Roger Clemens is on trial for perjury, which is absolutely thrilling for the three people who just couldn't get enough of the Barry Bonds trial. Actually, Clemens has been on trial for a while, but the original trial ended in mistrial. And now that a jury has been selected, District Judge Reggie Walton is setting the parameters for what is and what is not allowed. One of the things that will be limited is Andy Pettitte's testimony:
Pettitte is expected to say that he used HGH and that he had conversations with Clemens about HGH, but the judge ruled that Pettitte can't identify McNamee as a supplier because the jury might try to connect the dots and conclude that McNamee must have also supplied Clemens -- a case of "classic guilt by association," one of Clemens' lawyers said.
You might know Pettitte as a minor-league prospect, but it turns out he was pretty chummy back in the day. From Jon Heyman:
Walton is suggesting Clemens, an a (sic) great pitcher but fairly apparent scoundrel, shouldn't be tainted by his ties to Pettitte, a nice, religious fellow whose biggest failing as a Yankee was following Clemens around like a puppy dog in the Yankees clubhouse and doing whatever Clemens did.
Heyman then goes on to use "basically honorable" as a modifier for "Pettitte", which reminds me of the toast my father-in-law gave at my wedding. I'm still not sure if it's offensive or refreshing to read such a positive description of an admitted HGH user.