A-Rod has a case of Lin-sanity, too

TAMPA, Fla. -- If Jeremy Lin needs a place in Manhattan, Alex Rodriguez is offering.

"If he's still looking for a place to crash, maybe he can crash at my apartment,'' he said Saturday. "Imagine the tabloids then.''

A-Rod, an all-around sports junkie, didn't need much prompting to talk about the latest basketball craze in New York. "Lin-sanity, wow, what a run,'' he said. "You know, you look at the Giants, you look at Lin-sanity, there's been so many great things happening in New York, you kind of feel like we want to jump in the party. But the great thing about Lin-sanity: It kind of reminds you about how fun the game should be. For some of us who have been playing for a long time, if for just one second you're taking the game for granted, it makes you realize how much fun the game is.''

No commentA-Rod said he had no reaction to arbitrator Shyam Das' decision to overturn Ryan Braun's 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. "I don't know any of the details or the facts,'' he said, "so I'd rather not comment on that. I learned a couple years ago to stay in my very small circle of competence, which is very small. I'll let the experts like you guys weigh in on that.''

On messageJoe Girardi gave his annual address to the team, and his primary message was the same as always -- the ultimate goal is to win a championship. "I talked to them about why we're here, our goals and the importance of keeping your goals in mind when you're going through your work,'' he said. "Spring training, as we know, can get long at times. Keeping in mind what we're setting out to do.''

Girardi said he changed his presentation a bit from past years. Among other things, he showed video clips, including the celebration that ensued after the Yankees won the title in 2009.

Looking aheadThe exhibition season begins Friday at Steinbrenner Field against the University of South Florida, followed Saturday by the official opener in Clearwater against the Phillies. Ivan Nova, Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, David Phelps, D.J. Mitchell and Kevin Whelan threw live BP sessions yesterday, an indication that all are likely to work. "At some point I think you'll see those guys in games earlier than some of maybe our projected starters,'' Girardi said, with the obvious exception being Nova. "You'll see some of those young kids.''

SEE PHOTOSYankees Opening Day starters

Mariano Rivera, the lone pitcher not to have thrown a bullpen session, said he will do so Sunday.