The Life and Trials of Roger Clemens

At six feet, four inches and more than 220 pounds, Roger Clemens (1962– ) was a major figure in baseball for nearly a quarter century. The best pitcher of his generation, his 4,672 strikeouts rank third all-time. He dominates modern statistical analysis.
High strung and temperamental, Clemens got into a barroom brawl during his first semester at University of Texas and once was jailed for punching out a Houston police officer. He endured sports writers heckling his inarticulate English and hostile fans decrying his aggressive pitching style.
He retired in 2007 at 45 amid allegations of performance-enhancing drug use. Questioned by a Congressional committee about his alleged use of steroids, Clemens was accused of perjury but later acquitted. This book covers his life and his sensational but controversial career, with anecdotes from such baseball legends as Ted Williams, Casey Stengel and David Ortiz.

Married to poet Taube Cyrus, Hansen Alexander is an attorney living in New York City. His published works include two novels, two biographies and two general interest works on American law.

Hansen Alexander
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 272
Bibliographic Info: 10 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2017
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6576-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2594-2
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

 1. The Self Invention of Roger Clemens 11

 2. The Consistency of Roger Clemens 20

 3. The Passive Injector 41

 4. Keeping Up Appearances with George Mitchell 52

 5. Evidence? What Evidence? 66

 6. Roger Clemens’ Last Brawl with the Baseball Writers 77

 7. An Investigation of the Investigation 98

 8. Clemens Gets Clobbered in Congress 104

 9. The Desperados 116

10. The Mysterious Mister McNamee 126

11. Squeezing McNamee 140

12. The Trial That Wasn’t 148

13. A Prosecutor’s Dream Jury 158

14. Rusty Hardin’s Comfort Zone 176

15. The Government’s ­Double-Edged Swords 186

16. When the Evidence Told Roger Clemens’ Side of the Story 195

17. A Theory of the Case 207

18. At Home in Houston 223

19. Roger Clemens, Family Man 227

Chapter Notes 231

Bibliography 252

Index 255

“Expertly researched..a welcome contribution to sports biography collections and highly recommended.”—Midwest Book Review.