TORONTO -- Yogi Berra was riding in the passenger's seat of Joe Girardi's rental car one March morning, muttering to himself as the vehicle crawled toward the Astros' Spring Training facility in Kissimmee, Fla. They were going the wrong way to the game, the Hall of Famer insisted, because there was a shorter route to the ballpark.
Girardi shrugged and promised Berra that he would ask the Astros' visiting clubhouse manager for the best way to avoid traffic lights on the way back. Before Berra buckled his seatbelt nine innings later, he made sure to ask if Girardi had gotten the proper directions toward the Yankees' complex in Tampa, Fla.