Pettitte Asks To Be Excused From Hearing

According to the New York Times, Andy Pettitte asked to be excused from testifying publicly during the upcoming hearing in Washington DC. Only Pettitte, his attorney and investigators know what is in the lefty's deposition, but legal experts may predict this to be a bad sign for Roger Clemens and his defense team.

From the article:

The chairman of the House Oversight Committee is supporting Andy Pettitte’s request not to have to testify publicly against his former teammate Roger Clemens at a public hearing on Wednesday, a congressional staff person said Monday.

The chairman, Democrat Henry A. Waxman of California, wants to take Pettitte off the witness list but he is consulting with Republican members of the panel first, said the person, who asked to remain anonymous because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

Two other people familiar with the case said it is also possible that Clemens and his accuser, the former trainer Brian McNamee, may be the only witnesses who will ultimately testify on Wednesday.

Pettitte asked out of public testimony because he did not want to say something to hurt his friend and former teammate while in the glare of national television coverage, according to a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

There has been no final decision on Pettitte’s request, the official said. A final witness list may be released shortly.

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Clemens Trades Lawyers Up

Roger Clemens hired powerhouse lawyer, Jackie Chiles Lanny A. Breuer, a top litigator in Washington D.C., according to the New York Times:

Roger Clemens has bolstered his legal team, hiring a powerhouse Washington lawyer, Lanny A. Breuer, who represented former President Bill Clinton during his impeachment hearings as well as numerous corporations that were the subject of Congressional investigations.

Rusty Hardin, Clemens’s Houston lawyer, said late Thursday that he had recruited Breuer to be his client’s “local counsel” in Washington because of his expertise.

Breuer responded to an e-mail message Thursday night and confirmed he had been retained by Clemens. “This is correct,” he wrote. “This just happened.”

Asked to comment on Clemens’s situation, Breuer wrote, “I’m honored to be joining Rusty Hardin in representing one of the greatest pitchers and athletes in history.”

Breuer, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan, is a partner in the Washington law firm of Covington and Burling and is a co-chairman of its white-collar defense and investigations practice group.

And by "recruited," Hardin meant Clemens told Ol' Rusty to find a lawyer who won't make his client look like an imbecile.

· The latest from Joe Torre on steroid use under his watch:

Joe Torre had no suspicions about Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte using performance-enhancing drugs when they were playing for him with the New York Yankees.

"I didn't see anything that made me suspicious," Torre said Thursday. "But I don't investigate players. I get to know them. If they want to talk, then you're available for them and stuff like that."

· ESPN also reports Brian McNamee is unlikely to receive immunity from Congress.

Pettitte Undecided If He'll Testify

From the ESPN article:

When Congress convenes hearings next week about the Mitchell report, one current Yankees pitcher still doesn't know if he'll be in attendance.

Jay Reisinger, the lawyer for New York pitcher Andy Pettitte, told 1050 ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand that it is "premature" to say if Pettitte will attend next Wednesday's hearings on Capitol Hill.

Reisinger, who also represented Sammy Sosa at the 2005 steroid hearings before the same congressional committee, said he expects to soon hear what the committee's plans are for Pettitte. When he gets those answers, he will discuss the options available to Pettitte.

For Pettitte, this is like the time your big brother crashed the family car with you in it, and little brother has to either spill the beans or protect big bro under the possibility of collecting full blame.

Maybe Pettitte will do what I did in my early years. That is, plead the fifth and hope mom and pops don't revoke our illegal HBO privileges. Speaking of which, thank the Lord for The Wire's return.