Clemens' 60 Minutes interview

[bobmc]

I think that's the key. Now he can refuse to answer questions by saying "he can't discuss certain topics due to an ongoing lawsuit". This way, he doesn't have to talk while not looking like a fool (like McGwire).

Wow - thanks MR and FLK - briwwiant as the Guinness guys like to intone! :-(

[Frobby]

I'd guess that Mike Wallace wasn't as aggressive on Clemens as we might expect because there was likely some stipulation that he couldn't grill him too much.

To get that exclusive interview, I bet CBS was willing to make some concessions in how Clemens was questioned.

I can't imagine Mike Wallace agreeing in advance to pull his punches.

[RShack]

ps: If you do have a couple million extra, we have a great little 3-property beach-front compound we're ready to sell. (Great timing, I know, but my bride wants to be nearer to the grandkids.)

Is this saying from a movie or something? I've seen it used on the OH at least 20 times in the past 2 weeks, not exaggerating here. No offense but I'm starting to despise it, can't we think of any other brief jokes claiming someone is a fool?

Huh? It's not from a movie, it's from my life. We really do have a beach-front compound that we wanna sell, mostly because my bride wants to be nearer to the grandkids. Honest, it's true. Beautiful beach, right near a wildlife refuge, cool houses, pays for itself, it's great. But the timing sucks, and the local real estate droids say there's nothing to be done until the market comes back, unless we wanna sell it for half-price. And, while I'm willing to sell it for 70% of what it was worth a couple years ago, back before the sub-prime thing hit, I'm not ready to sell it for half of that. Especially since I'm not sure exactly what a beach compound has to do with the sub-prime market, except that everybody got out of the mood. But this is prolly more than you really wanted to know, isn't it...

[Moose Milligan]

I can't imagine him pulling his punches via either scenario, but he definitely pulled them. There were a couple different writers on ESPN that predicted it would happen in articles published last week. Turns out they were right. It was pretty embarrassing IMO.

I don't think they agreed beforehand to pull punches, I think Wallace just went easy on him.

Interesting post above about the timing of the defamation suit, though, how it coincides with the hearing.

[Boy Howdy]

Huh? It's not from a movie, it's from my life. We really do have a beach-front compound that we wanna sell, mostly because my bride wants to be nearer to the grandkids. Honest, it's true. Beautiful beach, right near a wildlife refuge, cool houses, pays for itself, it's great. But the timing sucks, and the local real estate droids say there's nothing to be done until the market comes back, unless we wanna sell it for half-price. And, while I'm willing to sell it for 70% of what it was worth a couple years ago, back before the sub-prime thing hit, I'm not ready to sell it for half of that. Especially since I'm not sure exactly what a beach compound has to do with the sub-prime market, except that everybody got out of the mood. But this is prolly more than you really wanted to know, isn't it...

If you insist on sitting around waiting for the best deal, waiting for the market to set itself, you're going to be stuck owning that beach-front compound until the waves carry it away it in two years. What if a meteor crashes into it in April? Bet you'll be sorry then.

You're asking price is just that- what you're asking. The buyers offers tell you what it's really worth. You need to do something now. You should have done it yesterday. I'm giving you until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, but I already have serious doubts about what you're doing.

If you want to move -move now. You can't think about where you're going. You just need to put your stuff in the van and hit the gas.

You're probably just thinking about taking Selig's job anyway.

[RShack]

If you insist on sitting around waiting for the best deal, waiting for the market to set itself, you're going to be stuck owning that beach-front compound until the waves carry it away it in two years. What if a meteor crashes into it in April? Bet you'll be sorry then.

You're asking price is just that- what you're asking. The buyers offers tell you what it's really worth. You need to do something now. You should have done it yesterday. I'm giving you until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, but I already have serious doubts about what you're doing.

If you want to move -move now. You can't think about where you're going. You just need to put your stuff in the van and hit the gas.

You're probably just thinking about taking Selig's job anyway.

I'd be more-than-thrilled to get 1 year of Payton's salary for it, and I'd take less ;-)

[tywright]

Anybody see the ESPN coverage of the press conference and see the negative public comments from message boarders? That's pretty irresponsible of ESPN especially since the comments were all negative towards Clemens.

[Mu'ayyidSaafir]

Is this saying from a movie or something? I've seen it used on the OH at least 20 times in the past 2 weeks, not exaggerating here. No offense but I'm starting to despise it, can't we think of any other brief jokes claiming someone is a fool?

I think you may be thinking of the line, "if you believe that, then I've got some swampland in Florida I'd like to sell you." I think it's originally from a Marx Brothers movie, and refers to an actual scam involving Florida real estate where people were duped. I think rshack really wants to sell his house.

[Moose Milligan]

Wow, Clemens just said he doesn't give a rat's ass about the Hall of Fame.

I find that a bit hard to believe.

He's really going all out.

The phone call between him and the trainer was pretty interesting, too. The guy seemed genuinely apologetic, but it doesn't explain why he still named Clemens in the Mitchell report.

[Boy Howdy]

I think you may be thinking of the line' date=' "if you believe that, then I've got some swampland in Florida I'd like to sell you." I think it's originally from a Marx Brothers movie, and refers to an actual scam involving Florida real estate where people were duped. I think rshack really wants to sell his house.[/quote']

I always thought it originated with this famous Brooklyn Bridge scam:

Since the bridge was completed in 1883, the idea of illegally selling it has become the ultimate example of the power of persuasion. A good salesman could sell it, a great swindler would sell it, and the perfect sucker would fall for the scam.

But this was not just a rhetorical or a fictional conceit. A turn-of-the-century confidence man named George C. Parker actually sold the Brooklyn Bridge more than once. According to Carl Sifakis, who tells his story in "Hoaxes and Scams: A Compendium of Deceptions, Ruses and Swindles," Parker - who was also adept at selling the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Statue of Liberty and Grant's Tomb - produced impressive forged documents to prove that he was the bridge's owner, then convinced his buyers that they could make a fortune by controlling access to the roadway. "Several times," Mr. Sifakis wrote, "Parker's victims had to be rousted from the bridge by police when they tried to erect toll barriers."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/27/nyregion/thecity/27brid.html

[BillySmith]

Why in the world would Roger not just tell the guy to tell the truth? I think I know one really, really good answer. And it's not good for Roger.

[Baltimoron]

I can't imagine Mike Wallace agreeing in advance to pull his punches.

I can't imagine he's been able to throw a punch in years, assuming he ever really could. But he was good in the Insider

Wallace is admittedly good friends with Roger and misrepresented McNamee's willingness to participate.

He clearly had an agreement in advance with Clemens. This was a celebrity interview, not a chance to get to the bottom of any issue.

[tennOsfan]

If you caught Clemens' press conference today, it was pretty amusing. He starts to drink a bottled water, stops, and asks the media, "Is it alright if I drink water? Is that ok?"

Throughout most of it, Clemens is horribly defensive. His lawyer picks up on it, apparently doesn't like it, and passes Roger a note to "lighten up." Well, he didn't. Instead, he READS THE NOTE ALOUD!!!! Then he says, "It's kinda hard to."

If I was his lawyer, I'd have walked out right then. He could have had his retainer back. What a jack***.

[Mashed Potatoes]

I think you may be thinking of the line' date=' "if you believe that, then I've got some swampland in Florida I'd like to sell you." I think it's originally from a Marx Brothers movie, and refers to an actual scam involving Florida real estate where people were duped. I think rshack really wants to sell his house.[/quote']

Haha! My bad rshack, thanks for the clarification.

I always thought it originated with this famous Brooklyn Bridge scam:

Since the bridge was completed in 1883, the idea of illegally selling it has become the ultimate example of the power of persuasion. A good salesman could sell it, a great swindler would sell it, and the perfect sucker would fall for the scam.

But this was not just a rhetorical or a fictional conceit. A turn-of-the-century confidence man named George C. Parker actually sold the Brooklyn Bridge more than once. According to Carl Sifakis, who tells his story in "Hoaxes and Scams: A Compendium of Deceptions, Ruses and Swindles," Parker - who was also adept at selling the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Statue of Liberty and Grant's Tomb - produced impressive forged documents to prove that he was the bridge's owner, then convinced his buyers that they could make a fortune by controlling access to the roadway. "Several times," Mr. Sifakis wrote, "Parker's victims had to be rousted from the bridge by police when they tried to erect toll barriers."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/27/ny...ty/27brid.html

Thanks again, both of those variations were what I was thinking of.

From now on we should all say, "for anyone who thinks (X), I have rshack's house to sell you."