Sabathia and Rivera Pass Another Test TAMPA, Fla. - The most notable Yankee pitchers coming off surgery, C. C. Sabathia (left elbow) and Mariano Rivera (right knee), each threw about 30 pitches in bullpen sessions on Saturday. It was Sabathia's first time on a mound since Dr. James Andrews removed a bone spur arthroscopically last Oct. 26. Though Sabathia had no problems playing catch earlier, he admitted to some nerves Saturday. A pain-free effort sent him back to the clubhouse with a smile and his cap tipped back on his head. "I think today, getting back up there, actually throwing off the mound, not having anything, feels good," he said. Sabathia's concern hardly surprised Manager Joe Girardi. "When you have to let it go a little bit, there's going to be that," he said, "because you're anxious to see what your arm is going to feel like when you get up there." Girardi was not as anxious as Sabathia; he did not watch Sabathia or Rivera throw, leaving the supervision to the pitching coach, Larry Rothschild. Rivera reported no problems after his second bullpen session of camp. "Everything feels good," he said. The Yankees open the exhibition season next Saturday, and Girardi said neither Sabathia nor Rivera would appear in a game until March. As usual, Rivera will pitch only at Steinbrenner Field, making the gray road pants that hang in his locker the most superfluous piece of equipment in the clubhouse. "If I'm looking forward to something," Rivera said, "I'm looking forward to the games, because you've got the movement - comebackers, covering first. No rush. It's a long, long spring training. In other developments, Francisco Cervelli announced that he would not play for Italy in the World Baseball Classic, as he did in 2009. Cervelli, of Italian and Venezuelan heritage, is in a three-way fight for the Yankees' catching job with the veteran Chris Stewart and prospect Austin Romine. Girardi expects all position players except third baseman Alex Rodriguez (hip surgery) to report Sunday for physicals. The full squad works out for the first time Monday, leaving only five workout days before the first exhibition. "They're going to get thrown into some live B.P. right away," Girardi said, referring to batting practice. My guess is they're going to be a little rusty, but we'll figure that out. We've got plenty of time. Fortunately for Girardi, he was not in the clubhouse when the goofball reliever Joba Chamberlain jumped into a laundry basket and lobbied for someone to push him around - a questionable idea for someone who dislocated his right ankle on a trampoline last March and did not pitch for the Yankees until Aug. 1. The clubhouse attendants wisely ignored him.