Today’s news is powered by quite possibly the worst pro sports team music video ever (yes, worse than the “Super Bowl Shuffle”) … ladies and gentlemen … the 1986 LA Dodgers:

• Mariano Rivera ^[1] appears to be right on schedule recovery-wise:

Rivera said he worked at about 90 percent of his regular velocity. He will throw batting practice again Saturday, and believes he could pitch in his first game of the spring Monday at home against the Phillies.

“If it feels as good as it feels now, there will be a game,” Rivera said. “Everything feels great.”

• Sabathia ^[2] isn’t too worried about Spring Training performances, as per PeteAbe:

CC Sabathia doesn’t have control of his cutter yet. That’s a pitch he often uses with two strikes. For him, that pitch usually comes when he has two or three starts left in the spring. So he throws a four-seam fastball for a strike and — ka-boom — Gary Sheffield drills one. Sheff doesn’t get that pitch on April 27.

“I’ve been doing this a while, I know what will happen,” CC said. “You go through these things in spring training.”

• A-Rod called into ^[3] Girardi to report that he’s doing well during the initial phase of post-surgery rehab.
• The Times ^[4] has a profile of Nick Swisher, with some comments from teammates on Nick’s tastes in music:

“This” has turned out to be a lot of music, much of it hip-hop, at high volume from the stereo next to Swisher’s locker in the back of the room. Starter C. C. Sabathia said Swisher “keeps us loose in here, keeping it light.”

Sabathia added, “I’m looking forward to his humor every day.”

Starter A. J. Burnett said, “We call him Loud, but it’s not a bad loud, it’s a tolerable loud, and it’s good to have that kind of guy so when no matter how bad it’s going, he’s going to come in smiling and loud and laughing.”

First baseman Mark Teixeira said of Swisher’s musical taste, “He’s got a pretty good grasp on it, so until he messes up, we’re going to let him have the D.J. rights.”

• The Yankees ^[5] will hope to lower their staff ERA, as well as their risk of staph infections, it would appear:

The New York Yankees announced Wednesday the new Yankee Stadium will become the first antimicrobial facility in Major League Baseball.

CSG, a provider of antimicrobial products, treatments and services, will treat the baseball stadium using the Sports Antimicrobial System, team officials said.

The system is a comprehensive process that kills illness-causing microorganisms, and continually inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold and fungi on any surface for up to three years, officials said.

Areas of the stadium to be treated include the home and visiting club houses, locker rooms, training rooms, dugouts, showers, managers and coaches offices, weight-training areas and family lounge. Additionally, the team’s washable fabrics will be treated with FabricAid, Behar said…..

No word yet on if the fans will benefit from the same antimicrobial treatment in the public areas.

• Our own Cliff Corcoran will be one of the “Baseball Prospectus 2009″ writers appearing in Manhattan tonight ^[6] for baseball chatting and book signing.  Alex and I should be in attendance … maybe we’ll see you there. (B&N @ 18th Street and 5th Avenue – 6 PM)
• Speaking of books, SABR is offering its “Emerald Guide to Baseball 2009 ^[7]” as a free download.  The “Emerald Guide to Baseball” is the successor to the “Sporting News Baseball Guide”, which ceased publication a couple of years ago. In 2009, the Society for American Baseball Reseach (SABR) became its publisher.  You need NOT be an SABR member to access this PDF.
• Raul Mondesi turns 38 today.  Mondesi provided the Yanks with some power (HR every 24 ABs) but little else between 2002 and 2003.
• The iconic Darryl Strawberry turns 47 today.  “Straw” was a part of the Yanks for five seasons (’95 to ’99), and his 1998 performance of 24 HRs and 57 RBIs in a mere 295 ABs helped the Yanks run away with the division.
• Ruppert Jones is 54 today.  Jones spent one horrid year with the Yanks (1980, when he compiled a line of .223/.299/.357 in 83 games) after being traded by the Mariners (along with Jim Lewis) for Jim Beattie, Rick Anderson, Juan Beniquez, and Jerry Narron.
• Today is the 67th birthday of Jimmy Wynn.  “The Toy Cannon” was pretty much done by the time he got to the Yanks in 1977, compiling a line of .143/.283/.234 in 77 ABs, with one homer and three RBIs.
• Johnny Callison, an All-Star on the mid-60s Phillies teams, and who finished up his career with the Yanks in ’72 and ’73, would have been 70 today.  Callison passed away in 2006.