JOE, JETER HAVE COMPANY: GIAMBO GETS "GEORGED"

You didn't think we'd heard the last from Boss George now, did you? Just to show he doesn't play favorites, Jason Giambi's cherry has been busted before the second-year Yank has even arrived to camp. The NY Post reports this morning that Giambi's personal trainer, Bobby Alejo, has been canned by Steinbrenner, which may come as a suprise to the beefy first baseman:

"I haven't heard a word about anything," Alejo said. "All I know is that [Giambi] is picking me up Friday and we are flying from California to Tampa. Other than that, this is new to me. I don't know anything about it."

Oh, boy.

Supposedly, Steinbrenner saw the access Alejo had and was concerned other players who have personal trainers were feeling slighted by not having their guys around. Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Roger Clemens, David Wells and Jeter work with personal trainers.

The move is not without precedent. Following the 2001 World Series, former St. John's catcher Glenn McNamee, Clemens' personal trainer and the man Rocket gives credit to for keeping him throwing hard late in his Hall of Fame career, wasn't asked back. McNamee continues to work with Clemens, but isn't at Yankee Stadium or at ballparks on the road.

For what it's worth, at least the move isn't being disguised as a cost-cutting measure. Alejo's salary was paid by Giambi; only his traveling expenses were picked up by the team.

Steinbrenner has made more disruptive noise this winter than he has in several years. Not since he was busting his buddy Popeye Zimmer's chops in the spring of 1999 (re: the "Fat pus-sy toad" incident) have we seen George in such form. All which should make Friday an interesting Valentine's Day in Yankee Land when Giambi arrives. Not for nothing, but Derek Jeter said that he'll address Steinbrenner's off-season comments about him come Monday.

Strap yourself in, this should be a lively training camp.

ROCKET FUEL

Roger Clemens appears to be one of the few Yankees who will avoid the wrath of George this spring. The future Hall of Famer, who is just 7 wins shy of 300 for his career, spoke openly with reporters about just about everything that popped into the big Texan's mind.

Enter at your own risk.

FORMER SOX OWNER, YAWKEY PAL, HAYWOOD SULLIVAN DIES

Haywood Sullivan, who holds a dubious place in Red Sox history, passed away yesterday at the age of 72. Peter Gammons contributed a short article on Jean Yawkey's boy in the Globe this morning:

Sullivan wasn't going to play the big money game that Yawkey had tried. After letting Luis Tiant go after the 1978 season, he decided to dump Fred Lynn, Rick Burleson, and Carlton Fisk in 1980 because of their contracts and their agents' relationship with the team. It was a very unpopular decision, and after being advised by MLB lawyers that he didn't have to send the three players contracts Dec. 20, MLB changed its mind, contracts were sent to Lynn and Fisk Dec. 22, and they went to arbitration to become free agents. The arbitrator ruled that Fisk was a free agent right before a noon hot stove luncheon at Fenway. Sullivan read the announcement, turned and said, ''open the damn bar.'' Bob Lobel caught it, and turned ''open the damn bar'' into an unforgettable gag line.

Sullivan took over the Sox after Jean Yawkey fired Dick O'Connell, widely regarded as the best general manager in Red Sox history.

According to Howard Bryant in his book, "Shut Out":

Under Haywood Sullivan, a southerner who played football for Bear Bryant at Alabama, youth aged without replacement. A succession of drafts no longer brought harvest, but humor; between 1976 and 1980 the Red Sox farm system would produce weak prospects, while Lynn, Fisk, Burleson, and Tiant would all be gone by 1980 and Yaztrzemski would enter his forties. The result was first seen in the standings. The Red Sox of the early 1980s, thought Peter Gammons, were not only the least interesting Red Sox team in more than a decade, but mediocrity following such high expectations threatened to squander the successes that revived the franchise.

The second was Sullivan's natural conservatism. The club became unimaginative in both the construction of the team and men hired to lead it. The success of the home run-hitting clubs of the late 1970s led the Red Sox to romance lead-footed, right-handed sluggers. The [Dick] O'Connell temas were the most balanced in Red Sox history, a challenge to a Red Sox culture that would traditionally sacrifice speed, defense, and pitching for power. Sullivan's would lack chemistry, too, evidenced by the famous "twenty-five players, twenty-five cabs" description of the Red Sox.

NEYER: DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE

Rob Neyer addresses all the fuss that's been made over the Yankees starting pitching and the Red Sox bullpen this off season in his latest column.

As far as the Yankees' largess of starting pitchers is concerned:

Given the Yankees' unlimited "budget" (for lack of a better word), they'd be foolish if they didn't stockpile quality starting pitchers. Because there's going to be plenty of work for all six of them.

Neyer also thinks the Red Sox controversial closer-by-committee plan makes a lot of sense. However, he warns:

...There are some risks here.

The Post-Modern Bullpen requires a manager who is both committed and creative. If he's not committed, he'll revert to convention at the first hint of adversity. If he's not creative, he won't be able to keep his relievers healthy and he won't pick the right pitchers for the right spots often enough.

But as Theo Epstein has observed more than once, it's all about finding the edges where you can. There's no edge in doing things exactly as every other team does them. When you do something different, sometimes you'll get burned. But can anybody reasonably argue that it's not worth a shot?

CONE-BACK?

Are the Mets really serious about signing David Cone? Could he be the second-coming of Satchial Paige? Coney's boys, Al Leiter and Johnny Franco have made their pitch to bring the former-Met back to Shea, but it can only tear the ass out of any self-respecting Met fan that Cone's return may ultimately depend on whether he recieves a "YES" from Pope George III.

The New York Times reports today that the 40-year old Cone was close to signing a minor-league deal with the Mets last night.

What does George make of all of this?

Steinbrenner said in an interview that Cone had not contacted him to discuss his future and seemed miffed that Cone would consider pitching for the Mets. Steinbrenner said Cone should continue broadcasting for the Yankees on the YES network and added, "I don't know why he wouldn't want to be an instructor for us" in spring training.

... Steinbrenner intimated that Cone had an agreement with the YES network to be an analyst this season, making him Steinbrenner's employee. But a spokesman for YES said there had not been a formal deal between Cone and the network.

"My understanding is that he was finished," Steinbrenner said. "He didn't want to pitch anymore. I don't know why he'd want to pitch. He should continue on TV. They all thought he was doing a wonderful job last year."

Before speaking with Cone, Steinbrenner told a reporter he would be troubled with seeing Cone pitching for the Mets, then hedged.

"Sure, I consider him a Yankee," Steinbrenner said. "He pitched a perfect game for us. Not too many guys have done that. I think he'd come back and stay with us."

VALENTINE FEELIN' FINE

Steve Serby has a piece on Bobby V in the Post today.

Giggles are on the house.

Valentine broached a move to first base last year with Mike Piazza. "When he desires, when he feels he would like to, is when it's time. I thought that last year he was getting close to wanting to do that. It's a very difficult thing to deal with, because Mike's desire is what makes him the special player that he is.

"One of the things I was most criticized for by many of the idiot critics - not that all critics are idiots, because I will be a critic - was this idea of lineup changes, and what people didn't understand is that Mike Piazza not being in the lineup 35 times meant that there were gonna be 35 other lineups. And I think that's a real burden on a team, not having your best player in the lineup all that time."

So do you wish Piazza would have played 35 games at first base? "No. 'Cause he wasn't ready to."

But it led to more Valentine-bashing. "We'd sell 'em a Sunday ticket plan and they'd come to the game on Sunday with their kids and Mike wouldn't be in the lineup, 'cause it would be the day game after the night game with Monday being off."

Bobby V will be working as an analyst and commentator for ESPN this season.

Valentine will be the perfect fit for television. "I don't think I'm gonna manage again. I never dated two girls when I dated; I dated one girl. And then either dropped her or married her."

Famous last words...