THE 'ROID REPORT FOR THE WEEK OF DEC. 30

by Gary Gaffney, MD, Steroid Nation

Every thing's 'Roger' this week. Roger Clemens. In a week when the ex-world's fastest man gets banned 4 years from track for steroid and the (arguably) world's best female athlete tries to avoid jail for lying about steroids, the world's best pitcher leads the headlines each day by injecting a new angle on his steroid and PED story.

Did the Rocket use 'rocket fuel' or was it B-12/lidocaine ? Does that sound ridiculous? Perhaps because it is.

As we know Roger Clemens, long suspected of PED use because of his amazing longevity as a fire balling pitcher and his incredible recovery from decline in his early 30s, has dodged steroid certainty. As the most shocking chapter of the Mitchell report, Clemens's trainer -- Brian McNamee -- testified that he injected Clemens with anabolic steroids. The Mitchell report documented several anabolic steroids Clemens allegedly used, as well as alleged use of growth hormone.

McNamee also implicated Clemens's close friend, Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte as an HGH user. Pettitte later confessed to limited HGH use, which complicates Clemens's defense.

These chapters in the steroids in baseball story set off an series of aftershocks to the Mitchell earthquake. Clemens's grandstanding lawyer is threatens anyone who as much says Roger picks his nose. However McNamee may prove to be a formidable foe; his lawyer threatened Clemens's with a defamation suit if Clemens's questions McNamee's truthfulness on Roger's hastily scheduled 60 Minutes interview.

Clemens used the Internet tubes to issue a video denial on YouTube where he stated Brian McNamee did not inject steroids into his body.

Scheduled for Sunday evening, the Mike Wallace's-Rocket interview, leaked out to everyone still breathing air. Clemens threw a slider to his buddy Wallace: he did take injections...B-12 and lidocaine.

Clemens invokes the old Raffy Palmeiro B-12 defense. And lidocaine? Lidocaine is used as local anesthetic, and used for serious cardiac rhythm problems when injected intravenously. But regular lidocaine injections? Why? Clemens may be causing his fans cardiac irregularities with his waffling defense. The Rocket is losing credibility faster than Rudy Giuliani is losing voters.

Speaking of politics, Roger Clemens and his buddies Andy Pettitte with Brian McNamee may find themselves sworn in as a Congressional probe. What's next? Jose Canseco to announce he will publish a new book on how he is now "Vindicated" (he did).

By-the-way, the ex-world's fastest man, Justin Gatlin, was given a 4 year ban in track for anabolic steroid use. The (arguably) world's best female athlete asked a federal judge not to sentence her to jail for lying about PED use.

At this rate, Iowa Caucus officials will announce Mitt Romney injected Mike Huckabee with steroids in the Des Moines Holiday Inn men's room...