Clemens vs Congress: The Scouting Report
A look at the lineup of lawmakers leading the hearings on steroids in baseball.
Feb. 1, 2008 — -- On Feb. 13, seven-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Roger Clemens and four other witnesses will testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on steroid use in baseball.
When Clemens and others step up to the plate, they will be staring down a formidable dais of lawmakers gunning for answers in the wake of former Sen. George Mitchell's bombshell report on doping in Major League Baseball. In the spirit of this historic showdown between legislators and ballplayers, ABCNEWS.com has prepped a detailed scouting report on Congress' lineup.
Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif.: The staff ace, Waxman is the committee chairman. A gritty performer, Waxman has been willing to throw a hard high one when he presides over the action on his home field of Rayburn 2154. "His honesty and commitment to seeking out the truth is critical for someone in his position, and he is able to pursue the issues that need to be addressed in a reasonable manner while working with both Democratic and Republican members," said fellow committee member Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. As the panel's leader, Waxman will kick off the hearing with an opening statement that will set the tone for what's to come. And rest assured, the California Democrat is guaranteed to go after Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Chuck Knoblauch, Brian McNamee and Kirk Radomski as soon as they are sworn in.
If the witnesses needed any proof of Waxman's bullish mentality, look no further than former MVP Miguel Tejada, who now finds himself the subject of an FBI investigation into whether he lied to committee staff during a 2005 interview related to the Rafael Palmeiro steroid case.
On Jan. 15, when the committee heard from Mitchell, author of a scathing December report on steroid use in baseball, MLB commissioner Bud Selig and players association chief Donald Fehr, Waxman requested that Attorney General Michael Mukasey launch an investigation into Tejada.
"Tejada told the committee that he never used illegal performance-enhancing drugs and that he had no knowledge of other players using or even talking about steroids. The Mitchell Report, however, directly contradicts key elements of Tejada's testimony. The conflict is stark and fundamental to the committee's 2005 investigation, Waxman said at the hearing. Days later, the FBI stepped in. A word to the wise, witness: watch out for Waxman.
Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va.: The No. 1 Republican on the committee, ranking member Davis recently announced his intention to leave Congress at the end of his current term. "After much soul-searching and discussion with those closest to me, I have decided the time is right to take a sabbatical from public life," said the former committee chairman. Before he relinquishes his post on the Hill, Davis will play a lead role in the hearing.
On March 17, 2005, when his committee heard from Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Jose Canseco and Curt Schilling, Davis warned baseball that the committee would continue to pay close attention to the sport's problems.
"Today's hearing will not be the end of our inquiry. Far from it," Davis said. "Nor will Major League Baseball be our sole or even primary focus. We're in the first inning of what could be an extra-inning ball game." After the release of the Mitchell Report in December, Davis co-authored a statement with Waxman, saying that it was "a sad day for Major League Baseball but a good day for integrity in sports." Davis will do all he can to ensure that Feb. 13 is another good day for integrity in sports.
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