Not too much in the news today

Kind of a boring morning in terms of Yankee articles.

Matsui wants to play left, but the Yankees are penciling him in as the DH. I would have him take some reps at first, to see how he handles it. If he can do even a decent job there, it gives the Yanks a lot more flexibility. He may be unable to handle it, but it's worth a shot.

Girardi is planning on Moose having a spot in the rotation. This isn't all that surprising; unless he is lit up this spring, I always figured he'd be starting, at least at the beginning of the year. It sounds like he thinks his struggles last year were injury related:

Mussina had the worst season of his career, a path he started down when he strained his left hamstring in his second start. Karstens and Rasner were young pitchers getting opportunities to start but were struck down by injury early in the season.

"Health-wise, I was OK until Minnesota," Mussina said. "Then it was just one thing after another. Hamstrings take a long, long time to heal."

Moose continues with the display of humor:

When Mike Mussina was asked about Roger Clemens being referred to the Department of Justice for investigation, his first comment was: "I wasn't at the party." He was alluding to the Jose Canseco barbecue that has gotten so much press in recent weeks. When someone joked that they had pictures, he said: "You may have photos, but I'm not in them."

First round draft pick Andrew Brackman is a big man. And he temporarily struggled with his decision to give up basketball for baseball:

As a 6-foot-10 power forward on North Carolina State's basketball team, Andrew Brackman might have been an NBA draft choice. "I was told I could play at the next level," said Brackman, 22, who made a "very difficult decision" in choosing baseball over his first love. A right-handed power pitcher, Brackman also was rated the seventh-best overall prospect in last June's draft by Baseball America.

Elbow problems allowed him to slip to the Yankees with the final pick in the first round. He signed a four-year, $4.55 million deal, but admitted to "a little bit" of regret before undergoing Tommy John surgery last August. "If I was playing basketball, would I be having this surgery?" Brackman said he asked himself.

Brackman is bracing for a full year of rehabbing in Tampa, but is now comfortable with his decision. "Being here, and being able to participate [in big league camp] sort of makes you work that much harder for next year," said Brackman, who could battle for a spot in next year's starting rotation.

Brackman probably won't be battling for a spot in next year's rotation. His basketball commitment and a few injuries kept him from pitching too many innings in college. He most certainly needs some time in the minors, just to gain some more experience on the mound.

On another note, between Brackman, C.J. Henry, and Austin Jackson, the Yankees could have one hell of a minor league basketball team. If necessary, they could even bring back Aaron Boone on a minor league deal.