I know that Jimmy Valvano is looking down from heaven, watching a lot of college basketball and smiling.

He is probably proud of his friends. After all, this is Jimmy V Week at ESPN.

I cannot believe it is almost 17 years since he left us.

I remember something he said to his friends near the end of his life, one which was cut short by the dreaded disease of cancer. He told several people that cancer would not be cured before he left, but we needed to do research to beat it in the future.

Jimmy did a lot of great things on the basketball court, roaming the sideline with so much passion and energy. I think about Jimmy V and the North Carolina State Wolfpack shocking Phi Slama Jama in 1983. Nobody thought they had a shot. That Houston team had Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, but the image of Dereck Whittenburg putting up that last-second shot and Lorenzo Charles dunking it for the win and the Cinderella story as national champion ... wow!

What Jimmy had to do earlier in the tournament was incredible. I don't know if people remember but his team beat North Carolina with Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins and company; I would say that was a pretty good team, baby! Then they had to come back and beat Ralph Sampson and Virginia (in the ACC tournament) just to get into the big dance. The Wolfpack had struggled to beat Pepperdine, coached by Jim Harrick, in the first round.

The way the Wolfpack were able to run the table like that in Albuquerque was unbelievable. Jimmy had the crowd. He had the media and the fans. He was wowing them and having them eat out of the palm of his hand! You know, at the time, his wife was expecting and he said to me that if they had a boy they were going to name him Al B. Kerke. That's how much he wanted to win at the Final Four. Fortunately, they had a girl.

That said, Jimmy's legacy is so important after his life ended. You see his 1993 ESPYS speech and watch it in amazement. His battle against cancer rages on, and I am so proud to be on the board of directors of The V Foundation.

The team assembled is truly awesome, baby, with a capital A! Nick Valvano leads the team and he has put so much time and energy into the cause. His leadership is so important as he is so passionate about helping his brother's dream turn into reality.

Jimmy's former teammate at Rutgers, Bob Lloyd, is the chairman of the board for The V Foundation. His guidance and leadership have been so important.

Coach K, the best leader in all of sports, has been so vital to the success of the foundation. His friendship with Jimmy V meant so much to the whole Valvano family.

ESPN's John Saunders was as close as anyone to Jimmy. He named one of his daughters with Jimmy's initials of JTV. John has been a major factor in The V Foundation, too.

Then there is an office in North Carolina with passionate people fighting to beat this dreaded disease.

Jimmy has a great team still working hard for him. I hope that you will join it by calling 1-800-4-JIMMY-V, or you can help me out as I try to raise $1 million for cancer research through my Dickie V gala. It will be in Sarasota, Fla., on May 20, 2011, as we honor North Carolina's Roy Williams and Kentucky's John Calipari.

It will be an emotional time at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. It always is as we reflect on Jimmy's life, listen to his speech as it plays on the Garden scoreboard. Jimmy will be looking down, smiling as Kansas faces Memphis and Michigan State meets Syracuse.

Jimmy's two great passions will be in play: college hoops and fighting cancer.

I know that Jimmy Valvano is looking down from heaven, watching a lot of college basketball and smiling.

He is probably proud of his friends. After all, this is Jimmy V Week at ESPN.

I cannot believe it is almost 17 years since he left us.

I remember something he said to his friends near the end of his life, one which was cut short by the dreaded disease of cancer. He told several people that cancer would not be cured before he left, but we needed to do research to beat it in the future.

Jimmy did a lot of great things on the basketball court, roaming the sideline with so much passion and energy. I think about Jimmy V and the North Carolina State Wolfpack shocking Phi Slama Jama in 1983. Nobody thought they had a shot. That Houston team had Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, but the image of Dereck Whittenburg putting up that last-second shot and Lorenzo Charles dunking it for the win and the Cinderella story as national champion ... wow!

What Jimmy had to do earlier in the tournament was incredible. I don't know if people remember but his team beat North Carolina with Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins and company; I would say that was a pretty good team, baby! Then they had to come back and beat Ralph Sampson and Virginia (in the ACC tournament) just to get into the big dance. The Wolfpack had struggled to beat Pepperdine, coached by Jim Harrick, in the first round.

The way the Wolfpack were able to run the table like that in Albuquerque was unbelievable. Jimmy had the crowd. He had the media and the fans. He was wowing them and having them eat out of the palm of his hand! You know, at the time, his wife was expecting and he said to me that if they had a boy they were going to name him Al B. Kerke. That's how much he wanted to win at the Final Four. Fortunately, they had a girl.

That said, Jimmy's legacy is so important after his life ended. You see his 1993 ESPYS speech and watch it in amazement. His battle against cancer rages on, and I am so proud to be on the board of directors of The V Foundation.

The team assembled is truly awesome, baby, with a capital A! Nick Valvano leads the team and he has put so much time and energy into the cause. His leadership is so important as he is so passionate about helping his brother's dream turn into reality.

Jimmy's former teammate at Rutgers, Bob Lloyd, is the chairman of the board for The V Foundation. His guidance and leadership have been so important.

Coach K, the best leader in all of sports, has been so vital to the success of the foundation. His friendship with Jimmy V meant so much to the whole Valvano family.

ESPN's John Saunders was as close as anyone to Jimmy. He named one of his daughters with Jimmy's initials of JTV. John has been a major factor in The V Foundation, too.

Then there is an office in North Carolina with passionate people fighting to beat this dreaded disease.

Jimmy has a great team still working hard for him. I hope that you will join it by calling 1-800-4-JIMMY-V, or you can help me out as I try to raise $1 million for cancer research through my Dickie V gala. It will be in Sarasota, Fla., on May 20, 2011, as we honor North Carolina's Roy Williams and Kentucky's John Calipari.

It will be an emotional time at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. It always is as we reflect on Jimmy's life, listen to his speech as it plays on the Garden scoreboard. Jimmy will be looking down, smiling as Kansas faces Memphis and Michigan State meets Syracuse.

Jimmy's two great passions will be in play: college hoops and fighting cancer.

Jim Edmonds, considered trade material after turning 40 years old and even though he's turned in good numbers batting .286 and playing center field, was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for 28-year old Chris Dickerson.

The Milwaukee Brewers get the younger Chris Dickerson and think he can contribute, even though he's missed much of the season due to hand injury.

Dickerson's "On-base Plus Slugging" or OPS percentage is .789 and was .853 in AAA ball; a rate over .900 is considered the range for elite players.

The Reds reportedly think Jim Edmonds's experience can help them more than Dickerson's athleticism.

Jim Edmonds, considered trade material after turning 40 years old and even though he's turned in good numbers batting .286 and playing center field, was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for 28-year old Chris Dickerson.

The Milwaukee Brewers get the younger Chris Dickerson and think he can contribute, even though he's missed much of the season due to hand injury.

Dickerson's "On-base Plus Slugging" or OPS percentage is .789 and was .853 in AAA ball; a rate over .900 is considered the range for elite players.

The Reds reportedly think Jim Edmonds's experience can help them more than Dickerson's athleticism.

Comedian Jim Varney was replaced by Blake Clark in Toy Story 3. Jim Varney who was best known for his role in the funny comedic movies as Ernest was replaced as the voice of Slinky Dog in Toy Story 3 by Blake Clark.

Jim Varny passed away of lung cancer after the release of Toy Story 2. Blake Clark now lends his voice to the role of Slinky Dog for the latest installment of Toy Story with hits theaters on Friday.

Jim Varney will forever be remember as Ernest but his voice as slinky dog is iconic as the Toy Story movies are beloved by children and adults everywhere. Slinky dog, the lovable character who is one Woody's best friends is now being taken over by Blake Clark.

Blake Clark's name may not ring a bell but his face might. According to News By The People Clark has been featured in movies such as Road Trip, 50 First Dates, the Water Boy, and Grown Ups. Clark will also appear in the Son of Morning, Highland Park, and the Last Godfather. He was also featured in the tv series Boy Meets World.

Blake Clark's voice is simmilar to Jim Varney's. I think he'll make an excellent addition to the Toy Story 3 cast. The movie opens all over the country tomorrow.

Comedian Jim Varney was replaced by Blake Clark in Toy Story 3. Jim Varney who was best known for his role in the funny comedic movies as Ernest was replaced as the voice of Slinky Dog in Toy Story 3 by Blake Clark.

Jim Varny passed away of lung cancer after the release of Toy Story 2. Blake Clark now lends his voice to the role of Slinky Dog for the latest installment of Toy Story with hits theaters on Friday.

Jim Varney will forever be remember as Ernest but his voice as slinky dog is iconic as the Toy Story movies are beloved by children and adults everywhere. Slinky dog, the lovable character who is one Woody's best friends is now being taken over by Blake Clark.

Blake Clark's name may not ring a bell but his face might. According to News By The People Clark has been featured in movies such as Road Trip, 50 First Dates, the Water Boy, and Grown Ups. Clark will also appear in the Son of Morning, Highland Park, and the Last Godfather. He was also featured in the tv series Boy Meets World.

Blake Clark's voice is simmilar to Jim Varney's. I think he'll make an excellent addition to the Toy Story 3 cast. The movie opens all over the country tomorrow.

Here’s the one indisputable fact regarding umpire Jim Joyce’s “safe” call on Jason Donald’s already-infamous grounder Wednesday night, which ruined Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga’s perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning: It was wrong. Cleveland’s Donald was out by about a half-step, according to the replay, and should have been the 27th consecutive batter retired in a perfect game by Galarraga. Instead, Joyce flung his arms out to either side of his body to indicate Donald was safe. With that one gesture began an assortment of calls for instant replay’s expansion in baseball, a Commissioner’s reversal, an official scoring change and the suspension of Joyce.

“This is not the time to stick to the rules,” Keith Olbermann writes, calling for Commissioner Bud Selig to proclaim Galarraga’s gem a perfect game. “The rules failed the sport tonight.”

“In the history of sports rulings, you aren’t going to find too many worse than this,” the Miami Herald’s Dan LeBetard writes.

Yahoo’s Jeff Passan crafts a timely parallel in his argument for increased use of instant replay in baseball, bringing up Philadelphia’s Wednesday night NHL win. “On the same night referees in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals used replay to reverse a missed call and gave the Philadelphia Flyers a goal,” Passan writes, “baseball let its technology rot on something as infrequent as boundary calls on home runs.”

Joyce, voted by players in a 2006 Sports Illustrated poll as the game’s second-best umpire, admitted after the game that he blew the call. “There’s nobody that feels worse than I do,” Joyce said. “I took a perfect game away from that kid over there who worked his (butt) off all night.”

Joyce even went so far as to apologize to Galarraga and give him a teary hug after the game. Yes, he cost Galarraga a chance at immortality—only 20 perfect games have been thrown in Major League history (25 players, in contrast, have hit 500 or more home runs)—but he has been admirably honest and contrite and even somehow comes across as a tragic character in all of this.

Joyce’s solid resumé and post-game contrition bring up memories of the NFL’s Ed Hochuli, who made a game-altering gaffe in 2008 during a Chargers-Broncos game that culminated in him personally answering angry letters from fans who found his e-mail address online.

“Affecting the outcome of a game is a devastating feeling,” Hochuli told ESPN at the time. “Officials strive for perfection — I failed miserably.”

Cleveland manager Manny Acta suggested to MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince that all this controversy might have been avoided had Miguel Cabrera—who converted from third to first base last year—kept fielding fundamentals in mind and allowed second baseman Carlos Guillen to field the Donald grounder. “We’ve been preaching to our first basemen, starting in spring training, that a soft ball to your right, you break to the bag and try to take the pitcher out of the play.”

In an interesting side note, had he called Donald out, this would have been Joyce’s second perfect game of the season. He was the second-base umpire for Dallas Braden’s perfect game in May.

* * *
Overshadowed by the controversy in Detroit was the sudden retirement of Seattle’s Ken Griffey, Jr., a sure-bet Hall of Famer who played in 13 All-Star games, was the American League MVP in 1997 and was fifth on the all-time home run list, with 630. While other sports superstars were hit with recent claims of sleeping with adult film stars, Griffey’s worst transgression was allegedly sleeping in the clubhouse during a game.

The San Francisco Chronicle’s John Shea writes that Griffey leaves the game with a clean record and conscience. “While others juiced up to bulk up to power up, Griffey was nowhere to be found among the positive tests, grand jury testimonies, FBI investigations, Mitchell Report names and Jose Canseco books.”

Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci calls Griffey the “DiMaggio of his time” and notes that Griffey’s retirement comes exactly 75 years to the day of Babe Ruth’s. “Griffey gave us as sublime a picture of how baseball should be played,” Verducci writes.

The staff at Techblog pulled together the ten best commercials featuring Griffey. It’s a unique reminder of just how much talent he had.

For all Griffey accomplished in his career, many will remember him just as well for his 1989 Upper Deck rookie card. In 2008, Darren Rovell opined on what it meant to baseball and the hobby of card collecting. “When Griffey welcomed collectors to the very first Upper Deck set,” Rovell writes, “investment was just about to trump fun in the card world.”

The shame in all the calls for Griffey’s release or retirement over the past month is that he always seemed to be having fun playing the game in seasons past. “Long ago, baseball took away his legs. Over the past two years, it claimed his bat speed. Then came the death knell: It conquered his joy,” writes Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times. Brewer’s colleague, Bob Condotta, puts Griffey’s retirement in perspective, noting that this is the first summer Griffey can spend with his kids.

For all the home runs and “sweet swing” memories, Griffey’s fun and loose approach to the game can best be summed up in two recent episodes: During a game in 2007, he tossed a heckling Dodgers fan a brown paper bag with an XXL jockstrap inside of it as a joke and instantly turned the fan’s loyalties; and last July, as a tribute to Michael Jackson, Griffey batted with one gloved hand.

* * *
The NBA Playoffs kick off tonight in Los Angeles, as the Lakers host the Celtics.

“These teams are the NBA’s aristocracy,” the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s Scott Cushing writes. “There is no little guy.”

Jill Painter of the Los Angeles Daily News tracks down Celtic’s President Red Auerbach’s daughter, Randy, an independent film producer living in L.A. Even with her new home, her loyalties still lie with the Celtics. “I’d rather see the Lakers lose than the Celtics win,” she says. “It’s a rivalry thing.”

Fanhouse’s Tom Lorenzo reports that, no matter who wins, FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann won’t consider the winner to be the World Champions. “There’s a world out there that has caught up [to the US] and the real World Champion is currently Spain,” says Mr. Baumann

* * *
For fans of the sports/fashion fusion niche, a trip to Nike’s 255 Studio in lower Manhattan could yield a few new additions to the wardrobe. Trend-tracking website PSFK reveals that Nike has paired with the No Mas fashion design team to create bespoke sports-themed clothes based on world baseball designs. Shoppers can meet with a consultant to create wholly customized Nike goods. It’s basically a British suit-maker’s approach to athletic gear that hasn’t been attempted before.

Here’s the one indisputable fact regarding umpire Jim Joyce’s “safe” call on Jason Donald’s already-infamous grounder Wednesday night, which ruined Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga’s perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning: It was wrong. Cleveland’s Donald was out by about a half-step, according to the replay, and should have been the 27th consecutive batter retired in a perfect game by Galarraga. Instead, Joyce flung his arms out to either side of his body to indicate Donald was safe. With that one gesture began an assortment of calls for instant replay’s expansion in baseball, a Commissioner’s reversal, an official scoring change and the suspension of Joyce.

“This is not the time to stick to the rules,” Keith Olbermann writes, calling for Commissioner Bud Selig to proclaim Galarraga’s gem a perfect game. “The rules failed the sport tonight.”

“In the history of sports rulings, you aren’t going to find too many worse than this,” the Miami Herald’s Dan LeBetard writes.

Yahoo’s Jeff Passan crafts a timely parallel in his argument for increased use of instant replay in baseball, bringing up Philadelphia’s Wednesday night NHL win. “On the same night referees in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals used replay to reverse a missed call and gave the Philadelphia Flyers a goal,” Passan writes, “baseball let its technology rot on something as infrequent as boundary calls on home runs.”

Joyce, voted by players in a 2006 Sports Illustrated poll as the game’s second-best umpire, admitted after the game that he blew the call. “There’s nobody that feels worse than I do,” Joyce said. “I took a perfect game away from that kid over there who worked his (butt) off all night.”

Joyce even went so far as to apologize to Galarraga and give him a teary hug after the game. Yes, he cost Galarraga a chance at immortality—only 20 perfect games have been thrown in Major League history (25 players, in contrast, have hit 500 or more home runs)—but he has been admirably honest and contrite and even somehow comes across as a tragic character in all of this.

Joyce’s solid resumé and post-game contrition bring up memories of the NFL’s Ed Hochuli, who made a game-altering gaffe in 2008 during a Chargers-Broncos game that culminated in him personally answering angry letters from fans who found his e-mail address online.

“Affecting the outcome of a game is a devastating feeling,” Hochuli told ESPN at the time. “Officials strive for perfection — I failed miserably.”

Cleveland manager Manny Acta suggested to MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince that all this controversy might have been avoided had Miguel Cabrera—who converted from third to first base last year—kept fielding fundamentals in mind and allowed second baseman Carlos Guillen to field the Donald grounder. “We’ve been preaching to our first basemen, starting in spring training, that a soft ball to your right, you break to the bag and try to take the pitcher out of the play.”

In an interesting side note, had he called Donald out, this would have been Joyce’s second perfect game of the season. He was the second-base umpire for Dallas Braden’s perfect game in May.

* * *
Overshadowed by the controversy in Detroit was the sudden retirement of Seattle’s Ken Griffey, Jr., a sure-bet Hall of Famer who played in 13 All-Star games, was the American League MVP in 1997 and was fifth on the all-time home run list, with 630. While other sports superstars were hit with recent claims of sleeping with adult film stars, Griffey’s worst transgression was allegedly sleeping in the clubhouse during a game.

The San Francisco Chronicle’s John Shea writes that Griffey leaves the game with a clean record and conscience. “While others juiced up to bulk up to power up, Griffey was nowhere to be found among the positive tests, grand jury testimonies, FBI investigations, Mitchell Report names and Jose Canseco books.”

Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci calls Griffey the “DiMaggio of his time” and notes that Griffey’s retirement comes exactly 75 years to the day of Babe Ruth’s. “Griffey gave us as sublime a picture of how baseball should be played,” Verducci writes.

The staff at Techblog pulled together the ten best commercials featuring Griffey. It’s a unique reminder of just how much talent he had.

For all Griffey accomplished in his career, many will remember him just as well for his 1989 Upper Deck rookie card. In 2008, Darren Rovell opined on what it meant to baseball and the hobby of card collecting. “When Griffey welcomed collectors to the very first Upper Deck set,” Rovell writes, “investment was just about to trump fun in the card world.”

The shame in all the calls for Griffey’s release or retirement over the past month is that he always seemed to be having fun playing the game in seasons past. “Long ago, baseball took away his legs. Over the past two years, it claimed his bat speed. Then came the death knell: It conquered his joy,” writes Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times. Brewer’s colleague, Bob Condotta, puts Griffey’s retirement in perspective, noting that this is the first summer Griffey can spend with his kids.

For all the home runs and “sweet swing” memories, Griffey’s fun and loose approach to the game can best be summed up in two recent episodes: During a game in 2007, he tossed a heckling Dodgers fan a brown paper bag with an XXL jockstrap inside of it as a joke and instantly turned the fan’s loyalties; and last July, as a tribute to Michael Jackson, Griffey batted with one gloved hand.

* * *
The NBA Playoffs kick off tonight in Los Angeles, as the Lakers host the Celtics.

“These teams are the NBA’s aristocracy,” the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s Scott Cushing writes. “There is no little guy.”

Jill Painter of the Los Angeles Daily News tracks down Celtic’s President Red Auerbach’s daughter, Randy, an independent film producer living in L.A. Even with her new home, her loyalties still lie with the Celtics. “I’d rather see the Lakers lose than the Celtics win,” she says. “It’s a rivalry thing.”

Fanhouse’s Tom Lorenzo reports that, no matter who wins, FIBA Secretary General Patrick Baumann won’t consider the winner to be the World Champions. “There’s a world out there that has caught up [to the US] and the real World Champion is currently Spain,” says Mr. Baumann

* * *
For fans of the sports/fashion fusion niche, a trip to Nike’s 255 Studio in lower Manhattan could yield a few new additions to the wardrobe. Trend-tracking website PSFK reveals that Nike has paired with the No Mas fashion design team to create bespoke sports-themed clothes based on world baseball designs. Shoppers can meet with a consultant to create wholly customized Nike goods. It’s basically a British suit-maker’s approach to athletic gear that hasn’t been attempted before.

Reaction was mixed to the blown call by umpire Jim Joyce in Detroit that cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game against the Indians. Not on the call itself, but whether instant replay should become the norm in such plays.

"That's crazy," Phil Hughes said. "I saw the replay. That's tough. I feel bad for Galarraga. That's got to be tough for him, and I'm sure Joyce feels terrible, too. What are you going to do? He saw it the way he saw it. It will be interesting to see what happens from here."

"It's unfortunate, because Jimmy Joyce is a very good umpire," Joe Girardi said. "It's something baseball should look at. If they do change (the call), it doesn't affect the game or the outcome. I know it would be the first time that's ever happened, but you're talking about a very unusual circumstance here."

But Curtis Granderson thinks baseball should leave well enough alone.

"I think one of the things people forget is the players make a lot of human errors out there and people forget the umpires are also human and are going to make mistakes throughout the course of a game," he said. "Whether it's balls and strikes, fair or foul, safe and out, catch or no catch. There's just different things throughout the course of a game where they're going to miss a couple of things. Unless we go ahead and change all the rules on that basis, I think right now with the instant replay of the home run I think we're pretty good with everything being the way it is right now."

NO SURPRISE, ROBBIE'S HOT
The hits just keep a-coming for Robinson Cano. But for as long as Curtis Granderson can remember, it's always been that way for the Yankees second baseman.

"I've seen him do it for a long time," Granderson said. "I had, I don't know if I want to say fortune, but I've played against him ever since 2002 at all different levels of the minor leagues as an opponent and at every level he's done the same thing. Now with just a little more power. It doesn't surprise me.

Cano collected three more hits, including a two-run homer, to extend his hitting streak to 16 games and boost his average to .373.

"It's been a lot of fun to watch him," Nick Swisher said. "He's proving he's going to be the hitter that everyone said he's going to be. He's special to watch."

A-ROD RADIO
Alex Rodriguez made an appearance with Ryan Seacrest yesterday on his "On Air" radio show, chatting with the "American Idol" host about topics ranging from baseball to his daughters.

With A-Rod trailing Rays third baseman Evan Longoria by nearly 300,000 votes, Seacrest implored his listeners to vote Rodriguez to the All-Star team. A-Rod was also asked about the Yankees-Dodgers series later this month, which will mark the Bombers' first reunion with former manager Joe Torre since he departed at the end of the 2007 season.

Torre and A-Rod never formed a tight bond during their four years together in pinstripes, but Rodriguez said he would "just say hello and wish him well except for the three games we're playing against him," when he sees the manager.

SENT PACKING
Juan Miranda was the odd man out when the Yankees activated Jorge Posada yesterday. The seldom-used first baseman/DH is headed back to Triple-A Scranton.

EXTRA INNINGS
STAT OF THE DAY ... 50
Despite going homerless Wednesday night, Alex Rodriguez has clubbed 50 home runs and knocked in 165 runs in his career against the Orioles to lead all active players.

UNSUNG HERO
Jorge Posada, back from the 15-day DL, finished the night 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

MIA
Mark Teixeira was the only player in the original lineup not to reach base Wednesday night.

Reaction was mixed to the blown call by umpire Jim Joyce in Detroit that cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game against the Indians. Not on the call itself, but whether instant replay should become the norm in such plays.

"That's crazy," Phil Hughes said. "I saw the replay. That's tough. I feel bad for Galarraga. That's got to be tough for him, and I'm sure Joyce feels terrible, too. What are you going to do? He saw it the way he saw it. It will be interesting to see what happens from here."

"It's unfortunate, because Jimmy Joyce is a very good umpire," Joe Girardi said. "It's something baseball should look at. If they do change (the call), it doesn't affect the game or the outcome. I know it would be the first time that's ever happened, but you're talking about a very unusual circumstance here."

But Curtis Granderson thinks baseball should leave well enough alone.

"I think one of the things people forget is the players make a lot of human errors out there and people forget the umpires are also human and are going to make mistakes throughout the course of a game," he said. "Whether it's balls and strikes, fair or foul, safe and out, catch or no catch. There's just different things throughout the course of a game where they're going to miss a couple of things. Unless we go ahead and change all the rules on that basis, I think right now with the instant replay of the home run I think we're pretty good with everything being the way it is right now."

NO SURPRISE, ROBBIE'S HOT
The hits just keep a-coming for Robinson Cano. But for as long as Curtis Granderson can remember, it's always been that way for the Yankees second baseman.

"I've seen him do it for a long time," Granderson said. "I had, I don't know if I want to say fortune, but I've played against him ever since 2002 at all different levels of the minor leagues as an opponent and at every level he's done the same thing. Now with just a little more power. It doesn't surprise me.

Cano collected three more hits, including a two-run homer, to extend his hitting streak to 16 games and boost his average to .373.

"It's been a lot of fun to watch him," Nick Swisher said. "He's proving he's going to be the hitter that everyone said he's going to be. He's special to watch."

A-ROD RADIO
Alex Rodriguez made an appearance with Ryan Seacrest yesterday on his "On Air" radio show, chatting with the "American Idol" host about topics ranging from baseball to his daughters.

With A-Rod trailing Rays third baseman Evan Longoria by nearly 300,000 votes, Seacrest implored his listeners to vote Rodriguez to the All-Star team. A-Rod was also asked about the Yankees-Dodgers series later this month, which will mark the Bombers' first reunion with former manager Joe Torre since he departed at the end of the 2007 season.

Torre and A-Rod never formed a tight bond during their four years together in pinstripes, but Rodriguez said he would "just say hello and wish him well except for the three games we're playing against him," when he sees the manager.

SENT PACKING
Juan Miranda was the odd man out when the Yankees activated Jorge Posada yesterday. The seldom-used first baseman/DH is headed back to Triple-A Scranton.

EXTRA INNINGS
STAT OF THE DAY ... 50
Despite going homerless Wednesday night, Alex Rodriguez has clubbed 50 home runs and knocked in 165 runs in his career against the Orioles to lead all active players.

UNSUNG HERO
Jorge Posada, back from the 15-day DL, finished the night 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

MIA
Mark Teixeira was the only player in the original lineup not to reach base Wednesday night.

When Michigan was looking to add a high-profile nonconference opponent before last season, coach John Beilein figured he should go with what he knows.
He knew Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun well since both were from the Northeast and coached against each other in the Big East for five years.

So scheduling a home-and-home series worked well, even in the middle of the conference season as it will be for Sunday's game at Crisler Arena.

"He mentored me when I first got in the (Big East) league a little bit, telling me how to approach coaching at this level, and it was good," Beilein said Friday. "The basic message was coach one team at a time. He told me an old story about (former St. John's coach) Lou Carnesecca. Coach one team at a time, don't worry about what other people are doing, worry what you're doing. It stuck with me a long time."

That's easier said when Connecticut is the opponent. While there might be potential for Beilein's knowledge of Calhoun to help the Wolverines -- it appeared to make a difference when U-M played the Huskies close in Storrs, Conn., last year -- it might not be significant.

"I don't think it's an advantage either way," said Beilein, 1-3 against Connecticut during his time at West Virginia. "We're not going to surprise each other, let's say that."

When Michigan was looking to add a high-profile nonconference opponent before last season, coach John Beilein figured he should go with what he knows.
He knew Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun well since both were from the Northeast and coached against each other in the Big East for five years.

So scheduling a home-and-home series worked well, even in the middle of the conference season as it will be for Sunday's game at Crisler Arena.

"He mentored me when I first got in the (Big East) league a little bit, telling me how to approach coaching at this level, and it was good," Beilein said Friday. "The basic message was coach one team at a time. He told me an old story about (former St. John's coach) Lou Carnesecca. Coach one team at a time, don't worry about what other people are doing, worry what you're doing. It stuck with me a long time."

That's easier said when Connecticut is the opponent. While there might be potential for Beilein's knowledge of Calhoun to help the Wolverines -- it appeared to make a difference when U-M played the Huskies close in Storrs, Conn., last year -- it might not be significant.

"I don't think it's an advantage either way," said Beilein, 1-3 against Connecticut during his time at West Virginia. "We're not going to surprise each other, let's say that."