via Pete Abraham -

Just spoke to Brian Cashman. Here is what he said about Mariano’s surgery:

“I spoke to Dr. (David) Altchek and there were no surprises. Everything was as they thought it would be. He can start throwing again in three months, which is not atypical for him anyway. So that was good news.”

- The Arizona Fall League kicked off last night, with Phil Hughes getting the start for the Peoria Javelinas. He pitched very well (albeit with sub-par control): 5 ip, 1 h, 0 r, 5 bb, 7 k. Austin Jackson went 2-4 with a triple and 4 RBI. They're joining fellow Yankee farmhands Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Whelan, Jeff Marquez, Juan Miranda and Kevin Russo.

- Elsewhere, Andrew Brackman, Jeremy Bleich, Austin Romine and Damon Sublett are playing for the Waikiki Beach Boys of the Hawaiian Winter League. It's pretty clear they see (or hope for) Romine as the catcher of the future, sending him to fall ball to get extra playing time behind the plate (after he split the season's catching duties with Jesus Montero at Charleston). Brackman has started twice with mixed results (and remember, he's rehabbing from Tommy John surgery): 7.1 ip, 10 h, 6 er, 3 bb, 8 k.

- Remember the planned final ceremony at the Stadium for November 9th? It's off. They released a statement:

"The Yankees were considering having a charitable event at Yankee Stadium for BAT (Baseball Assistance Team). However, the Yankees realized that the final event at Yankee Stadium should be a baseball game which in fact took place on Sept. 21, 2008 with the magnificent closing ceremony. Accordingly, rather than having a fundraiser, the Yankees will be donating $500,000 to BAT."

There wasn't a better way they could have said farewell than that win against Baltimore (outside of clinching the World Series of course).