Jersey of Clemens is tossed

Nationals catcher Paul Lo Duca acknowledged "a mistake" yesterday. (Peter/Lockley/AP/Washington Times)

Roger Clemens's jersey has been tossed from the Yogi Berra Museum.

Museum director David Kaplan said yesterday that Clemens's jersey was removed last week from a display honoring the Yankees teams of the late 1990s that won four World Series in five years.

Kaplan said the decision was not made to generate publicity for the museum, which is in Little Falls, N.J., but was done in response to allegations of steroid use by Clemens that resulted in Wednesday's Congressional hearing at which the seven-time Cy Young Award winner testified.

"There are a lot of unresolved issues involving Roger, and it was difficult for us to give answers to the kids coming through the museum," Kaplan said.

Berra was notified of the decision and the former Yankees great was "OK with it," according to Kaplan.

Lo Duca apologizes

Addressing his inclusion in the Mitchell Report for the first time, Nationals catcher Paul Lo Duca acknowledged what he called "a mistake" - without explaining exactly what he was apologizing for. The four-time All-Star was among the more prominent players cited in baseball investigator George Mitchell's report on drug use in the sport, which was released Dec. 13. That was two days after the Nationals signed Lo Duca to a $5 million, one-year contract. "You do something wrong in your life and you get away with it, you still have something inside you that burns," Lo Duca said in a news conference at the team's spring training site in Viera, Fla., his shoulders slumping and his fingers fidgeting with the folds of his orange T-shirt. "And, um, it's been a big relief for me to know that I've come to grips with it. That I made a mistake." . . . In a weekly address to his followers in Harlem, the Rev. Al Sharpton said he believes that the United States government has been pursuing black athletes more aggressively than white athletes in the scandals over performance-enhancing drugs.

First step for Schmidt

At Vero Beach, Fla., Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jason Schmidt, a question mark entering spring training, looked impressive in his first bullpen outing. Schmidt used all of his pitches during the session, which was split into two segments of 15 pitches each, not counting a few warmup tosses. The Dodgers signed Schmidt to a $47 million, three-year contract last winter, but the 35-year-old righthander was limited to six starts before undergoing surgery June 20 to repair an inflamed bursa, a torn labrum, and a frayed biceps tendon in his right shoulder . . . St. Louis manager Tony La Russa said he and the Cardinals' medical staff will keep a closer eye this season on Albert Pujols's balky right elbow. The slugger opted not to have surgery during the offseason to repair a strained ligament.