CHICAGO -- No matter what, Ron Villone expected to be headed to a Major League clubhouse. He was pleased to find out it'd be the one he'd desired all along.
Villone joined the Yankees at U.S. Cellular Field on Tuesday, his contract having been purchased from the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre club. In accompanying moves, the Yankees optioned reliever Sean Henn to Triple-A and transferred injured reliever Jose Veras to the 60-day disabled list.

"I was confident," Villone said. "I thought I threw the ball well and did what I was asked to do."

Villone, 37, appeared in 70 games for New York last season and attended Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. He didn't make the Major League club out of camp, due in large part to a lack of velocity late in the spring, but regained his form after accepting an assignment to Triple-A.

With Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Villone was 0-1 with a 1.90 ERA in 17 appearances, striking out 27 in 23 1/3 innings.

"The reports on Villone were good," said Yankees manager Joe Torre, who described Villone as a "soldier in the clubhouse."

Villone's contract contained an opt-out clause that could have made him a free agent if he weren't added to the Yankees' Major League roster by Tuesday, and reports indicated that other clubs had interest in pursuing Villone.

Villone said that he had no idea if such a move would be made, and didn't really know what to think. But as he boarded a flight bound for Chicago and a roster spot with the Yankees, Villone said he was happy with how things worked out.

"This is where I wanted to be in the first place," Villone said.

For that, Villone was willing to spend six weeks pitching in the Minors, fine-tuning his stuff with regular work and doing away with the need to "manufacture," or try to create additional velocity that may not have existed at that time, as Torre noted repeatedly in Spring Training.

Villone said he enjoyed hearing the differing viewpoints of the Triple-A clubhouse, and even got a small thrill out of seeing a number of his fellow pitchers come up to the big leagues and get a taste of action.

One thing Villone pledged not to miss, however, were the bus rides. Villone recounted some of his road trips to destinations like Toledo, Syracuse and Ottawa. On one of the treks, the air conditioner broke and the motor coach's temperature was measured at 95 degrees.

That uncomfortable trip, Villone said, was nothing compared to the razzing he'd received from some of his youthful teammates.

"I don't have to listen about being the old man anymore, which is kind of nice," Villone said.

In the Henn-house: Henn said he'd received a heads-up from his agent on Monday night that the Yankees might be doing something with Villone, giving him ample warning to prepare before reporting to U.S. Cellular Field.

As Henn accepted well-wishes from his teammates -- fellow lefty Mike Myers shook hands with Henn, congratulating him in-between bites of a banana on a job well done -- he said the six weeks had confirmed his sense of the big leagues.

"I definitely know I belong here and I know I can get guys out," Henn said.

After a strong start, Henn tailed off leading into May. The owner of a 0.73 ERA on April 22, Henn allowed seven earned runs over his next five appearances, spanning 2 2/3 innings and including a grand slam to Texas' Victor Diaz at Yankee Stadium on May 10.

"We think a great deal of this young man," Torre said. "We had a long talk today. We just feel he needs to get his aggressiveness back."

Two birds with one stone: Jason Giambi was headed from Seattle to California on the Yankees' off-day Monday anyway, planning to make up a missed Mother's Day visit.

He wound up spending time with a Los Angeles-based specialist to have additional orthotics constructed, and brought a temporary set of inserts on to Chicago.

"Just covering all my bases," Giambi said.

Giambi -- who has been ailing with a bone spur and plantar fascitis in his left foot -- was not in the Yankees lineup for Tuesday's game, but planned to take indoor batting practice using the inserts.

He said that he has not completely ruled out receiving a cortisone shot. If Giambi is to be a useful player this weekend against the Mets at Shea Stadium, he would need to be able to play the field, or at least stay in a game defensively after pinch-hitting.

"I'm hopeful that everything will be fine, and we'll go from there," Giambi said.

Torre had been optimistic in Seattle that Giambi's injury would be manageable to the point where a disabled list stint could be avoided, but he was less so on Tuesday.

"We'll see how this works," Torre said. "It's in a very tough spot."

Shuffling the deck: The Yankees prepared to open a tough stretch by changing the furniture around a little, as Torre put it. New York's lineup for Tuesday's game featured Jorge Posada supplanting Alex Rodriguez as the cleanup hitter, with Derek Jeter moving back to No. 2 and A-Rod No. 3.

The Yankees' upcoming schedule presents a challenge as they opened play Tuesday 8 1/2 games behind the Red Sox. The Yankees are staring at three games apiece against the White Sox, Mets, Red Sox and Angels, all teams with plus-.500 records.

"My first concern is just getting this ballclub on steady ground and playing consistently," Torre said. "We haven't done that."

Learn, baby, learn: Former Yankee Bernie Williams will deliver the commencement speech at Iona College's graduation on Sunday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Williams will receive an honorary doctorate in humane letters.

Makeup date announced: The Yankees have announced that the April 25 game between the Yankees and Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium -- which was postponed due to rain -- has been rescheduled for Monday, Sept. 24, at 7:05 p.m.

Fans holding paid tickets for the April 25 postponed game may use them for the rescheduled game between the Yankees and Blue Jays on Sept. 24 at 7:05, or exchange their paid tickets for any regular season game at Yankee Stadium within 12 months of the postponed game (subject to availability).

This and that: The Yankees announced that they have agreed to terms with right-hander Pete Walker, 38, on a Minor League contract. The former Mets, Padres, Rockies and Blue Jays hurler is working out at Legends Field in Tampa, Fla. ... Torre said that right-hander Darrell Rasner, scheduled to start Saturday, would be available in long relief on Tuesday.

Coming up: The Yankees play the second game of their three-game series at U.S. Cellular Field on Wednesday behind right-hander Chien-Ming Wang (1-3, 5.40), who will attempt to bounce back from a loss his last time out.

The White Sox counter with former Yankee Jose Contreras (3-3, 3.79 ERA), with first pitch set for 8:11 p.m. ET on the YES Network.
Good not to lose Villone, Henn was struggling a bit lately but I expect to see him again. If Villone pitches anything like he did in the first half of last year I'll be happy.