AL East

The Yankees have sent two more players, right handed pitchers Romulo Sanchez and Ryan Pope, to the minor league camp cutting the total number left in camp down to 50, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com .

Kanekoa Texeira is a hard-throwing right handed pitcher who the Yankees got as part of the trade with the White Sox for Nick Swisher.

Pitching in double-A Trenton last season, he went 9-6 with a 2.84 ERA in 41 games and 101.1 innings. Good, but not great, numbers.

Unfortunately for Texeira and the Yankees, he didn’t have the outstanding talent to warrant protection on the 40-man roster, and he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the Rule 5 draft.

Mark Newman was nailed with a DUI the other day, but unlike former Yankee executive Steve Swindall it appears that Newman’s status within the organization is secure. Or at least he’s giving interviews and acting as if everything is all right.

There was some concern over over Derek Jeter’s right hand yesterday after he came up visibly sore on a diving play in the fourth inning.

It didn’t appear to be a big deal at the time, and manager Joe Girardi said he didn’t even notice Jeter’s discomfort.

But when it comes to The Captain, injuries are almost literally the only thing that can hold him back.

The spring training statistics of the five guys battling for the fifth spot in the rotation (in order of least to most likely to win the job):

Chad Gaudin

0-2 (W-L), 7.71 ERA, 3 GP, 2 GS, 7.0 IP, 9 Hits, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 K

Career as Starter: 21-28 (W-L), 4.72 ERA

So far this spring the Yankees have not had to deal with major injuries to their pitching staff and while that is fantastic, it’s bad for Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre, if they want to stay in the Bronx.

Who among us hasn't thought after a baseball game, "I'm so jazzed up I want to go clubbing?"  Well, if that's how you feel, and you live in the Tampa Bay area, you must be on cloud nine by the Rays latest announcement. 

If you are still feeling like wanting to get jiggy with it after a Friday night game, you won't have to go far to shake your groove thang.  Just jump, jive, and wail your way to the field for a postgame clubbin' like atmosphere.  Minutes after B.J. Upton finishes patrolling center field, local bands will take his place.

As the season draws closer the Yankees have a big decision coming up as to who they are going to pick to be their fifth starter this year. Despite my belief that it would be a waste to go with anyone other than Joba Chamberlain , there is a very real chance that he could get passed over especially considering he hasn’t really pitched all that well this spring.

Damaso Marte has certainly had mixed results during his Yankee career, but he was lights-out in the playoffs last year, especially in big spots against Ryan Howard in the World Series.

Consider yesterday payback as he couldn’t even get an out in the fifth inning yesterday as he gave up three runs on a Jayson

Werth homer, four hits, and was removed from the game after Howard hit a liner off his back.

After two years of uncertainty, the Big Kid is gone.

It's certainly difficult to fault the Eagles for doing so, but from where I'm sitting, releasing Shawn Andrews doesn't seem to make much sense.

He has missed the past two seasons with back injuries, both of which required surgery, but by all accounts he's finally healing up the way he should be and has a legitimate shot at coming back full-strength in 2010.