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Nitkowski: Clemens spoke of Canseco party

BY JIM BAUMBACH | jim.baumbach@newsday.com

February 28, 2008

WASHINGTON - Former major-league pitcher C.J. Nitkowski told Newsday he recently relayed a story to a congressional investigator and a federal agent that Roger Clemens once told him about being at Jose Canseco's Florida home before a party.

But Nitkowski said he stressed to the investigators that he could not say with any certainty that the story Clemens told him has to do with the widely discussed 1998 Canseco party that is at the center of the Brian McNamee-Clemens dispute.

According to Nitkowski, Clemens told him a story several years ago in which Jose Canseco's then-wife, Jessica, was sunbathing topless in the backyard before a party. Clemens, according to Nitkowski, mentioned to Canseco that she probably should cover up before people arrive.

Nitkowski pitched briefly for the Yankees and Mets in a 10-season major-league career. He said yesterday that he did not remember the story until he watched the Feb. 13 congressional hearings on television, "which jogged my memory a bit."

Not long after the hearing, investigators who had interviewed Nitkowski reached out to him again, and he said he felt a responsibility to tell them about the story, even though he is not sure of the timing.

"All I've been doing is answering the questions they've asked," Nitkowski said. He is in an awkward and uncomfortable position because he doesn't want to be viewed as if he's trying to help bring down Clemens, who he said "always treated me with respect."

Nitkowski, a pitcher for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in Japan, started using McNamee as a trainer during the 2001-02 offseason. The St. John's product often was included in the workouts along with Clemens, Andy Pettitte and McNamee at Clemens' Houston home.

Nitkowski still uses McNamee as his trainer.

"I do support Mac, and I hope he comes through this all right," he said. "But what I won't do is exaggerate anything."