Rocket's party blooper shows at perjury trial

Rocket's party blooper shows at perjury trial

Susan Walsh/AP

Former Major League baseball trainer Brian McNamee leaves federal court in Washington on Monday.

The judge presiding over Roger Clemens perjury trial gave prosecutors a big victory on Monday when he ruled that Brian McNamee, the governments chief witness, could tell jurors that he gave human growth hormone to Andy Pettitte, Mike Stanton and Chuck Knoblauch.

But the biggest name that emerged in court didnt belong to an ex- or current Yankee, but to a one-time neighbor of Jose Cansecos.

Alexander Lowrey, a former college baseball player, testified that he met and posed for photos with the pitcher at the now-infamous 1998 barbecue at the sluggers South Florida home.

The obstruction of Congress charge in Clemens six-count indictment claims that the former Yankee star lied when he testified under oath that he was not at the afternoon party at Cansecos home on or about June 9, 1998.

I never was at the party, he said. I wasnt here at this at a party that he had. I could have gone by there after a golf outing. So but I was not at this party.

That is the day that McNamee says he saw Clemens, Canseco and a third man discussing steroids; Lowery not only bolstered McNamees testimony by telling the court that Clemens was present and posed with Lowery, he helped give prosecutors a big boost as they prepare to wrap up their case.

Inadvertently, so did Clemens lead lawyer, Rusty Hardin. U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton had barred McNamee from testifying that he provided HGH to Clemens former teammates, Pettitte and Knoblauch, or that he helped Stanton obtain the drug from former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, because he feared Clemens would be tainted with guilt by association.

But prosecutors argued that they needed to rehab McNamees credibility after Hardins tough cross-examination last week. The prosecutors feared the jury had been left with the impression that McNamee had solely targeted Clemens when he spoke to Sen. George Mitchell and federal investigators about steroids in baseball in 2007.

Walton ruled that McNamee could say he had drug dealings with Pettitte, Knoblauch and Stanton, but told jurors the information could only be used to determine McNamees reliability as a witness and not to infer Mr. Clemens guilt.

Under questioning from prosecutor Daniel Butler, McNamee testified that he was present when Clemens former teammates used HGH. Pettitte had already testified that he used human growth hormone.

McNamee also testified about how his life had been ruined by his role in baseballs steroid scandal. He said his marriage has been destroyed, his relationship with his children is now strained, and he struggles to find work.

I shouldnt have gotten involved, he said.

He said in court last week that he has a medical condition he didnt want to reveal that caused him to have to take breaks, but Monday he told the jury he is a Type 1 diabetic who uses an insulin pump, particularly when under stress. He apologized to the jury for the breaks.

Lowrey, now 25, testified that he was a baseball-crazy 11-year-old when he attended an afternoon party at Cansecos sprawling home. He told jurors that Canseco gave him and other guests a tour of the house, which included a weight room, basketball court and volleyball court, and that he later played Wiffleball with other kids, including Clemens son, Koby.

I was ecstatic, Lowrey testified. Its not every day youre around professional baseball players.

Lowrey said he finally summoned enough courage to ask Clemens to pose for a photograph with him. Prosecutors showed the jury a photo of Clemens swimming in Cansecos pool, and another of him posing with the boy.

Hardin tried to chip away at Lowreys testimony by questioning his memory of events that happened 14 years earlier, and although Lowrey acknowledged that he was fuzzy about some details, he was sure that he had seen the pitcher at Cansecos home that day.

Meanwhile, an official from Miller-Coors, Anthony Manny Manuele, told the jury that code on the Lite beer can McNamee says he used to store needles and other waste he used to inject Clemens with steroids would have been on shelves between August 2001 and November 2001. That coincides with the period McNamee says he put the waste in the can.

Manuele said the company doesnt want its beer sitting on shelves for too long. We want consumers to enjoy the great taste of Miller Lite while its still fresh, he said.

An FBI fingerprint expert, Elizabeth Fontaine, also testified that Clemens fingerprints had not been found on the can, the medical waste or other evidence. But, she added, that does not mean the pitcher did not have possession of the items at some point.

Court will not be in session on Tuesday because Walton has a schedule conflict, and there will only be a half-day of testimony on Wednesday. But prosecutors told the judge they hope to wrap up their case as early as Friday. Hardin said the defense would need seven or eight working days to present its case. If the case extends beyond June 8, Walton may call a month-long recess because of additional conflicts in his schedule.