Girardi meets with Steinbrenner

Joe Girardi was summoned upstairs for the first time.

The new manager of the New York Yankees met Sunday with owner George Steinbrenner, who hadn't spoken with Girardi since the former catcher interviewed for the job last October.

"It was great to see him. He was doing well," Girardi said after Sunday's session at Legends Field in Tampa, Fla.

Girardi was accompanied by spring training instructors Goose Gossage and Ron Guidry, coach Rob Thomson and general manager Brian Cashman. The Yankees haven't lost any games since Girardi was hired, so the atmosphere was jovial as Gossage and Guidry told old stories.

"We were joking a little bit and we were laughing, so it was good," Girardi said. "He's just encouraging us to do what we always do here. So, Mr. Steinbrenner was great."

Steinbrenner's walk was shaky when he got out of his golf cart with "GMS" on the front. The 77-year-old has relinquished day-to-day oversight of the team to sons Hank and Hal, but Girardi plans to have regular contact with the owner.

"I'm thankful for what he allowed me to do, not just sitting in this chair but as a player, as a broadcaster with the club, as a coach," Girardi said. "Obviously, you'd love to be able to repay for what he's done for my life."

Making a rare weekend appearance at Legends Field, Steinbrenner congratulated Gossage for his election last month to the Hall of Fame. According to Cashman, he asked Girardi about "G.I. Joe" headlines, referring to strenuous running early in spring training.

Big Unit 'throws bullets': Left-hander Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks threw off a mound, impressing his manager and his catcher. Six months ago, the 44-year-old Johnson had his second back surgery in less than a year.

"He came out throwing bullets the first pitch he threw," Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin said. "As I've discussed before, the arm's not the issue here. I haven't talked to him since he finished, but I think he's probably pretty pleased with the way it went."

Johnson was satisfied with the outing, which he said went much the same as the three bullpen sessions he had before arriving at the D'backs' training camp in Tucson, Ariz.

"I'll just do what I'm doing," he said. "I continue to make progress. I'll throw again on Thursday, take three days off and play catch and do all my workouts, and gradually get in to the other little things I'm not doing now. ... The most important thing for me right now is to get on the mound."