Reporter Gets Autograph on Walking Papers

Japanese reporters have become a familiar sight in baseball clubhouses, but hints of a culture clash endure. A Fuji Evening News scribe who wasn't up on the American rules about asking players for autographs got a refresher course this week after he asked Roger Clemens for his John Hancock and the Baseball Writers' Association of America revoked his membership.

Hiroki Homma, who says he was ignorant of the MLB ban on autograph hounds, issued an apology to the Yankees. The team pulled his season credential, but a Yankee spokesman describes the faux pas as an "innocent mistake." Homma can still keep track of Hideki Matsui—and Clemens—from the press box: The team says he'll receive individual game passes. (More Roger Clemens stories.)