Lazy Sunday

As expected, the first weekend of Yankees camp has been fairly slow, but you'll find no shortage of links here. Dig in.

Phil Hughes was handed a framed American flag and certificate this morning as a birthday present from June 24th, 2008. LoHud has the story - apparently, the flag was flown above the U.S. Capitol for the pitcher's 22nd birthday at the request of Bill Pascrell Jr., the U.S. Congressman from New Jersey's eighth district. Hughes was both grateful and baffled. Bombers Beat has a picture of the memento.

The Daily News reports that Jorge Posada is looking forward to catching A.J. Burnett this season. Last year Jose Molina was assigned as Burnett's personal catcher in the postseason after the pitcher struggled with Posada behind the plate.

Speaking of Burnett, he wants a second ring. He's also hoping to give Derek Jeter a whipped cream pie-in-the-face this season, since he never got the chance to get the captain last year.

Posada enjoys playing the role of mentor to all the young talent the Yankees have at catcher.

George Steinbrenner made an appearance down in Tampa yesterday to watch his grandson play a game. The Boss told the New York Post that he's "feeling good."

A few more stories on C.C. Sabathia today. According to the Post, Posada compares the lefty to ex-Yankee David Wells. The comparisons go beyond their body structures. Joel Sherman of the same paper did a story on Sabathia's gravitating personality. And the Daily News reports that Sabathia's arm is feeling as good as ever, despite the hefty postseason workload.

The Daily News has an excellent article by Anthony Mccarron on how Derek Jeter reinvented himself as a defensive shortstop. Jeter earned his fourth Gold Glove last year, showing tremendous range and skill, and effectively silenced the critics.

Javier Vazquez was scheduled to throw his first official bullpen on Wednesday, but asked Joe Girardi if he could get some light throwing in today. Girardi values this type of communication. MLB.com picked up the story as well.

Andrew Brackman looked good in his bullpen session today, he was down in the zone and Girardi believes his mechanics have improved.

Justin Milo, a hockey and baseball star from the University of Vermont, was drafted by the Yankees in the 37th round of the draft last year and is hoping to make an impact in the Bronx. For reasons unknown, he was dismissed by the UVM hockey team this week, allowing him to now focus solely on baseball.

To put an end to the weekend, here's LoHud's notes from Sunday's action along with a wrap up from Bombers Beat.