Roger Clemens’ Steroid Supplier Gets Second Chance at Baseball Facility for Kids

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The New York Daily News reports that Brian McNamee has been named the new general manager of Baseball Plus. Baseball Plus is a state of the art facility offering private, professional baseball instruction. It has been described as the “mecca” for kids aspiring to become professional baseball players.  Steve Diamond and Rod Ganis, the owners of Baseball Plus, have given McNamee a second chance at being involved in the sport he loves. McNamee’s life fell apart after he was named as the steroid dealer who provide anabolic steroids and human growth hormone to Major League Baseball player Roger Clemens in the Mitchell Report.

McNamee spent the past summer coaching kids at baseball summer camps at Baseball Plus and the Long Island Sports Complex. This ultimately led to a full-time position as Diamond and Ganis were impressed with his work at the camps.  McNamee’s  appointment as general manager of Baseball Plus comes as his former employer Roger Clemens awaits a retrial on perjury charges.

Interestingly, McNamee’s west coast counterpart, Greg Anderson, was also given a second chance at coaching this year. Anderson was the personal trainer who provided Barry Bonds with anabolic steroids and human growth hormone but chose to site in jail rather than testify against Bonds. Anderson was given the opportunity to become an assistant coach for a youth baseball team in Burlingame (California) in spite of a conviction for selling steroids and his refusal to testify against his childhood friend Barry Bonds. The coaching opportunity was short-lived as negative publicity led to his dismissal by the Burlingame Youth Baseball Association.

Brian McNamee has chosen to fully cooperated with the government during their investigation of Roger Clemens. He is expected to testify against Clemens in a retrial scheduled for April 2012.

It remains to be seen if there is any backlash against Diamond and Ganis for hiring McNamee as the general manager of Baseball Plus. McNamee’s association with steroids in baseball and the inevitable character assassination expected by Clemens’ defense team is certain to provide much negative publicity for Baseball Plus.

Source:

O’Keeffe, M. (September 16, 2011). Brian McNamee, former Rocket trainer, coaches L.I. youngsters while Roger Clemens drama drags on. Retrieved from http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/iteam/2011/09/15/2011-09-15_brian_mcnamee_former_rocket_trainer_coaches_li_youngsters_while_roger_clemens_dr.html