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Joe Girardi talked all spring about how he planned to rest his aging stars (specifically Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez) more often this year to keep them fresh.

Injuries, both minor and major, are unavoidable throughout the marathon that is a Major League Baseball season, so it was a very valid thought. Yet, through two weeks and so much scratching that Girardi’s lineup card might soon need some calamine lotion, it’s Jeter and A-Rod who are among the five Yankees to have appeared in all 12 games so far.

Life is weird sometimes, no?

Brett Gardner was scratched against the Angels Saturday due to flu-like symptoms, Mark Teixeira sat out Tuesday for the same reason (actually getting Jeter a “half-day off” as the DH as a result), and Wednesday saw Gardner once again

Think it’s crazy to ponder the thought of Derek Jeter reaching 4,000 hits in his career?

Maybe, given that it’s been less than a season since he even got to 3,000. And if you mentioned it to   Yankees manager Joe Girardi might agree with you.

“I think that’s kind of crazy to think about,” Girardi said prior to Monday’s game with the Twins. “You’re talking about five years of having to get 200 hits in a sense … I’m not ready to dive into that one yet.”

But all that said, it might not be as unachievable an accomplishment as you (or Girardi) might think.

Yes, he is far away. Through Monday’s game, Jeter had 3,105 career hits. So, even if he just maintained his career average of 192 per full season, he would,

Carl Pavano was thoroughly booed by the Yankee Stadium crowd when they announced his name before the game. Although he received a thrashing once again when he walked out from the bullpen, those boos soon turned to cheers as the Yankees offense got to him early. Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson hit back-to-back home runs to start the game, and the Yankees walked out of the first inning with a 3-2 lead.

Then the darndest thing happened: Pavano settled down. He was making his first appearance at Yankee Stadium since April 19, 2009, when he was with the Indians, so early game jitters may have had something to do with his struggles. But once he settled in, he did not let the fact that more than 40,000 Yankee fans had a very long memory.

After the first inning, Pavano pitched six more, allowing

The Yankees are riding high from a home opening weekend that included winning a series against a very good Angels team. The Yankees now stand at 5-4 through the first nine games and welcome the Twins into town for a four-game set.

Freddy Garcia is starting the first game of the series after he turned into Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn in Baltimore in his first start. Garcia had five wild pitches after having only four all of the 2011 season. With Andy Pettitte's return to the Bronx looming, Garcia and Hughes certainly have to pitch very well to make their case to stay in the rotation.

“I thought his start the other day was very uncharacteristic of Freddy,” Joe Girardi said in his pregame press conference. “With all of the struggles he had, he really could have

Opener Over

With the always highly-anticipated Home Opener over and resulting in a Yankees 5-0 victory, it's back to business as usual in the Bronx. The second game of the series between the Yankees and Angels is just that. It's still a very important test for the Bombers, but the team can now settle in and make themselves at home.

Designated Rest

The Yankees have chosen to DH Alex Rodriguez today with left-hander and new Angels ace C.J. Wilson on the mound. The half day for Rodriguez will only help the Yankees in the long run and save his legs for the grind that is the baseball season.

Joe Girardi discussed his decision before the game, stating, “I could have done either one (Jeter or Rodriguez). I decided to go with A-Rod. I believe we'll see a left hander on Tuesday as well,

The final games of spring training were disappearing off the schedule for the Yankees. So, naturally, thoughts were drifting toward the games that mattered. Well, almost everyone was thinking about the regular season. Derek Jeter was still thinking about getting hits in meaningless spring games.

Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter hit the biggest milestones of their careers in 2011, but after 17-plus years in the Bigs for both men, it’s understandable if you expect every one of their latest on-field accomplishments to be landmark ones.

Tuesday night, at least, that thought rang true, as both The Captain and The Sandman officially etched their names at the top of another record book.

In taking Baltimore starter Wei-Yin Chen deep to start Tuesday’s game, Jeter smashed his 25^th career leadoff home run, pulling him one ahead of Rickey Henderson for the most in Yankees franchise history (Rickey hit 24 leadoff bombs as a Bomber from 1985-89).

Four-plus hours later, when Mariano Rivera notched his first save of 2012, he not only extended his MLB record to 604, but he also gave

There’s no doubt that today’s athlete is built a lot better than their predecessors due, in large part, to developing their bodies and athletic ability to its fullest like no others before them.  With a lot of hard work, year-round training, along with personal nutritionists and chefs, it’s no wonder that more players are still enjoying very solid careers well into their late 30’s and some even cracking the “4-oh” mark.

Maybe like some other Yankee fans, as I get ready for this season I can’t help but wonder when Father Time’s gradual effect on aging players-- slowing down a hitter’s bat speed, a pitcher’s arm speed, or a fielder’s foot quickness—might truly push a player over the hill.

Despite taking great

By Zach Finkelstein

The chase for a 28^th World Series championship starts Saturday in big league fashion, as the Yankees are set to face the Philadelphia Phillies in what will be the Bombers’ first game against another Major League team in 2012.

The 27-time World Series champions are slated to play 33 Grapefruit League games in 34 days, including two when the team will split up to battle both the Phillies and Twins.

Naturally, the Bombers will trot out many men during this Spring Training sprint. Sixty-nine players are currently donning pinstripes – 34 pitchers, eight catchers, 15 infielders and 12 outfielders, for those who are keeping track.

The club's eldest statesman, Mariano Rivera, is 42 years young. To put that in perspective, the Yankees’ indomitable closer