SIDELINES : Strawberry Must Pay Support

A judge today ordered New York Mets outfielder Darryl Strawberry to pay $40,000 in past-due child support payments and an additional $2,000 a month to a woman who says the baseball star fathered her son.

Judge Philip Sweeney of the St. Louis County Circuit Court said Strawberry, who did not contest a blood test indicating that he is the child’s father, earns $110,000 a month and is seeking a multimillion-dollar contract.

The child was born in June, 1988, to Lisa Clayton, who had sought more than $11,000 a month in support payments.

Under Sweeney’s order, both the $40,000 representing past support and the $2,000 a month in future payments will be divided between the mother and a court-appointed representative of the child.