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Spring Training Day One Highlights

Well Yankees fans the wait is finally over. Pitchers and Catchers reported to Tampa for the start of 2014 Spring Training on Friday. There are a lot of returning faces and just as many, if not more, new ones running around George M. Steinbrenner Field. Day one came and went and there is a lot to talk about. Here are just a few highlights from the media.

First and foremost, Derek Jeter (it’s ok you can let it out. Go ahead and cry, nobody is watching it is just you and your computer.) Our beloved Captain will be hanging his glove up after this season but he is feeling great and ready to go. He went through his usual routine, taking batting practice and fielding ground balls at shortstop, with Brian Roberts at second base and Kelly Johnson on hand to work out at third. Jeter and Roberts played together during the 2009 World Baseball Classic, and he said it was nice to work with him again. Jeter said he is “feeling great” and has no concerns about his health or his left ankle heading into the season. But he declined to talk about his retirement, repeating several times that he’ll do so on Wednesday.

In his opening day press conference, Skipper Joe Girardi called this season the biggest transition he has ever been through referring to not having Mo or Andy, losing Jeter and having all the new faces. However, he is very much looking forward to the season and for watching Jeter. “It’s been a thrill,” he said. “I think about playing alongside these guys and watching these guys go out on their own terms, it’s been pretty exciting. I feel like I’m really blessed to have that opportunity to manage these guys and watch them end their careers the way they want. You wish you could bring them back, and I joked with Mo when I saw him a couple of times at some events this winter, but I feel like I’ve been able to experience so many great things at the stadium because of these guys. And I love it.”

Photo: Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports

Another big headline at camp is CC Sabathia, or what’s left of him. The almost unrecognizable, slimmed down CC came to camp at 275 pounds down from 300 plus. The internet went crazy when recent pictures of him surfaced. We all thought the team had signed another pitcher under the radar. CC is aware of all the hysteria about his health and said he “thought it was hilarious.” Apparently it was the loss of a cousin in 2012 that sparked the desire to lose weight. “To be around my family, to be around my kids,” Sabathia said. “It was really about that. I just took it upon myself. I probably did it the wrong way going into a baseball season last year. But I’m ready for this year.”

The ace seemed to lose his velocity last season and he hopes to get it back this year with the new, healthier body. “I feel like I lost a little bit of power last year,” the Yankees’ ace said. “I think it was just losing that much weight and trying to play a professional sport. I felt like the Biggest Loser last year. I lost a lot of weight, but I just wasn’t physically ready to go out and play.” CC, Girardi, and all of Yankees Universe hopes he can get back to his ace ways as he will most likely be the opening day pitcher.

Masahiro Tanaka was at camp and ready to get his career in the MLB underway. He was assigned Mariano Rivera’s old locker and when a team official told him this he laughed and said,  “I’m not really sure if I should be here.” Along with trying to be comfortable using a living legend’s locker he is also trying to adjust to the way things run in his new league. “I do want to learn the way to do it over here,” he said. “I’m not really looking to just go about my way and do it in the Japanese way that I’ve been doing. Basically, I’ll try to get some advice, learn the way it’s done here and go about it.”

Tanaka was greeted by many of his new teammates including countryman Hiroki Kuroda who told him, “just be yourself. Try not to do too much, do your own pace, and you should be OK.”

Tanaka’s locker neighbor David Robertson is ready for his closer close up. He arrived at camp ready to take the reigns as the Yankee closer. Mo has given his stamp of approval and he knows how much that means. He also knows that Mo won’t hold back when he blows a save. “I’m sure that he’ll have plenty of advice for me after I blow one, then he’ll be all over my case about it,” Robertson said with a laugh. “He’ll probably show up in the clubhouse.”

Robertson sat next to Rivera at the Baseball Writers Association of America awards dinner last month in New York and said Mo “basically made fun of me the whole time, like he always does. First thing he says at the writers dinner: ‘You nervous?'” Robertson recalled. “And I’m like, ‘No. We’re not even in spring yet.’ But that’s just Mo. He’s been on my case, in a good way, for the last couple of years. And it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a great learning curve.”

The lights in New York are bright enough, but stepping into Mariano Rivera’s shoes makes those lights blinding. Robertson knows this and is already thinking of how to improve on his impressive 2013. “I’m going to have to try and make pitches that I might not make in the eighth inning, pitch in on guys, throw breaking balls in different counts, changeups, all sorts of things. I should learn to control the zone a little better. I’m definitely going to have to cut down on walks. I know I did a little better job of that last year, but I’d still like to cut down even more. That’s going to be the biggest thing, trying to make better pitches in spring and getting myself more prepared for when we get to Yankee Stadium and a real game is on the line.”

Corey Sipkin/New York Daily News

CC Sabathia was asked about all the new faces in pinstripes and he said he was excited to play with all of them. But he quickly singled out the one new player he’s “ecstatic” about having on board, catcher Brian McCann. McCann is just as excited to get to work and meet his new teammates as well as learn a new pitching staff. “It’s definitely going to be different. I look at it as a challenge. It’s exciting to get to know guys. I’ve just got to put in extra time, that’s it. That’s all I’m going to have to do is put some extra time in and get to know the people.”

McCann was considered the leader in Atlanta after Chipper Jones left but he isn’t necessarily ready to take that title with the Yanks. “I think sometimes that word gets thrown around, like you have to have this or you have to have that,” he said. “I’m not a big guy where you’re set in your ways. If you can get 25 guys pulling in one direction, you’re going to win a lot more ballgames. I think here you’ve got veteran guys that know how to play the game. You show up every day and you play hard, that’s a leader to me. It’s someone that sets good examples for the young guys. Go from there. I just feel like sometimes, when Chipper left last year, it was like, we need to have a leader. But if you get guys that show up and play hard. If something needs to be said, you say it.”

From Jeter to McCann, that was just some of the highlights from day one of Spring Training. Keep checking back for full coverage of the Yankees quest for 28.