Gene Budig goes from Yankee foe to friend

Gene Budig served as American League president from 1994 until 2000, at which point Bud Selig did away with the notion of league presidents. If you followed the illustrious career of George Steinbrenner, you know that Budig's role - as disciplinarian of the Yankees and their AL competition - made him one of The Boss' primary nemeses.

Most entertainingly, Steinbrenner would attempt to provoke Budig by purposely mispronouncing his name as "Bud-ig" rather than the correct "Byoo-dig."

But this past week, when the Yankees introduced the Pinstripe Bowl, to be held Dec. 30 at Yankee Stadium, Budig attended the news conference. The Yankees credited him as a key liaison to putting the game together, as he has strong connections with the two participating conferences. He served as president of West Virginia University, now in the Big East, and the University of Kansas, part of the Big 12.

Budig, who lives in South Carolina and serves as a part-owner of the Yankees' Class A affiliate in Charleston, said that after he completed his run as AL president, he and Steinbrenner remained in touch for many years.

"I would say that we spoke at least twice a month," Budig said. "Either I called him or he would call me. We would just talk.

"People don't realize how much he enjoyed college football. He would always ask about Kansas basketball and how good they'd be. 'What are their chances?' He'd ask me about West Virginia. He really admired [longtime football coach] Don Nehlen. He liked [Kansas basketball coaches] Larry Brown and Roy Williams. We had great conversations."

Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner laughed when reminded of his dad's clashes with Budig. "What happens behind the scenes is what you don't see, which is favors for each other, mutual respect for each other," he said. "That's what it's like with Gene."

Big beginning for Bay

You know who could help the Mets get through their early stretch while both Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes are down? Jason Bay.

He knows about good starts in high-pressure situations. When he replaced Manny Ramirez in Boston, Bay put up a .358 on-base percentage and .514 slugging percentage in his first month.

"You always downplay the importance of getting off to a good start - new team, all that stuff - but it sure helps," Bay said. "It definitely alleviates a little of the pressing that goes on later, so it was nice those first couple of games to get people behind me."

Intriguing arms

Stephen Strasburg and Aroldis Chapman have generated the most buzz in spring training, thanks to their high upsides and their high paychecks. In Texas, another young pitcher should merit similar attention, even as Tanner Scheppers is part of an organization overflowing with minor-league talent.

The Rangers signed Scheppers last year for $1.25 million after drafting him with the 44th overall pick. He has missed significant time because of right shoulder problems, which is why a team didn't pick him sooner. Thanks to an impressive fastball-curveball combination, Scheppers is making the Rangers grateful for others' reluctance.

"Scheppers is outstanding," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels, a Queens native, wrote in an e-mail. "Unique arm with unique circumstances, as he really hasn't pitched much in his career."