Pressure always on the champions' general manager

The heat is always on Brian Cashman.

The New York Yankees' senior vice-president and general manager was instrumental in seeing the storied baseball franchise claim its 27th World Series crown and first in nearly a decade last October. Now all he has to do is repeat the feat for his success-craving bosses and the team's legion of fans this year.

"The natives get very restless when you don't do well," the 42-year-old said. "Fortunately, last year we were able to push the team all the way to the top. It's hard, you know. We strive for excellence, we have got 27 World Championship titles, which is the most in professional sports, but even though your goal is to win every year, it shows how hard it is to do.