Courtesy New York Newsday

(February 17, 2009) YES' Bob Lorenz will be in Tampa today to anchor live coverage. But short of news of this magnitude, the network takes a strange approach to spring training for a channel that exists primarily to chronicle the Yankees.

Mostly, it ignores it, other than televising select games, starting Feb. 26 against the Rays.

SNY covers both local teams' camps. So does Newsday. So do radio stations and broadcast TV stations and national outlets - although there have been cutbacks in all of the above in these troubled times.

YES offers a weekly "Hot Stove" program most of the offseason and covers free- agent signings. Then spring training comes and ... poof. Not even SI's Feb. 7 A-Rod bombshell led to special coverage.

Wouldn't fans enjoy a daily or thrice-weekly or even once-weekly half-hour roundup of news, say at 7 o'clock, with a replay at 11?

Spokesman Eric Handler cited several reasons for YES' philosophy, none completely convincing:

1. It simulcasts Mike Francesa's WFAN show for 5½ hours weekdays, so it does address developing news and related commentary. (True, but it's audio-based, and not in prime time.)

2. It is committed to showing Nets games three or four nights per week, including pregames. (True, but for example, this week all three Nets games start at 8 or later.)

3. Unlike SNY and newspapers, it does not have a regular news operation, making it difficult to justify the cost of a full crew for a limited purpose. (Maybe, but isn't YES the richest sports network in the galaxy?)

4. It does offer coverage and video on its Web site. (True, but that's not the same as TV, with all due respect to the Internet gods.)