Archive for Tuesday, August 3, 2004

Archive for Tuesday, August 3, 2004

Witnesses want Clemens cleared

Maintenance crew saw no reason for ejection

August 3, 2004

Colton Grinolds and Lennie Gillam watched the sports shows and read the newspaper reports about Roger Clemens' weekend appearance in Craig and they were confused.

"I never saw (Clemens) do anything to get kicked out," said Gillam who, along with Grinolds, is part of the maintenance crew at the Loudy-Simpson complex. "If he did actually get kicked out it was for a lot less than what other parents or coaches are tossed for."

On Saturday, Clemens was in Craig watching his son Kacy play in the Triple Crown World Series for the 10-and-younger Katy (Texas) Cowboys. According to an Associated Press story, Cowboy manager Doug Hanson said that an umpire came over toward the Cowboys' dugout at Field 4 and said, 'He's outta here!"

Hanson said the umpire accused Clemens of spitting a sunflower seed at him after his son was called out on a play at second.

Grinolds and Gillam saw none of that.

"I was watching Clemens because the crowds were starting to gather around him during the game," Gillam said. "He was sitting on a bucket outside the dugout, signing autographs and watching the game. I went over to ask him if he wanted me to keep the crowd away so he could watch the game. He turned to me and said it was OK because he was leaving anyway. He said he was a distraction to the game."

Gillam said right before Clemens got up an umpire came over and said something but he couldn't hear what he said.

"It didn't look like there was anything controversial going on at all," Gillam said. "He just got up and left."

What Gillam saw coincides with the statement that one of Clemens' agents made to the AP on Monday.

"Roger told me he was signing autographs when the disputed call happened and didn't even see the play," sports agent Randy Hendricks said. "To his knowledge, no one ever asked him to leave."

So there are two stories out there:

Clemens argued the call, spit a sunflower seed that landed somewhere near the umpire's feet and was asked to leave; or Clemens decided he was too much of a distraction and got up and left.

"Whenever parents or coaches are asked to leave, it's usually a pretty big deal," said Grindolds, who works every weekend during a Triple Crown function. "I wish I could have talked to the umpire to find out what actually happened because there was never any sort of commotion or problem. Kids just started saying Clemens was thrown out and it spread through the complex."

Triple Crown would not comment or give the name of the umpire who made the call.

After Clemens left he hopped in his car and drove around the complex. Grinolds said he and Gillam had a short conversation with him to tell him that he could watch the game from the fence beyond left field.

"He wasn't upset or anything," Grinolds said. "We just told him where he could watch from, and he said it was cool."

Clemens' contract with the Houston Astros allows him to be away from the team on his off days. Gillam and Grinolds sympathized with the future Hall of Famer.

"He was on vacation and just wanted to watch his son play baseball," Gillam said. "He was signing autographs and up until the last game he would take a picture with the opposing team. He was a complete gentleman about the whole thing whether he was or wasn't kicked out."

Without the version from the umpire at the game the true story may never come out. Clemens agent said the Astros ace considered it a "nonevent." He started Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves and most of the Web sites that carried the story on their home page had moved on to another lead story.

"It shouldn't have been that big of a deal," Grinolds said. "When I saw it on Sports Center I thought it was a little cool that I was there, but that's about it."

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