MLB | Report: Roger Clemens, country singer had long affair

NEW YORK — Roger Clemens had a decade-long relationship with country star Mindy McCready that began when she was a 15-year-old aspiring singer and the pitcher was a Boston Red Sox ace, the New York Daily News reported.

"I cannot refute anything in the story," McCready told the newspaper in a story posted on its Web site Monday night.

Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, confirmed a long-term relationship but told the newspaper it was not sexual.

"Mindy McCready is a longtime family friend of Roger Clemens and the Clemens family," Hardin said in a statement Monday. "It is unfortunate that the Daily News has chosen to report anonymous allegations that are completely unfounded, have no basis in fact, and have nothing to do with Roger's baseball career or the issue of steroid use in baseball."

The Daily News' original story, which appeared on its Web site Sunday night and in editions Monday, quoted several people who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation.

Clemens was 28 and a married father of two when he first met McCready, the newspaper reported.

In its story Monday night, sources told the Daily News that McCready went with Clemens to his hotel room in Fort Myers, Fla., after their first meeting but that they did not have sex. The relationship turned intimate after she later moved to Nashville and became a country star, the paper said.

The story could undermine Clemens' reputation, which is central to the defamation suit the former pitcher has filed against former personal trainer Brian McNamee. McNamee contends Clemens used performance-enhancing substances during his major-league career.

"If true, it's just another example of Roger's pervasive prevarications which will be at the core of any defamation case," said McNamee's attorney, Richard Emery, in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

The newspaper said Clemens sent cash to McCready to help her with legal issues and reached out to her when she was in jail last year in Tennessee.

The 32-year-old McCready was sentenced last September for violating probation from a 2004 drug arrest and was released from jail last Dec. 30. The violation occurred in July when McCready was accused of scuffling with her mother and resisting arrest at her mother's home in Fort Myers, Fla. She still must serve two years' probation.

Zito sent to bullpen

SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Zito was demoted to the bullpen by the San Francisco Giants, who hope the former ace can correct his problems by working in relief.

Zito, who 16 months ago signed a $126 million, seven-year contract with the Giants to lead their rotation, was informed of the move in a meeting with manager Bruce Bochy.

The left-hander has lost his first six starts this season and has a 7.53 earned-run average that jumped considerably after Zito was tagged for eight earned runs in a 10-1 loss Sunday to Cincinnati.

The 2002 AL Cy Young Award winner with Oakland, Zito lasted just three innings against the Reds and was booed frequently at AT&T Park during his shortest outing of the year.

Notes

• Pittsburgh's game at the New York Mets was postponed by rain and rescheduled for Aug. 11.

• Cleveland CF Grady Sizemore, a graduate of Everett's Cascade High School, missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle.

In other Indians news, LHP Aaron Laffey was recalled from Class AAA Buffalo and made his season debut against the Yankees.

• Texas 3B Hank Blalock has a small tear in his left hamstring and will be out at least three weeks. Blalock, who was injured Friday, is expected to go on the 15-day disabled list today.

• The New York Yankees placed C Jorge Posada (shoulder) on the 15-day DL and recalled C Chris Stewart from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

• St. Louis placed RHP Brad Thompson on the 15-day DL with elbow inflammation, five days after demoting him to the minors.

• After lasting just four innings Sunday in New York, Braves RHP John Smoltz returned to Atlanta and will have his troublesome right shoulder examined today.

• Two-time All-Star C Mike Lieberthal will retire with Philadelphia on June 1, ending his career with the franchise where he played 13 of his 14 major-league seasons.

• Cincinnati general manager Walt Jocketty backed off brash comments that he and manager Dusty Baker had vendettas to settle in the NL Central.

Jocketty agreed before a three-game series against St. Louis, for which he had a successful 13-year run before getting fired last October, that beating his old team would be especially sweet. Just as it must be for Baker against the Chicago Cubs. But Jocketty would like a do-over regarding his perhaps inflammatory choice of words at his introductory news conference last week.

"That's too harsh," Jocketty said. "What I meant is both Dusty and I want to win, especially being in the Central Division."