A day in court

January 12, 2009 by Benjamin Kabak 31 Comments

While I wouldn’t normally think much of the leak that a federal grand jury has been convened as the government decides whether or not to indict Roger Clemens for perjury, this case may have some ramifications for the 2009 Yankees. As ESPN’s investigative reporter Mike Fish explains, Andy Pettitte could very well see himself dragged back into court to testify in front of the grand jury. While the Yanks and Pettitte are at a contractual impasse right now, this news will not be good for the Pettitte camp.

http://nyfaninboston.blogspot.com/ Manimal

Indicted? INDICTED!!?!?!??!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2PLXFe93yc

LOL whenever I think of the word Indicted I think of Jim Carrey.
http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com Rebecca-Optimist Prime

You would have thought they’d have bigger fish to fry. Like, I don’t know, Bernie Madoff for one?
- http://actyankee.blogspot.com Matt
  
  Isn’t that an SEC deal, not Congress?
  - http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com Rebecca-Optimist Prime
    
    I’m not sure the SEC has that authority.
  - A.D.
    
    congress is investigating the SEC to see how the fuck it happened. Apparently some of the lower SEC guys noticed something was wrong, and then the inquiry got killed somewhere along the food chain… they’re trying to figure out who.
    - http://actyankee.blogspot.com Matt
      
      Ah, my bad.
      
      I remember hearing during the breaking story that there were a bunch of red flags on Madoff but they could never find the proverbial “smoking gun.”
      - http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com Rebecca-Optimist Prime
        
        As always.
- http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside
  
  You would have thought they’d have bigger fish to fry.
  
  There are what, 535 members of Congress, countless committees, thousands of aides, thousands of federal prosecutors, hundreds of various courts… there’s plenty of time to look at every issue. I never bought the “why are you wasting time with this crime when there’s other crimes?” argument. We’re not talking about jaywalking here, we’re talking about perjury/obstruction of justice.
  - http://actyankee.blogspot.com Matt
    
    Word, TSJC. Word.
  - http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com Rebecca-Optimist Prime
    
    even so, when you consider how many issues are facing the country right now, the issue over whether or not one baseball player perjured himself, while not ignorable, should still not be our top priority.
    - http://actyankee.blogspot.com Matt
      
      But it isn’t. It’s only a “priority” for the Oversight Committee.
    - http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.
      
      I don’t think anyone’s making it the top priority. Grand juries are convened quite frequently for a variety of things, and if Clemens broke the law, a prosecutor has to investigate it and pursue charges if need be. Otherwise, the law loses its effectiveness and teeth.
      
      After one semester + one day of law school, I almost sound like I know what I’m talking about!
      - http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside
        
        Precisely. The grand jury proceedings is merely one case on a docket full of cases in that one court amongst hundreds of courts.
        
        It’s probably Priority #3000, not priority #1. It only seems larger because we watch ESPN all day, and not C-SPAN 3.
      - http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com Rebecca-Optimist Prime
        
        Haha, I took one semester of International Law and then decided that law school was totally not for me.
        
        Anyway, you are completely right-I was simply trying to make a (sort of humorous) point.
  - JeffG
    
    And those god-damn tax-free bonds! – No?
    
    You’ll eventually not want to kill me…
- drew
  
  Come on, bigger fish? I agree but let’s face it, if you go after bonds for the exact same thing shouldn’t we be fair? I’m a huge yankee fan but if the guy supposedly did the same thing barry supposedly did then lets not make this a black white issue, play it fair, the same.
  
  And about bernie madoff, let me get some of his xmas a hanukkah presents!
http://www.stilettosetsports.com Mike

There are a lot more important things to deal with, but he’s pretty much a fool if he lied about anything that they can prove.
Nigel Bangs

i bet 10 mill is going to look like a pretty sweet deal soon. what a boner.
- http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside
  
  Yeah. 10M can pay for lots of flights to DC.
http://nyfaninboston.blogspot.com/ Manimal

You guys hear about that guy that tried to fake his death because he is a executive for some big time company and he is charged with fraud. He crashed a plane and ejected himself from it and then swam to like Alabama from Florida.
- Brooklyn Ed
  
  ~~how~~ did he isolated himself from the sharks?
huuz

what is the timeframe for another hearing/testimony…

i don’t know how fast these things move, but it seems that they go quite slowly. maybe it wouldn’t happen until 2010?

at any rate, this is an excellent point…i hope the FO is taking this into account.
http://Greg Greg P

Speaking of mindless legal news, looks like Eddie Curry is upholding the fine Knicks tradition.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/9069736/Curry-slapped-with-sex-harassment-suit?MSNHPHMA
- A.D.
  
  thats a crazy story
- http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com Rebecca-Optimist Prime
  
  I would say “and this is why I’m a Nets fan”, but we had the whole Jayson Williams thing. And hell, we hired Marv Albert.
  - http://Greg Greg P
    
    Totally shafting Ian Eagle in the process. The Bird is one of the best.
    - http://www.puristbleedspinstripes.com Rebecca-Optimist Prime
      
      I know!!
      
      It’s a shame. The Devils’ announcers are amazing, Doc and Chico.
      
      So Jersey teams got the best GMs and the best announcers. Damn, I love this state!
      
      And, you know, outside of Secaucus, it doesn’t actually smell!
http://Greg Greg P

In fairness, the guy has a rap sheet. Could be making the whole thing up.
JeffG

For the past couple of years I have tried to ignore the steroid conversation as it has distracted too many from the simple game of baseball. Sad as it was, half of baseball’s coverage in 2007 was dedicated to the subject of steroids rather than the actual game. But now that it is subsiding, perhaps it is something that we should look on openly and truthfully – without the knee-jerk, bad-guy mentality – and hopefully with some common sense.

From the late 80’s until 2000-whatever players where doing nothing different as they tried to give themselves and their team the win (no matter what the cost). That is really the history of baseball – is it not? That is competition. There was a long day ago when the curveball was ungentleman. A stolen base is stolen. To a degree cheating has always been a part of the game. Getting away with something – the outside pitch – to a much lesser degree.
So when do we condemn? My belief is that it happened when the commissioner’s office and the union said enough is enough.
Before that, players were doing all they could for their teams and surely for themselves. However, it was not an anomaly, and it was a large part of the game. To the rule – players have always been given leeway. Understanding that, do you not convict the culture and what was allowed?
There is where I have a problem. There is where I find fault in stripping individuals who still rose above their era. How do you deny them for what they accomplished?
No one knows the percent of players that used drugs to enhance their ability. But everyone knows that there was a good many that did. Perhaps a majority, and undoubtedly, at the time, nobody did anything about it.
However, once the cleanup began it was easy to find examples and ultimately scapegoats – the best players of that era. Mark McGwire – who probably would not have passed 61; Barry Bonds – who would have never passed Hank; Roger Clemens – who would not have passed 300 wins with ease.
Do we really strip them? We’ve already taken the game away from the last two. But are we so blind, not to see that it was allowed? Are we not to blame baseball? I personally will never doubt the talent of all three mentioned. But I will doubt the logic that picks and chooses history when it never had a set date.
– I’m smashed now – this may be mushy – but I think the argument against players that took part in the blind eye era should not be reduced to nothing.
A Day In Court – With a Decent Jury.
- JeffG
  
  Baseball didn’t stop it, there was no penalty, most players were getting away with it – playing to a potential, right or wrong, – that was their best. A team with the best players wins – and who doesn’t make that decision?
AARON

Just go sign Randy Wolf please