MLB Roundup: Pettite may have 'misunderstood' Clemens, Thome on DL

Andy Pettitte conceded Wednesday that he may have misunderstood when he heard former teammate Roger Clemens say he used human growth hormone, according to multiple reports.

Under cross examination by Clemens' lawyer, Pettitte said it was fair to say it was "50-50" that he misunderstood the conversation from about 12 years ago.

Pettitte is a key government witness in the prosecution's attempt to prove that Clemens lied to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs. His comments Wednesday may hurt that case.

---Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Jim Thome was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained lower back.

Thome, 41, hurt his back Saturday at Citizens Bank Park, and hadn't played in three games. He hadn't progressed enough over the past few days, and team could no longer be a player short on the bench.

Catcher Erik Kratz from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Thome's place on the 25-man roster. He batted .294 with three home runs and nine RBIs with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Thome is 2-for-18 with 10 strikeouts this season. The Phillies hope regular at-bats during an eventual rehab assignment would help him get his timing back.

---Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd said he used crack cocaine every day during the 1986 baseball season while with the Boston Red Sox, including one start when he hid the drug in his cap while pitching.

In an interview with ESPN's Buster Olney, Boyd said his teammates knew of his drug use that season and said he talked about it with team doctor and minority owner Art Pappas.

"I would come into the ballpark, (Pappas) would call me in the back and he ask me, 'How you feel? Did you do some last night?' And I was honest with him, 'Yes I did,'" said Boyd, who pitched eight of his 10 major league seasons with the Red Sox. "OK. So that was my drug test, you got me? Ain't nobody made me pee in no cup."

Boyd said he felt that he wasn't tested because he was honest about what he did, and that he was effective on the mound.

"I'm killing myself, but they loved my ability and my talent ... so they condoned it."

Boyd, whose autobiography, "They Call Me Oil Can: Baseball, Drugs, and Life on the Edge" is due out in June, specially told Olney of a May 11, 1986 start at Oakland, when he smoked crack before taking the mound.

"I get to the ballpark, all the ballplayers are on the field, you know, taking batting practice and everythin'. And I walk in the clubhouse and I -- I got my pipe with me," he said. "I can remember going and locking myself up in the bathroom and smoking some dope right there at the ballpark. I was afraid that they knew and that the clubhouse manager had smelled it, he was gonna tell on me. So I gotta get rid of it.

"I had it under the bib of my cap, inside the crease inside of the cap. And when I was warming up in the ballgame -- third, fourth inning -- it fell off my head."

Boyd won a career-high 16 games in 1986 with a 3.78 ERA, helping the Red Sox win the American League pennant.

After starting 35 games in 1985 and 30 in 1986, Boyd made a total of 40 starts for the Red Sox over the next three seasons, with a 5.24 ERA. He signed with the Montreal Expos as a free agent before the 1990 season and was traded to the Rangers in 1991, his final season.

---The Los Angeles Dodgers ownership group reduced parking prices on Wednesday, the first act of the new ownership group that includes former Lakers star Magic Johnson.

At the team's introductory news conference, Johnson vowed to bring change to a franchise that had been embarrassed under the eight-year reign of former owner Frank McCourt.

"Frank's not here anymore," Johnson told reporters. "We should be clapping for just that."

The lowered general parking prices from $15 to $10, a fitting move since McCourt still owns the rights to half the lots around the Stadium.

Johnson, a five-time NBA champion, said he is committed to winning and restoring pride in the surrounding community.

"I used to sit right there in the club level," Johnson said, pointing over his left shoulder. "We want to win on the field and want the fan to have the best experience they've ever had. ... I just want to win. And I want to do it the right way, do it with Dodger pride."

---Former St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa will have his No. 10 retired by the team on May 11.

The 67-year-old retired days after leading the franchise to a World Series win over the Texas Rangers, his second title in 16 seasons with the Cardinals. He left with the third-most managerial wins, behind Connie Mack and John McGraw.

La Russa now serves as a consultant with Major League Baseball, and will manage the National League All-Star team at this year's All-Star Game.

"Tony's managerial tenure with the Cardinals will always stand out as one of the greatest eras in Cardinals history," chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt, Jr., said. "His passion for winning and his leadership skills were hallmarks of a style that Cardinals fans will always remember with fondness."

La Russa and former manager Whitey Herzog will be the only two of the 12 retired numbers to have never played for the team. La Russa won a franchise record 1,408 games and earned eight division titles, three NL pennants and two championships.