CLEMENS-PIAZZA Mutual dislike to be put aside for one night

The two players tried to deflect the spotlight from their rivalry.
HOUSTON (AP) -- Mike Piazza will be all set for anything Roger Clemens throws his way.
Their feud still seemingly unresolved, they're forced to work together in this All-Star game. The Rocket will start for the National League tonight. His nemesis will catch.
"I don't know if we're going to be playing golf anytime soon," Piazza said. "But we've got a job to do."
Said Clemens: "It's not that big a deal. It's not an issue."
Then again, it's hard for anyone to forget what happened between them in 2000. Clemens beaned Piazza in the regular season, then threw the jagged barrel of a broken bat toward him in the World Series.
Approach
"I'm pitching with him now, we're on the same team, so pretty much it's not a story of what's going on here," Clemens said.
Both players tried to deflect attention to other All-Star themes, such as how the winner gets home-field advantage in the World Series, and the presence of 500-homer guys Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro.
But when Ichiro Suzuki steps in to lead off the 75th All-Star game, chances are all the attention will be on Clemens and Piazza.
Will Clemens shake off Piazza? Will he accidentally bounce a split-finger fastball? Will they get their signs crossed?
"Obviously, we're going to have to talk," Piazza said.
Clemens said he'd take the same approach he would with any catcher.
"I'm sure we'll go over the first handful of hitters," the Houston ace said.
That might be the most involved discussion they've had in a while.
No response
After hitting Piazza in the helmet with a fastball at Yankee Stadium, Clemens tried to phone the New York Mets' catcher. But Piazza did not take the call, and the rift began to grow.
Then in Game 2 of the World Series, a truly bizarre scene occurred when Piazza shattered his bat and Clemens fired a piece of it in his direction. Clemens was fined $50,000, and they have not spoken since.
Yet they have talked about each other, albeit reluctantly.
Clemens appeared to grow more agitated Monday with each question about Piazza, and there were plenty.
Asked whether he could understand why fans might find this so interesting, Clemens abruptly responded, "No, I don't."
"As far as Mike and I are concerned, I've said many times, I'm looking forward to it. I'm glad I get to throw it to him and I don't have to face him because I know what type of hitter he is."
Piazza stared blankly when asked about the pairing.
Playing it down
"The issue ... I don't know what the issue is," he said. "It's out of my control. It's out of our control. Honestly, I haven't really thought about it much and I don't think he has, either."
Others have, though.
"It is ironic," Cincinnati shortstop Barry Larkin said. "But as ballplayers, those things happen and you move on."
Like many fans, Los Angeles catcher Paul Lo Duca has seen umpteen replays of the Clemens-Piazza shenanigans. Last year, Lo Duca had a run-in with Milton Bradley, then with the Cleveland Indians. Now, they're teammates and just fine together.
"We took care of that one immediately and put it in the past," Lo Duca said. "But you play against a lot of guys you don't like. I didn't like Jose Lima when I played against him, and now he's on our team and I love him."
History
Feuds have long been a part of baseball.
In the early 1900s, the famed double-play combination of Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance had its problems. Joe Tinker and Johnny Evers detested each other and didn't speak for years.
More recently, Bonds and fellow All-Star Jeff Kent had trouble. Even in the last week, All-Star pitcher Randy Johnson and Arizona teammate Luis Gonzalez barked at each other.
Now, it's Clemens and Piazza.
"There's more to this game than those two," AL manager Joe Torre of the New York Yankees said. "They understand it. They're pros."