Cano touching all bases -- for children

HACKENSACK, N.J.

He handled this scene as smoothly as he patrols second base. Robinson Cano posed for photos with children, held babies with great care and made eye contact with all of the adult VIPs in the crowd.

We're here to view the ceremonial opening of the "Robinson Cano Pediatric Physical and Occupational Therapy Suite" at Hackensack University Medical Center, an arrangement born of Cano's longtime relationship with the center's Don Imus-WFAN Pediatric Center for Tomorrows Children. If the previous sentence is wordy, it's at least based on a simple premise.

"It's always good to spend time with kids," Cano said Tuesday.

This is about more than simply Cano's generosity of spirit and time. It speaks to the foundation he has laid in his desire to be a career-long Yankee. It's a question that very likely won't be pondered seriously until the 2013 season, yet Cano has become such an asset that we can't help but discuss it even now.

Cano professed his love for the Yankees, yet stressed about his future, "It's not in my mind right now. I know what I have to do. I'm just going to keep playing, make it to the World Series again."

The Yankees hold very reasonable team options on Cano for the next two seasons ($14 million next year, $15 million in 2013, each against a $2-million buyout) which, at this point, are slam-dunks to be exercised. Earlier this year, Cano hired Scott Boras to represent him, which leads to speculation that Cano will explore free agency after that 2013 season. Most Boras clients opt for the open market.

Last month, however, Angels pitcher and Boras client Jered Weaver signed a five-year, $85-million extension -- turning down Boras' sales pitch on waiting for a potentially far bigger take. Cano said he didn't know much about Weaver's decision, but he vowed that he, too, would drive his future, rather than occupy the passenger seat.

"I will make my own decision," Cano said. "I'm a grown man, and I can decide where I want to be, what I want to do."

Questions about Cano's maturity used to loom around the Yankees, culminating in his disappointing 2008 season. Nevertheless, even then, Cano had established himself as a familiar face here at the hospital. He made his maiden trip in his rookie season 2005, accompanied by veteran Yankee Ruben Sierra and longtime Yankees employee Ray Negron (who attended Tuesday's event) and he was touched by how much the young patients enjoyed seeing him and interacting with him.

The official liaison resulted from Cano's annual visits. "The commitment from his foundation is to work with our foundation to do a major fundraiser," said Robert Garrett, the medical center's president and chief executive. "There's not a specific venue or an amount that has been worked out yet. It's to be determined.

"But we've had such a great relationship with Robinson Cano. Normally, you would work that out in advance of a naming. The relationship has been so good, we know his commitment. We were happy to do this before working out the details."

Cano embraces the high-profile brand of his employer. "It's the greatest thing in the world," Cano said, and he was referring to all of it: The baseball, the community involvement, the fan outpouring.

Now it's just a matter of seeing whether the good times continue through two years from now. Whether this suite full of admiring children can be his special stop for a very long time.