YANKEE NOTES
BALTIMORE – According to umpire Jerry Davis, Gabe White was violating a rule Tuesday and Wednesday night when he entered the game with a silver chain around his neck. Both times the crew chief informed White he had to remove it.
Wednesday night White said, “It’s total [bleep].”
Prior to last night’s Yankees-Orioles game at Camden Yards, Davis explained his stance.
“The rule is that no field personnel can wear distracting jewelry,” Davis said.
Following White’s poor outing (he gave up two runs and two hits in one-third of an inning), Tanyon Sturtze entered the game with a similar chain, but Davis didn’t make him remove it.
“I didn’t see that; if I had seen that I would have made him take it off, too,” Davis said.
Joe Torre wasn’t sure why Davis made White remove the chain and planned to talk to the umpire before the game.
“I always thought it had to come through a complaint through the other team,” Torre said. “For the umpire to do it on his own is strange, especially on the second day.”
White, asked before last night’s game if he planned to make Davis take it off him for a third straight night, said, “I don’t know. I don’t want to cause a scene.”
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Jason Giambi’s sprained right ankle still was puffy yesterday, according to Torre, and tests when the team is in Florida aren’t out of the question.
“It’s not out of there,” Torre said of the swelling. “He feels he can run, but you don’t want him to try. It’s not ready yet.”
Giambi is hoping to take BP in St. Petersburg today and said Wednesday he will be ready to come off the disabled list June 6.
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It took a little time for Kenny Lofton to buy into Torre’s managerial ways, but Torre said Lofton is coming along. You’ll remember Lofton wasn’t happy about hitting ninth the first two games of the season.
“He seems to be having a better time,” Torre said of Lofton, who started in center field last night. “Early he was a little confused and down. Since he has come back [from the DL] he has been in a better frame of mind.”
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Javier Vazquez (4-4; 3.67 ERA) opens a three-game series against the Devil Rays tonight in St. Petersburg.
DEREK’$ DOLLAR$
Derek Jeter this season:
Annual salary – $18.6 million
Hits/Games played – 39/45
Earnings per hit to date – $132,478.62