Start spreading the news, he's leaving today

Reggie Jackson has been banned indefinitely by the New York Yankees after he made disparaging comments about Alex Rodriguez published in last week's edition of Sports Illustrated. He told Sports Illustrated: "Al's a very good friend, but I think there are real questions about his numbers. As much as I like him, what he admitted about his usage does cloud some of his records." Jackson confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that, as a result, he has been asked to stay away from the team. Jackson, choosing his words carefully, said: "The Yankees think that the timing is not right for me to be around the team right now. When the Yankees feel that the timing is proper, I'll return." What one has to remember here is that an indefinite ban is NOT necessarily a life ban, and I hope Reggie can one day return to the Yankees, or at the very least find work on another team in the major leagues. But for now, he should be making the most of his free time. And speaking of time, Spain will be given some relief today from its austerity woes when its EU partners grant it extra time to meet its steep budget deficit targets which otherwise risk deepening its recession. But in return, prime minister Mariano Rajoy will commit to a fresh round of tax increases, likely to be announced this week, to shore up revenues and help tackle the country's structural or underlying deficit. And speaking of deficit, the Vatican has registered one of its worst budget deficits in years, plunging back into the red with a €15 million deficit in 2011 after a brief respite of profit.