Clemens Starts Season, but Umpires Don’t : Baseball: Decision delayed on Red Sox pitcher’s suspension. Umpires, management not scheduled to meet.

It looks as if Roger Clemens is going to have the last laugh, after all.

Toronto Blue Jay President Paul Beeston was pretty sure his team wouldn’t be seeing Clemens when the Boston Red Sox open the season today at the SkyDome. So sure that he even teased Clemens’ agents, whom he knows and likes, in a telephone call to the American League office on the day Clemens appealed his five-game suspension.

But the joke is on the Blue Jays--and the umpires, too. Because when AL President Bobby Brown upheld Clemens’ suspension and $10,000 fine, the pitcher took his case to Commissioner Fay Vincent. So the penalties will not take effect until a hearing can be held later this month, making Clemens eligible to pitch.

Clemens will be on the field for the opener, but the umpires will not be. It was Clemens’ argument with Terry Cooney in the playoffs that led to all the trouble, and baseball backed the umpires. That is, until it got time to talk about a new contract.

Clemens got a deal worth $21.5 million, but baseball and its 60 umpires argued about a $750,000 difference. On Saturday, faced with the prospect of a lockout, the umpires went on strike and, barring a late settlement, Clemens and the rest of the major league season will start with amateur umpires.

Richie Phillips, head of the Major League Umpires Assn., and Robert Kheel, management’s negotiator, did not meet Sunday and no further talks were scheduled.

On Sunday, for the second day in a row, amateur umpires worked exhibition games. They also had their assignments and were in place for today’s eight openers.

“The major league umpires will picket Shea Stadium, Riverfront Stadium and Arlington Stadium on opening day,” Phillips said in a statement. “The association has been joined by leaders of the labor movement in communicating a request to the White House that President Bush honor the umpires’ picket lines.”

Bush is planning to attend the Milwaukee at Texas opener tonight. Bush’s son is the principal owner of the Rangers.

“I know of no change in plans,” White House spokesman Roman Popadiuk said Sunday night.

Phillips will be at Shea Stadium for the Philadelphia at New York opener. He said umpires will picket in Chicago, Atlanta and San Diego on Tuesday, but will not try to disrupt games or prevent fans from attending.

Kheel and Phillips agreed that most contract issues were resolved except for money. Phillips said the sides were $750,000 a year apart, but Kheel said the difference was at least twice that amount.

Under the expired four-year contract, umpires were paid from $41,000 to $105,000 per season, depending on seniority. The leagues said they offered to increase the minimum to $57,500 and the maximum to $155,000.

The first pitch will be thrown today at Tiger Stadium by Frank Tanana when Detroit faces the New York Yankees.

In other AL afternoon openers today, Chicago is at Baltimore and Cleveland at Kansas City. Milwaukee is at Tesas tonight.

In the National League, Houston is at Cincinnati and Philadelphia at New York today, with Montreal at Pittsburgh tonight.