--LHP CC Sabathia will be given the chance to start earning his mega-deal immediately. Manager Joe Girardi announced the new ace will pitch the season opener on April 5 and the home opener at the new Yankee Stadium on April 16. "It feels good," Sabathia said after hearing the news. "You have to earn that. It took me awhile to get that with Cleveland. It feels good to come in here, get the ball and try to set the tone for us." Sabathia will get the ball three times in the Yankees' first 10 games as Girardi will take advantage of days off and tweak the rotation by pushing No. 5 starter Joba Chamberlain back a day.
--SS Derek Jeter said he won't do anything differently if he starts the season as the leadoff hitter. Jeter was expected to remain in the top spot with LF Johnny Damon flipping spots to No. 2 for the final 10 days of spring training and could stay there when the season opens, manager Joe Girardi announced. "It makes no difference," said Jeter, a career .316 hitter who has batted .315 in 448 games in the leadoff spot. "I don't change a thing." Despite Damon's vast experience as a leadoff hitter, Girardi decided to start "toying with the idea" as a way of moving runners over with Damon, who pulls the ball as a left-handed hitter. Jeter's recent propensity for grounding into double plays could factor in, as could the likely naming of Brett Gardner as the starting center fielder. Gardner would then be the No. 9 hitter and allow the Yankees to alternate their lineup with Jeter sandwiched between the two left-handed hitters. Damon said he was fine with the move if it helps the team. --CF Brett Gardner is the likely choice to start for the Yankees over Melky Cabrera and will give the club a dimension it's been seeking for a while. Gardner's speed out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup could help set up the top of the lineup as the rookie gets a chance to play long term instead of only the glimpse he saw last season.
--3B Alex Rodriguez was "doing well" and doing "a lot of work," general manager Brian Cashman recently reported regarding Rodriguez's rehab from his hip surgery. A-Rod, of course, has not fared as well off the field, where it's been a seemingly non-stop parade of negative headlines that began with the revelation of his past performance-enhancing drug use. The latest flap came from a New York Daily News report that said Rodriguez dated the madam of an escort agency. A report on SI.com recently said Yankees co-owners Hal and Hank Steinbrenner spoke with Rodriguez sometime during spring training to stress the need to focusing on baseball and avoid off-the-field distractions.
--OF/1B Nick Swisher wasn't thrilled about learning he would start the season on the bench but promised to do what he could to adjust and help the team. Manager Joe Girardi recently announced Xavier Nady had won the job in right field and the versatile Swisher would earn time in a variety of roles. "Coming over here, that was the biggest thing: I want to win; but I also want to be a part," a dejected Swisher told reporters after hearing the news. " ... I think there's going to be a lot of at-bats out there for me." Swisher can spell Nady, LF Johnny Damon and 1B Mark Teixeira and also could slip into center field occasionally.
BY THE NUMBERS: 2 -- Number of openers new Yankees ace CC Sabathia will pitch to start the season -- the season opener and the opening of the new Yankee Stadium.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It feels good to come in here, get the ball and try to set the tone for us." -- CC Sabathia on pitching the Yankees' season opener and home opener.
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