Youkilis pledges allegiance to Yankees

Kevin Youkilis did some damage control Friday in the New York Yankees' spring-training camp after declaring a day earlier that he would always be a Red Sox.

The longtime Boston infielder in his first year with the Yankees quickly realized his faux pas.

"The one comment alone looks bad," he said, according to ESPN.com. "Let's be honest, I mean, the comment by itself looks terrible, but that was not what it was meant to be."

Youkilis wanted Yankees fans to rest assured that, despite playing for the hated rival Red Sox for more than eight years, he's happy to be in New York and proud to be a Yankee.

"I think the Yankee fans are going to love the fact that every day I'm going to bust my butt and get dirty on the field and do all that stuff," he said.

Youkilis, who signed a $12 million contract in the offseason, will start the season at third base as Alex Rodriguez's replacement. Rodriguez underwent hip surgery in January and isn't expected back until after the All-Star break.

"I said, 'Oh my God,' that does not look good," Youkilis said of his Thursday comment about being a Red Sox for life. "It is one of those things that you have to take with a grain of salt. It wasn't meant to be like that. It was talking about the history of who I am.

"It wasn't meant to be anything like, 'My heart is in Boston,' because honestly it wasn't there. My heart is in New York. I'm excited to live in the city. I'm excited for the whole experience."