Following on this earlier post about allegedly being thrown out of a youth league game involving one of his sons, Roger Clemens gives his side of the story in this Chronicle article:
Clemens said he didn’t even witness the call in question, one in which Kacy Clemens, who plays for the 10-and-under Katy Cowboys, was called out attempting to steal second base despite an admission from a Bakersfield, Calif., player who said he failed to make the tag.
Clemens said he was standing behind a fence, well away from the action, where he videotaped his son’s base hit and then resumed signing autographs, something he had been doing for most of the afternoon and for the balance of the weekend.
He retreated to his car, per his routine, for a respite from the autograph-seekers.
“They did not ask me to leave,” Clemens said, which conflicts with the account of field supervisor Jim Carpenter, who told the AP he supported the decision to eject Clemens. “I did not even know I was supposedly thrown out. I didn’t see the play my son happened to be involved in. I videoed (taped) his at-bat and when he got a hit and got on first, I put the video camera up and started dealing with the public like I always do.”
Clemens said he was upset no one contacted him or his agent Randy Hendricks to get his version of what happened. Instead, he said, the national media ran with an unsubstantiated story.
Some local media outlets picked up the story, and Clemens said what angered him was the same group of reporters who heralded his return home after he came out of retirement and signed with the Astros on Jan. 12 were quick, in his opinion, to assume the story was correct as reported.
“I’m disappointed in a lot of media because I was only a phone call away, and my agent said anybody could have called up on the story,” Clemens said. “It was reckless the guy that ran the story because I was at the ballpark for at least an hour (after the game ended) signing autographs, and if he had any questions he could have come over and asked me.
“It was reckless by some of the national media that I was able to see comments like I was toe to toe, nose to nose arguing (with the umpire).
“And it’s the same thing here that went on in my hometown. I’m really disappointed because once you guys set these cameras and those pens down, I would think that you would know me a little better than that.”