m
and who better to know how to break the rules than one who has broken the rules? people like you don't understand the fact that dirty people are the ones who can expose the dirty secrets.
you also want someone like peter gammons to be the guy who can blow the whistle on the dirty players, rather than accept the fact that a dirty player is going to be undone by his dirty co-conspirator.
people like you also conveniently overlook the fact that clemens decided to continue his relationship with "one guy with a criminal past" - mcnamee - well past the time when he was let go by the yankees, and that clemens apparantly was the only person in baseball who wasn't aware of the fact that his trainer was dirty.
you are also so intellectually lazy that you cannot grasp the fact that a guy like clemens has access to the finest minds in the fields of strength and conditioning, medicine and athletic training, and yet decided to hitch his wagon to "one guy with a criminal past," a guy who hasn't a stitch of expertice when compared to the well-known experts that populate major university strength staffs and professional strength staffs througout the country.
yet clemens apparently let this guy with a criminal past inject him with "vitamins and lidocaine." makes a lot of sense.
4 - Jon Haltom
The excuse that I hate from athletes is the, "Oh, it must have been a tainted supplement."
Maybe as part of the solution to the steroid and hgh problem, the union and the owners can set up a system for supplements to be tested. Anything that the athletes send in that proves them right will protect them from punishment. If the sample aren't tainted, to bad.