Mo, Po improving with each day

After yesterday's R&R at a pool hall yesterday, the Yankees are back to work today, preparing for tomorrow's first exhibition game.

But it's hard to forget about Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada, both rehabbing from surgery. Luckily, both seem optimistic. First, Rivera:

"It's feeling strong and now I am building muscle," Rivera said of the shoulder, which was operated on after last season. "I have been throwing, playing long toss and it's getting better every day."

The next step for Rivera is to get on a bullpen mound, but he isn't sure when that will occur.

"I don't want to push it," said Rivera, who vowed on the first day of spring training he would be ready by Opening Day, April 6.

And Posada:

"To tell you the truth," Posada said yesterday, "when I came down here and started throwing, it felt like I was throwing a ping-pong ball against the air. The ball wasn't getting there. It felt weird. I wasn't feeling the ball. It's just a different feeling to not be able to throw the ball and feel the weight of the ball. So now I'm able to extend."

Posada couldn't be more pleased with his progress and lack of pain after Sunday's workout. He threw about 15 times from 220 feet before firing away from roughly 120 feet. He wasn't squatting, but after playing only 51 games last year before having season-ending surgery on his right shoulder, he's just happy to be regaining some of his form.

"The ball was coming [out] good," he said. "I wasn't really forcing. I only forced the last three. I'll tell you what, I feel good today. There's no pain today, and every day I'm able to bounce back from all that throwing - 500-and-something throws - I'm just progressing. We haven't started games yet, so I'm really happy."

As is Joe Girardi.

"He threw great," the manager said. "It's substantially different than what I saw four or five days ago. The velocity on it was really good."

Good news all around.

Tomorrow's game begins at 1:05 against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees will then play in Tampa on Thursday at 1:15, a game which will be televised on YES.