I'm not surprised that Randy Johnson is having a tough spring - he's an old power pitcher, and - other than Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, power pitchers tend to fall fast as they age. I thought it was a mistake to get Johnson when they got him, and last night's performance is just giving me more evidence:

But on Wednesday, he allowed at least five runs for the sixth time in eight starts before improving after Jason Varitek's single put Boston ahead 5-4 with no outs in the third. Johnson struck out the next three batters and retired nine of the last 10 he faced before leaving after five innings.

"I hit my spot better later in the game,'' Johnson said. "It's funny to say this, but what I'm going through, you take anything as a positive. The last three innings were a positive. How much worse can it get?"

Despite his solid finish, his ERA rose from 5.62 to 5.89 while he allowed nine hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.

Here's a tip for Steinbrenner: If the pitcher is pushing 40, then don't hire him. Develop the talent out of the farm system, for gosh sakes.