Mistrial in Clemens case.

[24fps]

Prosecutors showed inadmissible evidence.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/43740771/ns/sports-baseball/

[JamesI]

what were the prosecutors thinking?

According to ESPN, the prosecutors played a tape from the Clemens testimony to congress where a Congressman read an affidavit from Andy Pettitte's wife that said Pettitte had told her that Clemens had told Pettitte that Clemens used steroids. The statement was ruled hearsay and inadmissible. The prosecuters needed to cut it from the recording, and failed to do so.

[Dipper9]

what were the prosecutors thinking?

According to ESPN, the prosecutors played a tape from the Clemens testimony to congress where a Congressman read an affidavit from Andy Pettitte's wife that said Pettitte had told her that Clemens had told Pettitte that Clemens used steroids. The statement was ruled hearsay and inadmissible. The prosecuters needed to cut it from the recording, and failed to do so.

I'll say Clemens paid them off!

[JDubs]

"Was that wrong? Should I not have done that? I tell you, I gotta plead ignorance on this thing, because if anyone had said anything to me at all when I first started here that that sort of thing is frowned upon..."

[Pedro Cerrano]

I'm sorta lost here. The judge declared it inadmissible as heresay yet that same judge allowed the tape to be played?

Maybe I have the facts wrong.

[Stotle]

I'm sorta lost here. The judge declared it inadmissible as heresay yet that same judge allowed the tape to be played?

Maybe I have the facts wrong.

Judge ordered them to remove certain partsof the recording and they did not.

[JDubs]

Judge ordered them to remove certain partsof the recording and they did not.

Yikes. Might be looking at sanctions.

[Frobby]

Wow, that is embarassing for the prosecutors. Now jury selection has to start all over and two weeks have been utterly wasted.

[Skeletor]

Pretty surprising coming from the Feds.

[JDubs]

Pretty surprising coming from the Feds.

Not really, actually. Federal prosecutors take criminal cases to trial much less frequently than state prosecutors, so the feds usually lack trial experience. Still, this is pretty bad. When the judge tells you to do something, you do it.

[Stotle]

Wow, that is embarassing for the prosecutors. Now jury selection has to start all over and two weeks have been utterly wasted.

Will defense have any case that given the front page news regarding this evidence they will not be able to find a non-biased jury? I don't know the real world application of details like that.

[Frobby]

Will defense have any case that given the front page news regarding this evidence they will not be able to find a non-biased jury? I don't know the real world application of details like that.

I seriously doubt it. It was already in the news for a long time.

[JDubs]

Will defense have any case that given the front page news regarding this evidence they will not be able to find a non-biased jury? I don't know the real world application of details like that.

I thought it was mildly amusing that they jury was filled with women, one presumes, to avoid the bias of the male sports fan.

[waroriole]

I'm not too familiar with double jeopardy, but they were talking about it on ESPN. Does the defense have an argument in this case? It doesn't seem like they would but it was the topic on Sports Center.

[Can_of_corn]

I'm not too familiar with double jeopardy, but they were talking about it on ESPN. Does the defense have an argument in this case? It doesn't seem like they would but it was the topic on Sports Center.

The defense will try but I don't think it gets anywhere.

This is such a fundamental error on the part of the prosecution that I have to wonder if someone on the team threw the case. It sounds insane but so does the magnitude of the mistake they made.