Sports

GLAVINE BRUSHES OFF RIP JOB

MET NOTES

PORT ST. LUCIE – When told that former Atlanta teammate Tim Spooneybarger took shots at him recently, Tom Glavine reacted with a metaphorical yawn. It’s doubtful his pulse ever jumped one beat.

In a recent article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Spooneybarger singled out Glavine among Braves players who held a grudge because the reliever arrived late to a Mets-Braves game last September.

Purportedly, Spooneybarger was sick, but some Braves felt he was hung over. The club left him off the playoff roster and traded him to the Marlins six weeks after the season.

“I don’t think [Glavine] cared for me too much, but I didn’t care for him too much, either,” Spooneybarger reportedly said. “What made me mad was that day I was sick, I found out from some other players that [Glavine] was running his mouth, saying I was probably out drinking.”

Glavine said his teammates who knew the reliever well “were not very convinced he was sick. A lot of what I felt went off of their read.”

Glavine’s response to The Post: “I’m not quite sure what his problem was or is with me, but hopefully things will work out for him in Florida.

“I’ll be honest with you: I didn’t spend a whole lot of time with Tim. I know Smoltzie (John Smoltz) spent a lot of time with him. I knew Darren Holmes tried to spend a lot of time with him.

“I just never said much to him, so I don’t know what his problem with me was. He got the impression I didn’t like him. It couldn’t be further from the truth.”

*

John Franco and Grant Roberts both threw off the mound for the first time in camp. Roberts is recovering from tendinitis, while Franco is coming off Tommy John surgery in his elbow.

Franco threw 30 pitches, including six or seven change-ups. He had previously made 20 throws off a mound in January, but will hurl again in about five days if no soreness or stiffness is present. Asked how the off-speed pitch looked, he said, “It always looks good.”

Art Howe announced intrasquad games Monday and Tuesday by joking to reporters, “Want to hit? We’ll wait for somebody that’s real wild.”

Cliff Floyd, who has asthma, used an inhaler during BP. He reported he was fine after the workout.

Tony Clark arrived in camp yesterday and began working out in the outfield.