MIAMI – Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Mike Stanton are a tad lighter in the wallet after reporting to Pro Player Stadium 12 minutes late for a 4:50 meeting yesterday.
The three All-Star pitchers spent Wednesday in Texas and flew to South Florida yesterday. They didn’t arrive at the team hotel in Ft. Lauderdale until after the second team bus at 4 o’clock left for the ballpark. Although excused by Joe Torre along with fellow All-Stars Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada from a mandatory team workout in the afternoon, the pitching trio didn’t have permission to miss the meeting where the team goes over scouting reports. Williams, Jeter and Posada made the second bus and the meeting.
“They [Clemens, Pettitte and Stanton] weren’t excused from the meeting,” Torre said of the three pitchers, who entered the Yankees’ clubhouse at 5:02 p.m.
Asked if they would be fined, Torre said, “Probably.”
That means they were docked a few dollars. Only Stanton had a chance of working last night against the Marlins. Clemens starts tomorrow and Pettitte goes Sunday in Philadelphia.