New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, six time Cy Young award winner and one of the greatest pitchers of the modern era, was indicted today by the United States Justice Department on hate crime charges. The charges relate to his assault on catcher Mike Piazza of the New York Mets during the World Series. Clemens allegedly threw a piece of broken bat at Piazza. In a press release earlier today, Justice Department prosecutor Albert Wolfowitz stated, "We have reason to believe that the victim, Mike Piazza, was targeted because of his sexual preference. Quite simply, that constitutes a hate crime and deserves prosecution to the fullest extent of the law." The charges are punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

In an interview with Broken Newz, Piazza was in favor of the lawsuit. "Even though I'm not gay, I think Clemens is such a brute that he deserves this legal action. He brought it on himself by being so butch on the mound. Being straight, and not gay at all, I hold hope that he can turn himself around and take his place in the beautiful rainbow that is Major League Baseball."

Many major league ballplayers appeared at the hearing in support of Piazza. Cleveland outfield Brady Anderson applauded the decision, saying, "Mike surely didn't deserve that. He is a great catcher and a very sensitive, special person. Of course people who pitch are going to look down on people who catch. I've seen a lot of that, believe me."