On the Yankees beat

Today's workout ended with a practical joke.

Position players had to report to the main field at 11:08 to "run the bases" in a drill run by Joe Torre, which should have been their first clue (Torre usually oversees drills). Anyway, Torre told them they were running races from home to second, with one player running the first-base line and the other player sprinting up the third-base line.

The first two contestants were Doug Mientkiewicz and speedy youngster Brett Gardner. But once they took off, the rest of the players headed toward the dugout laughing. By the time Gardner and Mientkiewicz reached second, they turned back and saw no one at home plate, and they immediately realized they were fooled. As they walked off the field, there was laughter coming from the players at the dugout.

I even heard Larry Bowa yell, "You got punked!"

(Yes, I just discovered I have Photoshop on my computer. Look out, NoMaas!)

According to the schedule on the big board in the middle of the Yankees clubhouse, the players take the field for their stretching drills at 9:30 a.m. Their final drill of the workout -- running the bases -- begins at 11:08 a.m. With the exhibition schedule beginning tomorrow, the Yankees are obviously going lightly today. Not a bad life.

Derek Jeter never watches the playoffs once the Yankees are eliminated. But last October he made sure to go far, far away at the advice of one famous friend.

And that's Michael Jordan.

Jeter raved about how he could walk the streets and the hotel lobbies without anybody noticing him. But Jordan, not surprisingly, was not nearly as lucky.

I'll keep a log going until the clubhouse opens in a bit...

FIRST INNING:

Igawa looks smooth. Brett Gardner bunted his first pitch for a single; Igawa was a bit slow covering the bag. But he got Bronson Sardinha to ground into a double play to Derek Jeter. And then Jose Tabata grounded to second base. 7 pitches, 6 strikes.

In the bottom half, with Jeff Karstens pitching, Johnny Damon flies to centerfield. Derek Jeter grounds to second. And Matsui strikes out on what appeared from the press box to be a nasty pitch that tailed away from him.

SECOND INNING:

Igawa works very quickly. Gets the ball, turns around and throws it. A reporter's dream. Anyway, Juan Miranda made the first out by popping out a 2-and-2 pitch to shortstop. Josh Phelps grounded to A-Rod, whose throw to first was picked out of the dirt by sure-fielding Doug Mientkiewicz. And Marcos Vechionacci grounds to Derek Jeter to end the half inning. So assuming Igawa is done, he allows only an infield hit, finishes with 19 pitches, 14 strikes. Not a bad start.

In the bottom half, A-Rod flies to the deep rightfield corner. Nice grab by Tabata. Jason Giambi grounds sharply to Josh Phelps. And Jorge Posada flies to left.

THIRD INNING:

Easy 1-2-3 inning for Steven Jackson, one of the pitchers the Yankees took from Arizona for grumpy Randy Johnson. Andy Cannizaro and Wil NIeves grounded to short and Ramiro Pena grounded to second. I guess pitchers really are ahead of hitters.

With Chase Wright pitching, Robinson Cano flies to center. Melky Cabrera reaches on a dribbler in front of the mound. Wright, who I just learned is a lefthander, made a low throw to first that Phelps couldn't dig out of the dirt. (Bet on Andy Phillips in that race.) But Mientkiewicz strikes out looking and Damon grounds to Phelps.

FOURTH INNING:

Ben Davis just replaced Posada as catcher. Jackson struck out Gardner looking and gets Sardinha to ground to Mientkiewicz for two quick outs. But then trouble ensues. Tabata walks and Juan Miranda, the Cuban defector the Yankees gave $2 million last winter, drives him in with a shot to left-center. Talk about an immediate return on their investment. The inning ends when Phelps grounds to A-Rod. Reggies 1, Yogis 0.

Jeter leads off the bottom half of the inning with a single up the middle and receives a nice applause from a crowd that also includes my parents. After Matsui fouls out to second, A-Rod singles to left-centerfield and hustles to second on an error by Gardner. With men on second and third and one out, Giambi is up. Giambi, in mid-season form, leans into a 2-and-0 pitch to load the bases for Ben Davis. And get this -- Davis came about two or three feet from a grand slam, hitting a shot to the 408-mark in centerfield that goes down as a sacrifice fly. All the runners move up for Cano, but the man now wearing 24 grounds to Phelps to end the rally. Reggies 1, Yogis 1.

FIFTH INNING:

All of the big stars for the Yogis have just left the game, meaning the clubhouse is about to open. Thus, I must stop the game log here. Hope you enjoyed it.

First pitch is approximately at 12:30. Check back for updates.

THE YOGIS

Johnny Damon, CF
Derek Jeter, SS
Hideki Matsui, LF
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Jason Giambi, DH
Jorge Posada, C
Robinson Cano, 2B
Melky Cabrera, RF
Doug Mientkiewicz, 1B
Kei Igawa, LHP

VS

THE REGGIES

Brett Gardner, CF
Bronson Sardinha, LF
Jose Tabata, RF
Juan Miranda, DH
Josh Phelps, 1B
Marcos Vechionacci, 3B
Andy Cannizaro, 2B
Wil Nieves, C
Ramiro Pena, SS
Jeff Karstens, RHP

We get our first look at Kei Igawa in a game setting today, albeit an intrasquad game. Joe Torre likes how Igawa has "a lot of life in his body" and is excited to see him pitch. "I’m curious how it translates itself on the mound," Torre said.

Thursday, vs Minnesota, at Legends: Chien-Ming Wang

Friday, vs Tampa Bay, at St. Pete: Andy Pettitte

Saturday, vs Pittsburgh, at Legends: Mike Mussina

Sunday, vs Philadelphia, at Clearwater: Carl Pavano* (IF healthy)

Monday, vs Detroit, at Legends: Kei Igawa

Joe Torre refused to entertain questions whether this will be the order the Yankees will unveil their starters come the regular season. "It’s too far to go," he said.

We just got word that the MRI and x-rays on Carl Pavano's left foot showed a bone bruise. No word just yet on how long he will be out, but at the very least you've got to assume he will not pitch in tomorrow's intersquad. Beyond that, of course, is anyone's guess with this guy. Fifth starter anyone?

Also, Johnny Damon returned to the team today. He wouldn't specify what he was dealing with, but he insisted the personal issue is in the past and won't crop up again. He said it was weighing on his mind since the start of camp.

One story that has struck me this spring training is that Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada are faced with exactly the same contractual situations -- they are entering their walk years and want the Yankees to extend their contracts, but the Yankees plan to wait until after the season. Who could have envisioned that Rivera would speak out and Posada would take the sane approach? I wrote about that for today's Newsday, along with how he has emerged in the clubhouse as a leader more each year. Andy Pettitte, for example, said Posada is a lot more vocal than four years ago.

Guess what? The Yankees are concerned enough about Carl Pavano's left foot that they sent him for an MRI and x-ray this afternoon, and they await the results. "I knew exactly where to go," Pavano joked. "I've been there a couple of times." No kidding. Pavano insists he isn't concerned, saying his foot isn't swollen and feels better than last night. But still...

The week between the first full-squad workout and the first exhibition game is always the longest, I think. It's the same workout, day after day after day. Yesterday we caught a little excitement when Alberto Gonzalez's liner drilled Carl Pavano on the left foot in batting practice; of course now we'll have to monitor Pavano to make sure there is no ill effects. The Yankees have workouts today and tomorrow, intrasquad game Tuesday and then a short workout Wednesday. Thursday starts the exhibitions.

A few news and notes from Yankees camp today:

-- Starting pitchers threw batting practice again, and Carl Pavano (surprise!) was drilled in the instep of his left foot. He continued pitching and joked about it afterward, but he admitted he will probably miss pitchers fielding practice tomorrow. He is next scheduled to throw in the simulated game Tuesday.

-- Johnny Damon has been excused from spring training to attend to "personal things." He asked for permission yesterday and the Yankees are tight-lipped about what he is dealing with. They don't expect him back for at least a few days.

-- Humberto Sanchez did not throw because of tightness in his right forearm and Brian Bruney has been slowed by discomfort in his lower back around his left ribcage.

Wrote my story for tomorrow's newspaper about Bobby Abreu and the extreme differences between him and the Yankees previous rightfielder, that guy named Sheffield.

Of course Sheffield made the hook for the story easy by referring to Abreu a few months ago as, "He ain't me." I asked Abreu what he thought of that, but he did not take the bait. "I don’t really pay attention to that stuff. I just focus on me and my game. I don’t worry about what other people say.”

Remember, also, one year ago Sheffield arrived in camp bickering about the $13 million team option for 2007, basically demanding it gets picked up. Abreu is in similar situation -- the Yankees have a $16 million 2008 option -- but Abreu won't even address it. “I don’t think too much about that,” Abreu said.

It was the relievers' turn to throw batting practice and everything went without a problem. Joe Torre seemed to be impressed by Chris Britton, for whatever that is worth on Feb. 23. Also today, Torre had a meeting with Melky Cabrera to discuss their plans for him this season. Torre told him he has to come to the stadium every day expecting to play, because they view him as a regular in a reserve role. And, lastly, an overaggressive Legends Field security clown named Randy Baker goofed today and kicked Brian Cashman's parents out of the comfy seats right by the field. When he realized his mistake, he went back to the Cashmans, but they stayed put.

Should be interesting to see how the Yankees handle Phil Hughes this spring training. What happens if, just if, he throws something like 10 scoreless exhibition innings to start his exhibition season, dominating opposing hitters with what Jason Giambi described yesterday as "filthy stuff?" Hughes clearly is one of the most intriguing stories in camp, given his age (20) and upside (endless). Here's today's stories:

So get this. Daisuke Matsuzaka threw a 103-pitch bullpen session today. Just how crazy is that? The Yankees pitchers today threw live batting practice and they were only allowed to throw between 30 and 40 pitches in the allotted 10 minutes. Kei Igawa worked very quickly, so much so he was at 40 with two minutes to go. And then Ron Guidry immediately ended the session. But 103?!?! (BTW, 103 is a special number to me. My seventh-grade CYO basketball team lost its season opener, 103-3. No joke.)

Starting pitchers threw live batting practice to hitters today, and Phil Hughes caught everyone's attention. Jason Giambi called him a "young Rocket," and he mentioned several times that Hughes "could have really helped us last year." The Yankees insist Hughes won't break camp with them this year, but I don't think there's any doubt he will be in the majors this year. Get ready to read a lot of Hughes stories off this.

Okay, I received an email requesting more info on the Hughes outing, so here goes: he pitched to Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui, Todd Pratt and Raul Chavez. By my count only two of about 35 pitches were hit into fair territory. As for the other pitchers, Kei Igawa was wild and rushed. Pitching coach Ron Guidry approached him in the clubhouse and stressed to him to slow down. Carl Pavano came out to the Rocky theme followed by that song, "Been a long time since I rocked and rolled." He looked fine. Sanchez also was a bit wild, but he threw hard. What a big kid, too.

Today's story is about Robinson Cano entering his third season. Perhaps the only negative about his 2006 campaign was that he reported to spring training overweight. With that in mind, Larry Bowa made sure to call him often this past winter, reminding him to stay in shape. Cano said playing winter ball helped him stay active last winter.

Amazingly there was no off-the-field story-of-the-day today (yet). Have to say, it was weird. It has a tendency to be a circus around here, and the start of spring training has been my craziest time covering the team in three-plus seasons. But today was rather quiet. Jason Giambi took live batting practice for the second straight day and reported no problems with his surgically repaired wrist, though he admittedly is taking it slow. The players still don't know what to think about Bernie Williams. It seems some of them think he could still appear. I'd say that's highly unlikely...

Tomorrow pitchers will throw live batting practice to hitters. You can read into this however you want, but here are the seven who will throw to the major-leaguers on the main field: Mussina, Pettitte, Wang, Pavano, Igawa, Hughes and Sanchez.

We're presumably done with the A-Rod-Jeter saga for the time being, and the Mussina-Pavano complex is behind us, so it may be time for us to start looking at the Yankees from a baseball perspective. Of course let's see what develops today. By the way, check out what Bubba Crosby said about his time with the Yankees. Not sure it's Bubba's place to talk.

Our stories from today's newspaper:

Derek Jeter not surprisingly did not talk in details about his relationship with Alex Rodriguez, aside from insisting they get along just fine on the field, they support each other and that he's never going to talk about it again.

"How would I characterize it?" Jeter said, repeating the question. "I would characterize it as it doesn’t make a difference. I think that’s the biggest thing. Has our relationship changed? I've had a lot of relationships change over the years. But what we do away from the field, how much time we spend together really makes no difference when we’re playing."

Just posted this story on Newsday.com.

Today it's Derek Jeter's turn to address his friendship-turned-coexistence with A-Rod. Can't imagine Jeter will enjoy it, considering he likes talking about controversial stories as much as we all enjoy the dentist. Today is the first full-squad workout, so we should know for sure Bernie isn't coming. Here's our newspaper stories:

Steve Swindal just made a surprise visit in the press box, saying he was "embarrassed" by his arrest last week on a DUI charge. The Boss' son-in-law insisted he has George Steinbrenner's support on a personal level, but he did not know whether he remains in line to succeed Steinbrenner. "That would be speculation," Swindal said.

Alex Rodriguez decided it was time for him to tell the truth about his relationship with Derek Jeter, saying he wanted to do so once and for all and end all the "lying." As everyone has known for a long, long time, they are no longer the best friends they once were. (The rift started after A-Rod took a big shot at Jeter in an Esquire article after he signed his big deal.) Anyway, Rodriguez decribed them as having a "working relationship." Jeter already left by the time A-Rod spoke, and Joe Torre left sick again, so this is going to last into tomorrow ... and perhaps beyond.

Here's an early Web story on A-Rod-Jeter

Also of note... General manager Brian Cashman said he doesn't think Bernie Williams is coming to camp and he admitted he is surprised Bernie never returned his calls ... Joe Torre went home sick again ... Jason Giambi says he is going to start spring training slowly with the bat because of the surgery he had on his left hand last October. He had a ligament from the top of wrist transferred to the side of it.

Seeking some perspective on this situation, I spoke with bench coach Don Mattingly, who played with a young Bernie. Bernie also lockers in Mattingly's old locker, which also used to be home to such names as Nettles, Guidry and Righetti. Our stories today:

Today is reporting day for position players. What that means is that every position player who is on the Yankees' spring training roster is expected to contact team officials and let them know they have arrived in Tampa. Some players will show up in the clubhouse today. Others we won't see until their physicals tomorrow. So Bernie Williams may or may not decide today. But time is running out, and the Yankees are looking at that as a sign he may not be coming. We'll see.

Our stories from today's paper:

A quick day here at Legends Field, which was much appreciated. We're already back up in the press box writing our stories. Here's what has happened today: Joe Torre called in sick because of a cold ... Brian Cashman has still not heard from Bernie Williams ... Position players report tomorrow, so time is running out for Williams ... Phil Hughes threw to Jorge Posada in the bullpen and Posada raved. "He's legit. He's going to be in the big leagues soon ... He's a no doubt. I said that last year."

Now that Carl Pavano and Mike Mussina have essentially held hands and sang, "Kumbaya" as a duet, one storyline is out of the way.

Next up: a decision from Bernie Williams.

Position players report tomorrow, so we may get a decision today. Or, knowing Bernie, it may be a while before he decides, and relays his decision to the Yankees. The Yankees' first full-squad workout is Tuesday, so this very possibly could last until then.

Our stories from today's newspaper:

Carl Pavano sought out Mike Mussina and they spoke for 11 minutes behind closed doors this afternoon. Both emerged feeling good about the situation (with no obvious bruises or black eyes). Mussina said he apologized for talking about it to reporters before bringing it to Pavano, but he certainly did not apologize for his opinion. Pavano said he told Mussina that he realizes he has let everyone down and is looking forward to starting anew. And Mussina definitely sounded sincere when he said the conversation helped matters.

What a crazy, crazy day here yesterday. Check out our back page in today's newspaper; all three stories came from Yankees camp. Hopefully today is quieter...

Here's our stories:

Two big developments today at Yankee camp:

Today is the first workout for pitchers and catchers, so we'll get to see the five starters pitching side-by-side for about 10 minutes in the bullpen. Always a neat day, because hearing the pop of the catcher's mitt and the yells from fans really marks the beginning of spring training. Also on the mound, probably in the second group of pitchers, will be top prospect Phil Hughes. Newsday's Ken Davidoff wrote about Hughes today, saying the Yankees finally have a legit phenom.

Our other stories in today's paper:

Newsday's Ken Davidoff spent the morning at the minor-league complex, and he reports that Derek Jeter spoke with Bernie Williams and doesn't expect him to be at spring training. “As far as I know, he’s not coming,” Jeter said. Mariano Rivera also called Williams, but hasn’t spoken with him. “I’ve been trying,” he said, “but no luck.”

Here are photos of Yankees spring training taken by Newsday's Audrey C. Tiernan.

Here's an updated Mariano Rivera story I just wrote for Newsday.com:

TAMPA, Fla. – Mariano Rivera said today he plans to test the market if they don’t sign him to an extension by the end of spring training, and the longtime closer vowed to give the Yankees no homefield advantage if he becomes a free agent next winter.

“The Yankees will not have an advantage,” he said. “Everyone will have a shot.”

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