YANKEE NOTES
Since his left shoulder is smothered in heat before games and packed in ice afterward, it’s easy to assume that Johnny Damon’s biggest health worry is his throwing arm.
But Damon’s more serious problem is the right foot that GM Brian Cashman said isn’t broken.
“The shoulder is OK, but the foot is killing me,” Damon said before last night’s game.
Damon refused to use the injuries as an excuse for the 7-for-36 (.194) slide he carried into last night’s game against the Rangers. He went 2-for-5 last night, and scored four runs.
“No, not really,” Damon said when asked if the foot is bothering him at the plate. “It is what it is. It’s not really going to feel better unless I sit my butt down for a week, and that’s not going to happen.”
Damon suffered a bruised foot on April 18 when he crashed into the wall in Toronto. X-rays revealed only a bruise. He re-injured it last Wednesday, robbing Boston’s Doug Mirabelli of an extra-base hit and crashing into the Stadium wall.
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A day of therapy and the knowledge that there is nothing seriously wrong with his neck made Jason Giambi feel relieved. “It’s a lot better than [Monday night],” Giambi said of his neck, which he strained diving for a ball. “It’s not a big deal. I am shooting for playing [tonight].”
Giambi, who is in a 1-for-20 (.050) slump, was examined at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital’s East Side offices yesterday. “They said I gave myself whiplash, it was no big deal,” said Giambi, who was replaced by Miguel Cairo at first.
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Don’t look for Gary Sheffield Sunday night at Shea Stadium. “I don’t think he will be back by Sunday,” Joe Torre said. That’s the first day Sheffield is eligible to come off the shelf.
When Sheffield is able to swing a bat he will need at least a simulated game to make sure his violent swing won’t re-injure his left hand. It hasn’t been decided whether the right fielder will go to Tampa for the final part of his rehab. Playing into the decision is Sheffield’s wife, who is in the final month of pregnancy in Tampa.
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Since Carl Pavano only threw 63 pitches Friday night in his second rehab start and experienced stiffness in the biceps, Torre figures the right-hander needs one more outing after tonight’s game for Trenton (Double-A).
“I would like to see one more after what happened the last time,” Torre said. “He threw in the bullpen [Monday] and he is fine,” Cashman said, “I would think he would need more than one more start.”
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Asked about free agent Roger Clemens, Cashman said, “If he wants us involved we will be excited. If not, we respect his decision. But as of right now he is retired.”
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Tanyon Sturtze will be examined by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham today. An MRI of Sturtze’s right shoulder taken Monday uncovered a small tear in the rotator cuff. Surgery is likely, and could end the 35-year-old’s career.
Yankee pitchers took batting practice off pitching coach Ron Guidry yesterday in anticipation of having to hit this weekend at Shea Stadium.
