http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASA...t_id=1244670&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy
NEW YORK -- When the Yankees boarded their charter flight from California to New York after Game 2 of the American League Division Series in Anaheim, they did so without Mike Mussina.
The idea was to spare Mussina the two cross-country flights required of everyone else should the series return to the West Coast, allowing him to stay on something of a normal throwing schedule in preparation for starting Game 5.
It certainly looks smart now. Mussina, who battled an elbow strain and inconsistency late in the season, should be plenty strong for Monday with an extra day of rest. And he should have plenty of confidence coming off his strong showing in Game 1, which helped erase the unpleasant memories of his previous postseason start against the Angels.
Yankees manager Joe Torre wouldn't reveal where Mussina and Bozello were staying in SoCal, but noted that he's been in regular contact with Mussina and likes what he'd heard.
"Mike is very responsible," Torre said. "I'm not really concerned about the fact that he'll be ready to pitch."