"This extended spring-training game yesterday was in Tampa at the Yankees' minor league complex. Like Saturday's 5-for-7 debut against the Blue Jays in Dunedin, Utley was facing pitchers destined for the rookie, short-season Gulf Coast League. To go lower than that in professional baseball, you have to be assigned to an academy team in the Dominican Republic or Venezuela.

First inning, Williams was on first and looking runnerish, as Rich Ashburn liked to say. Diaz has a rocket arm and was a 20-year-old catcher on last summer's Gulf Coast League champions. Francisco has been having trouble with accuracy this spring. A good throw might have nailed Williams. But the throw was high, and Utley had to leap to keep the ball from sailing into center.

Holy LeBron James. That was some pretty good ups for a one-legged man. On that play, the worst part of going up is coming down. But the gimpy-kneed second baseman survived his brief launch into inner space.

Utley ended the first inning with another check mark on his to-do list: doubleplay pivot? Check. He turned one routinely to end the inning.

"I feel good, I got to go back-to-back in the field a couple of different times," he said later. "So far, so good. I'm just trying to get as many reps as I can."

And the leap. Was it routine, or a leap of faith? Any pain?"