BASEBALL : DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE MAJORS : Howe Tough on Taunters

New York Yankee pitcher Steve Howe, who has been suspended six times for drug and alcohol abuse, suggests that he could retaliate with either fists or fastballs for opponents who taunt him about his past.

“Let me say this, nothing happens until I throw the ball, and I throw the ball 95 miles per hour with accuracy,” the New York Post quoted Howe as saying Tuesday in reaction to heckling by Toronto Blue Jays in Monday night’s game.

Howe acknowledged that he didn’t hear remarks about his past problems.

But he added: “I believe in baseball, mutual respect and etiquette. If I heard them say that, it wouldn’t have stopped there. That means we’re going to duke.”