“I’m pretty sure I could play the infield as well, at first base,” he said. “I’m going to make sure I prepare myself to play on the field, not just in the batter’s box.” Matsui will have surgery to repair cartilage damage on his left knee once the season is over. The Yankees, he said, have not approached him about a position switch. “Not necessarily. But I used to play first and third. As long as I get a little work in, I should be OK,” he said.

Girardi said he envisioned Matsui being the designated hitter for “a substantial amount of time” next season.

"If I can be there, I shall be there." ...

"Each day I'm getting a little bit better," Sheppard said. "Each day from January until now there has been an improvement in my weight, in my stamina, and in my outlook."

The hard part now is staying home from work. "Mentally, emotionally, intellectually, I'm ready," he said. "But the doctor says whether I'm deficient is in stamina."

Not surprisingly, Abbott, who retired in 1999 with an 87-108 record and a 4.25 earned run average for his career, is trying to help other disabled people these days. Neil Romano, the assistant secretary of labor, contacted Abbott and spoke about the need for the disabled to get job opportunities. Abbott agreed to work with the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.

"He had an innings limit this year that he didn't meet," general manager Brian Cashman said. "Would he exceed that innings limit next year? You wouldn't want to do that, as simple as that." ...

"If someone adds a significant amount of innings from the previous year (to get to) an area where they've never been, history says that those guys either have breakdowns or significant underperformance."

Johnny Damon today was named the New York Yankees’ recipient of the 2008 Roberto Clemente Award. He is one of 30 Major League Club nominees for the national 2008 Roberto Clemente Award, which is given annually to the Major League Baseball player who combines outstanding skills on the baseball field with devoted work in the community.

The Roberto Clemente Award recognizes those players who best represent the game of baseball through sportsmanship, community involvement and positive contributions to their teams. The award is named for Clemente, a 12-time All-Star and Hall of Famer who died on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. This award perpetuates Clemente’s legacy and character by recognizing current-day players who truly understand the value of helping others.

Fans are encouraged to participate in the selection of the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award. From September 3 through October 5, 2008, fans can log on to www.chevy.com/clemente and vote for one of the 30 club nominees.

Damon, 34, is a national spokesman for the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides programs designed to ease the burdens of severely injured servicemen, servicewomen and their families by smoothing the transition back to civilian life. Rallying as many teammates as possible to join him, Damon is a regular visitor to many veterans hospitals, including Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington D.C., and the Tampa VA Hospital, where veterans with traumatic brain injuries are brought for long-term rehabilitation.

Damon also serves as the Yankees’ Home Run Captain for the Children’s Health Fund, which brings quality health care to the nation’s most medically disadvantaged children in rural and urban areas. He donates money to the organization for each home run the Yankees hit as a team in both the regular season and postseason.

In 2006, he established the Johnny Damon Foundation, which assists local and national programs that provide leadership and growth opportunities for disadvantaged and at-risk children. He hosts the annual Johnny Damon Celebrity Golf Classic, along with the “Johnny Jam” reception, which includes live musical performances, comedy routines and live and silent auctions that raise money for Orlando, Fla., based charities.

During this past offseason, Johnny and his wife, Michelle, were goodwill ambassadors in a U.S. State Department sponsored trip around the world. While visiting Thailand, his mother’s native country, Johnny and his family shared in a luncheon for more than 100 orphans at the Rajvithi Home for Girls. Damon met with children from the International School of Bangkok, instructing them on the game of baseball while also encouraging them to stay in school and stressing the importance of education.

Damon was honored with the Joan Payson Memorial Award for Community Service from the New York Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America in January 2008. His community efforts have also included visits to young cancer patients at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, as well as supporting the St. Joseph’s School for the Blind with appearances and fundraising. He is also a special contributor to Tanglewood Acres, a Rockland County, N.Y., center supporting children and adults suffering from mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

The fan vote winner will be tallied as one vote among those cast by the selection panel, which includes Vera Clemente, wife of the late Hall of Famer, and Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. Participating fans automatically will be registered for a chance to win a trip to Game Three of the 2008 World Series, where the national winner of the Roberto Clemente Award will be announced.