JURISPRUDENCE

Clemens’ defense lawyer tells jury evidence was manipulated

Roger Clemens’ defense lawyer told jurors that evidence purportedly showing the pitcher used steroids was manipulated by his former strength coach, Brian McNamee.

Rusty Hardin said in his opening statement Tuesday at Clemens’ perjury trial that evidence collected by McNamee was a “mixed up hodgepodge of garbage.”

Hardin says his team will contend that McNamee mixed steroids with Clemens’ DNA into a needle to frame the star pitcher. Hardin said that McNamee had used the needle to inject Clemens with vitamin B-12.

Clemens is accused of lying to Congress when he denied using steroids or human growth hormone.

Hardin said, “We’re here because a man dared to deny” he was guilty of crime. He said the government should never prosecute someone for trying to clear his name.

HIGH SCHOOLS

FOOTBALL: The Maine Principals’ Association football committee is once again trying to add a fourth class.

The committee met Tuesday and began the process to set up a four-division system, which would begin play in 2013. In the coming months, the committee hopes to devise a four-class structure that can be brought before the MPA membership for a vote next spring.

TENNIS

GRAND PRIX SAR: Former U.S. and French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova reached the second round by beating Eleni Daniilidou of Greece 6-1, 7-5 at Fez, Morocco.

ON THE MEND: Top-ranked U.S. tennis player Mardy Fish says he’s “not 100 percent sure” when he will return to the tour after a health scare this month.

Fish hopes he can play in the French Open, which begins May 27. He said doctors are still doing tests to try to figure out exactly what forced him to pull out of the U.S. Davis Cup team’s quarterfinal against France in early April.

BARCELONA OPEN: Andy Murray defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-3, 6-2 in the second round in Spain.

SOCCER

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Chelsea eliminated defending champion Barcelona and reached the final with a grueling 2-2 tie, winning the semifinal on 3-2 aggregate despite playing most of the game a man short at Barcelona.

Seeking its first Champions League title, Chelsea advanced to the May 19 final at Munich. In the other semifinal, Real Madrid is home today trying to overturn a 2-1 deficit against Bayern Munich.

FOOTBALL

NFL: The Washington Redskins signed free-agent linebacker Chris Wilson, who returns to the team after two years in the CFL. Wilson played for Washington from 2007-10.

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