Source: Associated Press

Tampa, Fla. — Bernie Williams was nowhere to be seen, and New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman doesn't think that will change.

"It appears he made his decision. That's all I can take from it," Cashman said. "I'm assuming at this stage that he's not coming."

Yankees position players took physicals Monday, a day ahead of their first workout. Manager Joe Torre, fighting a cold, went home before the end of Monday's workout and didn't speak with reporters. Torre had planned to call Williams again Sunday, and Cashman said he didn't hear that a conversation took place.

Catcher Jorge Posada has called Williams several times — he placed another call Sunday — but hasn't reached Williams.

"I don't think he'll be here," Posada said. "I don't think we're going to see him unless Joe Torre convinces him."

Williams has been in the Yankees' organization since signing with them on his 17th birthday in 1985, and he came up to the major league club in 1991. With the emergence of Melky Cabrera as the fourth outfielder, the move of Jason Giambi to designated hitter and the planned platoon at first base, there's no room for a fifth outfielder on the roster.

"I'm going to work as if I'm playing first base. That's going to be up to Joe. It's not going to be my decision," Giambi said. "I'd love to have Bernie around here. He's a great teammate. I'll do whatever it takes. If that gives him an opportunity, that would be great."

Torre said Sunday that Williams was hurt that the Yankees didn't offer him a guaranteed spot on their regular-season roster. Williams doesn't want to play for any other team, and Torre said that if he wants to extend his career, he should report with or close to the other position players.

Source: Metronews

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Maintaining they have a fine relationship on the field and in the clubhouse, Derek Jeter resolutely refused to discuss the deterioration of his friendship with Alex Rodriguez away from the ballpark.

One day after A-Rod finally acknowledged the pair no longer are best friends, Jeter sat in the same first-base dugout at Legends Field and was asked to respond.

"I don't have a rift with Alex," the New York Yankees captain said Tuesday. "We go out there. We work together. This is our fourth year to be playing together. It's annoying to hear about it all the time. Everyone assumes they know what our relationship is. Everyone assumes - they see us on the field, if one person gives another one a look, it's a story. If we're at opposite ends of the bench, people say it's a story."

Shortly after arriving at spring training on Monday, Rodriguez said it was time for him to stop pretending that his relationship with Jeter was as close as it was in the 1990s. The pair have drifted apart since Rodriguez made critical remarks in a 2001 Esquire article.

"I don't see the relevance of it," Jeter said. "It has no bearing on us playing baseball."

Jeter refused to say how close he and Rodriguez are away from the ballpark.

"How would characterize it? I would characterize it as it doesn't make a difference," he said. "What we do away from the field, how much time we spend together, really makes no difference when we're playing."

Coming up through the Yankees' organization and becoming a key component of the unit that won four World Series titles from 1996 to 2000, Jeter has worked hard to avoid discussing his private life.

"I understand my job is public, but your personal life is your personal life. Once you open that door, it doesn't stop," he said. "Away from the field, people want to keep tabs on how many times we go out to eat, things like that. That has no bearing on what we're trying to do."

Jeter was criticized by some last year for not voicing sufficient support for Rodriguez, who struggled during the regular season and was booed at Yankee Stadium.

"From Day One I've said I support Alex," he said. "The only thing I'm not going to do is tell the fans what to do. . . . I don't think it's my job to tell fans to boo or not to do."

i don't think it is a bad idea to move giambi to DH, he can hit and it gives one of the younger players a chance to get some playing time.

I remember how utterly shocked I was when either Rickey Henderson or Don Mattingly was paid $3 million a year. Bigger deals soon followed.

$3 million!? Ohhhhhhh, let's not break the bank I'm just kidding. That does seem like peanuts compared to the amount of money A-Rod, Jeter, Beltran, and others are being paid

Source: Phanatic Magazine (Philadelphia)

Tuesday, February 20, 2007
The Yankees Represent the Worst of Sports
By Jared Trexler

A snowflake fell just outside the steps of Fanneuil Hall in downtown Boston. It was significant because it was the first flake of the season -- and as tradition, lovebirds are supposed to seal the occasion with a kiss.
That was the dilemma facing a young gentleman in his mid 20s, sporting a brown overcoat, a five o'clock shadow and a large pin on his right chest that read,"John Kerry for President."
So, he was slightly behind the times, yet the pin wasn't his political statement. As he walked closer, his shirt's slogan became quite clear.
"Don't hate me. I love a Yankee fan."
Without further adieu, a quick-walking, dark-haired girl with a NYU sweatshirt sprinted toward the young man with passionate glee. She had seen the snow on her way to meet him, and she obviously was big on tradition.
Donning a New York Yankee hat, snugly holding together a bun in the back, the girl jumped into the guy's arms. It could have been a scene from Serendipity.
Except the man turned the other cheek, refusing to greet his woman with a kiss. She knew what he wanted, begrudgingly removing the cap.
Anyone within a shouting distance of the two could hear him explain his rationale.
"I don't hate the Yankees. I hate what they represent."
They represent big business. And greed. Yet, fans from Brooklyn to Manhattan will argue they also represent desire. Hard work. Will to win.
All fair and just adjectives, but I'll go a proclamation better.
The New York Yankees, by some of their own doing but also through no complete fault of their own, represent the worst of sports.
-----
As of Opening Day 2006, the Yankees payroll sat at $198,662,180, almost $80 million or a Powerball jackpot ahead of the next closest spender -- the Boston Red Sox.
New York's never-ending checkbook has been well documented. It's been rehashed in various novels, on Tampa Bay Devil Rays broadcasts (as they are getting pounded 13-1 in the fourth frame) and even on Seinfeld.
And it truly is no complete fault of their own. They pay luxury tax, giving countless millions to Kansas City and Pittsburgh, only to see that money enter the pocket without an increase in small-market payroll.
This isn't meant to be a history lesson on Bud Selig's tenure as MLB Commissioner or the evolution of the luxury tax.
It's more an overarching argument that the Yankees -- led by the "Boss" upstairs down through the manager in the dugout and the players on the field-- exude a sense of entitlement that comes from a river of cash as long as the Nile.
It's like spending $1000 for a hooker and expecting her to "perform her duties" like a champ. Or buying a $500,000 boat and expecting the motor to purr like a cat. Or buying an All-Star baseball team and expecting it to filter to the top after a lengthy 162-game season.
With money comes expectations, but also arrogance. Excellence, but also cockiness. A good record, but also a bad message sent to today's youth.
Money can be a great Band-Aid. If Alex Rodriguez gets hurt -- aka breaks a nail -- New York can go out and swing a deal for Miguel Cabrera. Could any other team feasibly, financially pull off such a move?
No.
Parity is no longer a dirty word in the National Football League, where a Super Bowl champion can quickly become a .500 club and a storied franchise (Oakland) can quickly become the laughingstock of the league.
Fans of almost every team enter each season with promise and hope. New Orleans was an en vogue 4-12 pick before the season commenced, then went out and won the NFC South.
Think fans filtering into PNC Park can say the same thing? Not a chance, and it's bad for sports.
Again, not to say it's completely the Yankees' fault, but the pinstripes have become the image of Major League Baseball's core deficiencies -- a corporation structured behind the ideals of the Republican party where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
"Major League baseball as it stands is a poorly run business economically," said an area college professor. "The NFL has proven that the level playing field has provided more excitement. The NFL has almost become a large scale March Madness, where anything can happen.
"It's a great product," he continued. "And MLB just isn't there. The league will point to an 83-win club winning the World Series (St. Louis). It's the exception to the rule. More often than not it's the Yankees then everyone else."
Everyone else can still win. Minnesota and Oakland are two examples of penny-thrift franchises that have used superb scouting departments and minor-league systems to build consistent winners.
It just doesn't happen often enough. And it won't until Major League Baseball realizes its faulty economic structure, nips the Yankees' spending spree in the bud and brings player development more into play.
The Yankees rarely develop talent anymore. Why bother when other people can do it for them. George's crew was the only front office willing to take on Bobby Abreu's contract at the trade deadline last season -- not because they wanted it more, but because they just plain had more.
----
After explaining why he dissed the kiss, the young lady quickly backed away with a stare that could have melted a typical Boston Nor'easter.
Then he pointed to his button, bringing her smile back.
John Kerry was a uniting bond. Yankees-Red Sox was a topic not up for discussion.
"We don't need to earn it. We'll win because we spend more," quipped the girl, quick to get in the last word, as the two walked hand-in-hand away from the historic building.
It's 2007 thinking spreading nationwide. And the Yankees are to blame.

Source: Phanatic Magazine (Philadelphia)

By John Gottlieb

It’s unbelievable that when you play by the rules you are still chastised as the worst in all of sports. It's a lofty title to uphold, but one it becomes the Yankee moniker before the start of every baseball season.
Pardon me but boo-hoo for the rest of Major League Baseball and the rest of the whole sporting landscape for that matter.
I’m sure I don’t have to, but I will remind everyone that despite having the highest payroll for the last six years the Yankees have ZERO World Series titles. That’s right, they’ve been stuck on good ole No. 26 since the 2000 Subway Series.
The Yankees are the worst in all of sports when they win and the worst in all of sports when they lose. When they win it's because they're supposed to and when they lose it's because there is no way all of that high-priced talent can come together as a team. I guess you're damned if you do and damned it you don't. That's a pretty rough standard to be held to.
How can you blame the Yankees for the market they’re located in? Being in New York has its perks, and one of them is drawing four-plus million fans.
Do the Yankees exude some sort of arrogance? If you spent $200 million for a team you’d expect them to win. Do we equate arrogance with lofty expectations? If so, then count the Yankees guilty as charged.
The Yankees won four World Series in five years behind homegrown talent, including Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte.
Other than the 2002 Angels no other team since 2000 has used as much of a core of homegrown players than the Yanks’ dynasty.
Maybe they spend their money unwisely but that goes to show that despite being in the playoffs, the team that spends the most usually doesn’t win, which should give hope this year to the Phillies, Twins and Cardinals.
Jay Leno’s got an extravagant, expensive collection of cars, but would the late night talk show host send his Porsche Carrera GT to the junkyard if it blew a transmission. I don’t think so. He’d probably replace the V10 with a V12 and up the horsepower from 605 to whatever you up that kind of machinery to.
It’s the same thing with the Bombers. If Johnny Damon breaks his leg in spring training you can bet that the first call Brian Cashman will make is to John Schuerholz in Atlanta.
I’m not sure why everyone has a problem with what the Yankees do. Is it because they put a winning product on the field (at least throughout the regular season), or is it because if they have a deficiency they go out and fix it?
Of course the Royals can’t make the same moves that the Yankees can, but their owner is David Glass. Never heard of him? He’s just the guy that owns one the biggest companies in the United States (Walmart).
The new owner of the Pirates is Bob Nutting, who is the President and CEO of Ogden Newspapers and Nutting Newspapers, a chain off 38 dailies, 43 weeklies/shoppers, 14 magazines and 51 independent telephone directories.
These guys have all the cake it takes to turn the franchises into competitors, but they spend the money poorly (Gil Meche) or they don’t spend it at all. Don’t blame the Yankees for that.
You don’t get to join the fraternity of baseball owners unless you have a lot of money and you play nice-nice with the others.
Am I to believe that David Glass can’t afford to keep up with George Steinbrenner? No, Steinbrenner just wants to win more and is willing to do whatever it takes, within the rules to do so.
Just wait until A-Rod decides that he wants a contract extension after this season and threatens to opt out of his deal if the Yanks don’t give him five more years at $100-plus million. The Bronx Bombers would tell him to take a hike.
Also keep in mind that the Yankees are only paying $16 million this season for Rodriguez. I can give you 29 other teams that would do that if they could.
Now that Brian Cashman has control of the organization the Yankees have shown fiscal restraint. If they were the big, bad Yankees with George Steinbrenner calling the shots then Carlos Beltran would be patrolling center and Barry Zito would be the talk of the town.
The Yanks added Doug Mientkiewicz, Kei Igawa and Andy Pettitte this season, while shedding Gary Sheffield, Randy Johnson, Jaret Wright and most certainly Bernie Williams. New York would’ve gotten rid of A-Rod and Jason Giambi too but they wouldn’t waive no-trade clauses.
And whom did New York get in return for these future Hall-of-Famers and Jaret Wright? Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Whelan, Anthony Claggett, Chris Britton, Ross Ohlendorf, Steven Jackson, Alberto Gonzalez and Luis Vizacaino. There is a possibility that two or three of these players will see time in the majors this year.
The Yankees are a team with weaknesses, including aging starting pitching, the lack of a dominant relief pitcher (other than Mariano), and a gaping hole at first base. I’m sure if they wanted to they could've bettered themselves with some major league ready talent if they were "the worst in sports".
Nope, they’re building for the future. The Yankees farm system was a laughingstock just a few seasons ago, but ESPN’s Keith Law ranked them in the top five this year.
When you hear baseball fans complain about what the Yankees do it’s because they wish the owners of their favorite franchise was smart or savvy enough to do the same. What would make the system fairer? Do the Yankees need to be put a competitive disadvantage because they make so much money? Why don’t we make them play with 20 guys on their roster instead of the 25 everyone else gets? How about we put a cap on the number of All-Stars one franchise can have? Where does the line get drawn?
There is no salary cap in baseball and there never will be thanks to the strongest union in the world. That is the only way to even out the playing field (just like the NFL), but don’t hold your breath. It ain’t gonna happen, baseball has gone on strike for less.
As for the Red Sox, if the Yankees are the worst in all of sports the Red Sox are not far behind. This is a team that spent $222 million this offseason behind only the Chicago Cubs. (The Yankees rank ninth in offseason spending this year.)
Sorry if my math is a little off, but as best as I can tell the Yankees’ payroll will be roughly $45 million more than Boston's this year (and that doesn’t include the posting bids for any of the import pitchers on either team), compared to last season when New York’s payroll was close to $75 million more. Boston is catching up and doing it quickly.
So while that was a beautifully disturbing love story of the couple in Boston, the Red Sox are a team going with their fifth different shortstop in the last five seasons and also signed an outfielder that won’t play with a hangnail to a five-year, $70 million contract.
Look in the mirror. The playing field is slowly but surely being leveled in baseball.
If the Yanks are the worst in all of sports because they will do whatever it takes, again within the rules, then why even pick a team and devote your time to it?
“You play to win the game.”

Source: The Cincinnati Post

SARASOTA, Fla. - When Bubba Crosby walked into the Reds clubhouse at the City of Sarasota Sports Complex for the first time, he saw something he wasn't really used to, guys hugging each other and talking about dinner plans.

Crosby, who spent the last three years with the New York Yankees, wasn't used to seeing such a level of camaraderie.

Monday's drama in Tampa was that Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter aren't best friends. In Sarasota, Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn were ganging up on Ryan Freel and busting up the entire clubhouse in laughter.

"That's something we lacked in New York. It felt like everyone would go their own separate ways. Here guys go out and do things together," said Crosby, who was signed to a free agent contract in the off-season. "I think that's a huge part of the game. The Yankees have had $200 million-plus payrolls the last few years. Money doesn't mean championships all the time. You look at St. Louis, it looks like the guys love each other and hang out."

Even though position players aren't required to report until Thursday, most of the Reds regulars are already in Sarasota and have been for a while, just hanging out in the clubhouse and working on their own. They're here to work on their skills, but also because they want to be here and enjoy being here.

"We have a bunch of guys who screw around when it's time to screw around and be serious when it's time to serious," said pitcher Aaron Harang. "That makes it more fun to come to work every day."

It didn't take too long for Crosby to feel as if he fit in, getting invited to dinner by other players and joining in the clubhouse jokes.

"I've just been here five days, and everyone's been accepting to people coming in," Crosby said. "The staff and everyone have been great."

Crosby isn't just happy to be with the Reds for the clubhouse hijinks, but because after becoming a minor league free agent following the 2006 season, he wanted to find a place where he could play his style of baseball.

Because the 5-foot-11 Crosby is fast, loves to run and is a good bunter, he knew he wanted to play in the National League, and he found Cincinnati to be the best fit.

"Even being a fifth outfielder for a National League team, you're going to get three times as many at-bats as I would if I were with the Yankees again," Crosby said. "It's exciting to know I can play my game. Sometimes I'd get the green light, but I'd get the stare from Joe (Torre) that said I better be sure. Then you hesitate and just wait for (Hideki) Matsui to hit a two-run homer."

In three seasons with the Yankees, Crosby never had more than 100 at-bats in a season, despite appearing in as many as 76 games for New York in 2005. He stole just nine bases in his three seasons, despite stealing 106 in the minors.

Crosby, who can play all three outfield positions, was used primarily as a defensive player, either starting or coming in late in the game to shore up the defense. In the 2005 American League Division Series, he started in center field for three of the five games. He went 2-for-3 with an RBI in Game 5, but was pulled for pinch-hitter Ruben Sierra in the eighth inning of a Yankee loss.

"I think I just got labeled with the Yankees as a utility outfielder. I never got a chance to hit a whole lot in New York," Crosby said. "There they used two extra outfielders, they had an offensive guy, which was Bernie (Williams) last year, and a defensive one, which was me. I'd go out and do my part, but if my spot came in the order to hit, Bernie would hit for me."

Spotty at-bats hurt his timing, Crosby said, which hurt his numbers. He hit .207 last season (18-for-87) and .276 in 2005 (27-for-98). It's not that he can't hit, Crosby said, it's that he hasn't been given a chance. Not many players get called up to the big leagues to be outfield defensive specialist. Crosby hit .361 in Class AAA Las Vegas in 2003 before being called up the Dodgers and then traded to New York. He's a career .279 hitter in the minor leagues.

"I hit every spring training. I got to the big leagues with the Dodgers because I could hit," Crosby said. "I was ready to see what I can do, hitting. I knew I could go out there in spring and lead the whole camp in hitting and it wouldn't matter, I'd still be the fifth outfielder. It's nice to go to an organization that if you produce, you're going to play."

Source: Lower-Hudson Journal

By PETER ABRAHAM
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: February 21, 2007)

TAMPA, Fla. - Bernie Williams is waiting for an offer that isn't coming.

The Yankees worked out for the first time as a team yesterday, and Williams wasn't on the field. The team has offered him a minor-league contract, but the 38-year-old outfielder wants more.

"Bernie is not retiring but is loyal to the Yankees and feels he can be an important contributor to the '07 team," agent Scott Boras told The Associated Press. "He's continuing to work out (and) will wait to see if their position changes."

It's not changing, general manager Brian Cashman said. The Yankees have no room for Williams at the moment but are willing to have him come to camp and compete for a job.

"The best chance is for him to be here and play," manager Joe Torre said.

Williams has not returned repeated telephone calls from Cashman and Torre.

"Bernie is still very sensitive," Torre said. "I like him very much, but there is nothing about Bernie that can surprise me. That's his personality."

Cashman was more blunt.

"You'd have to be stupid not to interpret the answer. He's given us the answer," he said. "If something changes, I guess he'll let us know first. But it's time to start focusing on who we have here now."

Damon takes it slow: Johnny Damon injured his left shoulder during drills at this time last season. So he plans to take it slow this spring.

"I'm going to take it easy. It doesn't need to be 100 percent right now," he said.

Damon said his various aches and pains from last season - particularly the cracked bone in his left foot - have healed.

"I've been able to run a little bit," he said. "I haven't run much because I wanted to rest a lot. This first week of spring I'm definitely going to work on getting in better shape."

Damon has defined goals for the upcoming season.

"I wasn't my normal self as far as hitting with runners in scoring position," he said. "That has to get better, and I struck out a few more times than I wanted to."

Giambi goes deep: Jason Giambi had not taken batting practice since having surgery on his left wrist in October. But he launched four balls out of Legends Field during batting practice.

"Everything feels great," he said. "It's better than it was before I hurt it."

Extra bases: Torre was back at Legends Field after missing 1 1/2 days with a touch of the flu. ... None of the Yankees are pleased with their MLB-mandated spring-training caps, which have white piping on the brim and on the sides. "The hats are terrible," Jeter said. ... Jose Tabata, an 18-year-old outfielder from Venezuela, has his locker next to countryman Bobby Abreu. Tabata is listed at 5-foot-11, 212 pounds. "He looks like a little Manny Ramirez," Abreu said.

Source: Associated Press

Wednesday, February 21, 2007 - Updated: 03:40 AM EST

TAMPA, Fla. - Bernie Williams rejected the New York Yankees’ offer of a minor league contract and will wait to see if a guaranteed job opens up for him on the team.

Yankees manager Joe Torre spoke with Williams last week and tried to reach him, without success, on Sunday.

”Bernie told me he had talked with Joe. Other than the invite, there wasn’t any information that led him to believe he would be a member of the team,” Williams’ agent, Scott Boras, said Tuesday. ”He’s continuing to work out, will wait to see if their position changes.”

Williams signed with the Yankees in 1985 and came up to the major league team in 1991. Torre had hoped the outfielder would be on the field as position players started workouts Tuesday and that Williams would compete for a spot on the roster.



”Evidently, what I’ve said to him hasn’t been enough for him,” Torre said. ”I know he was down when I talked to him.”

Williams helped the Yankees win four World Series titles from 1996-2000 and is hurt the team hasn’t offered him a guaranteed job. Now 38, he lost his starting center field spot to Johnny Damon last year but hit .281 with 12 homers and 61 RBIs in 420 at-bats as a backup, seeing significant time after Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield got hurt.

”He certainly feels he can be a helpful contributor in ’07,” Boras said. ”He wants to remain loyal to the Yankees and doesn’t feel it’s appropriate for him to play for another club.”

Williams hasn’t returned calls from Yankees players or general manager Brian Cashman.

”You’d have to be stupid not to interpret the answer. He’s given us the answer,” Cashman said. ”If something changes, I guess he’ll let us know first. But it’s time to start focusing on who we have here now.”

Yankees captain Derek Jeter and others have said it will be ”weird” to go through spring training without Williams.

”I think we’re all kind of waiting to see if he walks through the door,” Damon said. ”He meant so much to our team last year. Without him, it would have been a different story. He filled in nicely for me when I was banged up. He filled in nicely for Matsui and Sheffield. Bernie’s the type of guy who can play probably another three or four years at a high level. He just wants to do it here.”

If the Yankees start the season without Williams, his corner locker at Yankee Stadium will be offered to closer Mariano Rivera, whose current locker is adjacent.

”I would take it under consideration,” Rivera said. ”My spot is a great spot. I’ve been there a few years. But, like I said, I would take it under consideration knowing the organization is thinking about it.”

Notes: Damon is upbeat about his physical condition after playing through a sore shoulder and a broken bone in his foot last season. ”The foot is completely healed,” Damon said. ”I haven’t ran much because obviously after the season I was a little banged up, wanted to rest a lot. This first week of spring I’m definitely going to work on getting in better shape.” ... Rivera threw 34 pitches during his third bullpen session and expects to be ready to pitch during the first week of exhibition games. ... Jason Giambi hit four homers, including one off the center-field backdrop, during his first batting practice session since offseason surgery on his left wrist. ”No pain at all,” Giambi said. ”We’ll see how it feels tomorrow.” ... Alex Rodriguez cleared the scoreboard in left-center during batting practice.

Source: North Jersey Record

By PETE CALDERA
STAFF WRITER

TAMPA, Fla. -- Just before 9:30 a.m., 64 players tilted their chairs toward the center of the Yankees' clubhouse and awaited Joe Torre's spring training address.

Congested, coughing, feverish, and feeling generally "washed out" since shortly after arriving at Legends Field, Torre stayed in bed on Saturday and left camp early on Monday -- in no condition to conduct any baseball business.

But Torre was in uniform Tuesday morning, notepad and folder in hand, as he entered the room for his 12th annual speech prior to the Yankees' first full-squad workout.

Even battling a bad cold, there was no way that Torre would skip this moment to lay the groundwork for another challenging year ahead.

Chief among Torre's topics is to limit any avoidable disruptions, and to prevent minor rifts from becoming gaping wounds.

"I always mention distractions," Torre said. "It's part of being here."

Minutes earlier, Torre's team captain sat in the Yankees' dugout and announced that, "This is the last time I'm going to address" anything related to his friendship with Alex Rodriguez.

Derek Jeter declined to analyze their damaged relationship, which A-Rod described Monday as having gone from "blood brothers" to something significantly less.

"I would characterize it as it doesn't make a difference," Jeter said of his friendship with A-Rod. "Has our relationship changed? I've had a lot of relationships that have changed over the years."

As to Rodriguez's troubles on the field, and with the fans' reactions, "me and Alex have talked about it," Jeter said. "Alex has never sensed a lack of support from me."

Torre offered that A-Rod's public admission to a damaged friendship "sort of made him feel better."

As Rodriguez later told The Associated Press, "That's as honest as I've been here since I've been here. ... and that part of it felt good.

"I just found myself trying to say always the right things and trying not to screw up," A-Rod said. "And I think that came across for some people as very disingenuous and phony, perhaps -- those are the things you hear.

"If you're going to get chopped up into pieces, you might as well be as honest as you can and get ripped for it."

Last week, Carl Pavano invited Mike Mussina into a room to discuss the growing clubhouse perception that Pavano was more disinterested than injured over the past two seasons.

Mussina exited with a more favorable impression of Pavano, and a fire had been stamped out.

But where Pavano only has to pitch and win games to avoid further scrutiny, the psychoanalysis of the Jeter-A-Rod relationship has a limitless fuel supply.

"I don't have a rift with Alex," said Jeter, who had no plans to seek out Rodriguez for a deep discussion. "It's annoying to hear about it all the time.

"Everyone assumes they know what our relationship is," Jeter said. "If one person gives another one a look, it's a story. If we're at opposite ends of the bench, people say it's a story."

Shortly before 11 a.m., Jeter and Rodriguez engaged in one of the most well-chronicled games of catch ever played.

As teammates, "We support each other," Jeter said. "In terms of what happened away from the field, I'm not going to get into that."

And once more, Jeter said the fans innately want A-Rod to succeed, but that "I don't think it's my job to tell the fans what to do."

That stance has left some to believe that Jeter's chill toward Rodriguez runs deep.

"I understand my job is public, but your private life is your private life," Jeter said. "Once you open that door, it doesn't stop."

Source: NJ Star-Ledger

Tuesday, February 20, 2007
BY ED PRICE
Star-Ledger Staff

TAMPA, Fla. -- Steve Swindal, the high-ranking Yankees executive who last week was charged with driving under the influence, yesterday expressed regret and embarrassment but also declared, "I'm here for the duration."

Swindal is a general partner of the team as well as George Steinbrenner's son-in-law and designated successor as principal owner. Swindal faces a March 15 court date in Pinellas County for an incident early last Thursday, when he was pulled over by St. Petersburg police.

"I just wanted to tell you on a personal level how embarrassed I am for my family, for the Yankees, for the fans," Swindal, 52, said in his first comments since the arrest. "I know I let a lot of people down and I promise to do better and put this behind me."

Swindal said Steinbrenner has been in his corner.

"I've been married 23 years, and guys, I've got to tell you, on a personal level, he's been a great father-in-law and that's not changed," Swindal said. "It's a family matter. He supports me. I don't feel anything but a guy who is looking out after me and supports me."

Steinbrenner spokesman Howard Rubenstein had no comment on Steinbrenner's behalf.

Swindal declined to talk about the incident, "because I've been instructed not to." He returned to work at Legends Field yesterday, coming in about 1:30 p.m., and decided to meet with the media about an hour later.

According to police, Swindal cut off a police cruiser in traffic and was then clocked going 61 mph in a 35 mph zone. The arrest affidavit described Swindal as having "slurred, mumbled speech ... swaying, stumbling, staggering motor control ... and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath."

Jason Giambi, who underwent surgery last fall to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist, said he wants to pace himself early in spring training. The first full-squad workout is today.

"Everything's fine," Giambi said. "(Manager Joe Torre) just wants me to start slow to make sure I don't have any setbacks."

Hideki Matsui, who missed most of last season with a broken wrist, said he has "no problem" and has been swinging a bat for about a month.

Torre was at Legends Field in the morning but, still battling illness, left during the workout.... Non-roster right-hander Steven White, who had been sidelined with a strained ligament on the right side of his neck, played catch and expects to resume throwing off a mound today or tomorrow.

Source: NJ Star-Ledger

Thursday, February 22, 2007
BY ED PRICE
Star-Ledger Staff

TAMPA, Fla. -- Joe Torre still remembers Steve Bilko, who was named the Pacific Coast League MVP three years in a row, 1955-57.

About 20 years ago, Mets fans may recall, there was Randy Milligan -- The Sporting News' 1987 Minor-League Player of the Year for the Tidewater Tides.

Neither one is remembered for his big-league career.

There have been plenty of players who could hammer Triple-A pitching, but it's often a different story when they get promoted. Some struggle against the better pitching. Others are unable to handle a different role. And then there is the pressure that comes with a second deck on the stadium.

The Yankees are using this spring training to see if Andy Phillips or Josh Phelps can build on their Triple-A success. The team is likely to choose one to open the season as the right-handed half of a platoon at first base, sharing time with Doug Mientkiewicz.

Phillips and Phelps have nothing left to prove in Triple A, with lifetime averages at that level of .294 and .297, respectively. But why do some players move up the ladder with ease and then stall on the final step?

Torre, the Yankees manager, put it simply: "Because the jump is big."

Phillips, who turns 30 in April, batted .300 with 22 homers for Triple-A Columbus in 2005. But because he was out of minor-league options, he spent all last season in New York -- where he hit just .240 with 56 strikeouts in 246 at-bats.

Phelps, who turns 29 in May, was once a prized prospect in the Toronto organization. When the Blue Jays traded Raul Mondesi to the Yankees in July 2002, Phelps got a chance to play and batted .309 with 15 homers over 265 at-bats.

But the next season and a half were not as good, and Toronto sent Phelps to Cleveland in August 2004. He became a platoon player with the Indians and after that season moved on to Tampa Bay. After hitting .266 in 47 games, Phelps was sent back to Triple A for the final two months of 2005.

He spent all of last year with Detroit's affiliate in Toledo, batting .308 with 24 homers. Baltimore signed him as a free agent and then lost him to the Yankees in the Rule 5 draft. As a Rule 5 pick, he must stay with the Yankees the entire season or be offered back to Baltimore.

"I think the thing is, you have to be more consistent at the big-league level," Phelps said. "You try to do more than you're capable of, it can turn against you. As good as everybody is on the major-league level, they'll capitalize on it."

Phillips alluded to another adjustment. While some players, such as Robinson Cano, get called up to be regulars, others are immediately handed part-time work for the first time in their career.

"Sometimes you take on a different role here," Torre said, "and that sometimes causes a problem. That, I think, was Phillips' biggest problem last year."

Torre said Phillips' struggles against left-handed pitching in 2006 (.195 average with one homer in 82 at-bats) was an indication he was having trouble adapting.

"The timing becomes a problem with a young player," Torre said, "because they really don't know how to do it."

Said Phillips: "There's so many variables that go into it. The bottom line is, it's still baseball."

Much of the adjustment is simply the difference in pitching. Just about anyone with a live arm will be in the majors instead of Triple A.

"It's the quality of competition you're going against," Phelps said. "There's no pushover there (in the majors). That's the big difference. You find just as many guys who throw 95 (mph) in the minor leagues, but not as many guys that throw strikes."

Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long, who spent the past five seasons as a hitting coach in Triple A, said some minor-league hitters feast on retread relievers.

"I'd say the biggest difference is the bullpens," Long said. "It's the same guys (every year). But their stuff is not what the major-league guys have."

Long said the trained eye can often tell which .320 hitters at the Triple-A level will be able to succeed in the majors and which are so-called "Four-A" players.

But even so, there are can't-miss guys who become washouts, and "non-prospects" who surprise.

"That's (one) of the things you can't explain in the game," Torre said. "That's when you cover it by saying, 'That's baseball.'"

Source: Associated Press

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Manager Joe Torre and the core of Yankees players that won four World Series titles with Bernie Williams are resigned to the outfielder's absence.

"It will happen to all of us," catcher Jorge Posada said Wednesday in Tampa, Fla.

Williams rejected the Yankees' offer of a minor-league contract, instead wanting a guarantee of a job when the season starts.

"It's sad," said Torre, who hasn't talked with Williams since late last week, "but not surprising in the fact that I haven't heard back from him."

Source: Globe and Mail (CDN)

DUNEDIN, FLA. -- Word from across Tampa Bay doesn't paint a pretty picture of life in the New York Yankees' camp. No Bernie. No Rocket (not yet). A little Joe, but way too much A-Rod and Pavano and Mussina. A DUI infraction for the guy who just happens to be George Steinbrenner's son-in-law and the Yankees' managing general partner, Steve Swindal. Mariano in a contractual drama.

Yes, it all sounds as if the Yankees pretty much have the rest of the American League East where they want it. Like the rest of the baseball world, the Toronto Blue Jays know the reluctance of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez to hang out or break bread together is meaningless insofar as it indicates the Yankees will be any less prepared to defend their division title. This is the AL East, after all. We persevere.

Rodriguez is baseball's version of the dumb blonde, and it was his air-headed musings about a deterioration in his relationship with Jeter that started the latest nonsense. Jeter has never had much time for Rodriguez's Anna Nicole Smith act -- it is one of Jeter's weaknesses, along with dating starlets -- so he responded by saying people have all along made too many assumptions about his relationship with Rodriguez. And, of course, he's right. He's Derek Jeter.

Relax, people. The division title hasn't been won or lost yet, just as it wasn't won last week when the Daisuke Matsuzaka PR machine whirred into gear at the Boston Red Sox' site in Fort Myers, Fla. The first ulnar or medial collateral ligament hasn't popped yet and already there's a great rush to read this or that into this word or that glance.

Look, this is the AL East. Stuff happens. Manny Ramirez is going to report late. J.D. Drew will probably be hurt. The Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Devil Rays are irrelevant and the Yankees and Red Sox will have pitching injuries. So will the Blue Jays.

As Roy Halladay has already said, the AL Central is so good, the wild card won't be coming out of the AL East any time soon. So buckle up and know this about the Yankees' melodrama: They are Jeter's team. Rodriguez? He doesn't have enough currency within that clubhouse to cause a rift, even though the Yankees haven't been the same since the Paul O'Neills of the world starting drifting away. And even though all this appears to be Rodriguez's ham-handed attempt to signal that he will likely exercise the escape clause in his contract at the end of the season -- hey, Alex, don't let the door hit you on the way out -- both he and Jeter are such capitalists in the baseball sense (when it comes to both money and statistics) that they'll continue to realize they need each other.

As for your Blue Jays? They'll open full workouts this morning as a team of happy campers, for what it's worth. They have a surplus of veteran pitchers with something to prove, guys like Victor Zambrano pitching for just one more contract. Always a good thing. Their next major contractual issue won't surface until the end of next year, at which point A.J. Burnett has to make a call on the escape clause (what, you forgot he had one?) in the five-year contract he signed before last winter. Plenty of time to worry about that.

The Big Hurt, Frank Thomas, has already started to put his mark on the team. He and Troy Glaus seem to have adopted a "You first, no, really, after you, I insist" approach to who'll bat cleanup. And Thomas showed a remarkable sensibility in the way he approached Lyle Overbay about acquiring Overbay's uniform No. 35.

After quickly giving his blessing, Overbay didn't know what to say when Thomas said he wanted to "do something" for him. Thomas called Overbay's wife, Sarah, and asked whether she thought her husband would like him to commission a painting of Overbay by Vernon Wells Sr., a well known portrait artist and the father of the Blue Jays' centre fielder. Of course he would, she responded, especially if Wells could paint the couple's two sons, two-year-old Adam and Alex, into the picture. She sent pictures of the kids to Wells's father and made a pact with Thomas to keep it a secret from Overbay, who was caught off guard by the gesture.

"Pretty special," said Overbay, who signed a four-year, $24-million (U.S.) contract over the winter. "I mean, you don't know somebody so you don't know what their tastes or their likes are, and then somebody goes that far for you . . . it just tells you something about the type of person he [Thomas] is. To have that happen to me -- and to sign that contract and stay in a place I really wanted to stay -- it made for a pretty good winter."

Source: Seattle Times

TAMPA, Fla. — It doesn't quite live up to the paparazzi nirvana that is Bald Self-Destructing Britney, but the public breakup this week between Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter is pretty juicy stuff, even by Yankees soap-opera standards.

Who wasn't riveted by A-Rod's plaintive (though typically misguided) revelation that the two "blood brothers" have stopped having slumber parties, and Jeter's somewhat catty reaction that foretold an even deeper freeze ahead?

But really, it's just variations on a Bronx theme. While the names and details change, frantic upheavals are a staple of Yankees camp. Nothing to see here. Move on.

Oh, something is going on with the Yankees, all right. Something big, potentially even profound.

An era is grinding to a close. The Yankees' way of doing business is in flux.

For more than a decade, what a glorious ride it has been — four World Series titles in Joe Torre's first five years, and a core of players that have earned their place in the Yankees pantheon: Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada.

But the signs of change are everywhere. Partly, it's the cycle of baseball. Players grow old, and they're replaced. It happened with cornerstones of the early dynasty, like Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez and Andy Pettitte (back in pinstripes after three years in Houston), and now it's happening with Williams, who refuses to come to camp as a nonroster player. Posada and Rivera, entering the final year of their contracts, could be next out the door.

As Torre said, while discussing the likelihood that Williams' Yankees career is over, "I remember when Sandy Koufax retired after winning 27 games. Guys like that walk away, the game still goes on."

Furthermore, no one would be surprised if the needy A-Rod exercised his out clause after the season and sought his happiness elsewhere, yet again.

Owners grow old, too. George Steinbrenner, at 77, is a shell of his bombastic self, by all accounts increasingly slowed by age.

Newspaper accounts of Steinbrenner's appearance here at Legends Field on the first day of camp used phrases like "limping gait," "ashen face," "mumbled," "slurred words," and "lurched" to describe him.

He is still the boss, perhaps, but no longer The Boss in all the raging glory that moniker implied. Increasingly, Steinbrenner's son-in-law, Steve Swindal, is handling the daily business operations of the club (when he's not getting busted for DWI, yet another eruption of this spring). The implications of a Yankees team without Steinbrenner's win-at-all-costs imprint could be profound.

Then there's the beloved Torre, who is 66 years old and in the final year of his contract, too. Though Torre has left open the possibility of continuing past this year, most Yankees insiders wouldn't be surprised to see the reins handed next year to bench coach Don Mattingly.

And if the Yankees don't get to the World Series, it probably won't be Torre's choice. Remember, he just barely survived The Boss' wrath last October, when the Yankees were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Detroit. By all accounts, general manager Brian Cashman had to plead for Torre's job. Even in his old age, Steinbrenner isn't likely to be so charitable if it happens again.

That marked the Yankees' sixth consecutive year of nonchampionship, a full-blown crisis in these parts. Starting with their epic four-game collapse to Boston in 2004, the Yankees are 3-10 in the playoffs. Since Arizona came from behind in the ninth inning off Rivera to beat them in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series, the Yankees have been ousted in the first round three times.

Cashman has set about building a new Yankees core by nurturing the next generation of young players, such as Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, 19-game winner Chien-Ming Wang and 20-year-old pitching phenom Philip Hughes, consistently ranked as one of the top three young arms in the minor leagues.

In a startling transformation this winter, Cashman largely stayed away from the enticing free-agent targets that the Yankees used to jump after — Daisuke Matsuzaka, Barry Zito, J.D. Drew, et al. He traded established players like Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield and Jaret Wright for minor-leaguers, intent on stocking up on young pitching and trimming payroll.

If he has done it right — and don't underestimate the acumen of Cashman — then the Yankees have built the foundation for another long run. If they've done it wrong, they will be forced to do damage control in their time-honored manner — by becoming the Bronx Mercenaries to an even greater extent.

"As of a couple of years ago, we started adding young players to our mix," Torre said. "That hasn't really been a part of what we've done here. Now the players that are helping us are coming not only through the free-agent market, they're coming through the organization, which is something we haven't done in a while."

Make no mistake, the 2007 Yankees still are a formidable team, and still a hugely expensive ($200 million) team of superstars — as always, the team to beat.

It will be fascinating to see if Torre can coax one more title out of the old gang before the next wave of change arrives.

"Unfortunately, things can't last forever," center fielder Johnny Damon said. "But it did last for a long time."

Source: NJ Star-Ledger

TAMPA, Fla. -- Jason Giambi didn't drive the ball well in batting practice yesterday, but said his surgically repaired left wrist is fine.

Giambi hit only two home runs during the second day of full-squad workouts at Legends Field, but there was no concern over the wrist.

"It's fine," Giambi said. "It didn't hurt at all. I just wanted to take it slow."

Before the team took the field yesterday, Giambi met with manager Joe Torre and bench coach Don Mattingly in Torre's office to discuss the wrist and make sure there were no aftereffects from the first workout.

Giambi did not hit a baseball before Tuesday -- he took only "dry" swings before arriving at camp -- but felt so good in tee and soft-toss drills on Tuesday that he also took batting practice on the field.

"You always worry about the next day," he said yesterday. "You can get fired up and ride adrenaline the first day. But it feels good today. No pain."

Hitting coach Kevin Long was satisfied with Giambi's swings yesterday.

"I didn't see any discomfort," Long said. "He was probably a little tired today."

Derek Jeter seems to be the only member of the Yankees who has spoken to Bernie Williams in recent days.

Jeter declined to discuss the conversation with Williams, who is apparently declining a minor-league deal because he wants an assurance he will make the 25-man roster.

"For selfish reasons, I'm disappointed he's not here," the captain said.

"I can't relate. I can't say, 'Well, Bernie should do this, Bernie should do that.' Because nobody's in Bernie's shoes."

Jeter said Williams' unusual status -- not retired, not active, but in limbo because he isn't interested in signing with anyone but the Yankees -- suits his unusual personality.

"Half the time, you don't even know he's here," Jeter said. "Bernie could be in the corner (of the clubhouse) one minute and you see him like a week later in the corner and you don't see him any time in between.

"It is weird. It is typical Bernie in not doing everything by the book. ... It'll set in a little bit more, I think, as the spring goes on."

Raul Chavez yesterday caught and took batting practice for the first time since suffering a broken bone in his left hand in winter ball.

"I can do everything," he said. "I'm not behind."

But Chavez might be hard-pressed to beat out Wil Nieves or Todd Pratt for the No. 2 catcher spot.

"He'd be a long shot at this point in time only because of the injury," Torre said of Chavez. "But he certainly won't be ignored."

Starters will throw about 30-40 pitches today to hitters. The pitchers selected to throw on the main field are the projected rotation -- Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Carl Pavano and Kei Igawa -- plus prospects Phil Hughes and Humberto Sanchez....

Steven White, the nonroster right-hander who sat out a couple of days with a strained ligament in his neck, threw 30 pitches yesterday off a half-mound. ... Torre spoke yesterday with Brendan Shanahan, the Rangers forward who suffered a concussion in an NHL game last weekend. ... Guest instructor Goose Gossage arrived yesterday. ... Owner George Steinbrenner spent a little more than an hour chatting with members of his staff in the employee lunch room before being escorted out and shielded from the media by security guards.

Source: FoxSports.com

TAMPA - Two reporters check with Yankees catcher Jorge Posada to see if he had heard from outfielder Bernie Williams. Posada says no, and the conversation turns silent. The unspoken consensus is that Williams, after rejecting the Yankees' offer of a spring-training tryout, will not play again.

"It's going to happen to all of us," Posada says, glumly.

The ongoing Alex Rodriguez/Derek Jeter catfight is always good for drama, in an Angelina Jolie/Jennifer Aniston sort of way. But the fear and loathing on the left side of the infield is not the Yankees' most unsettling off-field issue, not even close.

The deeper tension with this club stems from the reality that the 2007 season could be something of a last hurrah. Posada, closer Mariano Rivera and manager Joe Torre — three of the four enduring cornerstones from the Yankees' four most recent championship teams, Jeter being the other — are entering the final years of contracts.

And that's not all.

A-Rod has the right to void his deal after this season. Left-hander Andy Pettitte has a player option for next season. Right fielder Bobby Abreu has a $16 million club option that the Yankees could decline if they decide to pursue a center fielder next winter, when Andruw Jones, Torii Hunter, Ichiro Suzuki and Mike Cameron will be free agents.

Such uncertainty is not atypical for teams in the free-agent era, but the emotions are more intense for the Yankees, considering the importance of Rivera, Posada and Torre to the team's late 1990s renaissance. The increased financial stakes for players further complicate the issue, following an off-season in which the free-agent market escalated sharply.

The impact of all this on the Yankees' performance this season might be as minimal as the impact of the Rodriguez/Jeter relationship — "If stuff like that affects you, you're not going to be very good at what you do, anyway," general manager Brian Cashman says.

But already, the fissures are showing.

Rivera has said that the Yankees "will not have an advantage" if he hits the free-agent market, a surprisingly bold comment from a player who rarely makes headlines with his words. A-Rod's opt-out clause will be a topic of discussion all season, as will Torre's status. Posada's situation is drawing less attention, in part because that is his wish.

Against this backdrop, Cashman's refusal to offer Williams anything more than a minor-league contract was an eye-opener, vividly illustrating that the Yankees will not be governed by sentiment in their decision-making. Rather than retain Williams, 38, as a fifth outfielder, the team is preserving a spot for a right-handed hitting first baseman, Andy Phillips or Josh Phelps.

"It's tough," Posada says. "This business is really tough. He's done everything for this organization. It's tough as a player to put it into words. If you need one more year, you would think they would do it for you. But it doesn't happen like that. If they don't have a fit for you, that's the way it is."

Rivera, 37, and Posada, 35, are in a different category than Williams; both continue to rank among the elite at their respective positions. Cashman is correct to delay offering them contract extensions when the grind of another 162-game season could affect either or both physically. But sensible as Cashman's approach might be, it works both ways.

As Rivera says, "This is business."

However remote, the possibility suddenly exists for Rivera to bolt the Yankees, his original team, and New York, where much of his family resides. The Yankees were successful in re-signing outfielder Hideki Matsui after the 2005 season and pitcher Mike Mussina after last season. Chances are, they will employ the same strategy with Rivera and Posada. But by that point, Rivera, in particular, might be curious enough to test the market.

The Yankees could actually benefit this season from the overall dynamic created by expiring contracts; players in the final years of deals often elevate their performances. On the other hand, teams facing multiple free-agent defections sometimes display fragile chemistry. When such clubs falter, it's not unusual for players become pre-occupied with their own futures.

The Yankees are unlikely to be affected in such a manner — the team is too good, Torre is too strong a leader and Rivera and Posada are too professional to suddenly turn selfish. But there's an underlying strain with this team, one that is far more significant than how often Rodriguez and Jeter make dinner plans together.

The fixtures — first Williams, and now Rivera, Posada and Torre — no longer are secure.

Source: Lower-Hudson Journal

TAMPA, Fla. - Spring training is 10 days old, and George Steinbrenner has spoken to reporters once - and that was only for a few seconds. He has not come into the clubhouse, either.

The Yankees are determined to shield their 76-year-old owner from the public and aren't above using a little subterfuge to do so.

Steinbrenner visited the employee lunchroom yesterday at 2:45 p.m. and sat down for a meal of fried catfish, potatoes, corn, chocolate cake and a cup of coffee. Dressed in a blue jacket and wearing sunglasses, he sat there for just over an hour chatting with some friends and his son Hank.

Word filtered up to the press box, and within a few minutes, nine reporters and a camera crew were waiting to ask him questions.

Two Tampa police officers and three Legends Field security guards banned reporters from entering the room. One of Steinbrenner's assistants then parked his golf cart in front of the door. The cart is his usual means of transport.

But when Steinbrenner emerged, he was escorted through a side door by foot. When reporters tried to follow, a security guard blocked the way until Steinbrenner was out of the area.

Chalk one up for the Yankees. But spring training continues through March 31, and Steinbrenner usually finds a way to be heard at some point.

Time to get serious: Now that everybody is loose, there will be live batting practice today on the main field.

Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Kei Igawa, Carl Pavano, Phil Hughes and Humberto Sanchez will face Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Bobby Abreu, Alberto Gonzalez, Robinson Cano, Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Doug Mientkiewicz.

Each pitcher will get 30-40 pitches.

"The hitters will have a wonderful time," Torre said.

Hendricks stops in: Yes, that was agent Randy Hendricks at Legends Field. No, he wasn't there to talk to the Yankees about Roger Clemens.

Hendricks told The Journal News that he was in town to see his other prominent client, left-hander Pettitte. But you can bet Clemens was mentioned at some point when Hendricks spoke with team executives.

Clemens is expected to be at Houston's camp within the next two weeks to work out with his son Koby. Hendricks said Clemens has not decided if he will pitch this season.

Sheff stews: Gary Sheffield told the New York Post that Torre "took the fire out of me."

Sheffield's complaint was that didn't start Game 3 of the division playoffs last season. He also said he needed an extra month or two to recover from wrist surgery, although at the time he said he was fine.

Like many a manager who has dealt with Sheffield, Torre really didn't know what to make of the comments.

"You'd like to believe that every player you manage would always have nice things to say about you," he said. "I don't really comment on stuff like that ... You do the best you can."

Extra bases: The Yankees have given up on seeing Bernie Williams. "It's sad but not surprising in the fact I hadn't heard from him," Torre said. ... Right-hander Steven White threw from halfway up the mound and seems recovered from his shoulder woes. ... The Yankees will have an intersquad game on Tuesday that will last 10 or 11 innings.