Pettitte in Court: Clemens Told Me He Used HGH

It took a few years and one blown trial, but federal prosecutors going after Roger Clemens finally got Andy Pettitte on the stand today to issue these sentences:

• "Roger had mentioned to me that he had taken HGH. And that it could help with recovery, and that's really all I remember about the conversation."

That, as the Houston Chronicle notes, is the first court testimony that Clemens lied about using human growth hormone.

It's not bombshell information, notes USA Today, given that Pettitte said as much in a 2008 affidavit. But Pettitte is the star witness, and his testimony could prove pivotal in determining which way the case goes. In cross-examination, Clemens' attorneys quickly tried to make the case that Pettitte misheard the remark. They got him to acknowledge that it was made in "passing" as opposed to in a "focused conversation" and that it came amid the "huffing and puffing" of a workout, reports the AP. Pettitte is expected back on the stand tomorrow. (More Andy Pettitte stories.)