1 post tagged “'mahvelous”

TAMPA, Fla. - Billy Crystal came prepared. Black maple bat in hand, the New York Yankees newcomer brought a well-worn glove with his name neatly stitched on the side, too.The hitting and fielding part, the comedian felt confident about. It was the drug test that had him worried."I'm supposed to bring blood and urine to the umpire tomorrow," he kidded Wednesday. "I might test positive for Maalox."Quite a 60th birthday present for the actor, director, Oscar host and lifelong Yankees fan: A chance to play in an exhibition game Thursday at Legends Field.Crystal certainly looked the part during his day-before workout. He kept the jokes to a minimum, made contact on all 52 swings against batting practice pitcher Tino Martinez and kept up with Derek Jeter in jogging drills."He did fine," Jeter said. "He did a good job."Crystal will become the latest celebrity to play in a spring training game, joining the likes of Garth Brooks, Tom Selleck and Bruce Hornsby.Exactly what Crystal will do against Pittsburgh remains a mystery. He'll get to swing, but it's unclear if the former high school infielder will need his black Rawlings mitt.Asked by a fan what position he'll play, Crystal quipped: "DH — designated Hebrew."He did, however, have something special in mind for the Pirates. "A little Mazeroski payback," he said.Crystal was a 12-year-old growing up in New York when Bill Mazeroski hit the famous bottom-of-the-ninth homer that beat the Yankees in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series.Crystal looked like a little boy again as he bantered with Reggie Jackson, hugged Jason Giambi and received his No. 60 jersey from manager Joe Girardi.Spotting newly elected Hall of Famer Goose Gossage in the clubhouse, Crystal made a beeline to the reliever and offered congratulations.While a few tradition-laden critics complained that Crystal's appearance was a stunt that somehow offended baseball, Gossage said he had no problems."It doesn't bother me," the hard-throwing Goose said. "Of course, if ...