LITTLE ROCK — Better late than never for Cano
New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano reported to spring training Sunday morning in Tampa, Fla. What he didn’t know, however, was that practice actually started on Saturday.
ESPN noted Sunday that Cano was at his home in New York on Saturday when a member of the Yankees organization called him.
“He said, ‘Where are you?’ I said, ‘I’m in New York,’ Cano recalled. “I said ‘I’ll be there for the physical [Sunday].’ ”
Problem was that Yankees players were already taking the physicals in Florida.
“I got my dates messed up,” Cano said. “It’s not funny. I don’t like to be late.”
Cano led the team with a .319 batting average last season with a career-high 29 home runs and 109 RBI. He also won his first Gold Glove.
“That was my best season so far but I think I can get better at everything,” Cano said.
Cano took his physical early Sunday morning and was in the first group to take batting practice. General Manager Brian Cashman said the accident was “no big deal” and that Cano would not be disciplined.
Manager Joe Girardi said he plans to keep Cano fifth in the batting order this year, but didn’t rule out switching him with Mark Teixeira to the third spot.
“I think you could probably hit Robby anywhere you want,” Girardi said.
He may just want to remind Cano what time the game starts.
Throw like a girl
Justine Siegal became the first woman to pitch batting practice in a major-league spring training camp Monday when she threw to the Cleveland Indians in Goodyear, Ariz., according to the Associated Press.
“She made me look bad,” Manager Manny Acta said, who also throws batting practice to Cleveland’s hitters.
Siegal, a Cleveland native, said she grew up watching the team and that “following the Indians is in my blood.” She also admitted she was nervous.
“My heart was beating really fast,” said Siegal, who began playing in men’s pickup leagues after high school. “I’ve been thinking about this for the last month.”
Siegal, 36, said she wasn’t sure how hard she was throwing.
“I’m a bit of an old lady now,” said Siegal, who became the first woman to coach professional baseball as a first-base coach for the independent league Brockton Rox in 2009. “When I was 19 or 20, I was throwing upper 70s. I still play in a pickup league and I have to rely on the old curveball to get them out.”
For a team that finished with 93 losses last year, the Cleveland Indians may want to start her.
Not so old Trevor Bayne became the youngest driver to win a Daytona 500 Sunday. ESPN noted, however, that the 20-year-old isn’t history’s only young champion:
Mike Tyson won the heavyweight title in 1986 at 20.
Johnny McDermott won the 1911 U.S. Open major golf tournament at 19.
Martina Hingis won a Grand Slam tennis title at the 1997 Australian Open at 16.
They said it ...
Rick Reilly on 14-year old female wrestler Cassy Herkelman, who won a match at the Iowa state championships last week after a boy refused to wrestle her because she is a girl: “She’s broken her collarbone, split her lip, deviated her septum, wrecked her elbow, all from wrestling. She’s about as dainty as a forklift.”Quote of the day
“In the 1990s, it was at a fever pitch. I went
to a game in the past
year and it felt like a morgue.” Former Arkansas Razorback and NBA All-Star Sidney Moncrief on declining attendance at Razorbacks basketball games.
Sports, Pages 16 on 02/22/2011