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Yankee Hits Ybor Street For A Game Of Stickball

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By JOSE PATINO GIRONA

jpatino@tampatrib.com

Published: March 28, 2009

TAMPA - New York Yankees first-baseman Mark Teixeira stepped to the plate with a stickball bat and rubber ball in hand.

In his first at-bat playing the urban game, Teixeira asked how many swings he would get. The crowd of players standing on an Ybor City cobblestone street Friday afternoon, in unison, yelled, "One!"

Teixeira then bounced the ball, swung the long narrow bat and crushed the ball out of sight. The crowd roared; Teixeira had passed the initiation.

"I knew he would be able to hit it," said Albert Santiago, 36, of Wesley Chapel. "For a baseball player, this game is easy to pick up."

Santiago, who plays on an Orlando stickball team, said playing defense is the difficult part of the game because players don't use fielding gloves and the ball bounces like a racquetball.

Teixeira, who signed an eight-year, $180 million contract with the Yankees in the winter, was in Ybor City to promote Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball 2009. He is this year's cover player for the fantasy baseball league.

Before getting his swings, Teixeira said he never played stickball. He said he played whiffle ball growing up in Baltimore suburbs.

"I have to learn as I go," Teixeira said. "It will be on-the-job training."

Teixeira batted twice and had two hits. He also played first base. The teams were made up of players from Tampa and Orlando adult stickball teams.

Nelson Abreu, who has played the game for 10 years, is a member of the Tampa Lightings stickball team. He said people have the misconception it is easy to play stickball.

It isn't, he said.

As for playing against Teixeira, Abreu called it awesome.

"You can tell if he puts his mind to it he would be a superstar in this game as well," Abreu said.

Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 259-7659.

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