Yankees News and Notes: It’s a Bird; It’s a Plane

Brian Cashman doesn't expect to be busy at next week's Winter Meetings, but he hasn't been completely idled by the inactivity. On Friday, Cashman once again rappelled down the side of a 22-story building in preparation for a charity event on Sunday. The Yankees' general manager also found time to praise the Red Sox' hiring of Bobby Valentine and challenged the new Boston manager to join him atop Stamford's Landmark Building next December.

Mariano Rivera underwent surgery to remove polyps from his vocal cords, and initial reports deemed the procedure a success. Hearing Mariano Rivera and surgery in the same sentence is unsettling to say the least, but the ageless Yankees' closer doesn't expect the operation to delay his preparation for next season.

Would pinstripes be slimming on David Ortiz? Robinson Cano seems to think so, and Big Papi doesn't seem averse to finding out.

The Yankees' pursuit of a left handed reliever has taken several unfortunate turns in recent years. In 2010, the team signed Damaso Marte to a two-year extension and then last year gave three years to Pedro Feliciano. Is Mike Gonzalez next in line? According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees are interested in signing the former closer, who, despite struggling overall, held left handed hitters to an OPS of .574 in 2011.

The New York Post published an intriguing letter from July 16, 1915 in which Yankees' co-owner Colonel Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Huston expressed a desire to build a new ballpark on 42nd Street, which is also where the team maintained executive offices at the time. Apparently, the idea didn't get very far because Huston soon turned his attention to three potential sites in Queens.

Curtis Granderson is more than just a centerfielder with 40-home run power. He is also an author. In a busy offseason that included a promotional trip to Taiwan, the MVP candidate recently released his second children's book.