Baseball: Roger Clemens rests easy despite Hall of Fame snub

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Roger Clemens said little publicly in the immediate aftermath of the Hall of Fame vote. More than a month later, he's willing to share his thoughts — but the 354-game winner is not about to start a lobbying campaign.

"I'm not going to lose any sleep over it," Clemens said. "If those guys feel I deserve to be there, then I deserve to be there. If they feel I don't, then that's OK too."

Clemens was at spring training Monday in Kissimmee, Fla., as a special instructor for the Houston Astros, and he spoke with the team's pitchers about his mental approach to the game. He later watched some of the Astros throw batting practice.

Clemens, 50, was acquitted last year on charges he obstructed and lied to Congress in denying he used performance-enhancing drugs to extend his career. Last month, he fell short of the necessary votes to make the Hall of Fame.

Arbitration avoided

Reliever Darren O'Day completed a $5.8 million, two-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, becoming the final player to settle without a hearing among the 133 who filed for arbitration Jan. 15. This was the first year since arbitration began in 1974 that no player who filed went to a hearing. Baseball's previous record low was three hearings, set in 2005 and matched in 2009 and 2011.

Around the horn

Yankees • Derek Jeter took part in most of the drills during the New York Yankees' first full-squad workout Monday in Tampa, Fla., participating in on-field batting practice for the first time since ankle surgery last October.

Marlins • First baseman Casey Kotchman received four stitches to close a cut on his left ring finger after running into a pop-up machine during infield drills in Jupiter, Fla. Kotchman signed a minor-league contract with Miami on Friday.