Welcome Matt

From the Yankee website:

Welcome Matt: Matt Smith pitched for Triple-A Columbus on Thursday afternoon, then boarded a bus for Buffalo, where the Clippers were to kick off a road trip. As he arrived at the hotel, Columbus manager Dave Miley walked over to the left-hander and commented on his outfit, which featured jeans and a Yankees fleece.

"That dress code isn't going to work," Miley told a confused Smith.

"I thought maybe he was a stickler about the dress code being on the road," Smith said. "I said, 'What do you mean?' and he said, 'The dress code is a little different in the big leagues.' I thought he was joking, but I know a manager wouldn't do that to a guy in my situation who had never been there."

Miley wasn't joking. Smith was recalled by the Yankees before Friday's game in Minnesota, giving New York a 12th arm on the pitching staff. To make room for Smith on the roster, the Yanks designated catcher Koyie Hill for assignment.

Smith appeared in seven games for the Yankees this spring, going 0-1 with a 5.41 ERA. He met with Torre and Guidry before Friday's game, though they didn't tell him exactly what his role would be.

"They said I'd probably have some jitters the first couple of times, but to just keep doing what I've been doing," Smith said. "I guess they were happy with what I did in spring.

"First and foremost, I have to get lefties out; being a lefty, that's pretty much what you have to do," Smith said. "I really won't know how they're going to use me until I get out there. Right now, I could care less what they do."

Smith has experienced a lot of firsts in the past two months, getting his first invite to big-league camp in Spring Training, being put on the 40-man roster for the first time and now being called up to the Majors for the first time.

"Getting drafted by these guys was a dream, and now being here is a dream," said Smith, whose father, David, grew up in Texas listening to Maris and Mantle's Yankees on the radio. "It's a great feeling."

As for the big-league dress code, Smith arrived in Minnesota without a jacket and tie, which is standard attire for the Yankees' charter flights.

"I'll be more than happy to go to the mall tomorrow," Smith said.

Update on Matt: Matt saw his first peice of action in the Yankees loss to Minnesota tonight. He faced one batter in the 8th, throwing 5 pitches. The first was a called strike, followed by 3 balls. The 5th pitch was hit to Giambi, who tossed it to Matt to get the out. Matt was then replaced by Farnsworth.