TAMPA, Fla. — Billy Crystal will get to "look mahvelous" in pinstripes.

The actor will sign a minor league contract with the New York Yankees and play in Thursday's exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Crystal, an avid Yankees fan, will work out with the team tomorrow and will wear uniform No. 60 for the game — to be played one day before his 60th birthday. The Yankees said yesterday they have the approval of baseball commissioner Bud Selig.

"I've been waiting 50 years for this call," Crystal said in a statement released by the team. "I'm overwhelmed by the generosity of the Yankees and commissioner Selig. I know this'll be tougher than the Broadway Softball League."

ISLE HAIRSTYLIST GOES ON THE ROAD

Hawai'i hairstylist Cassidy "Cassandra" Unciano, who normally operates out of CHOP Salon in Restaurant Row, is on the road with Janet Jackson as the pop star promotes her new album, "Discipline."

Cassandra, who is a member of Jackson's glamour team, styles the star's backup singers and dancers. On Feb. 26 she appeared with Jackson on "Good Morning America."

'GIRLS' FOUNDER TO FACE NEW CHARGES

RENO, Nev. — "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis is being released from a Nevada jail so he can return to Florida to face charges related to the filming of underage girls.

His lawyer told a federal judge in Reno yesterday that Florida has agreed to lift its no-bail arrest warrant against the filmmaker, who is being held here on federal tax fraud charges. Francis has amassed a fortune marketing videos of young women posing bare-breasted and in provocative situations.

Francis, who turns 35 on April 1, has been jailed on both sides of the country for nearly a year, caught in a tug-of-war between federal prosecutors in Nevada and state attorneys in Florida.

GUITARIST FINALLY HAVING KNEE FIXED

LOS ANGELES — Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry is putting down his ax while he goes under the knife.

Perry canceled a solo show scheduled for April 5 in Niagara Falls, N.Y., so he can recover from knee surgery, spokeswoman Marcee Rondan said in a statement released yesterday.

Rondan said Perry has needed knee surgery for two years but put off the procedure so he wouldn't miss any Aerosmith tour dates.

The 57-year-old's knee finally gave out early this month after a pair of performances with his two sons. That prompted his doctor to schedule the surgery for March 18.

DAMON, WIFE EXPECTING AGAIN

NEW YORK — "Bourne" trilogy actor Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana, 32, are expecting their second child, Damon's representative, Jennifer Allen, said yesterday.

Damon, 37, met Luciana while she was working as a bartender in Florida. They tied the knot in December 2005 in New York. They later welcomed a daughter, Isabella, who was born in June 2006.