The way we were

March 30, 2007

Carl Pavano was officially announced as the Yankees' Opening Day starter on Friday, but only after plans for a surprise appearance by Andy Pettitte fell through...

"I definitely feel pretty good," Pavano said. "Physically, things have held me back, which psychologically sometimes hold you back, too. I think everything has come at a pretty good pace as far as the spring went. I feel like I'm definitely moving forward."

March 30, 2006

Mike Mussina's spring has been a successful one, most notably for the lack of any pain, discomfort or irritation in his right elbow. Forget the lofty 7.32 ERA, he's ready for the season to begin.

"We're throwing at full speed, I've thrown all my pitches and I haven't had any trouble," Mussina said. "I don't see any reason why I'd have anything to worry about. Something could always happen; it's a long year. But I don't see any reason to expect my elbow to give me any problems."

March 30, 2005

Joe Torre doesn't plan to announce his starting lineup for Sunday night's season opener until Saturday's workout, but the manager indicated on Thursday that Jason Giambi would be his designated hitter against David Wells and the Red Sox.

"It was fine when I was running," said Giambi, who injured himself while running out a double on Monday. "I didn't overdo it. It feels pretty good right now."

March 31, 2004

When Kevin Brown was traded to the New York Yankees in December, he said that it was like an early Christmas present for him to be thrust on to a team with a lineup capable of putting up runs in bunches.
Wednesday night, Christmas came nine months early for Brown, who was treated to 12 runs by his offense in New York's 12-1 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at the Tokyo Dome.

"The first three runs took so much pressure off," said Brown, who saw a 1-0 deficit turn into a 3-1 lead after Tony Clark's two-run home run in the fourth inning. "With a lead, you can go out and find something that's working, experiment where one swing of the bat isn't going to beat you."

March 22, 2003

Roger Clemens will kick off his 20th season in the Majors on March 31, as he was officially named the Yankees' Opening Day starter by Joe Torre on Saturday.

"Roger is thrilled by it. He's done it so often, and especially this being his last year, it's a heck of a way to tip your hat to what he's done," Torre said. "We weren't going to do it unless we saw what we saw in Spring Training, physically. He's been terrific, and he's having a good time."