Roger Clemens jury selected; perjury trial opens Wednesday

[Cereal Kyller]

Source: Washington Post

The perjury trial of Roger Clemens is slated to open Wednesday with a jury of 10 women and two men sitting in judgment of the former star pitcher accused of lying to Congress about using performance-enhancing drugs.

Federal prosecutors and Clemens’s defense lawyers on Tuesday winnowed the jury pool down to 12 from 36 candidates, ending four days of intense questioning of more than 50 Washingtonians about their backgrounds — down to their favorite sports teams.

Among the jurors who made the final cut were a retired painter at the Smithsonian Institution, a letter carrier, a part-time health aide, a lawyer for the Federal Communications Commission and a yoga instructor. Four others, two men and two women, were chosen as alternates for the trial, which is expected to last perhaps a month.

During the final round of the selection process Tuesday afternoon, Clemens watched quietly as his lawyers huddled over notes and discussed prospective jurors in whispers before striking them from the final panel. Federal prosecutors and FBI agents conducted their own session just feet away.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/roger-clemens-jury-selected-perjury-trial-opens-wednesday/2011/07/12/gIQAU2IRBI_story.html?hpid=z4

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Lying to Congress? That bastard! I hope he gets the exact same treatment Ollie North did!

[Occulus]

1. I'm of the same opinion

Statements made during jury selection aside, were I on that jury I'd have a hard time convicting due to sheer hypocrisy.

Lying to Congress?

And Congresspersons don't lie, regularly?

Doesn't this sort of situation destroy everything we teach our children about lies?

Don't you think they should ALL be fired?

[Cereal Kyller]

2. Baseball. It's Baseball.

It's FUCKING baseball. That's all.

[GliderGuider]

13. +1

If it was important I'd get worked up. As it is ... it's a game. A form of play. Other people play and we watch them play...

Lying to Congress about playing? Get a life.

[Tutankhamun]

3. This is so ridiculous.

Clemens finished his career in an era when most MLB players were using anabolic steroids.

It's not cheating if the other team was doing it first.

[SoDesuKa]

5. Unsportsmanlike Conduct

Baseball players are role models for children. Say what you will about it being a business, it's still a sport. Clemens not only cheated as a baseball player, he lied to Congress about it. I hope he goes to jail.

[HankyDubs]

7. I hope Clemens goes to jail

For wearing a yankee uniform and throwing at people's heads, but not for this.

[chelsea0011]

14. I wish I could remember the rookie that faced Clemens some time ago.

He was up swinging away and made contact. Clemens put him down next time he got up. After the game Clemens said he didn't like how hard he was swinging at his pitches. Clemens once pitched batting practice to his son Koby. Koby hacked away and got a hit off the old man. The next pitch brushed Koby off the plate. Father had a good laugh. But you are right. Clemens should be tried for throwing the broken bat at Piazza. This is a prosecution going way overboard. And I believe he is lying POS, but so be it.

[No Elephants]

9. Will Congress be regulating pop singers, too? They're role models for kids as well.

And protecting owners in the the music business from antitrust laws?

Enough is enough.

[AnneD]

19. Where are the charges against....

The oil CEO's, Wall Street Execs, Banking CEO's....

I think price rigging, stealing billions, and destroying the middle class is a far more serious crime.

[Tutankhamun]

17. "He not only cheated as a baseball player..."

As I said, it's not cheating if the other team was doing it first. In his last few years, the vast majority of hitters he faced were juiced. Once, arguably the best pitcher in the league, Clemens suddenly found himself facing an onslaught of chemically enhanced opponents. There's a big difference between a natural athlete and an athlete who uses drugs. Clemens found this out the hard way.

Fault him if you will, but if you do, you have to also fault most players from that era, especially your heroes.

[SpiralHawk]

8. Republicon Family Values predominate for Clemens and...the other players of that era

They felt cheating (R) was okay because they had Republicon Family Values.

Disgustipating.

[alp227]

4. 10 women and 2 men? I guess that the prosecutors thought men would be biased

as this trial involves an athlete and you know the deal with gender and sport.

[girl_interrupted]

6. Funny they go after baseball players and not banks

Never liked Clemens, but honestly, banks did and do more damage and get a free pass. Guess congress can't turn on their friends.

[Po_d Mainiac]

11. And the banksters lied under oath

before both the FCIC and Congress

[No Elephants]

10. It's long past time to end the antitrust exemption for baseball and end Congress's excuse

for interfering in the sport. This sad display of Congressional priorities could not be more ludicrous, given four wars and global economic collapse.

ETA: Four wars that we know of.

[rubberducky]

12. Exactly! But, going after a baseball player is so much easier than

doing real work for the people. Like, I don`t know maybe raising the debt ceiling.

[Exultant Democracy]

15. Didn't Bush lie to congress to get us into a war? I would rather we delt with that first.

Fuck the little fish they never hurt me our the country. Baseball is literally meaningless when it comes to matters of life and death, war and peace, and poverty vs prosperity.

[Bragi]

16. This is stupid. Is there a livefeed?

I must watch this stupid and pointless trial closely.

Who's doing gavel-to-gavel coverage?

[Cereal Kyller]

18. Nice attempt at

:sarcasm: