Say this for Mark Teixeira: He believes in medicine.
With yesterday’s 10-2 home-opening loss to the Indians entering garbage time and his left wrist barking, Teixeira was lifted from the game in order to receive a cortisone shot.
About an hour after the syringe had invaded the $180 million wrist, Teixeira talked as if the needle had solved the entire problem.
“It put me over the top,” said Teixeira, who also had an X-ray. “It was going on too long.”
Usually, a cortisone shot is followed by two or three days of rest to let the medicine work. Teixeira, however, is determined to play today.
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Jorge Posada’s fifth-inning, two-out homer was the first in the new Stadium and tied the score, 1-1. It was Posada’s second of the season and 223rd as a Yankee, moving him past Don Mattingly into eighth place on the franchise’s all-time list.
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As expected, Carl “American Idle” Pavano was showered with the loudest boos of anybody introduced yesterday — and deservedly so.
Pavano, 2-0 with a 16.71 ERA this season, reacted by wearing an ear-to-ear grin as he trotted from the dugout to the third-base line.
After stealing the Yankees’ $40 million for four years, when he pitched in 26 games (9-8), Pavano signed a one-year deal with Cleveland for $1.5 million with a chance to make an additional $5.3 million in performance bonuses.
“Did you see that ovation I got?” Pavano asked. “There ain’t nothing to say.”
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Commissioner Bud Selig was at the game, and shared his thoughts on the new stadium.
“When I walked in here, I had the same feeling as when I walked in here 60 years ago,” Selig said. “My mother brought me and were sitting in the third deck, so the view was a little better.
“I saw George (Steinbrenner). I sat with him for a while. I did most of the talking, but he did too. He’s very proud. He’s very happy. He gave me a hug. Given what they were trying to preserve, I think they did a remarkable job.”
Selig also addressed the high prices of tickets at the stadium.
“I’ve analyzed all ticket prices here and I know the focus on the expensive seats and I understand that and Hal Steinbrenner said it’s something they should review, but a lot of seats are priced fair,” Selig said. “If you look at other forms of entertainment, our prices are competitive.”
