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MAJOR LEAGUES: Agent first to talk in Congress probe of doping in MLB

An employee of the sports agency that represents pitching stars Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte spoke to the US congressional committee investigating drugs in Major League Baseball (MLB) on Thursday.

The agent, Jim Murray, was the first person known to have been interviewed by lawyers for the committee, which will hold a Feb. 13 hearing focusing on Clemens' denial of allegations in the Mitchell Report.

Murray's name was mentioned several times in a recorded conversation between Clemens and his former personal trainer Brian McNamee that the seven-time Cy Young Award winner played at a news conference.

"I answered all the questions they asked of me," Murray said in a statement.

Chuck Knoblauch, a former major leaguer who was a teammate of Clemens' on the New York Yankees, is the first of five announced witnesses scheduled to be interviewed by the committee before the hearing. His session was set for yesterday.

Pettitte is to appear on Monday, followed by Clemens on Tuesday, McNamee next Thursday, and former New York Mets clubhouse employee Kirk Radomski on Feb. 12.

Murray is a New York-based employee of Hendricks Sports Management, run by brothers Alan and Randy Hendricks. That agency represents Clemens and Pettitte currently, and represented Knoblauch when he was an active player.

In former senator George Mitchell's report, released in December, McNamee said that he injected Clemens at least 16 times with steroids and human growth hormone in 1998, 2000 and 2001. Clemens has denied the allegations.

■ PHILLIES SIGN FELIZ

AP, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

Free-agent third baseman Pedro Feliz and the Philadelphia Phillies finalized an US$8.5 million, two-year contract on Thursday.

With the option and performance bonuses, the contract could be worth up to US$15 million over three years.

"We said from the beginning of our offseason that we would try to improve the club in any way we could," assistant general manager Ruben Amaro said in a statement. "We feel that with the acquisition of Feliz, we have helped to solidify an already productive infield. Pedro is an above average defender who will provide some overall balance to our lineup."

Feliz hit .253 with 20 homers and 72 RBIs for San Francisco last season.

Last year, Philadelphia's third-base trio of Greg Dobbs, Wes Helms and Abraham Nunez batted .255 with 11 homers and 76 RBIs.

Dobbs and Helms are still on the roster.

Feliz had spent his entire career with the Giants. The eight-year veteran has been a full-time starter since 2004, averaging 21 homers and 84 RBIs.

Feliz, who turns 33 on April 27, is a career .252 hitter with a .288 on-base percentage.
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