Jeter, Rivera Await Big Bucks

Spring training

Unable to agree on contracts, the New York Yankees renewed the deals of shortstop Derek Jeter and reliever Mariano Rivera for $750,000 each.

“I think we’re being generous,” Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said. “The last two years, we’ve gone above what was required. I think the world of both them. I value them and they’re family. We negotiated an agreement with the union. They have to live with it and we have to live with it. The first three years, the ball is in our court. After three, the ball is in their control.”

Jeter, the 1996 A.L. Rookie of the Year, and Rivera, the closer, made $550,000 last season.

Jeter and Rivera become eligible for salary arbitration after this season.

“They could have given me 250 (thousand) last year,” Jeter said. “They took care of me last year. This year they have a budget. They don’t have to give me anything.”

Jeter hit .290 last season with 10 homers and 70 RBIs. Rivera was 6-4 with 43 saves and a 1.89 ERA.

“Next year I’ll have the hammer,” Rivera said. “Money will take care of itself. I have to just do my job.”

Smiley wants to pitch

John Smiley, who broke his pitching arm while warming up for a start last September, says he wants to pitch in the second half of the season.

The Cleveland Indians aren’t so sure.

“John says he’s going to pitch this year,” general manager John Hart said. “We hope he does, but we’re not going to count on him.”

5-year-old hit in face is recovering

A 5-year-old boy hit in the face by an overthrow at an exhibition game was feeling a lot better Thursday and so was the player who made the wild toss, Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Lou Collier.

Hawken Ballard was moved out of the intensive care unit at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., after 2 hours of surgery. Doctors hope to release him in a few days.

The Pirates sent balloons, stuffed animals and an autographed ball to the boy’s hospital room.

The accident occurred Wednesday in Bradenton during a game between the Pirates and Philadelphia. Collier fielded a grounder by Doug Glanville, but his throw sailed into the first-base stands and struck Ballard squarely in the face.

Ballard sustained a fractured bone behind his eyebrow. The impact also caused a blood clot and a tear in the lining covering the brain, said Ann Miller of All Children’s.

“You have to put it behind you. You have to go and can’t dwell on it,” Collier said. “But knowing that he’s OK will make it a lot easier.”

Rijo on comeback road

Skeptics don’t believe that former Cincinnati Reds staff ace Jose Rijo will pitch again in the big leagues because of his arm problems.

But Rijo is still trying one last comeback this spring.

He hopes to receive the go-ahead to begin pitching off a mound when he visits a doctor next week. If so, Rijo is hoping he will see his first game action since 1995. He has undergone five surgeries on his right elbow since his last appearance in 1995.

Pirates pitcher out

Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Jeff Wallace, one of the team’s top prospects, will undergo reconstructive surgery on his pitching elbow and is lost for the season.