Nicked members of Yankees all good to go for opener

TAMPA, Fla. - Nick Johnson received the all-clear for tonight. So did the other Yankees - Jorge Posada, Francisco Cervelli, Damaso Marte and Alfredo Aceves - who battled minor injuries this past week and, as of Friday, were questionable for the season opener.

"Feels good,'' said Johnson, who hit a foul ball off the inside of his right knee Friday. "Did a lot of treatment today. That's pretty much it.''

Posada said of the stiff neck that forced him out of games Thursday and Friday, "It's fine, it's good.'' He started yesterday's Future Stars game and doubled against the Yankees' top minor-leaguers before being removed with most of the rest of the regulars in the bottom of the third.

Marte, whose left shoulder felt "cranky'' Friday, threw in the morning. "Today I feel much better than yesterday,'' he said.

Aceves' lower back pain apparently has dissipated. Cervelli said if yesterday's game had been a regular-season game, he would have played. "Regular season, of course,'' said Cervelli (strained left hamstring). "Right now it's better to rest because it's going to be a long season.''

Futures now

The Yankees won the Future Stars game, 9-6. Javier Vazquez allowed seven hits and three runs in 41/3 innings. "Ready for the season to start,'' he said.

CC Sabathia, tonight's starter, worked out in the morning and left the clubhouse before noon as he was scheduled to fly to Boston early. All things being equal, the Yankees would have preferred to accompany him north and work out at Fenway.

"The only thing you wish is you wish you had a day where you could go up there and just be in the colder weather again,'' said Andy Pettitte, Wednesday's starter. "I'll have the opportunity to do that, throw my bullpens up there before my start, but I think maybe for the position players, that would be the only ideal situation. But we're good to go.''

Final decisions

There were no surprises regarding the Yankees' final roster decisions. Outfielder Marcus Thames made the team, and with Marte and Aceves not needing DL stints, lefthander Boone Logan did not. "Extremely hard,'' Joe Girardi said of the decision with Logan, who had a 1.74 ERA. "He did everything right. He pitched really, really well.''

Thames, signed to a minor- league deal in early February that called for him to get a one-year, $900,000 deal if he were added to the 40-man roster, was thrilled to have made the team with which he debuted in 2002.

"I was beating myself up a little bit trying to do a little bit too much,'' said Thames, who was at .094 March 27. "I've always wanted to come back here and play and I was trying to do too much and it wasn't working for me. So I finally started relaxing a little bit and started coming around.''

The Yankees signed catcher Chad Moeller, who had been released by the Orioles. The former Yankee will back up Jesus Montero for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre instead of Mike Rivera, who was released.

Running late

Bullpen coach Mike Harkey forgot a dress shirt and needed to have one fetched for him before the Yankees boarded the team plane to Boston so he wouldn't be stuck wearing a T-shirt underneath the mandatory jacket all in the travel party must wear.

"The problem is he can't just go to a regular store," Girardi said of getting the substantially sized Harkey a shirt. "He's got to find a big and tall section."