NEW YORK, 23 February 2005 — Jason Giambi wasted no time beginning his rehabilitation with New York Yankees’ fans after a season wrecked by injury and an offseason filled with steroid allegations.

A little more than 2 hours after arriving at spring training in Tampa, Florida, on Monday, he walked to the outfield end of the New York dugout, stepped onto the field and was greeted with cheers and outstretched pens.

“It’s pretty humbling, pretty incredible, to have the support from the fans,” Giambi said.” It’s pretty awesome.”

When he returned to the clubhouse, Giambi went down a row of pitchers’ lockers and shook hands with Randy Johnson. Giambi decided not to give a group apology.

“What I’ve started doing is going up to the guys face to face,” he said. “To me, that meant more than doing a team meeting or addressing the team.”

Giambi also expressed empathy for third baseman Alex Rodriguez, repeatedly ripped by the Boston Red Sox during spring training.

“He’s definitely got it rough,” Giambi said. “I’m definitely here for him as a teammate. I know what it’s like to be on the rough side.”

At Fort Myers, Florida, Boston’s bashing of A-Rod took on a conciliatory, even comical, tone when clubhouse clowns Johnny Damon and David Ortiz lightened the mood.

Damon had dubbed his own teammates a bunch of “idiots” last season and, on Monday, rattled off one-liners. One was about Rodriguez’ early-morning training regimen.

“Waking up 6 in the morning?” Damon said after his late-afternoon arrival. “There’s been many a nights where I haven’t been to bed at 6 in the morning.”

Ortiz said he didn’t have time to devote to the controversy.

“I only have one tape at home, the Red Sox one,” Ortiz said about the Red Sox championship season video. “I watch it over and over and over and over and I don’t even know what’s going on here.”

Trot Nixon, who criticized the Yankees third baseman for boasting about his workouts, stood by those comments but said he was “being stupid and flying off at the mouth” when he made them Feb. 15.

Yankees bashing spilled over into the Philadelphia Phillies’ training camp in Clearwater, Florida, when Kenny Lofton reported and wasted no time in taking a shot at Joe Torre, his manager last season.

“He didn’t want me to play. If he wanted me to play, I would have played,” Lofton said. “I liked the situation over there, but I wasn’t wanted by the manager. Certain managers you respect. Now, I’m in a more relaxed situation.”

A six-time All-Star center fielder, Lofton is coming off his most frustrating season. He hit .275 with seven stolen bases in just 83 games in his only year with the Yankees.

At Peoria, Arizona, Seattle third-baseman Adrian Beltre took his physical and joined his new teammates for a round of batting practice.