Exhibition games vs. Yankees set for Dolphin Stadium  —  Joe Girardi will get his final tuneup for his first year as New York Yankees manager against his old team.  —  The Yankees play the Marlins on March 28 at 7:05 p.m. and March 29 at 6:05 p.m. at Dolphin Stadium to close both teams' exhibition schedules.

A-Rod in Marlins' future?  —  Florida's Larry Beinfest would not discount the idea of Alex Rodriguez playing in his hometown in 2008.  —  AIM cspencer@MiamiHerald.com  —  A-Rod to the Marlins?  —  Although it's a long shot, don't dismiss him entirely.  —  Five days after Alex Rodriguez opted …

A New York Fielding Drill For Girardi  —  Joe Girardi ended the formal portion of his introductory press conference with a rhetorical question.  —  "How am I different than Joe Torre?" said the new manager of the most famous franchise in sports.  "Give me a chance and you'll find out.

Posada-Girardi rift?  Not really; he should be back  —  There's a buzz working its way through the media, if nowhere else, that Jorge Posada doesn't want to play for Joe Girardi.  That the Mets have hope, after all, in recruiting the lifelong Yankee over the Triborough Bridge.

Girardi Will Wear Goal on His Back: No. 27  —  The mission statement is summarized in the two numerals that will follow Joe Girardi wherever he goes.  The uniform number of the Yankees' new manager is 27, and the reason is rhetorical.  —  "How many have they won?"  Girardi said, knowing that the answer is 26.

McCourt and Colletti still have work to do  —  If the Dodgers don't significantly improve their roster, Joe Torre will be little more than a gaudy trinket.  —  Hiring Joe Torre to manage the Dodgers is like hanging a masterpiece in a tool shed, installing leather seats in a jalopy, buying designer shoes for a dog.

Brian Cashman says Robinson Cano will stay at second base  —  Brian Cashman says he hasn't started the process of landing a third-base replacement for Alex Rodriguez, but the Yankee GM insisted he doesn't expect to ask second baseman Robinson Cano to make the move across the diamond.

Hot Stove about to hit Orlando  —  LIKE THIS STORY?  —  After giving up three of its top five pitching prospects in July of 2006 to acquire Livan Hernandez from Arizona, and then shelling out a two-year, $26 million deal to get Randy Johnson — bad back and all — to return, Arizona finds itself searching for rotation help.