Clemens open to lie-detector test

NEW YORK Clemens seemed to be opening the door to a confrontation with Brian McNamee in front of Congress if the pair testifies under oath at a scheduled January 16th hearing. ttt During an interview broadcast Sunday night, Clemens he might be willing to take a lie-detector test. Asked about close friend Andy Pettitte admitting to using human growth hormone, he said he was "shocked." ttt And, he said once again that he probably will retire. ttt The seven-time Cy Young Award winner said he would have spoken with baseball drug investigator George Mitchell had he been aware McNamee accused him of using steroids and HGH. ttt Clemens is perhaps the most prominent player implicated in last month's Mitchell Report. He steadfastly maintained his innocence and called McNamee's allegations "totally false." ttt "If he's doing that to me, I should have a third ear coming out of my forehead. I should be pulling tractors with my teeth," said Clemens, who wore a lavender button-down shirt during the interview, which was taped December 28th at his home in Katy, Texas. ttt There were few revelations in the much-hyped interview for "60 Minutes," but one came when Clemens was asked whether he could conceivably take a lie detector test. ttt "Yeah," he answered. "I don't know if they're good or bad." ttt Clemens is to hold a news conference Monday in Houston, part of his campaign to clear his name. In addition, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has asked Clemens, Pettitte and McNamee to testify, heightening the stakes and putting them potentially in legal jeopardy. ttt Former Yankees teammate Chuck Knoblauch, McNamee and former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, who allegedly supplied McNamee with performance-enhancing drugs, also have been asked to testify. ttt Eighth on the career list with 354 wins, the 45-year-old Clemens said he was angered McNamee's accusations have been accepted as truth by some. ttt "It's hogwash for people to even assume this," Clemens said. "Twenty-four, 25 years, Mike. You'd think I'd get an inch of respect. An inch." ttt Clemens also discussed his use of Vioxx, an arthritis medication withdrawn from the market in 2004 because a clinical trial revealed increased risk of heart attack and stroke. ttt "I was eating Vioxx like it was Skittles," Clemens said. "And now - now these people who are supposedly regulating it, tell me it's bad for my heart." ttt Clemens has said he was retired after each of the past four seasons but came back each time, spending three seasons with his hometown Houston Astros and then returning to the Yankees last year. He said "you'll never see me pitch again," but hedged slightly and said "probably." ttt "The higher you get up on the flagpole, the more your butt shows. I understand all that," he said. "But I'm tired of answering to 'em. That's probably why I will not ever play again. I don't want to answer to it. I want to slide off and be just a citizen."