I have returned to New York for a little bit to see my young twins. I leave Yankee camp with several thoughts:

1. Hideki Matsui looks great. It is almost as if last year’s injury and the strong play of Melky Cabrera turned a prideful/serious man even more so. It is not just how many pitches he was right on with his swing, it was how well he was moving on the bases and in the field. He seems to be in great shape mentally and physically, as if he is meeting a challenge to re-prove himself head on.

2. There is a fine line between hunger and reality, and I do not think Phil Hughes walked it well this spring. Yes, reality was that the Yankees preferred that he begin the season in Triple-A and were almost totally against the idea of the touted righty making it to the Opening Day rotation. But I thought Hughes accepted that too readily. He seemed to me a hungrier pitcher last year when he had zero chance of making the club and was around for a shorter period in camp. This season he was more comfortable, at a time I thought he should have been making Yankee decision makers uncomfortable with not taking him north. The good news for the Yanks is that this camp has renewed their strong feelings about Jeff Karstens, Tyler Clippard and Chase Wright. The strong feelings about Hughes are there, but it is because of his pedigree, not because of anything he did in exhibiting star power or desire this spring.

3. An oil company is sponsoring the parking lot at Legends Field, which is just a reminder that the Yankees are such a powerful force in sports that they can sell just about anything.

4. I still do not believe the Yankees have an adequate first baseman or backup catcher in camp.

5. An important issue around the team is whether Scott Proctor was a one-year fluke or is ready to become a consistently strong set-up man. So far, so good in camp. Not only is Proctor throwing well, but his work ethic remains outstanding.