Osasuna filed an appeal with the Spanish football federation (RFEF) on Friday stating Barcelona should not have fielded defender Iñigo Martínez in their LaLiga game over a technicality as he sat out Spain's matches with an injury.

Martínez, who withdrew from the Spain squad for their Nations League games due to a swollen right knee, played the full 90 minutes in Barcelona's 3-0 win on Thursday which moved the league leaders three points clear in LaLiga.

"The club understands that the participation of Iñigo Martínez in yesterday's match violated article 5 of Annex I of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players," Osasuna said in a statement.

"[It] specifies that a player who does not join or leaves his national team for medical reasons may not play matches for his club during the five calendar days following the end of the international period.

"Osasuna believes that Iñigo Martínez, whose absence from the Spanish national team was due to a medical leave, was not eligible to play in yesterday's match in accordance with FIFA regulations."

The result left Osasuna 14th in the table, six points clear of the relegation zone.

Barcelona were originally meant to play Osasuna on March 8 but the death of Barcelona club doctor Carles Miñarro García forced the game to be rescheduled to March 27, just four days after Spain's match as there was no other date available.

Both clubs had appeals for the fixture to be postponed rejected, with Barça unable to field some of their players such as one of their top scorers Raphinha, who had just returned from international duty.

RFEF regulations state in the instance of a club fielding a player who does "not meet the requirements to participate" the club shall forfeit the match and the opposition will be declared the winner.

SPOKANE, Wash. -- UConn guard Paige Bueckers confirmed to former Huskies star and ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo on Friday that she will enter the 2025 WNBA draft.

There had been rumors that Bueckers did not want to play for the Dallas Wings, who have the No. 1 overall pick. She is projected to be the top selection. After the draft lottery in December, a source indicated to ESPN that Bueckers' preferred destination would be the Los Angeles Sparks, who received the second pick in the lottery but later traded it to the Seattle Storm in the blockbuster Jewell Loyd-Kelsey Plum deal.

That led to speculation that Bueckers could return to school or even play for the Unrivaled League for a year.

There were also questions of whether Bueckers would want to wait to join the WNBA until after a new collective bargaining agreement was agreed upon.

But Lobo posted on social media that Bueckers will indeed enter the upcoming draft.

Bueckers has indicated multiple times that this would be her final season at UConn and she would be going pro. She is having another big season, averaging 19.2 points on 54.2% shooting with 4.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Bueckers and the Huskies are making an NCAA tournament run and face Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 on Saturday.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs says he took just one free agent visit -- to the New England Patriots -- before officially signing his three-year contract with the team Friday.

"I was considering a couple other places, but that's all in the past now," Diggs said at Gillette Stadium.

Diggs' contract is worth $69 million, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter, which is the range the wide receiver said he expected in terms of average per season, in part because he is coming off a torn ACL in his right knee sustained Oct. 27 while playing for the Houston Texans.

"I kind of figured [the contract] was going to be around that area, considering I'm coming off the injury, but also the fact that I'm one of the only receivers that had six 1,000-yard seasons consecutively [prior to the injury]," he said. "The production, it's always been here. I can move the chains. I can do intermediate. I can go deep. I did that all throughout my career. My résumé probably speaks for itself, but it was more so the injury that would deter or make the money is what it is.

"I look at it definitely as an opportunity. What could've been, could've been. At this point I am where I am, and I'm thankful."

Diggs, 31, was introduced by the team Friday and was joined by his mother, Stephanie, who sat in the front row as he answered questions from reporters.

He stopped short of setting a timetable for when he will be ready to practice but sounded encouraged with how his knee has responded.

"I'm ahead of schedule. I'm trying to stay ahead of schedule," he said. "I've been pretty serious about the grind process, as far as the rehab and everything."

Diggs said he has had only brief contact with second-year quarterback Drake Maye but is eager to begin developing a rapport with him, similar to how he did with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen from 2020 to 2023.

"It's crazy because, when you ask around, people say he acts a lot like Josh. And you know, that was my guy," Diggs said. "We played him last year, and he showed a lot of fight. He has that fiery quarterback 'I want to win' mindset. So that's something I get excited about and love to be around."

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel told the "Green Light" podcast, hosted by former NFL player Chris Long, that signing Diggs was a move made with Maye in mind.

"Just trying to make sure we're supporting Drake and supporting the football team," Vrabel said. "This is a highly competitive, confident receiver that's produced throughout his career and multiple ways. He's got a play strength to him. He can play physical, [has] route craft, good at the catch point, has been good in the red zone. There's a play style to him that I've always appreciated. ... His conversation, his demeanor, his attitude and his presence have been great through our conversations."

SPOKANE, Wash. -- UConn coach Geno Auriemma reiterated his disdain for the two-host regional system for the women's NCAA tournament, saying Friday that "whoever came up with this super regional stuff -- and I know who they are -- ruined the game."

"Half the country has no chance to get to a game in person. But you're making billions off of TV. Well, actually you're not; that would be the men's tournament," Auriemma said a day before his No. 2 seed Huskies face No. 3 seed Oklahoma in Spokane. "So yeah, there's a lot of issues that they need to fix. And again, we could get our ass beat tomorrow and that won't change my feelings."

The NCAA moved to two regional sites for the women's tournament in 2023, after previously hosting games at four locations. The women's March Madness event will have two regional sites through 2028: Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, California, next year; Philadelphia and Las Vegas in 2027; and Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., in 2028.

Auriemma's Huskies have had to come out to the West Coast each year since 2023 for the regionals. They were a No. 2 seed in Seattle that year, falling to Ohio State in the Sweet 16, and were a No. 3 seed in Portland last season, when they beat USC to advance to the Final Four.

"In a normal world, run by normal people, there would only be four teams here," Auriemma said, revealing that because there are eight teams at the Spokane super regional, his squad had to get up at 6 a.m. for a one-hour 8 a.m. practice window, and Saturday the team has to wake up at 5 a.m. for a half-hour 7:30 a.m. shootaround.

The Spokane 1 regional games will be held Friday and Sunday, while Spokane 4 contests will take place Saturday and Monday, making for four straight days of games at Spokane Arena.

"Takes us longer to get through security than to actually be on the court," Auriemma quipped.

If they win Saturday, the Huskies would play Monday night in the regional final, and then if they punch their ticket to the Final Four in Tampa, Florida, they will have to "fly cross-country, which is all day Tuesday, then they have two days, Wednesday and Thursday, to play the biggest game of their life."

The national semifinal and championship games had long been held on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively, until switching to a Friday/Sunday schedule starting in 2017.

"There's a lot of people in the women's basketball community that think they're smarter than [how they run things in men's basketball]," Auriemma said.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley was also asked about the two-regional system in Birmingham, Alabama, where her Gamecocks are a No. 1 seed.

"[Juggling practice schedules] is probably it," Staley said of any complications. "You don't get a shootaround time at a reasonable hour. Other than that, I mean, I actually like the two regions. I like having seven other teams that's trying to advance to the Elite Eight and advance to the Final Four right in one place.

"I do think it allows our fans, fans of women's basketball, to gravitate to one spot. I know the attendance will be up because of it. So bottom line, we need to drive revenue as much as possible."

Auriemma also said Friday that he supports opening the transfer portal after the NCAA tournament. This year, the portal opened Monday.

"There's just a lot of things going on right now that take away, I think, some of the focus of the players, some of the focus of the coaches, obviously," Auriemma said. "The portal has become a big cloud that hangs over everything. ... It's got to be when the schools have finished playing. There's got to be some sort of way to track and monitor and penalize tampering, like there is in the NBA. There's got to be a guideline of what you can do in free agency, which is basically what it is. The two windows, yeah, I'm in favor for anything that doesn't interfere with what you're trying to do as a coach with your team."

Colorado coach Deion Sanders has earned a five-year, $54 million contract extension that runs through the 2029 season, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the country, according to a copy of the contract obtained by ESPN on Friday.

Sanders' base salary will increase to $10 million in 2025, making him the highest-paid football coach in the Big 12 and among the top-10 highest-paid football coaches in the country. According to the contract, Sanders will earn another $10 million in 2026, $11 million in 2027, $11 million in 2028 and $12 million in 2029.

If Sanders accepts another coaching job before the end of the contract, his buyout starts at $12 million for the rest of 2025, followed by $10 million in 2026, $6 million in 2027, $4 million in 2028 and $3 million in 2029. He can retire from coaching, though, without having to pay damages to the university -- as long as he doesn't then return to coach somewhere else.

Sanders, who inherited a program that went 1-11 in 2022, has led the Buffaloes to 13 wins, including nine last season and a bowl berth. According to Colorado, which announced Sanders' extension Friday, the football program has been one of the most-watched teams in sports with over 54 million viewers in the 2024 season. That includes 8 million viewers who watched Colorado lose 36-14 to BYU in the Alamo Bowl, the highest viewership in the 32-year history of the event.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to continue building something special here at Colorado," Sanders said in a statement. "We've just scratched the surface of what this program can be. It's not just about football; it's about developing young men who are ready to take on the world. I'm committed to bringing greatness to this university, on and off the field. We've got work to do, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but here, making history with these incredible players and this passionate fan base. Lastly, anybody got at least a five-bedroom home with acreage for sale?"

The university cited Sanders' impact on the school and its community, noting that applications have increased 20% from a year ago to over 67,000, including an 18% increase in applications from out of state. According to the school, applications from prospective students who identify as Black/African American increased 50.5%, and applications from prospective students who identify as non-white increased 29.3%.

Colorado sold out all but two home games last fall, marking the first time the Buffaloes have sold out four or more games in back-to-back seasons since 1995-96. Last season, home football games generated a combined $93.9 million in direct economic impact to the city of Boulder and $146.5 million in total regional economic impact, according to the university.

"Coach Prime has revolutionized college football and in doing so, has restored CU football to our rightful place as a national power," Colorado athletic director Rick George said in a statement. "This extension not only recognizes coach's incredible accomplishments transforming our program on and off the field, it keeps him in Boulder to compete for conference and national championships in the years to come."

Sanders and Colorado also agreed to meet and "confer in good faith at the conclusion of the 2027 season to discuss any potential extension of this Agreement."

DETROIT -- Detroit Pistons All-Star guard Cade Cunningham is missing a third straight game with a bruised calf.

The Pistons announced Cunningham would not play against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, adding the All-NBA candidate is day to day.

He hurt his left calf last week in a game at Dallas.

Cunningham has been the key player during Detroit's turnaround, leading a team vying for home-court advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs after having the league's worst record the previous two seasons.

The Pistons set a single-season record with 28 straight losses last year and finished with 14 wins, a year after winning just 17 games.

With two-plus weeks before the postseason, they guaranteed this season wouldn't end with a losing record.

Cunningham, the No. 1 pick overall in 2021, has had a lot to do with that, averaging 25.7 points, 9.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds a game.

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey will miss at least two more games due to his sprained finger, coach Nick Nurse said Friday.

Maxey will not play in home games Saturday against the Miami Heat and Sunday against the Toronto Raptors, extending his absence to 15 contests.

He has also been dealing with a back issue and has not played since a March 3 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Maxey's next chance to play will come Tuesday at the New York Knicks.

The 76ers (23-50) have lost six straight games and nine of their past 10. With nine games left, they entered Friday on the brink of elimination from the play-in tournament.

Maxey, 24, has averaged a career-high 26.3 points to go with 6.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 52 games this season. He made his first All-Star team and was the NBA's Most Improved Player in 2023-24.

The Memphis Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins, their winningest coach, on Friday with the team struggling down the stretch and at risk of losing home-court advantage in the postseason.

Sources told ESPN's Shams Charania that Jenkins was called into the Grizzlies' office Friday morning and told he was being fired. The team believed that Jenkins had lost the locker room over the course of the season and that making a change now might mitigate how the Grizzlies finish the season.

"I'm genuinely appreciative of Taylor's contributions to this team and this city over the past six seasons," Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman said in a statement. "This was a difficult decision, given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor's leadership. I wish Taylor the very best going forward."

Lead assistant Tuomas Iisalo will serve as the interim head coach, sources told Charania. Iisalo is a former Finnish professional player and coach who was the head coach of Paris Basketball in 2023-24, winning the EuroCup and being named coach of the year.

The Grizzlies almost completely overhauled their coaching staff last offseason, leaving just Jenkins, Patrick St. Andrews and Anthony Carter from 2023-24. In bringing in six new assistants, the Grizzlies changed their style of play under Iisalo and Noah LaRoche to emphasize fast pace and spacing principles derived from other sports such as soccer and hockey. Memphis' new motion offense virtually eliminated traditional NBA mainstays such as pick-and-rolls and dribble handoffs.

Sources told Charania that St. Andrews and LaRoche were also fired Friday.

Jenkins, 40, had served as Grizzlies coach since 2019-20 -- the same season Ja Morant was named Rookie of the Year. The Grizzlies made three postseason appearances with Jenkins, with one playoff series win.

Memphis has lost four of its past five games, with Morant sidelined due to a strained hamstring, and has gone 8-11 since the All-Star break, the 21st-best record in the NBA in that span.

The Grizzlies host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, with the teams entering with matching 44-29 records. That starts a stretch in which eight of Memphis' final nine opponents are either playoff teams or contending for a play-in spot. It's still possible, at least mathematically, that Memphis could get back to No. 2 in the West, and it's highly unlikely that the Grizzlies will fall into the play-in tournament range.

Earlier this season, Jenkins passed Lionel Hollins to become the winningest coach in Grizzlies history. He leaves with a 250-214 record (.539), having also coached the most games in franchise history.

Memphis had turned things around this season after a 27-55 campaign in 2023-24 that was marred by the absence of Morant for 73 games due to injury and suspension.

The new system showed promising signs earlier in the season and has constantly evolved as the Grizzlies worked to fully carve out an offensive identity ahead of the playoffs. Defensively, however, Memphis has struggled since the All-Star break, ranking 20th in defensive efficiency after holding the No. 7 spot over the first half of the season, according to ESPN Research.

Also, most of the success this season had been against teams with losing records. Against the 13 other teams that currently are over .500, the Grizzlies are 11-20 and getting outscored by 77 points. Against the 16 clubs at .500 or worse, the Grizzlies are 33-9, outscoring those opponents by 462 points.

Jenkins signed a multiyear contract extension with the Grizzlies in June 2022. He previously worked as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks (2013-18) and Milwaukee Bucks (2018-19). He had been the fifth-longest-tenured coach with his current club in the league, behind only San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, Miami's Erik Spoelstra, Golden State's Steve Kerr and Denver's Michael Malone -- all of them having won NBA titles.

ESPN's Michael C. Wright, The Associated Press and Field Level Media contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- Cuba had a record 26 players on Major League Baseball's Opening Day rosters, and Japan had 12 for its most since 2012.

The percentage born outside the 50 states remained at 27.8%, matching its lowest level since 2016.

There were 265 players from 18 nations and territories outside of the 50 states among 954 players on Opening Day active rosters and injured, restricted and inactive lists, the commissioner's office said Friday.

Cuba's total topped its previous high of 23 in 2016, 2017 and 2022. Japan's total was its most since 13 in 2012.

The overall percentage matched last year and was down 28.5% in 2023, which was the lowest since 27.5% in 2016. It has remained in the 26-29.8% range since 2002, peaking in 2017.

The total international players was the fourth highest behind 291 in 2020 (when there were expanded 30-man active rosters), 275 in 2022 (when there were expanded 28-man active rosters) and 270 in 2023.

The Dominican Republic led countries outside the U.S. with 100, down from 108 last year and 110 in 2020. Canada's 13 matched last year for its most since 17 in 2013.

Venezuela was second at 63, followed by Cuba (26), Puerto Rico (16), Canada (13), Japan (12), Mexico (11), Curacao and Panama (four), South Korea (three), Aruba, Australia and Colombia (two) and Bahamas, Brazil, Germany, Honduras, Nicaragua and South Africa (one apiece).

Atlanta catcher Chadwick Tromp joined San Diego infielder Xander Bogaerts to give Aruba two players for the first time.

San Francisco's Jung Hoo Lee and Philadelphia's Jesús Luzardo were listed as "miscellaneous," Lee as born in Japan of South Korean descent and Luzardo as born in Peru of Venezuelan descent.

Houston and San Diego topped teams with 16 international players each, with the Astros having a share of the lead for the fifth straight season. They were followed by Atlanta (14), the New York Mets (13) and Baltimore and Miami (12 each).

The 18 nations and territories outside the U.S. matched last year and were three shy of the high, set in 2018 and matched in 2022.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The most unique transformation of a ballpark in Major League Baseball history launched in earnest Sunday at 5 p.m.

That was when the Tampa Bay Rays, after playing a Grapefruit League game against the New York Yankees as the visiting team, were handed the keys to George M. Steinbrenner Field, which will be the Rays' residence for the 2025 season. It began an unprecedented four-day mission to make their rival team's stadium look and feel like their own before Friday's sold-out season opener against the Colorado Rockies.

The Rays will play their entire 81-game home schedule at Steinbrenner Field this season because in October, Hurricane Milton tore through Tropicana Field, their home across the bay in St. Petersburg since their inaugural season in 1998. Winds that reached 120 mph shredded chunks of the building's fiberglass roof. The damage was deemed too extensive to repair in time to play baseball in 2025.

Converting Steinbrenner Field -- the home of the Yankees every spring, and of their Single-A affiliate Tampa Tarpons, since 1996 -- was a massive undertaking. MLB pushed back the Rays' home opener from Thursday to Friday, giving the organization an extra day to prepare. Still, more than 80 Rays staff members and more than 50 contractors from five companies contributed around the clock. The plan included rebranding the property with more than 3,000 signs, big and small, enough to stretch a mile if laid out end to end.

The Rays were free to repaint, but, in a rare break for the franchise during the upheaval, much painting wasn't necessary because the Yankees' navy blue pantone (PMS 289 C) is not far from the Rays' navy blue (PMS 648 C). There was one thing explicitly off limits during the ballpark makeover: the 600-pound bronze statue of George Steinbrenner, the late Yankees owner, standing on a marble pedestal by the main entrance.

The work covered every nook and cranny, obvious and obscure, from the home clubhouse, which was open to the Rays starting Monday at 4:30 p.m., to the two team stores on the property to the massive "Y-A-N-K-E-E-S" lettering above the right- and left-field stands. There were cranes and scissor lifts and cameras to record a time-lapse video of something that has never been done: a major league team moving out of a stadium after spring training and another one moving into it for the summer.

"We're not going to get every single pinstripe gone in the next four days and that's not really the goal," Rays chief business officer Bill Walsh said Sunday, shortly after the Rays were given the green light to take over the ballpark. "The goal is to have this place feel -- when you're walking around, when you're sitting in the seating bowl -- to feel like this is the home of the Rays."

Above all, Walsh noted, is making the stadium feel like home for the players.

On Sunday, they played as the road team against the Yankees. On Wednesday, less than 72 hours later, players walked into the home clubhouse for the first time ahead of a team workout. That gave them 48 hours to become acclimated to their new surroundings after calling Port Charlotte, 90 minutes south, home for the previous six weeks. Rays manager Kevin Cash didn't expect a difficult transition for a team looking forward to the end of the spring training grind and playing games that count.

"I mean, getting out of Port Charlotte," Cash joked, "they'll take f---ing anything."

PLAYING A FULL season in the spring home of a division rival qualifies as less than ideal. Multiple options in the area were considered. Steinbrenner Field was deemed the most major-league-ready choice. A one-year deal between the Rays and Yankees was struck in November giving the Rays full-time use of the stadium and New York more than $15 million in return.

Steinbrenner Field was already undergoing the final phase of a substantial renovation to player and staff facilities with health and wellness upgrades that include a two-story weight room, a kitchen with a dedicated staff and a players' lounge with an arcade.

The project -- which began last offseason with the renovation of the home clubhouse -- made the stadium more of a fit for the Rays, beyond its convenient location. More work was required to bring the building up to MLB regular-season standards, including remodeling the visiting clubhouse and improvements to cabling and broadcast infrastructure.

The Tarpons will play their home games at a field next to the stadium that was upgraded with lights and seating for 1,000 people. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred estimated the entire operation would cost $50 million.

"A gentleman from the Yankees said this in one of our first meetings: 'We may not root for you on the field, but we can root for you to have a field,'" Walsh recalled. "We just appreciate the collaborative spirit that they really put forth here."

Still, Steinbrenner Field seats just 11,026. The Rays ranked 28th in attendance across the majors last season, but their 16,515 average was still significantly higher than their new home's capacity. Further complicating the situation, the organization had already renewed their season-ticket base for Tropicana Field in 2025 by September.

Playing in an open-air stadium during a Florida summer will be an issue, too, between the unforgiving heat and constant rain. MLB moved first-pitch times starting in June back from 7:05 p.m. to 7:35 p.m. and gave the Rays more home games before June. Tampa Bay will play 19 of its first 22 games at home and 37 of its first 54 games there.

To prepare for the inevitable elements, director of special projects and field operations Dan Moeller had six of the Rays' eight full-time groundskeepers work Yankees Grapefruit League home games alongside the Yankees' crew, while two stayed behind to maintain the team's 85 acres around Tropicana Field.

Moeller said his crew helped pull out the tarp twice this spring, good practice for when the games matter. Tropicana Field, unsurprisingly, has never housed a tarp. The first one in franchise history will have a Budweiser logo on what is prime advertising real estate.

The work won't be entirely foreign to Moeller and his grounds crew. They maintain the team's six natural fields in Port Charlotte. Moeller, who was hired by the franchise in 1997, also previously worked on the team's five outdoor fields, including Al Lang Stadium, at their former spring training complex in St. Petersburg through 2008.

"I'm not quite sure what to expect," Moeller said. "But we got the best grounds crew in the major leagues and we'll deal with whatever's thrown at us. My guys are up for the task, and they're excited about it."

VETERAN SECOND BASEMAN Brandon Lowe considered Sunday's game against the Yankees at Steinbrenner Field more important than a typical exhibition. For him, it was an opportunity to become more familiar with the ballpark. With ground balls on the playing surface. With the background from the batter's box.

"I feel like baseball players are very resilient and very good at adapting to changes," said Lowe, who lives in Tampa and will have his commute to work cut significantly. (His manager isn't so lucky -- Cash, who lives in St. Petersburg, said his will increase from just eight minutes to 25.)

The afternoon served as a reminder that it wasn't home quite yet. The Rays heard a smattering of cheers, but the loudest ones were for Aaron Judge and the Yankees for a game that ended in a tie and doubled as a dress rehearsal for the organization.

Up in the 29-seat press box, the Rays' public relations team tried to figure out how it would handle large groups of media during the regular season and potentially beyond, while TV and radio broadcast teams adapted themselves to their new workplace.

One problem they encountered: Broadcasters can't see the bullpens from the booths. The Rays would have to install new camera feeds.

Ryan Bass, the team's sideline reporter for Fanduel Sports Network Sun, noted there often might not be enough room for him to sit in the camera wells next to the dugouts during games as he normally does.

"From our perspective, doing TV each and every day, we got to figure out, during the course of the season, what the best method is for making sure we bring Rays baseball to fans," Bass said before Sunday's game. "I think from what you see March 28th to what you see April 27th, will be completely different just from being really able to get a feel with so many home games to start the year."

After the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone finished packing up his office and left it for Cash.

"I'm getting out of here today," Boone said with a smile, "so I'll leave him something."

For the Rays, the pace was frenetic. Sunday evening, when reached by phone for an interview just 90 minutes after Tampa Bay was given clearance to start the makeover, Walsh kindly asked if he could call back in five minutes.

"Sorry," he said, "I'm hanging up a sign."

Around him, the outfield walls were being power-washed for advertisement installations on Monday, sod featuring ads from Yankees sponsors was being cut out and replaced, one of the team stores was being stocked with Rays gear, and, with help from Walsh, signs were going up everywhere.

The next morning, the Yankees packed and moved out of the home clubhouse ahead of a flight to Miami, emptying the room for the next tenants.

As they did so, Yankees reliever Scott Effross asked a clubhouse attendant a question that was on everybody's minds this spring: What are the Rays going to do with the giant Yankees logo light fixture suspended from the ceiling in the middle of the room?

The answer, revealed Wednesday, was covering it with a Rays-branded box. Nearby, a nonslip, Rays-branded rug concealed tiling leading to the showers with "The Bronx" spelled out on it. Down the hall, Rays logos replaced Yankees logos on training tables and whirlpool tiles. In the press box, photos of former Rays and framed media guide covers were hung.

Outside, beyond the center-field wall, on the facade facing Dale Mabry Highway, a billboard was mounted featuring the organization's "Rays Up" tagline, to let every car speeding past the ballpark know George M. Steinbrenner Field is the home of the Rays.

At the bottom, however, is a reminder that it is only temporary:

"THANK YOU, YANKEES!"