Yankees hurler Andy Pettitte was forced to throw a similar simulated game at George M. Steinbrenner Field, just the way A.J. Burnett did after last night''s washout. Manager Joe Girardi said he didn''t really consider shifting the rotation to get Pettitte a start on Saturday, citing his veteran hurler''s ability to get himself ready for the start of the season.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Believe it or not, there was a time last spring when Nick Swisher kept to himself, sitting in front of his new locker at George M. Steinbrenner Field, not sure if he should be opening his mouth to say anything to anyone. That lasted about 72 hours, which in retrospect seems like a pretty impressive feat. Swisher unleashed his bravado on the Yankees'' clubhouse as soon as those tunes started filling the air from his music machine, and one year later, the outfielder feels more at home than ever.

VIERA, Fla. -- Friday''s game between the Nationals and visiting Yankees was canceled due to rain and will not be made up. It marked the second consecutive rainout for Washington. Fans holding Nationals tickets for either Thursday against the Astros or Friday against the Yankees can exchange those tickets for any other Nats 2010 or 2011 Spring Training contest, subject to availability.

TAMPA - Rain washed away the Yankees'' game for the second straight day, forcing Andy Pettitte to follow A.J. Burnett''s lead and throw a simulated game on an indoor mound Friday.

Current hitting coaches Kevin Long (New York Yankees), Jim Skaalen (Oakland Athletics), Rick Eckstein (Washington Nationals), Rudy Jaramillo (Chicago Cubs), Don Long (Pittsburgh Pirates), Joe Vavra (Minnesota Twins) and Derek Shelton (Tampa Bay Rays) never played in the big leagues.

Furl Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre and Alfredo Aceves will all get their chance to pitch again on Saturday, as the Yankees...Read More

TAMPA, Fla. -- It seems much easier to convince Derek Jeter to exit a Spring Training game than it is during the regular season. The Yankees shortstop was scratched from New York''s Grapefruit League exhibition against the Braves on Thursday -- a game that ended up being rained out -- with flu-like symptoms. Jeter reported to George M. Steinbrenner Field to check in but was quickly dismissed by assistant athletic trainer Steve Donohue.

In 20 relief appearances for the Yankees last season, Ramirez had 22 strikeouts in 22 innings. He was 5-1 with a 3.55 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 55 1-3 innings for New York in 2008, when his 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings was the seventh-best rate among AL relievers.

Please people....lets be real....he has had a nice Career, but if you open the door for him, then there who else is let in? A whole slew of players. I like Nomar, this isn''t personal. But the HOF is for the Best that ever played, not the really good. And you can''t tell me the "Face of the Red Sox"...lots of players have been the "Face" of their team, but don''t get in. Don Mattingly was the face of the Yankees and has much better numbers then Nomar and isn''t in the Hall...Again, the Jimmy Fund and stuff is nice, but there is no wing in the Hall for guys who do nice things. It is purely performance and his numbers just don''t cut it...Derek Jeter, his contemporay at that position, is a Hall of Famer....just compare those numbers and you will see...time to take off the rose colored glasses...

As a Rule 5 Draft selection from the clean-cut Yankees on the final day of the Winter Baseball Meetings in December, the 24-year-old must be on Seattle''s 25-man Opening Day roster -- and remain there all season -- or be offered back to the Yankees for $25,000.

TAMPA - When the Yankees opened camp in mid-February, Joe Girardi and his club had several questions to ponder over the course of six-plus weeks. With the Bombers slated to open their season three weeks from Sunday, what better time to see how those hot-button issues have developed halfway into spring training?

With Joba bullpen-bound, the Javier Vazquez trade looms ever larger now for the Yankees.

With Joba bullpen-bound, the Javier Vazquez trade looms ever larger now for the Yankees.

Playfully betting his wife that the Yankees would win the game, Robertson relived his moment from a new perspective, watching from the eighth inning until Mark Teixeira''s home run left Yankee Stadium in the bottom of the 11th inning.

The Yankees, of course, are not about to admit the Great Joba Development has been a failure, but a yield of eight hits and 11 runs over 3-2/3 innings of his first two spring starts has, if nothing else, placed him dead last in the four-man competition for the fifth spot in the rotation. The one heartening aspect of this is that at least he wasn''t competing for a top-of-the-rotation spot - which is where GM Brian Cashman has had him projected from the day he had him at the top of his 2007 draft card.

This information from the Yankees: Thursday''s game between the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves at George M. Steinbrenner Field...Read More

The Yankees and Tigers play four more times this spring, so Damon will have more opportunities to see his old friends. His old fans, on the other hand, won''t get to see him return to the Bronx until Aug. 16, but he''s hoping their reaction is different than the one he received in 2006 when he returned to Boston wearing the enemy pinstripes.

Though manager Jim Leyland has put his priority on filling out his pitching rotation, the success or failure of the Tigers'' offense is probably going to be linked with the club''s decision to trade Granderson, coming off a 30-homer season, to the Yankees. He was a fixture atop Detroit''s lineup for four years, and the Tigers are counting on rookie center fielder Austin Jackson -- the key player in the return package for Granderson -- to take over at leadoff.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Francisco Cervelli strapped his gear back on Tuesday at Yankees camp, showing no ill effects from the concussion he suffered while batting over the weekend. Cervelli went through a full morning of drills with the club, including taking batting practice in the cages and catching reliever Mark Melancon''s bullpen session -- his first activity since taking a fastball off his helmet in Saturday''s game against the Blue Jays.

Ramirez went 5-1 with a 3.55 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 55 1/3 innings in 55 appearances for the Yankees in 2008 and held the opposition to a .215 batting average, with right-handers hitting just .195. His 10.25 strikeouts per nine innings were seventh-best among American League relievers that year.