TAMPA, Fla. -- Joe Girardi found out about Derek Jeters retirement announcement the same way almost everyone else did: when the New York Yankees captain posted a letter to the world on his Facebook page this week. Girardi left snowy New York on Friday and arrived at spring training for his seventh year as Yankees manager, and he spent the first eight minutes of his 20-minute opening news conference discussing Jeters decision to retire after this season. "I think we were probably all a little bit taken aback by it," Girardi said. "Youre never sure how someones going to do it, but I had no inkling that thats what he was thinking." After missing the playoffs for just the second time in 19 years, the Yankees were back in business when pitchers and catchers reported ahead of Saturdays opening workout. Alex Rodriguezs locker was empty following his season-long suspension. Masahiro Tanaka inherited Mariano Riveras locker and Shawn Kelley got Andy Pettittes stall. Scott Sizemore, attending camp on a minor league contract, was assigned Robinson Canos jersey No. 24. Position players report next Wednesday, when Jeter holds a news conference at Steinbrenner Field to explain his decision. Girardi has exchanged texts with the 39-year-old shortstop but has not spoken with him. "This is going to be a guy thats hard to replace in your clubhouse and on your club," he said. "Its the nature of the business where people age and they move on and they go and do different things in their life, and in our life its a little bit quicker than some of the other working people of this world." Jeter was limited to 17 games last year after fracturing his left ankle in the 2012 playoffs and breaking it again last spring during his rehabilitation. Girardi said Jeter always told him "I feel great," but that he could sense frustration. After working out Friday with Brian Roberts at the Yankees minor league complex, Jeter demurred discussing his decision. "It makes no sense to do it here and then do it again over there, so Ill do it all over there one time," he said. And so now Jeter will go on a valedictory tour, much like Mariano Rivera did last year. Jeter is not the type to call attention to himself, making his public announcement before spring training all the more surprising. "It could have been just watching how Mo did it, and how much fun everyone seemed to have with it with Mo," Girardi said. "He might have said, you know, its a pretty good way to go out." Jeter has won five World Series titles with the Yankees but none since 2009, and his final lap of the major leagues figures to set the theme as New York tries for title No. 28. His teammates looked forward to speaking with him after he reports. "Not really surprised, saddened I guess that hes not going to be around," ace pitcher CC Sabathia said. "You want a guy like that to play forever." Having witnessed Chipper Jones final season with the Atlanta Braves in 2012, new Yankees catcher Brian McCann is looking forward to Jeters last go-round. "Hes been the face of baseball since he broke in," McCann said. "I went through it with one Hall of Famer. Im going to go through it with another." David Robertson, inheriting the closers role from Rivera, hadnt thought Jeter would make his plans known before the seasons end. "But Im really glad he did," he said. "I think its going to give the fans a chance to come out this year and see him in his final season in pinstripes." Robertsons new job is one of many changes for the Yankees, who spent $471 million on free agents, including a $20 million payment to Tanakas old club in Japan. McCann and outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran are among the many newcomers, and first baseman Mark Teixeira is returning from a wrist injury that sidelined him most of last season. Cano -- the Yankees top hitter -- left for a $240 million, 10-year deal with Seattle. Girardi predicted for the April 1 opener at Houston that Yankees players at every position other than pitcher will be different from opening day last year. The only time thats happened in franchise history was 1947, according to STATS. "I think it is probably the biggest transition Ive been through," Girardi said. "I need to learn a lot of new faces fairly quickly." Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . TSN was honoured with several awards, with Rod Smith and James Duthie sharing the win for Best Sports Host for SportsCentre and the NHL: Season On The Brink coverage, respectively. MLB Jerseys Outlet . This time, Tebow was in a groove the entire second half -- not just in the waning minutes -- and his teammates on defence were getting gobbled up. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/ . Johns IceCaps erased an early two-goal deficit to come from behind and defeat the host Portland Pirates 5-4 on Saturday in American Hockey League action. MLB Jerseys China .com) - Houston Texans interim head coach Wade Phillips confirmed Monday that starting quarterback Case Keenum sustained a sprained right thumb during Sundays 25-3 loss in Indianapolis. Cheap MLB Jerseys Nike 2020 . The ongoing funk on penalty kill and an unusually quiet night on home ice for the power play divided the Leafs from the Bruins at the ACC in a rare Sunday night affair.TORONTO -- Nick Young and the Los Angeles Lakers got the Toronto Raptors to play it their way Sunday afternoon. Young had 29 points while Pau Gasol added 22 to lead the short-handed Lakers to a 112-106 win at the Air Canada Centre, halting Torontos six-game home win streak. Los Angeles (16-25) used an attacking style to rally from deficits of 19 and 17 points and earn its second straight road victory but just its third in 15 games overall. "We didnt get defence into the game," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. "We played their game . . . it was pretty but we didnt get defence into the game. "That allowed those big runs and thats not who we are. We have to be a defence-first team, not a three-point shooting team . . . we got caught up in their quick threes, which were not very good at." The Lakers hit 12-of-22 (54.5 per cent) three-pointers but also made 26-of-28 free throws. Toronto finished 9 of 30 (30 per cent) from beyond the arc and held a 47-31 edge in rebounding but only attempted 11 free throws, making nine. "That tells us either were not getting the calls or were not driving to the rim," Casey said. "They were the aggressor going to the basket. We had some bonehead fouls on some three-point shots, thats something you shouldnt do. "But it starts on the defensive end. We didnt get up into people and when we did react we reacted late and subsequently you get fouls called." DeMar DeRozan had 23 points while Kyle Lowry added 21 for Toronto (20-19), which lost the chance for its first-ever season sweep of the Lakers. The Raptors won the first meeting 106-94 on Dec. 8. Kyle Lowry added 21 points for Toronto while Patrick Patterson added 17 points coming off the bench. Lowrys three-pointer pulled Toronto to within 102-101 with just over two minutes remaining. Ryan Kellys three free throws made it 105-101 before Youngs three-pointer put the Lakers ahead 108-103 with 1:15 left. Youngs two free throws with 20.5 seconds made it 110-104 and effectively cemented the win. Kelly said Young was a difference-maker for the Lakers. "The one thing Nick does is score, especially at the end of clocks," said Kelly, who finished with 17 points. "There are not many people in the league who can do what he does. "We have seven seconds on the clock and you get Nick the ball and he finds a way to get a shot or get to the line . . . we need that." The Lakers were without all-stars Steve Nash of Victoria and Kobe Bryant. Nash, a two-time NBA MVP, is out with a back injury while Bryant, a five-time league champion and Los Angeless all-time scoring leader, is sidelined with a fractured left knee. "After not feeling it in the first half, we just got a bit more aggressive on defence and they felt us," Lakers coach Mike DAntoni said. "You have to give them credit, they hit a lot of good shots to start with but our guys somehow found the resolve to stay into themm and it worked out.dddddddddddd" The Lakers improved to 27-8 all-time against Toronto, including 13-5 at the ACC. "Weve got to understand no matter now big the lead is no team is going to lay down," DeRozan said. "Theyre going to play extremely hard to try and get back and weve got to understand that and withstand the runs theyre trying to make. We didnt do that. "We gave up too many threes. We know theyre a three-point shooting team and we left them in their comfort zone and they knocked them down." Lowery couldnt hide his disappointment about Torontos inability to twice put the Lakers away after surging into commanding double-digit leads. "Yeah, it sucks," he said. "They did a good job of playing the way they wanted and making us play that way also. "They attacked us a lot more. We settled for a lot more jumpshots and we didnt attack as much as we couldve to get to the free-throw line as much as they did." L.A. took an 82-81 lead into the fourth, thanks to three Young free throws with 27.3 seconds left. Young converted a technical on Terrence Ross, then hit two-of-three from the line after being fouled by Ross on a three-point shot. The resilient Lakers overcame a 17-point deficit to take the lead. Toronto opened the third on a 14-2 run to go ahead 73-56 but the Lakers tied it 79-79 on Manny Harriss three-pointer with under three minutes remaining after both Kendall Marshall and Young connected from beyond the arc. Gasols two free throws with 3.4 seconds remaining cut Torontos half-time advantage to 58-54. The Raptors surged into a commanding 50-31 lead in the quarter before being outscored by the Lakers 23-8 the rest of the way. DeRozan was a one-man show for Toronto, scoring 12 of his 16 first-half points in the second. The Raptors were 5 of 16 (31.3 per cent) from three-point range in the half while L.A. was 6-of-10. Toronto led 36-29 after the first, erasing a 24-20 deficit by outscoring L.A. 16-5 over the final 2:58. Patterson led the way for the Raptors with eight points, including two three-pointers as the home team hit on 14-of-19 field goals and 5-of-6 three-pointers in the quarter. Gasol played a big part in leading the Lakers to their early lead with 10 points. NOTES -- Toronto is off to Charlotte for a game Monday afternoon against the Bobcats on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the U.S. while Los Angeles continues a seven-game road trip in Chicago on Tuesday night . . . Torontos 94-89 home win over Minnesota on Friday night was its 20th victory in 38 games this year, the fastest the Raptors have reached 20 wins since 2007-08 when they did so in 37 games . . . Toronto forward Tyler Hansbrough (ankle) missed his ninth straight game while forward John Salmons, who reportedly suffered a back injury against Minnesota, didnt dress . . . Lakers centre Robert Sacre is a native of Baton Rouge, La., but grew up in B.C. and has dual Canadian-American citizenship. ' ' '