Joe Girardi gives fan special treatment
Yankees manager Joe Girardi looks on during Spring Training. (Feb. 25, 2012) Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams, Jr.
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Among the horde of autograph-seekers tightly bunched behind the Yankees' dugout, Matt Smith stood out.
He was wearing a CC Sabathia jersey -- not so unusual -- and also was holding a cardboard sign saying "Please Remember Steven E. Smith."
Steven Smith, his son, was killed at the age of 24 in a car accident Dec. 14, 2010, on the New York State Thruway. He was an aspiring sports broadcaster, Twitter junkie and fervent Yankees fan, his father said.
When Joe Girardi came out of the dugout for batting practice, he didn't see the sign, but YES broadcaster Michael Kay did, and he pointed it out to the manager.
A short time later, Girardi asked a team security executive to have Smith brought onto the field to watch batting practice behind the cage.
"I thought it would be nice to bring him out," Girardi said. "He's been through a lot the last year and a half. You can never imagine what people are going through when something like that happens."
Smith, a pulmonary specialist, relocated from his home in Scotch Plains, N.J., to Clearwater last year.
"That was a classy thing to do," Smith -- who met Russell Martin, Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher and Reggie Jackson behind the cage -- said of Girardi. "He's a very, very warm and genuine guy."
Girardi took Smith's poster back to Tampa. He will have the entire team autograph it, then mail it back.
Joba still good
Joba Chamberlain threw his second full-mound bullpen session Friday -- increasing to 25 pitches from 16 -- and felt no ill effects a day later. That's been the case each time he's thrown in his rehab from Tommy John surgery.
"Everything's good," Chamberlain said Saturday. "I talked to Dr. [James] Andrews yesterday after I threw and everything's good."
Chamberlain hopes to throw curveballs within the next two weeks.
He's looking Grand
Curtis Granderson, who went 1-for-1 with an RBI Friday against South Florida, homered and doubled Saturday. "He's just picking up where he left off last year," Girardi said. "He looked very good."
Ibañez greeted warmly
Raul Ibañez, who spent the previous three seasons with the Phillies, received a nice ovation before his first at-bat.
"They were great to me," said Ibañez, who blooped an RBI double down the leftfield line off Cole Hamels in the first. "They always treated me great when I was here."
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