Deion Loses Right to Bare Arms

Sorry, Deion Sanders, your tribute to Jackie Robinson violates baseball Rule 1.11, section A, subsection 1--and then some.

And with that, the National League on Thursday ordered the Cincinnati Reds outfielder to dress the same as his teammates. Sanders had cut off the sleeves of his road jerseys so they barely covered his shoulders--similar to the style worn by Robinson and other players of the era.

“Sleeve lengths may vary for individual players, but the sleeves of each individual player shall be approximately the same length,” the rule states in part.

“I’m not looking for any trouble,” Sanders said through spokesman Rob Butcher. “I’m just trying to honor a man who has given a lot to this game.”

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Toronto pitcher Roger Clemens, who removed himself from his start Wednesday because of a mild groin strain, needs to throw on the sidelines before knowing whether he’ll sit out his next pitching assignment.

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The Japanese commissioner’s office has ruled that the San Diego Padres will have the negotiating rights to pitcher Hideki Irabu for two seasons, a baseball source said. The right-hander, however, has refused to negotiate with San Diego, insisting that he be traded to the New York Yankees. . . . Seattle reliever Josias Manzanillo is expected to make a full recovery after having surgery to repair tears in both of his testicles suffered when hit in the groin by a line drive, the Mariners said.