New York Cheaters?

1) We were struck on two fronts last evening with two potential issues for NY professional athletes perhaps bending/breaking the rules for their benefit. One is an ongoing story and the other a more recent and potentially breaking news story.

• Roger Clemens claims he was only injecting "vitamins and pain killers".


• N.Y Islanders goalie was forced to remove /relinquish his new goalie pads last night

2) First the Clemens issue. Some of his impending 60 minutes interview with 98 year old Mike Wallace became public/published yesterday. In it Clemens made claims that he did not use any Human growth hormone or steroids, but instead received a combination of a vitamin supplement and a pain killer.

3) Since we're not physicians we decided last night to shoot off an e-mail to our resident medical expert, Dr. Varga. The good Dr. was kind enough to respond this morning. He of course wanted us to give his usual disclaimer that none of what he says is based upon any inside information/direct knowledge, etc.

4) He said that he knows of no Dr./medical rational where they would inject BOTH vitamin B-12(which he called 'Cyclobalamine') a red liquid, and Lidocaine, a local anesthetic, together. He wrote that he frequently injects B-12 into patients. Its a minimally painful procedure. He went on to say that Lidocaine is used to anaesthetise an area prior to a minor surgical or dental procedure, OR is sometimes mixed with injectable steroids into joints or areas of inflammation such as into a knee/shoulder, etc. "Never into a patient's buttocks alone unless the patient were having a mole or something removed from his hind quarters".

5) If that's Clemens defense then either he's lying about his steroid usage OR he was given the drugs without his knowledge. Its hard to fathom that a health/fitness fanatic like Roger wouldn't know exactly what was being put into his body. If either those are true, the only way we at FAUXRUMORS will believe Roger is if he sues those involved for 'poisoning him, and/or goes under oath to affirm his innocence. Else its all PR BS.

6) Next, is the Rick DiPietro pads issue. Still very early in the process, and we will withhold final judgement until we hear all the facts, but this is what we have heard at this juncture. Ricky received new pads recently. He states he has been 'breaking them in in practice' the past few days and then attempted to use them in last night's contest against the Florida Panthers. Apparently its league policy that any new equipment needs to be first inspected/approved by the NHL prior to its usage in a game else the player faces disciplinary action.

7) In interviews after the game last night he and the team's equipment manager claimed that they thought they had league approval to use the new equipment. Said DiPietro: " I was under the impression that they'd been approved." Rick admitted that he knew going into the game that they had not yet been inspected by the league but felt that after a pre game call to the league that they had tacit approval to use them. Apparently that was not the case. After the 1st period a call came down from Toronto that the pads needed to be removed and not used until they could be inspected.

8) We asked around to folks who were watching the game and some did say that they felt the new pads seemed a bit bigger, and also during the first period, television broadcasters actually mentioned that "the pads looked bigger". However its unclear/unknown at this time IF that is the case. It would be a case of immense stupidity if true. Its equally a case of stupidity to have even tried to play with them knowing that they weren't officially sanctioned by the league. As a result of these actions DiPietro faces a possible 2 game ban. If the pads are shown to be illegal its possible an even longer suspension could be handed down by the league.