Cast Set for Yankees' Postseason Run

After much deliberation, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi has named his cast for the American League playoffs. Among the stars set for the postseason run are Forest Whitaker as CC Sabathia and Lance Bass as Derek Jeter. Girardi himself will be played by television veteran Tony Danza.

Sabathia is honored to have the Oscar-winning Whitaker take over his role as ace of the Yankees staff, but the big left-hander is a bit concerned with the pop on the Ghost Dog actor's fastball. "I'm currently working with Forest to try to get his fastball up over 55 miles per hour," says Sabathia. "Knowing the actor he is, I'm sure he'll be able hit 90 before our first playoff game."



Jeter, meanwhile, calls Bass a "gifted entertainer" despite the former N*Sync singer's inability to field a routine grounder. "He's putting in the work," says the Yankees captain. "That's all you can ask for at this point." That said, the Yankees shortstop is not thrilled with missing the postseason. "You work hard for 162 games to get to this point, and to have a someone else take over your role in the playoffs is a bit disappointing."



Girardi, however, is very confident in his decision to cast Danza as manager. "Tony Danza knows the game a little better than I do at this point in his career," says Girardi. "I have a little more faith in him than I do myself."



Other castmembers include Jared the Subway Sandwich Guy as Mark Teixeira, Chris Tucker as Robinson Cano and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees' playoff run is set to open Oct. 6.

Rangers' Hamilton Mistakes Self for Chef Flay

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton told reporters Tuesday that he spent the past three weeks cooking hundreds of delicious meals. The AL MVP candidate broke his ribs running into the outfield wall while making a catch during a Sept. 4 game at Minnesota, and says he woke up the next day believing he was renowned chef Bobby Flay.

"I got up on Sept. 5, looked in the mirror, and was convinced I was Bobby Flay," explained Hamilton. "Looking back, I guess the blow I took against the wall knocked around my senses a bit." The All-Star outfielder immediately got to work on a nuevo-Western omelette that morning. "I added some artichokes and poblano chili peppers to the traditional Western," revealed Hamilton. "I hit it out of the park. It was delish."

Hamilton went on to mention a few of his other successful meals, including an orange-glazed salmon, a roasted pomegranate chicken and a strawberry tart. However, his return to the Rangers' lineup Friday is putting a dent in his culinary plans. "I was hoping to throw together a barbecue shrimp dish this weekend, but I'm not sure if I'll have time in between games," said Hamilton. "Maybe if I marinate the shrimp in some pineapple juice and paprika before Saturday's game, I'll have some time to grill it up Sunday morning. We'll see."