Times wires
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
TAMPA — Hank Steinbrenner didn't take back anything he said Monday; he simply tried to explain his comments.
In a way only he could.
"It was a euphemism," Steinbrenner said Tuesday afternoon. "It was a poor choice of a euphemism, but it was a euphemism. That's all it was. I think you guys went to journalism school, so you should know what that means."
On Monday, Steinbrenner suggested the Yankees didn't win a second straight World Series because they were complacent having won the year before. In doing so he seemed to take a shot at Derek Jeter, who built a large home in the Tampa area.
Tuesday, Steinbrenner showered praise on Jeter.
"Sometimes teams get a little complacent," he said. "They celebrate for too long. You see that a lot in sports nowadays. It certainly isn't Derek. Derek has five rings. You don't win five rings by being complacent. So it was definitely not Derek I was talking about."
Jeter, mostly, seemed amused.
"I have no problems, don't make it like I have a problem with Hank," Jeter said. "I just don't know what to say."
Jays: Snider healing
DUNEDIN — Blue Jays OF Travis Snider returned to the field Tuesday as he tries to recover from a ribcage muscle injury that has sidelined him for more than a week.
Snider fielded ground balls and expects to increase his activity in the next few days, the Toronto Sun reported.
"If it keeps moving forward I'll be able to swing off a tee by the end of the week," Snider told the Sun. "There's no set progression. We'll just let how I feel dictate the next steps."
GOING SLOW: RH reliever Frank Francisco will not appear in a spring game until the second week of the exhibition season. Francisco, 31, is being limited to long toss on flat ground but denied that he is injured. "It's just me. It's how I start every year," he told MLB.com.
Phils: Staff lined up
CLEARWATER — The Phillies appear to have set their starting rotation, with their two left-handers split up.
If everyone stays on his spring schedule, RHP Roy Halladay will start the season opener, followed by LHP Cliff Lee, RHP Roy Oswalt, LHP Cole Hamels and RHP Joe Blanton.
Hamels will start Saturday's spring opener against the Yankees. Halladay will make his spring debut Monday against his former team, the Blue Jays.
DURBIN RETURNING?: RH reliever Chad Durbin, who spent the past three seasons with the Phillies before becoming a free agent, may re-sign on a minor-league contract. MLB.com's Peter Gammons reported that Durbin could rejoin the team Thursday if he doesn't get an offer from a contender.