Well, I hope all of you had a more productive and exciting weekend than I did. You see, besides going out to watch the Aeros lose, I spent my time inside reading. Oh, not reading anything fun or insightful. Nothing like that.
I was reading depositions.
Depositions from the Roger Clemens/Brian McNamee cage match.
Most of the depositions of those interviewed by the Congressional investigators are actually posted online. So I spent my weekend with Andy Pettitte, C.J. Nitkowski, Brian McNamee, the Rocket and others. And I’ll have plenty to say about all of those as the week goes on, but right now I’m here to talk about the Nanny.
First, I feel kind of sorry for the lady. She didn’t ask to thrust me into the spotlight. She didn’t ask to go to Jose Canseco’s for a weekend in June of 1998, but the Rocket family went on a trip to Miami, so she came along as part of her job. And this put her right where McNamee alleges Clemens and Canseco had a little steroids powwow.
The Nanny had been working for the Rocket family for 13 years before that fateful weekend, and she would work with them until the birth of her grandson in 2001. She stated in the deposition that the Rocket family spent the night at Canseco’s that weekend, but that she doesn’t recall there being a party, and she doesn’t know if Rocket stayed the night (pg. 7). She does recall that Rocket came by to look at the Canseco mansion, and she recalls that Canseco gave Rocket a tour (pg. 8).
She also knows that this is the only time she’s been to Canseco’s house (pg. 8).
Now, fast forward to the Sunday before last, when she’s contacted by a guy named Roberto who works for the Rocket, and she’s asked to come out to Rocket’s house – this would be the first time she’s seen any member of the Rocket family since 2001 (pg. 24).
According to the Nanny, Rocket asked her if she remembered the Cheeca Lodge trip and she said yes (pg. 15). The Cheeca Lodge is where the family stayed in Miami after leaving Canseco’s. Then comes the good part, which, I’m sure, some good attorneys out there might find to be a bit of testimony coaching.
Quoting from the transcript on page 17:
“Q.: And when you said you didn’t remember a party, [Clemens] said the reason you don’t remember is because [Clemens] wasn’t there? A.: Correct.”
You see, where this gets mixed up a bit is, after the lunch break during the hearings, Rocket admitted to dropping by the party, but just for a bit. So maybe there was a party after all. The Rocket just keeps changing the story a bit.
But I’m not done. When asked why she hasn’t seen or been in contact with the Rocket family since she left them in 2001, the Nanny answers: “I don’t want them to think it is about the money or anything like that.” (Pg. 24.)
What money? What’s money got to do with any of this?
Then, on page 25, the Nanny says, “This is not about the money….There is no money involved.”
What money? Really, someone, anyone, ask a follow-up question here. Why does the Nanny keep talking about money when she talks about Rocket? This is interesting because Brian McNamee states in his deposition that the Rocket family and the Nanny did not part on good terms. And here, while the Nanny speaks glowingly of Rocket, she keeps saying that this is not about the money. No sir. Not about the money. And nobody from the investigative staff ever asked her anything about any money. Not before she says this isn’t about the money. Not after she says this isn’t about the money.
I want to know what money she’s talking about.
It’s just damn suspicious.
But that’s not the strangest thing of the whole depo. Not by a long shot. And this is something that no one else has picked up on, let alone the Congressional investigators, but this is that something that’s gnawing at me.
The investigators ask the Nanny who was present when she met with Rocket last Sunday out at his place. Here’s her answer from page 24 of the transcript: “His mom was present while we were talking, just kind of close, but nobody else.”
Why is this a big deal? Rocket’s mom is dead. Don’t you remember? She died in September of 2005. Don’t you remember the glowing stories from the media about what a brave, courageous man Rocket was for pitching on the day his mom died?
So how could Rocket’s mom have been present for that conversation between the Nanny and Rocket? She’s dead. How could a dead woman be present for this conversation?
I don’t know, but the solution to this is simple: Either the Nanny or the Rocket needs to place a call to these guys. I know they’re based out of New York, but I hear they do great work.
— John Royal
This article appears in Feb 14-20, 2008.
