File this under "man, I wish I ran this when I first heard it instead of waiting for confirmation." Michael S. Schmidt of the NYT is running it now. Here's what I had at the ready:

After a nineteen month investigation, an announcement is expected soon -- possibly as early as today -- that a federal grand jury is poised to indict Roger Clemens for lying under oath to Congress when he denied taking performance-enhancing drugs. The specific charges are not yet known, but they likely involve, at the very least, multiple counts of perjury.

The charges arise out of Clemens' February 13, 2008 hearing before a Congressional committee during which he swore under oath that he did not take performance-enhancing drugs and did not discuss performance-enhancing drugs with his former trainer Brian McNamee, Andy Pettitte and others.

Following Clemens' testimony, Congress asked the Department of Justice to investigate Clemens' statements, saying in a letter to the Attorney General "that significant questions have been raised about Mr. Clemens's truthfulness." Among those questions were, according to the Committee, "seven sets of assertions made by Mr. Clemens in his testimony that appear to be contradicted by other evidence before the committee or implausible." Specifically:

* Clemens' testimony that he had never taken performance-enhancing drugs;

* His statement that McNamee injected him with the painkiller lidocaine;

* His statement that team trainers gave him pain injections;

* His statement that he received many vitamin B-12 injections;

* His statement that he never discussed HGH with Brian McNamee;

* His statement that he was not at then-teammate Jose Canseco's home during a party which took place in early June 1998; and

* His statement that he was never told about George Mitchell's request to speak to him prior to the release of the Mitchell Report.

In its referral to the DOJ, Congress also made reference to "additional evidence on these matters," which presumably meant needles, blood-stained gauze and other items McNamee turned over to federal prosecutors in January 2008, and which he claims were evidence of his injecting Clemens with PEDs.

All of these assertions, as well as the needle and gauze evidence, has been subject to scrutiny by the grand jury which convened in early 2009. DNA testing has been performed. Multiple witnesses including McNamee, Andy Pettitte and Jose Canseco have testified. It is suspected that many others have as well, including former major league pitcher Jason Grimsley, former gym owner Kelly Blair and former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski.

And now, after months of collecting evidence, the grand jury is poised to issue an indictment. In lay terms: a formal accusation that a crime was committed. As I have wrote previously and will continue to note as the case proceeds towards trial, an accusation does not necessarily make a conviction likely, especially in a perjury case, especially in this perjury case. Many of Clemens' statements are exceedingly difficult to square with known facts and common sense. At the same time, many of the witnesses against Clemens already face credibility issues, Brian McNamee chief among them. Even if you believe, as I am inclined to, that Clemens was not truthful during his Congressional testimony, convicting him of perjury will be no easy feat.

But that is what trials are for and a trial in this case, if one ever occurs, will not take place for a very, very long time. In the meantime, Roger Clemens has a date with federal agents, a finger print ink pad and a mug shot photographer. Because he is about to be criminally charged

Pettite handled it right. Own up and move on.

A-Roid eventually did and while his legacy might be tainted, he got past it and still has done some wonderful things "clean" than have to answer to all of it.

Yankee's have been treated very well during all this.

I believe many career years and prolonged careers in the late 90's due to it. Ruban Sierra and Chili Davis come to mind. Strawberry seemed to regain a lot.

Scott Brocious numbers took off after coming to yanks at age 31 and Paul O'NEil had his best years well into his 30's. Those temper tantrums now make more sense.

Nalod wrote:I always told my kids to tell the truth and I would be easier on them.

Pettite handled it right. Own up and move on.

A-Roid eventually did and while his legacy might be tainted, he got past it and still has done some wonderful things "clean" than have to answer to all of it.

Yankee's have been treated very well during all this.

I believe many career years and prolonged careers in the late 90's due to it. Ruban Sierra and Chili Davis come to mind. Strawberry seemed to regain a lot.

Scott Brocious numbers took off after coming to yanks at age 31 and Paul O'NEil had his best years well into his 30's. Those temper tantrums now make more sense.

what's funny to me is how the Steroid controversy always gets broken down in reference to NY Yankee players by the ESPN stoolie bandwagon... u never hear names like Tejada, Pudge, Gagne, Papi, Manny, Nomar, Brett Boone, etc. whenever a discussion on roids in baseball comes up.

btw, Brosius & O'Neill have never been suspected of taking roids to my knowledge... O'Neill has always been a hot head, that's not news to anyone... i guess Lou Piniella was also juicing under that faulty logic?

TMS wrote:

Nalod wrote:Yanks win. They gonna catch attention. Brett Boone was a Yankee.

uh... no... Aaron Boone his brother was a Yankee.

Yes sir, you are correct!

And I think Aaron's roid use has been speculated as well.

But did send them Sawx home good once upon a time!