Good out for Cashman

NEW YORK -- Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says he doesn't miss having the Red Sox in the postseason.

``I've been sleeping better without them around," Cashman said yesterday, while sitting in his office before his team's 4-3, Game 2 loss to the Tigers. ``Obviously, they have been, and will continue to be, our toughest opponent. They've got our respect. They've got great players. The biggest thing that happened to them this year was Jason Varitek's injury. I think that hurt them more than anything."

Going back to the trading deadline, when New York acted while Boston slept, Cashman acknowledged that taking on Bobby Abreu was a gut-wrenching decision. Bringing Abreu aboard amounted to a $27 million hit for the Yankees.

``I wrestled hard with that," said Cashman. ``Now it looks like a layup, but it wasn't then. My stomach was turning. It's a lot of money to ask ownership to take on, but the way our team was fighting to stay in the race, I felt they deserved to get reinforcements.

``I wasn't aware Boston was on [Abreu] until after it was over. I did hear Boston was close on [Cory ] Lidle, so I insisted with the Phillies that Lidle be part of the deal."

Tigers manager Jim Leyland was at the top of his game when he took questions from the media before Game 2. Asked about the untimely manner in which the Tigers were informed of Wednesday night's postponement, Leyland said, ``I've got to give Joe Torre credit. This is the first time in my life that I was ever outmanaged on an offday." Regarding the Tigers' late-night check-in at a different Manhatten hotel Wednesday, the manager said, ``At our first hotel, my suite got messed up. Last night, my room was big enough that the president could have had his State of the Union address. Cheese, wine, and everything. We had a hell of a time." Leyland on whether yesterday's starter, Justin Verlander, got enough sleep: ``Well, we didn't bunk together, so I don't know." On a serious note, the manager stressed that he was not angry with the Yankees or Torre, but acknowledged that he believed his team received incorrect and late information regarding the postponement. New York Daily News scribe Filip Bondy labeled it ``Water-gate."

New York's Game 3 starter, Randy Johnson, who has been bothered by a herniated disk, flew to Detroit ahead of his teammates. Pitching coach Ron Guidry on Johnson: ``He threw really well in the bullpen [Wednesday] and that was a good sign. He had good extension and it was a lot easier than it was before. It's probably always going to be stiff, but I think it's something he works through. If he throws in this game like he threw in the bullpen, he should throw good." Jaret Wright will start tomorrow's Game 4 for the Yankees against Detroit's Jeremy Bonderman . . . The Alex Rodriguez frenzy is going to get out of control until he does something in these playoffs. It was a big story when he was demoted to sixth in the lineup on the eve of Game 1, and he's done nothing thus far. Rodriguez struck out looking on three pitches with the bases loaded in the first. He was called out on strikes again in the fifth and went down swinging at a 101-mile-per-hour Joel Zumaya fastball in the eighth. He's 1 for 8 (a single) with no RBIs and four strikeouts in the first two games. This comes on the heels of his flop in the final four games against Boston in '04 and the series with the Angels last year . . . Derek Jeter committed a throwing error in the first, then popped up when he was asked to bunt Johnny Damon over in the bottom of the inning . . . Weird to see Bernie Williams on the bench. He is the Yankees' all-time leader in postseason games (120), home runs (22), runs (83), and RBIs (80). Former Yankee Kenny Rogers, who'll start tonight for the Tigers, noted, ``If you've got Bernie Williams sitting on the bench, you know you've got an unbelievable team." Rogers won a championship ring (1996) during his brief tenure with the Yankees . . . Yankees public address announcer Bob Sheppard worked his 121st consecutive postseason game, a string that started with Game 1 of the 1951 World Series, the first Series for Mickey Mantle and final one for Joe DiMaggio . . . Game 3 at Comerica Park will be the first postseason game in Detroit since the Tigers played the Twins in the 1987 American League Championship Series at Tiger Stadium. Al Kaline will throw out the first pitch and the Four Tops are on board for the national anthem. Detroit's retired Hall of Fame announcer, Ernie Harwell -- a legitimate baseball god -- is expected to make an appearance in the ESPN booth.

Athletics second baseman Mark Ellis will miss the rest of the postseason after breaking his right index finger when he swung at a pitch and it hit his hand.

``I'm crushed," Ellis said. ``You play the whole season to get to this point and now I can't play because of this . . . I'll be the best cheerleader we have."

The injury is costly for the A's, who lead Minnesota, 2-0, in their first-round series.

Shortstop Bobby Crosby, the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year, is sidelined with a back injury, and backup Antonio Perez underwent surgery yesterday on his broken finger. D'Angelo Jimenez will start in Ellis's place today in Game 3.

Ellis went 2 for 4 with two singles in Game 2, injuring himself in the ninth inning swinging at a pitch from Joe Nathan.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.