WASHINGTON - Nearly a year after Roger Clemens told Congress he did not use performance-enhancing drugs, a federal grand jury is being asked to determine whether he should be indicted on charges of lying under oath.

The grand-jury probe was confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday by two people who were briefed on the matter. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because grand jury proceedings are supposed to be secret.

Congress asked the Justice Department to look into whether the seven-time Cy Young Award winner lied last February, when he testified under oath at a deposition and a public House hearing that he never took illegal performance enhancers.

That contradicted the sworn testimony of his former personal trainer, Brian McNamee, who said under oath that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone. Clemens last played in the major leagues in 2007, with the New York Yankees.

The Justice Department brought the case to a grand jury - which is based in Washington - after an 11-month FBI inquiry. A grand jury allows prosecutors to get sworn testimony from witnesses and collect documents. The investigation is being led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Butler, the prosecutor in the D.C. Madam case.

"It's standard operating procedure for a prosecutor, and it's probably been convened for a while," Clemens' lead lawyer, Rusty Hardin, said through spokesman Patrick Dorton.

The grand jury's involvement first was reported by ESPN.com.

Barry Bonds, baseball's career home run leader and a seven-time MVP, is scheduled for a March trial on charges he lied to a federal grand jury in 2003 when he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. That is part of a separate investigation in California that also ensnared star Olympic sprinter Marion Jones, who was sentenced to six months in prison for lying about her steroid use.

McNamee's lawyer, Richard Emery, said his client has not been called as a grand jury witness or received a subpoena. But Emery does expect McNamee to testify again.

"We will be cooperating. We've been in contact with the federal authorities for a year and a half," Emery said. "We look forward to the results, which we fully expect will show that Brian has been telling the truth all along."

Clemens' former teammate, Andy Pettitte, also has not received a subpoena. Pettitte corroborated some of McNamee's claims in a sworn statement to Congress.

Former New York Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski, sentenced to five years' probation last year after pleaded guilty to distributing steroids and laundering money, led investigators to McNamee.

McNamee told federal agents and baseball investigator George Mitchell that he injected Clemens more than a dozen times with steroids and HGH from 1998-01. Clemens' repeated denials of those accusations drew Congress' attention - and the former pitcher then made more denials under oath.

Clemens also filed a civil defamation suit against McNamee, a case pending in federal court in Houston.

Since the referral by Congress, federal investigators have been probing Clemens' past.

Shaun Kelley, owner of a Houston training center, said he had taken a polygraph test for FBI investigators John Longmire and Heather Young in April and that he had denied meeting Clemens or providing the pitcher or any of the pitcher's associates with illegal substances. Kelley said he employed Clemens' stepsister Bonnie Owens for about a year.

Kelley said neither he nor his lawyers had been contacted by the grand jury.

"It is just not fair for me, because they just come down here and throw me under the bus, and I lose half-a-million of business," Kelly said Monday in a telephone interview.

"I know in my heart I passed it," he said of the polygraph, "but the FBI is not known for admitting their mistakes."

Rep. Henry Waxman, the California Democrat who chaired the House committee that heard the testimony of Clemens and McNamee last year, declined to comment.

It was Waxman's Feb. 27 memo that outlined the reasons the panel asked the Justice Department to investigate Clemens, summarizing "seven sets of assertions made by Mr. Clemens in his testimony that appear to be contradicted by other evidence before the committee or implausible."

Those areas involve Clemens' testimony that he has "never taken steroids or HGH;" that McNamee injected him with the painkiller lidocaine; that team trainers gave him pain injections; that he received many vitamin B-12 injections; that he never discussed HGH with McNamee; that he was not at then-teammate Jose Canseco's home from June 8-10, 1998, when their Toronto Blue Jays played a series at the Florida Marlins; and that he was "never told" about Mitchell's request to speak to Clemens before issuing the report containing McNamee's allegations.

The investigation could pose an interesting ethics puzzle for President-elect Barack Obama's incoming team at the Justice Department.

Lawyer Lanny Breuer is expected to be announced any day as Obama's pick to lead the department's criminal division. Breuer was hired by Clemens last year as he prepared for the congressional investigation that has now resulted in a criminal investigation.

When he was hired in January 2008, Breuer said he was "honored" to join the legal team "representing one of the greatest pitchers and athletes in history."

Astros closer Jose Valverde agrees to $8 million

HOUSTON - Closer Jose Valverde and the Houston Astros avoided salary arbitration when they agreed Monday to an $8 million, one-year contract.

The 30-year-old right-hander, who can become a free agent after next season, led the NL with 44 saves last season.

In his first year with Houston after five seasons with Arizona, Valverde went 6-3 with a 3.38 ERA in a career-high 74 appearances. His career record over six seasons is 15-17 with 142 saves and a 3.31 ERA.

"I am very proud of everything I have accomplished and the contract is an example of the reward one gets after having success at the Major League level," Valverde said in a telephone interview from the Dominican Republic with Houston television station KRIV.

"Only God knows where my numbers will end up, but I am very confident in my ability and that I will have a great season, not only this year, but in the years to come," Valverde said. "I feel stronger that I ever have."

Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice elected to Hall of Fame

NEW YORK - Rickey Henderson dashed into the Hall of Fame on his first try, Jim Rice made it with a final swing.

It's hard to imagine their induction speeches will have much in common, either.

"I'm going to leave all the stories to Rickey," Rice said, confirming that his remarks in Cooperstown this summer are likely to match his personality. "Believe me, it's going to be short and quick. I don't think you need to go there and talk for 15 or 20 minutes when you can get right to the point."

That never stopped Henderson - but neither did opposing pitchers or catchers during his 25-year career.

The undisputed standard for leadoff hitters, Henderson received 94.8 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers' Association of America in balloting announced Monday, well above the 75 percent needed.

Rice, among the game's most feared sluggers in the late 1970s and early 1980s, got 76.4 percent in his 15th and final year on the ballot after falling just shy with 72.2 percent last year.

"The only thing I can say is I'm glad it's over with," the Boston outfielder said. "I'm in there and they can't take it away."

Henderson, baseball's career leader in runs scored and stolen bases, became the 44th player elected in his first year of eligibility. Rice was only the third elected by the BBWAA in his final year, joining Red Ruffing (1967) and Ralph Kiner (1975).

The pair will be inducted into the Hall during ceremonies on July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y. They'll be joined by former Yankees and Indians second baseman Joe Gordon, elected posthumously last month by the Veterans Committee.

"I feel great about it. It's been a long time coming," Henderson said. "I was nervous, waiting."

Henderson spoke on a conference call before boarding a flight to New York. He was rushing right along, even on this day.

Only fitting.

Next up, his highly anticipated induction speech. Known for his confounding comments, Henderson has a penchant for referring to himself in the third person - at any point during an amusing stream of sometimes indecipherable chatter.

"It's really just an honor to me. I'm really just spaced out," he said. "I haven't really thought about what I'm going to say."

Henderson was picked on 511 of 539 ballots and Rice was selected on 412, just above the 405 needed.

Rice received only 29.8 percent of the vote in 1995, when he appeared on the ballot for the first time. He initially topped 50 percent in 2000 and reached 64.8 percent in 2006 - the highest percentage for a player who wasn't elected in a later year was 63.4 by Gil Hodges in 1983, his final time on the ballot.

Some thought Rice's prickly personality and curt relationship with reporters during his playing career helped keep him out of the Hall all those years.

"I don't think I was difficult to deal with for writers. I think the writers were difficult to me," he said. "I wasn't going to badmouth my teammates. When you start talking about my teammates or what goes on outside baseball, I couldn't do that.

"I don't know why it took me so long. I don't even want to think about it," he added. "I'm just happy I'm in and that's what I'm going to cherish."

What did he learn all these years?

"Be patient and wait until the last out," Rice said. "I guess everything was just timing, because my numbers have not changed over the last 14 years."

Andre Dawson fell 44 votes short with 67 percent. He was followed by Bert Blyleven (62.7 percent), Lee Smith (44.5), Jack Morris (44.0), Tommy John (31.7) and Tim Raines (22.6). John appeared on the ballot for the final time.

Mark McGwire, stigmatized by accusations he used performance-enhancing drugs, received 118 votes (21.9 percent) in his third year of eligibility, down from the 128 votes he got in each of his first two tries.

Henderson, who played with McGwire in Oakland, said the first baseman was one of the best people he's ever been around.

"He played the game the right way to me," Henderson said. "I feel he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame."

Henderson, the 1990 AL MVP, was a 10-time All-Star who swiped 1,406 bases, one shy of 50 percent more than Lou Brock, who is in second place with 938. Henderson batted .279 with 297 homers, 1,115 RBIs, 2,190 walks and 2,295 runs. He owns the modern-day season record with 130 steals in 1982, and the career mark with 81 leadoff homers. He played for Oakland, the Yankees, Toronto, San Diego, Anaheim, the Mets, Seattle, Boston and the Dodgers.

Henderson wanted to be a football star before his mother persuaded him to give pro baseball a try, figuring it offered a better chance at a long career.

If it were up to Henderson, now 50, he'd still be playing ball.

"They said I have to be retired to go in the Hall of Fame," he said. "Maybe they give me that day or two that I come back and it wouldn't mess up anything."

Henderson wasn't sure which team's cap will go on his Hall of Fame plaque. He gets some say in the matter, but ultimately it's the Hall's decision.

Henderson was with his family when he got the call Monday and pointed out that they have been with him through "all the glory and the headaches."

"They enjoyed it probably as much as I enjoyed it, probably even more," he said.

Rice, the 1978 AL MVP, was an eight-time All-Star who hit 382 home runs in 16 seasons with the Boston Red Sox from 1974-89. He had a .298 career batting average and 1,451 RBIs, and from 1977-79 averaged .320 with 41 homers and 128 RBIs.

He becomes the fourth Hall of Famer to have spent his entire career with the Red Sox, joining fellow left fielders Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski, along with second baseman Bobby Doerr.

"That's I think one of the biggest accomplishments," Rice said.

-- Mike Fitzpatrick

Long Hall of Fame wait is over for Jim Rice

BOSTON - Jim Rice watched Carlton Fisk's home run stay fair in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. He was in left field in '86 when Mookie Wilson's grounder went through Bill Buckner's legs.

The lesson the former Red Sox slugger took away from his career and the long wait for a call from the baseball Hall of Fame: "Be patient and wait until the last out."

Rice was rewarded on Monday when he was elected to Cooperstown in his final year of eligibility on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot. After missing out for 14 years, he received 412 votes from the 539 ballots cast to earn induction alongside stolen bases leader Rickey Henderson.

"I don't think it matters what ballot I was on as long as I got in. That was the key thing right there," Rice said during a conference call. "I guess everything was just timing, because my numbers have not changed over the last 14 years. The only thing I can say is I'm glad it's over with. I'm in there and they can't take it away."

Rice received seven votes more than needed and became the third player elected by the baseball writers in his final year, joining Red Ruffing (1967) and Ralph Kiner (1975). Also to be honored at the July 26 induction ceremony are former Yankees and Indians second baseman Joe Gordon, elected last month by the Veterans Committee, as well as broadcaster Tony Kubek and writer Nick Peters, the winners of the Frick and Spink awards, respectively.

Rice, who was 16 votes shy of the required 75 percent last year, was named on 76.4 percent of the ballots this year.

"It's about time," said former teammate Fred Lynn, who edged Rice for the 1975 AL Rookie of the Year award. "Throw out the statistics. Jimmy was the dominant force in his era. That's really all you can say when you're trying to compare guys that played in the ‘70s and ‘80s to the guys that are playing now. ... In his heyday, Jimmy was a feared hitter."

Henderson, who received 94.8 percent of the vote, appeared in 72 games for Boston in 2002. Rice and Henderson will be the 20th and 21st left fielders to be inducted and the first since Red Sox great Carl Yastrzemski, who preceded Rice in the shadow of the Green Monster and entered Cooperstown in 1989.

"I'm going to let Rickey do all the talking. I'm just going to sit back and make it short," said Rice, notoriously taciturn during his career, which might have been a reason some writers took so long to vote for him. "Some of the media said, ‘He didn't talk to us.' That could have been it. I don't know.

"My thing is: You don't have to like me, but give me the respect."

Playing at a time when offensive numbers paled in comparison to the steroid era, Rice batted .298 with 382 home runs and 1,451 RBIs from 1974-89. He earned eight All-Star selections and finished in the top five in AL MVP voting six times, winning the award in 1978 when he batted .315 with 213 hits, 46 home runs, 139 RBIs, a .600 slugging percentage and 406 total bases - the only AL player to top 400 since Joe DiMaggio in 1937.

"It was the most dynamic offensive year that I have ever played with anybody," Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley said. "As a person, he was a consistent guy. He was always there; every day as a person and every day as a player."

Rice joins Yastrzemski, Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr as the only Hall of Famers who played their entire careers for Boston.

"It was long overdue," Yaz said.

Rice drove in 100 or more runs eight times when runs were more scarce than today, batted over .300 seven times and topped 200 hits four times. He is the only player in major league history with at least 35 homers and 200 hits in three consecutive seasons (1977-79).

Rice joked that he would be making $27 million a year if he were in his prime now and on the free-agent market. Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein agreed, adding that Rice was his favorite player while growing up.

"He was the first guy to check in the boxscore," Epstein said after a Fenway Park news conference. "His career was a prime. He didn't hang around long after his skills started to deteriorate. Obviously, he'd be a player any team would like to have in the middle of its lineup."

It's possible Rice would have made the Hall sooner if he'd hit 18 more homers, to reach 400, or kept his average above .300. He said Monday that, if he had to do it again, he would not have changed to a more selfish style to reach those plateaus at the cost of his team.

"I never considered myself a home run hitter, but I could hit home runs. I thought it was my job to get the guy in," he said. "Give me 3-for-10. If you're a power hitter, give me 3-for-10 and give me some jacks behind it. The mailman walks. The mailman, the milkman, and the guy that carries papers."

Rice helped Boston reach the 1975 World Series, but missed that postseason with a broken hand. He and the Red Sox returned in ‘86, but Rice never won it all. Since retiring, he has worked for the Red Sox as a hitting coach, special assignment instructor and broadcaster.

"I would like to thank the Red Sox for keeping me this long. It's just like family," he said at Fenway. "I probably had an opportunity to go to another team, but I chose to stay here. And I'm still here."

-- Jimmy Golen

Bert Blyleven misses out on Hall of Fame again

MINNEAPOLIS - Another year, another disappointment for Bert Blyleven.

The former major league pitcher came up short Monday in Hall of Fame balloting, gaining only two more votes than he got last year. Blyleven received 62.7 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers' Association of America in his 12th try at election. Players need 75 percent for a spot in Cooperstown.

"I really have nothing to say," Blyleven said in a text message sent to The Associated Press. "I am actually tired of defending my career numbers whether I should be in or not! Have a great day."

Gaining induction were outfielders Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice, who made it in his 15th and final year of eligibility on the BBWAA ballot.

Blyleven, the right-hander with the wicked curveball, won 287 games in 22 major league seasons with Minnesota, Texas, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and the California Angels.

He ranks fifth in career strikeouts with 3,701 and is the only retired pitcher in the top 16 on that list who isn't in the Hall of Fame.

Former Twins pitcher Jack Morris received 44 percent of the vote.

-- Jon Krawczynski