Baseball Notebook | Chairman Henry Waxman regrets the hearing

WASHINGTON — A day after a dramatic, nationally televised hearing that pitted Roger Clemens against his former personal trainer and Democrats against Republicans, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said Thursday that he regretted holding the hearing in the first place.

The chairman, Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., said the four-hour hearing unnecessarily embarrassed Clemens, who he thought did not tell the truth, as well as the trainer, Brian McNamee, who he thought was unfairly attacked by committee Republicans.

"I think Clemens and McNamee both came out quite sullied, and I didn't think it was a hearing that needed to be held in order to get the facts out about the Mitchell report," Waxman said.

"I'm sorry we had the hearing. I regret that we had the hearing. And the only reason we had the hearing was because Roger Clemens and his lawyers insisted on it."

The decision to hold the hearing had been made in early January, as Clemens was publicly challenging the veracity of the Mitchell report on performance-enhancing substances in baseball. But Waxman said he and Tom Davis of Virginia, the ranking Republican and former chairman of the committee, decided by last Friday that they did not need to conduct the hearing as scheduled because depositions taken last week from Clemens, McNamee, Andy Pettitte and others were thorough, as was the committee staff's own investigation, and that a hearing would not provide a great deal more insight.

"Roger Clemens' lawyers told us he wanted the opportunity to make his case in public," Waxman said. "He had his opportunity." Now, Waxman added, 90 percent of the people being asked their opinion of the hearing were stating that they did not believe Clemens.

Waxman's regrets, and his assertion that Clemens' side was responsible for the hearing taking place, was assailed Thursday night by Clemens' lead attorney, Rusty Hardin, who said Waxman's statements were "unbelievable, disingenuous and outrageous."

"He is the one who created this circus in the first place," Hardin said of Waxman, contending that Clemens and his lawyers had asked several weeks ago for the hearing to be called off, only to be rebuffed by Waxman's staff.

Also, former President George H.W. Bush confirmed, through a spokesman, that he has reached out to Clemens in the wake of the Mitchell Report's release. And that led to Richard Emery, part of McNamee's legal team, expressing concern that Clemens' ties with the Republicans will lead to the younger President Bush pardoning Clemens of potential perjury and obstruction-of-justice charges.

Notes

• Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia has tabled contract talks with the Cleveland Indians. The left-hander, who is eligible for free agency after the 2008 season, says on his Web site that he and his agents have broken off negotiations on an extension with the club. The Indians have recently offered Sabathia a four-year extension believed to be worth $17 million to $18 million per season.

• Minnesota Twins LHP Francisco Liriano is having visa problems because of a drunken-driving arrest in 2006 and expects to be late for the start of spring training.

• Curt Schilling arrived at spring training to begin rehabilitating his right shoulder after apparently patching up his differences with the Red Sox over the best way to treat it; a doctor Schilling brought in for a second opinion had said the pitcher needed surgery. Schilling met with general manager Theo Epstein, manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell. The pitcher didn't practice outdoors.

• George Steinbrenner is replacing a Yankee Legend. The Yankees will rename their spring-training home in Tampa, Fla., Steinbrenner Field in honor of the man who has owned the team since 1973. The ballpark has been called Legends Field since it opened in 1996.

• 1B Tony Clark and his hometown San Diego Padres finalized a $900,000, one-year contract. Also, the team and C Josh Bard agreed on a contract for $2,237,500. Bard can make another $225,000 in incentives if he starts 112 games.

• OF Brad Hawpe and the Colorado Rockies agreed to a one-year contract worth $3,925,000.

• Washington defeated INF Felipe Lopez in the first arbitration case decided this year when the infielder was awarded $4.9 million rather than the $5.2 million he asked for.