Around the Yankee Universe, first win edition

The Yankees won a game! The season is saved. It's a glorious Friday morning! So, now that all is well again, let's look around the Yankees Universe and see what is being written and said.

• General Manager Brian Cashman has admitted that he wanted Mark Teixeira badly during the off-season, but he never believed he would get the green light to sign the slugging first baseman.

"Teixeira never was really an option," Cashman said. "It was something I kept pushing, but it was not really being accepted by above me . . . I guess persistence paid off. I knocked on that door, I guess, just enough that someone finally answered. Hal really gave me the OK to pursue it over a few-day period. And at that point, I still thought the Red Sox were getting him. ...

Perhaps one argument that swayed them was these words from Cashman about the Red Sox: "I know you're not interested, but they're going to get this guy. He's going to fall in their lap, and he's so perfect for us."

The following comment from Cashman makes it obvious how enamored he is of the Yankees' new first baseman.

"A lot of times you run into players that are tremendously gifted, but that's it," Cashman said. "He's like a David Cone. David Cone was a gifted athlete, but he was also smart at the same time. He got everything . . . and that's the way Tex is.

"I remember telling ownership this is a guy that is the all-around, All-American-boy type that he is talented but he will never make a mistake with the media with a sound bite. He'll always represent himself and the organization in the right way. If you could take them all like that, that's the way you would want them."

• Nick Swisher's 3-for-5, 5 RBI day will, of course, fuel the fire of those who believe he should be the every day right fielder instead of Xavier Nady. Yankee manager Joe Girardi has pledged to get Swisher as many at-bats as he can, and so far Swisher is pledging to trust him.

Girardi seems to regard Swisher as one more cog in a big machine with many interchangeable parts.

"We want to keep him involved, because he's really an everyday player,'' he said. "But we have like 10 everyday players on this team, and sometimes you have to share the at-bats. It's hard to say how it's gonna work, but I expect he's gonna get his fair number of at-bats.''

What Girardi believes is fair might differ from what Swisher thinks is fair - his relationship with his previous manager, Ozzie Guillen, went south last season over playing time - but so far, Swisher is willing to go along with the program.

"Skip told me to have faith, it will all work out, so I gotta trust him, right?'' he said. "I don't think of myself as a backup, but then, neither does anyone else in this room. What am I gonna do? I'm here for the team and I'm going to cheer on my teammates the same way they cheer me on.''

Bench depth. What a concept! By the way, am I the only one who thinks Swisher bears a resemblance to Don Mattingly?

• Speaking of Mattingly, here is an interesting interview with Donnie Baseball in which he discusses his philosophy of teaching young players hitting.
• Did you catch Carl Pavano's line Thursday? Making his debut for Cleveland the Rajah of Rehab surrendered 9 runs in 1+ innings Tuesday against Texas. He called the outing "disappointing." I call it hilarious.