Forty years ago, Simon and Garfunkel asked, "Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?"

Finally, the classic American pop duo has its answer: Joltin' Joe's final resting place is this memorial park just outside Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, where I'm watching the Yankees play the Rays today. Nearby are markers for the other great Yankees of old — names such as Whitey, Mickey, the Babe, Yogi and Luis Polonia (if i remember correctly).

I happened upon the garden a couple of hours ago It adds a nice touch to the complex, which seems colossal for a spring site — especially compared to the field in Dunedin the Yanks (and the Stew) visited Wednesday.

Before any more of you gawkers and stalkerazzi come out of the woodwork to raid the Yankee Clipper's grave, know this: Nobody is actually buried here, especially Yogi and Polonia, who are alive. As for Mr. Coffee? He rests in California.

This picture also might answer the question of what Derek Jeter did with that sign he didn't steal from Yankee

Whether you're waiting for it or not, the World Baseball Classic is fast approaching. The international shindig kicks off in Tokyo on March 5 and runs through the final at Dodger Stadium on March 23. In an attempt to get you quickly up to speed with what's going on, BLS will be running occasional team previews (and more) as the event nears.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Pool: D, San Juan

'06 WBC finish: Fell to Cuba 3-1 in semis

First game: Saturday, March 7 vs. Netherlands

Five questions to ask about the Dominican Republic

• With A-Rod playing for them, is the D.R. the team U.S. fans can root against? The WBC was created in the spirit of goodwill, it has been said. Maybe that's why many Americans find themselves troubled to embrace the tournament. Everybody needs a bad guy to oppose. Good punches evil. Yin yields to yang. Sodom socks it to Gomorrah. Salt loathes Pepper. As much as Americans detest Canada (totally kidding), they just can't muster up enough Irish to feel any hatred toward the

Big League Stew contributor David Brown is in Florida this week for a spring swing through the Grapefruit League. He'll be posting throughout the day — both to the Stew and his Twitter feed — plus he'll also be filing a report each night from his day's action, complete with photos, videos and observations. His trip continues to Dunedin, winter home of the Blue Jays, who are the first team to face Alex Rodriguez since the you-know-what started to hit the fan.

Hey Stewies!

Opening day in the Grapefruit League! Seems like yesterday the Phillies and Rays were skating around the infield at The Bank during the World Series. Well, the off-season has been turned off.

Maybe it was the sunny weather, the laid-back atmosphere of Dunedin, or the snowbirds from Toronto just being polite, but the reaction to Alex Rodriguez I witnessed from the fourth row on Wednesday was pretty muted. Not that different from a regular-season game, relatively speaking. Bud Selig was right to not fall into my trap!

(Begin Rod Serling voice)

"Welcome to Night Stew Gallery. Tonight's oil-based offering originates from the palette of Tampa artist Justyn Farano. He paints portraits of athletes. Famous athletes. Athletes about whom you might read frequently right here."

(End Rod Serling voice)

Farano was onsite Tuesday at Charlie Crist's Governor's Baseball Dinner at Tropicana Field, where party guests were treated to the artist in the early stages of creating a piece on Tiger Woods. But already complete and ready to take home was a potrait of Rays infielder Evan Longoria, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year.

Titled "Unleashed," the detailed realism of Longoria's body and uniform are surrounded by some creepy Van Gogh-looking puffs of smoky light. Combining the bright lights and the fickle crowd, perhaps, into one blurry backdrop? The inclusion of the number "3" on the handle of Longoria's bat is a subtle but nice touch. The flexed muscles in Longoria's right forearm might be too much for the ladies

On Tuesday night, David Brown attended the Governor's Baseball Dinner at St. Pete's Tropicana Field. Here's his report.

The governor of Florida appears to be a genuine baseball fan who also happens to value what major league spring training means to his state.

Just how much value does it bring? Well, the teams and their fans bring about, oh, $450 million, according to Charlie Crist.

So Crist loves baseball ... LOVES IT.

But Crist cringes when teams such as Winter Haven's Indians and Vero Beach's Dodgers hightail it for the Arizona desert, continuing a trend that is expected to soon include Sarasota's Reds.

In response to that flight, Crist has brought back the governor's baseball dinner, held Tuesday night at Tropicana Field for the second consecutive year after a reported 15-year absence. (Other reports say 10 years, but who's counting?)

Crist said the dinner — which featured a few Hall of Famers, commissioner Bud Selig, managers Charlie Manuel and Joe Maddon, plus reps from each of

This afternoon in Dunedin, Fla., Alex Rodriguez is scheduled to take the field in a game for the first time since coming clean-ish about his own steroid use.

A story on the Yankees Web site says "Rodriguez is bracing for the worst" kind of reception from fans at the Blue Jays' spring home. Signs, shouts, even slurs — and meaner than the norm.

The usually neutral AP uses the word "hostile" to describe the potential environment.

Baseball's best player, even weened off the juice, might be preparing to play ball in a hornets nest. And it's only February.

Asked about A-Rod at a dinner in St. Petersburg to promote his sport in Florida, baseball commissioner Bud Selig said he isn't concerned the game's preeminent player might be headed for a season of discontented fans.

"Look, those things will all work themselves out," Selig said. "I don’t, I can’t... look, he’s been through a lot before, so I can’t say that I am" concerned.

Selig also said Rodriguez will meet with MLB investigators

Big League Stew contributor David Brown is in Florida this week for a spring swing through the Grapefruit League. He'll be posting throughout the day — both to the Stew and his Twitter feed — plus he'll also be filing a report each night from his day's action, complete with photos, videos and observations. His trip begins with a visit to sunny Clearwater, where Cole Hamels and the Phillies are ready to mount their World Series defense.

Say Hey, Big League Stewies!

Stew Force One just dropped me off in sunny Florida for Spring Training '08 '09 (is it that time already?). In all of my years as a reporter/blogger/what have you, this is my first spring fling and I'm pretty pumped about it. The other writers can be a dour bunch, so it's all old hat for them. Not for me, though. Sliding drills can only whet my baseball appetite.

First stop today was Clearwater, home of the World Expletive Champions, the Philadelphia Phillies. Cole Hamels had a bullpen session and the most impressive thing

Whether you're waiting for it or not, the World Baseball Classic is fast approaching. The international shindig kicks off in Tokyo on March 5 and runs through the final at Dodger Stadium on March 23. In an attempt to get you quickly up to speed with what's going on, BLS is running team previews as the event nears.

PANAMA

Pool: D, San Juan

'06 WBC finish: Fell to Netherlands 10-0; dropped all three games in pool play

First game: Saturday, March 7 vs. Puerto Rico

Five questions to ask about Panama

Does Panama have its act together this time? Signs point to possibly, as long as manager Hector Lopez hasn't resigned yet. Has he? (Hit refresh.) Lopez, a former teammate of Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, has some mending to do. The manager in 2006, former big-leaguer Roberto Kelly, resigned in exasperation before the tournament even started because officials above him tinkered with the roster and muscled him for control. Sometimes, a strongman emerges in Panama — such as Manuel Noriega