The Daily News checks in with some good news on the progress of Octavio Dotel's rehab and an update on how Ramiro Mendoza is doing.

Dotel is very upbeat:

With the start of camp only a week away, Dotel said his elbow is feeling better than he would have hoped just eight months removed from ligament replacement surgery.

"It's more than I expected, way more," Dotel said. "I didn't expect this so soon. When I had the surgery, there were a lot of comments about how long it would take, if I could come back. You don't want to hear it, but you start thinking about it. "I'm really surprised at what I have already."

He hopes he can be ready by April, but he says he won't rush, either. "The Yankees are the people who decide," he said. "As far as I feel, I could be there in April, but I'll let them decide when I'll be in New York with the team."

Ramiro is feeling confident in his abilities:

Mendoza, who will pitch for Panama in the World Baseball Classic in March, threw 30 pitches off a bullpen mound yesterday at the Yanks' minor-league complex and then said he is feeling better than he has since he had shoulder surgery in January of 2005.

"Venezuela helped me a lot," said Mendoza, an important cog in the Yankee title teams from 1996-2000. "I'm fine now. All of my pitches are sinking and I've got my change, my curveball, everything. I just have to show I can pitch."

I still trust Ramiro coming out of the bullpen more than I would if it were someone like Tanyon Sturtze or Scott Proctor. In fact, if Ramiro can prove himself in spring training while those other guys flounder, I'm all for giving him Tanyon's roster spot from the beginning of the season. Still, since he signed a minor-league deal, I'm sure he'll be the one working down in Colombus.