Baseball's spring training begins with Johnson playing comedian in Florida

Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. -- Randy Johnson could get a side job as the world's tallest comedian.

He got lost Wednesday on the way to Legends Field, introduced himself to many of his new New York Yankees teammates once he got there, and then held a news conference and cracked one-liners with the ease of a Henny Youngman.

His opinion on steroids?

''I definitely know nutrition is a big part of staying healthy and being successful but, obviously, it's something that I guess kind of goes beyond the normal things at GNC.''

His thoughts on former Arizona teammate Curt Schilling, who could pitch against him when the Yankees play Boston in the major league season opener on April 3?

''I'm glad to see that I'm quickening up his rehab program because I see that he's pretty excited about opening day. I'm pretty excited about that root canal I've got next week, too.''

The Yankees and Red Sox tried not to react to Trot Nixon's criticism of Alex Rodriguez a day earlier. In other Boston news, closer Keith Foulke said he tried to get the ball from the final out of the World Series, the one Doug Mientkiewicz kept.

Across Florida and Arizona, pitchers and catchers on seven teams reported for spring training, a day after the Yankees, Washington Nationals and Cincinnati Reds opened up. Eleven more clubs begin Thursday, with the remaining nine scheduled to start by Sunday.

For the Chicago Cubs, it's their first spring training camp without Sammy Sosa since he was acquired from the White Sox in March 1992. The All-Star right fielder, whose relationship with the team deteriorated last year, was dealt to Baltimore on Feb. 2.

''He did a lot of things for this organization for baseball and for the city,'' Cubs pitcher Mark Prior said in Mesa, Ariz. ''But in general, I think probably now we're better off.''

Down in Fort Myers, Foulke talked about asking for the famous World Series ball, the one he flipped to Mientkiewicz at St. Louis last Oct. 27, sealing the first title for the Red Sox since 1918.

''I'd have definitely liked to have it back,'' Foulke said. ''When we got back to Boston, I asked him about it and I didn't get it. So that's the end of that.''

He doesn't regret that he didn't run over and step on the bag.

''It's not my job to run the ball to first base,'' Foulke said. ''My job is to throw it over there and let him do his job. We got him out. That's all that matters.''

Foulke didn't want to talk about the remarks by Nixon, who praised A-Rod's playing ability but said: ''He can't stand up to (Derek) Jeter in my book or Bernie Williams or (Jorge) Posada.''

''I'm not getting into a war of words with them,'' Jeter said. ''That's between Trot and Alex. You ask Trot what he meant.''

In Viera, 69-year-old Frank Robinson walked up the dugout steps and announced he had passed his physical.

''It only took six, seven hours,'' the Washington Nationals manager said jokingly.

Robinson expected to manage only a year when in 2002 baseball asked him to leave his job in the league office and lead the Montreal Expos. After three years in Canada, Robinson moved with the team to Washington.

''I'm kind of surprised that I'm still here because I didn't know if I was going to be healthy enough to do it,'' Robinson said. ''Or if I wanted to do it, if I wanted to go through the grind, the travel and all that stuff, the sitting on the bench for hours on end and being at the ballpark at 12 o'clock in the afternoon for a night game.''

In Tucson, Ariz., the White Sox began with 22 players who weren't on the 40-man roster when the team started spring training a year ago. Among the newcomers are starting pitchers Freddy Garcia, Orlando Hernandez and Dustin Hermanson, along with catchers Ben Davis and A.J. Pierzynski. Carlos Lee and Magglio Ordonez have departed.

''There is a little more excitement around here,'' center fielder Aaron Rowand said. ''It is a different feeling than having a group of guys on the team that is going in a different direction.''

Among the first to arrive at Arizona's camp in Tucson was third baseman Troy Glaus, who left Anaheim to sign a $45 million, four-year contract with the Diamondbacks. The 2002 World Series MVP said his surgically repaired right shoulder has healed and no longer impairs his throwing.

''If opening day was tomorrow, I could play,'' Glaus said.