Sal Fasano will catch Corey Lidle's Yankee debut this afternoon on what promises to be another scorcher in New York. Fasano tells Roger Rubin in The Daily News:

"I've caught in this kind of heat before and you know what to expect," Fasano said. "You could lose five or six pounds of water during the game and you know that when it's over you'll be completely exhausted.

"I know what's on the way. I'm gonna get the crap kicked out of me. And believe it or not, I'm looking forward to it."

..."The most important thing isn't hydration for me," he said. "It's really important that you get a good meal that sticks with you. Catching a game in intense heat burns a lot of calories, and if you don't have it to burn, your body can revolt against you."

..."It's about being smart and managing the situation," he said. "I'm coming inside into the air conditioning between innings because (today) is going to be the kind of day where you could down a bottle of water every five minutes."

Hang in there, Sal, and everybody else behind the mask today.