Clemens Settles His Fine in Bat-Barrel Incident

Roger Clemens has settled his $50,000 fine for throwing the shattered barrel of a bat near Mike Piazza during the World Series by donating that amount to charity.

“It’s all over. It’s done. It’s been done,” Clemens said Thursday after the New York Yankees defeated the Boston Red Sox, 2-1, at New York.

No hearing was held after Commissioner Bud Selig fined the Yankees’ ace pitcher, but a proposed resolution was discussed during spring training.

“It’s no big deal. Nothing else you can do,” Clemens said.

Clemens gave the money to charities in New York and Texas, and “children’s charities that we deal with.”

Rick Ankiel might be getting even wilder now that he’s in the minors.

Ankiel hit the screen eight times, walked six of eight batters and threw five wild pitches, lasting only two-thirds of an inning for triple-A Memphis against Nashville at Nashville.

The beleaguered St. Louis Cardinal pitcher, making his third start since he was sent down, bounced his first warmup pitch, and it didn’t get any better in the game.

Ankiel, who gave up three earned runs, threw only 10 of 38 pitches for strikes. It was the second consecutive start in which he got only two outs.

The ashes of former Oriole outfielder Curt Blefary were scattered by his wife within the old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, which is being demolished.

Lana Blefary was fulfilling her husband’s last wishes in leaving his ashes at the site, even though little of the stadium remains. Blefary died in January.

The Babe Ruth Museum brought the home plate that was used at the second-to-last game at the stadium, around which Lana Blefary scattered her husband’s ashes, museum spokeswoman Laurie Ward said.

For a second time, a federal appeals court has rejected former major league pitcher Denny McLain’s request for a new trial on embezzlement charges.

McLain, who won 31 games for the World Series champion Detroit Tigers in 1968, is serving an eight-year sentence after being convicted in 1996 of plundering more than $2.5 million from the pension fund of Peet Packing, a meat products company he had co-owned.