Ellsbury Sports Number 22

Jacoby Ellsbury wore #2 for the Boston Red Sox, but when he switched rivalries he knew he would not be asking Derek Jeter to switch numbers.

Ellsbury was introduced to the New York media Friday morning and was given jersey #22 by manager Joe Girardi. Vernon Wells wore 22 last year and is still under contract, but it's not likely he'll remain on the roster.

Girardi made some brief statements prior to calling Ellsbury up to the dais, including this gem: "You'll no longer be a thorn in our side; now you will be a flower in our clubhouse." What????

After putting on his jersey and cap, Ellsbury thanked Hal Steinbrenner, Randy Levine, and Brian Cashman, as well as Girardi for his "kind words". He then gave the usual answers about switching to the oter side of the rivalry, the excitement of playing in NY, seeing all the championship banners, etc.

Ellsbury was accompanied by his wife Kelsey, who was presented with roses by Cashman, and his agent/uber villain Scott Boras.

More later.

Yankees Introduce McCann to the Media

The Yankees introduced free agent acquisition Brian McCann to the media at 2:00 EST Thursday afternoon in what turned out to be a very quick press conference. After PR head Jason Zillo added McCann's name to the long line of Yankees' catching legends - Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, Thurman Munson, Jorge Posada - Brian Cashman welcomed McCann's wife Ashley with fresh flowers and two pairs of "onesies" for their children, 16-month old son Colt and 2-month old daughter Colbie.

Manager Joe Girardi then presented McCann with his #34 pinstripes jersey and Yankees cap and turned the mic over to him. The former Atlanta Brave thanked the Steinbrenner family and expressed his excitement for the chance to play for the Yankees.

He then took questions from the floor, including one that dealt with McCann's reactions to Carlos Gomez and Jose Fernandez that nearly caused bench clearing brawls between the Braves and Brewers, and the Braves and Marlins.

A clean shaven McCann downplayed both incidents, complimented both players on their ability, and said his instincts took over with Gomez who was yelling the entire way around the bases after hitting a home run.

McCann looks forward to "pick the brains of the pitchers" to get an idea of how they approach the game and each at-bat. The catcher also said he spoke with former teammate Mark Teixeira to get an idea of what it would be like to play in New York City. He's just four months away from finding out.

Updated 3:45 PM - Here is the video of the press conference.