NY Yankees: Core Four Represents Offseason Issues For Bronx Bombers

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/500086-ny-yankees-core-four-represents-offseason-issues-for-bronx-bombers

NY Yankees: Core Four Represents Offseason Issues For Bronx Bombers
ByScott Gyurina
October 25, 2010

Not only does the ALCS Game 6 loss to the Texas Rangers end the New York Yankees' quest to repeat as baseball's World Series champions, but it may also signify the end of an era.

No, not the end of a dynasty that some have spoken of, that would require more than one World Series title in 10 years to be spoken of in such terms. The last Yankee dynasty ended in 2001, or 2003 if you're generous.

The era in question would be that of the Yankees' "Core Four", the homegrown quartet of veteran players that have persevered in the Bronx, playing a significant role in the Yankees' five World Series titles since 1996. Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada are the first trio of players in American sports history to play together for at least 16 years, a tremendous display of loyalty in an era dominated by free agency and frequent player movement. The fourth member, Andy Pettitte, arrived in the Bronx during 1995 like the others, but spent 2004-06 pitching closer to home in Houston. Otherwise, it is likely that these four Yankees would have remained with the franchise for the entirety of their careers.

Yankee fans have long been able to count on Jeter, Mariano, Posada and Pettitte delivering standout performances throughout the regular season and then when the stakes were highest, in the crisp autumn air of baseball's postseason. Jeter, long-revered by Yankee fans as "Captain Clutch" or "Mr. November", holds a host MLB playoff records and has forged much of his reputation with dramatic postseason heroics. Mariano, considered by many to be the greatest closer the game has ever seen, is lock to join Jeter in the Hall of Fame once their playing careers conclude, and his postseason resume is one of the most impressive in baseball's history.

Will the Yankees' Core Four remain intact in 2011?

Andy Pettitte also stands a chance to join his teammates in the Hall of Fame one day. Though he has never possessed the dominant stuff or numbers of the top aces in the game, Pettitte has nevertheless had an outstanding career and owns another highly impressive playoff career, one that boasts the most career victories in baseball postseason history. His longtime battery-mate, Jorge Posada, is a top 15 all-time catcher, and will get his share of Hall of Fame consideration as well once his playing days are over.

That incredible shared history is likely something that we won't see again in baseball for quite some time. The manner in which players move between teams today makes it quite rare what this group of Yankees has accomplished together. This off-season may very well represent a turning point in the story of the Yankees' "Core Four" however.

With a devastating defeat in the American League Championship Series, comes a look toward the future for the Yankees. Constantly looking to evolve and improve their team, Brian Cashman and his fellow Yankee brass have some important decisions to make, and several significant determinations in regard to the "Core Four" with three of them at the end of their contracts. Even without the contract issues, the venerable quartet each come with their own set of questions as the Yankees head into a critical off-season.

Derek Jeter

The Yankee captain couldn't have chosen a less opportune time to have his worst season of his storied career. Playing the final year of his 10-year, $189 million contract, Jeter struggled mightily outside of approximately seven weeks of the season. After posting one of his best seasons in 2009, hopes were high for Jeter as he entered his contract year, but those hopes were never realized. He looked a step slower in the field, and his bat had trouble catching up to fastballs all year. Outside of a hot April start, Jeter looked nearly incapable of driving the ball, instead racking up a massive collection of weak infield ground-outs.

His line-drive rate was the lowest of his career, his batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage all career lows. He was impatient, swinging at everything, especially in the first half, and he found himself killing more rallies than starting them.

Even in the postseason, where we are accustomed to Jeter outshining nearly everyone, he produced a steady stream of ground-outs, and was unable to pull any Jeterian magic from his hat.

Still, unabashed Jeter supporters will tell you that it was the only bad season of his career, and that he will rebound next year, because that's just the way it is. Derek Jeter is a Yankee legend and he is their short-stop until he simply cannot do it anymore.

Some of that may be true, it may have simply been a down year. His uncharacteristic .270 batting average is actually only one point below Hall of Famer Joe Morgan's career average. Jeter could very well rebound and look like himself again, but it's never an encouraging sign to have your worst season, often appearing feeble and tired as you approach 37 years old. The established track record for players suddenly reversing decline at that age is short, especially after the end of the "steroid era".

Most players exhibiting a severe decline in production might be facing the end of the line with their team as their current contract runs out. But, this is Derek Jeter. He has been the face of the most recent Yankee dynasty, and even the highest profile player in Major League Baseball for a decade and a half. His sterling reputation both on the field and off, combined with his overall package of looks and charm have made him the most marketable player the game has seen for quite some time, if not ever.

All of these factors come into play when considering the Derek Jeter contract situation. As much as his actual on-field production, Jeter has long been revered for the intangible qualities he possesses, his leadership abilities and the grace with which he handles the pressures of New York.

The Yankees are well aware of his impact on their bottom line. Any trip through Yankee Stadium or the surrounding Bronx streets will assure you of the captain's popularity amongst Yankee fans. His jerseys are everywhere, from the old school fans that grew up with DiMaggio and Mantle, to the urban tough guys inhabiting the local neighborhoods, to little girls making their first trip to the stadium with their parents. Yankee fans, and there are many of them, love Derek Jeter.

Though out of a contract, there is no real fear that Jeter is going to ever don another uniform. There is the feeling that Jeter was born to be a Yankee, and to one day assume his place in the pantheon of career pinstriped heroes like Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra and Ford. Yes, I know Yogi had nine plate appearances with the Mets in 1965, but I'm not going to let that tarnish his stellar Yankee career.

As Jeter sits only 74 hits away from the 3,000 hit plateau, it stands to reason that he will reach it somewhere near the 2011 All-Star break. Since no Yankee has ever reached that mark, Jeter, already the all-time franchise hits leader, will undoubtedly achieve the feat in a New York uniform.

How to balance diminishing production with still undeniable value to the Yankee franchise? Jeter, though his numbers are declining, and no doubt his best days are behind him, will be paid as much for his intangible values, reputation and marketability as he will his baseball.

What is the appropriate amount to commit to a 36-year-old, singles hitting short-stop with limited range? Not only that, but how long do you let him trot out to the most important position in the infield, knowing that range and athleticism are prime attributes that top short-stops must possess to be successful? That question becomes even more complicated considering the Yankees have all three other infield positions locked up long term, and Jeter has never played an inning in the outfield.

We know Derek Jeter is not going to play anywhere but the Bronx, in all likelihood ending his career as a Yankee. However, the situation could become much more complicated than many realize when considering Jeter's future with the team. Everyone wants to see Derek Jeter play short forever, but history tells us that simply cannot happen. I don't envy Brian Cashman in this scenario.

Mariano Rivera

Another modern Yankee legend that finds himself out of contract, Mariano Rivera, at age 40, just completed one his finer seasons in pinstripes. Seemingly defying the nature of time itself, Mariano is as spry and fit as ever, providing the stable foundation for the Yankee bullpen 16 years into his career.

Completing his three-year, $45 million contract, there are suddenly worries that Mariano might be done with pitching. He will turn 41 in little over a month, and though his competitive fire still burns brightly, Mo has nothing left to prove in this game.

We also know Mo isn't going to play anywhere else. A lifelong Yankee, the man is just as responsible for the Yankees' five World Series rings during his career as anyone. Without the dominant force at the end of all those playoff games, who knows how different history could have been?

Using primarily his trademark cutter to shatter bats along with oppositional hopes as he silenced late game offensive threats, Mariano has forged a reputation in many minds as the greatest closer the game has ever seen. His value to the Yankees has been readily apparent on the mound, but the depth of his impact reaches far beyond that. Mo has called upon his vast reserve of experience and knowledge to serve as a teacher and coach in the Yankee bullpen, imparting his wisdom on a variety of Yankee hurlers.

With no apparent replacement for Mariano currently within the Yankee ranks, it would appear that his formidable presence is still required by the team. Joba has not yet matured into the pitcher the Yankees envisioned, and free agent closers of Mariano's caliber simply don't exist. The Yankees have had their eye on Joakim Soria in Kansas City, but his contract runs through 2011, with three option years following that. He may eventually be a target, but for now he doesn't appear to be available.

It remains to be seen how much longer Mariano wants to pitch. After the World Series victory last year, he boldly proclaimed that he wants to pitch five more years. He has made no such claims recently though, and will return to Panama to ponder his baseball future.

One motivating factor could be the desire to wrest the all-time saves record from Trevor Hoffman. Sitting at 559, only 42 behind Hoffman, Mariano is clearly within striking distance. Though Hoffman is still active, he struggled through an abysmal season in Milwaukee, and could very well be considering hanging up his spikes. If so, Mariano would need just over a year's worth of saves to take his rightful spot atop the all-time leader board. Whether Mo cares enough about personal records to continue playing for that reason is another story.

The other aspect of his story is that he was still one of the top relievers in the game, even as he approaches 41 years old. In 38 save opportunities, he saved 33 games for an 87 percent success rate, just below his career average of 89 percent. Though his strikeout rates may be lower, his 1.80 ERA was the fifth lowest of his career, and his 0.833 WHIP was the second lowest he has ever posted. He may not throw as hard as he once did, but his experience and veteran guile make him a more intelligent pitcher, enabling to him to continually succeed on the mound, despite the rigors of time.

The Yankees need a closer, and they appear unlikely to let the legendary closer they've employed for 16 years go anywhere. Depending upon a few other factors, we'll have to wait and see how much money and many years the Yankees are willing to commit, but it seems highly likely that this successful partnership will continue for the foreseeable future.

Jorge Posada

Derek Jeter may be the captain, but Jorge Posada has long been considered the heart and soul of this Yankee team. More of a vocal leader that Jeter, Posada has helped steer the team with his toughness and determination, while playing a pivotal role in four world championships since 1997.

Posada, just turned 39 himself, and has seen better days. Though he is still under contract for one more year, he represents a significant question for the Yankees as they look toward next season.

His days as a regular catcher are clearly over, as he has only managed to catch 30, 100, and 83 games over the last three seasons, while also seeing significant time in the designated hitter role.

Jorge a standout offensive performer relative to his position, is likely a top-15 catcher of all-time. His potent bat, patient approach and switch-hitting abilities have made him a constant fixture in the Yankee lineup for years. Though never considered a strong defensive catcher, his offensive abilities always outweighed his deficiencies behind the dish.

Never a quick-footed catcher, Jorge has always had a problem with blocking balls in the dirt and throwing out attempted base-stealers. Those problems were highlighted this postseason, as the Rangers ran rampant on a powerless Posada. Of course, some of that blame has to go to the pitchers for failing to control the running game, but Posada's throws were weak and errant, allowing the Rangers to run at will, overwhelming the Yankees.

Clearly, the Rangers running game wasn't the sole reason for the Yankee loss to Texas, but it was a significant factor. The pitchers were never able to focus on pitching because any time a base-runner reached, it was almost a foregone conclusion that he was about to steal his way into scoring position.

During the regular season, Yankee catchers threw out a measly 15 percent of attempted base-stealers, good for last in all of baseball. League average was 28 percent, and the next closest team was Boston at 20 percent. Clearly, this is a weakness that needs to be addressed.

Though his bat still contains plenty of pop, and his patient approach will still allow Posada to reach base at a steady rate, it becomes difficult to envision Jorge catching very often in 2011. With Francisco Cervelli having a solid year as his backup, and a stable full of young catching prospects waiting in the minors, Posada may be best suited for a DH role in the upcoming year.

One position the Yankees are stocked at is catcher, with uber-prospect Jesus Montero nearly MLB ready, Austin Romine making significant strides, as well as youngsters J.R. Murphy and Gary Sanchez developing in the lower minors. If Montero's much-heralded bat is as lethal as reported, his time is surely approaching. His defense, always a weakness has reportedly improved greatly over the second half of 2010, and we may very well see his Bronx arrival sometime in 2011.

Posada, who hit 18 HR with 57 RBI, while posting an .811 OPS in 2010 could see increased time in the designated hitter role. His experienced switch-hitting bat could serve in the spot where the Yankees used Nick Johnson, Marcus Thames and Lance Berkman in 2010, allowing younger, more defensively inclined youngsters to take over handling the pitching staff.

Though his veteran presence is preferred by the Yankees in the postseason, his stubborn methods of dealing with pitchers has helped create a difficult situation at times with various members of the Yankee staff. It has been public knowledge that specific pitchers don't enjoy throwing to him, as he doesn't frame pitches, lazily blocks balls in the dirt and butts heads with hurlers over pitch selection.

It may behoove the Yankees to minimize his time behind the plate in 2011, handing the reigns to a duo of younger backstops. Of course, no one expects Posada to take that well when it inevitably occurs, but sometimes tough decisions need to be made, even when they apply to respected veterans in your squad.

Andy Pettitte

The third member of the Yankees' Core Four to be out of contract is veteran left-hander, Andy Pettitte. A member of the Yankees since 1995, minus a three year stint in Houston, Andy is also the proud owner of five World Series rings. His contributions to those postseason odysseys have been significant, as he is the all-time baseball postseason leader in victories.

While his fellow members of the Yankee starting rotation struggled to varying degrees in the 2010 playoffs, Pettitte registered two good starts, winning one and losing the other, but lasting seven innings each time, and utilizing his vast experience to shut down two powerful offenses. His outings were the only starts that felt the least bit comfortable from the Yankee starting staff.

His participation in the postseason was never a sure thing, as Andy made a last ditch effort in the regular season's final weeks to get himself ready for the playoffs. He missed a full two months of the season due to a groin injury he suffered on July 18, and only returned on September 18, a mere two weeks before the playoffs.

Prior to his injury, Pettitte was enjoying one of the finest years of his career, going 11-2 with a 2.88 ERA through July 18. He only was able to make three starts after returning from his stint on the DL, to uneven results. The Yankees were holding their breath, praying that their most experienced hurler could contribute as they attempted to defend their 2009 World Series title.

Pettitte's triumphant return was a success on a personal level, but ultimately for naught, as the Yankees were thoroughly defeated in the ALCS, but through no fault of Andy's.

Despite his great season, it remains to be seen whether Andy wants to continue pitching. It is likely that the Yankees would welcome his veteran presence in the middle of their rotation, however he has been a threat to retire at the end of every season for several years.

Still a highly competitive hurler, Pettitte proved that he can still pitch effectively, but his desire has to be there. Always a devoted family man, Andy Pettitte has placed his fate in the hands of his wife and kids, and will only pitch if they still want him to.

He recently stated that he has nothing left to accomplish in this game, so the seeds of doubt over his return have been planted. When on the hill, there is little doubt as to the degree of his competitive nature, but one can fully comprehend the desire of a man to spend more time with his wife and children.

The Yankees may be ready to heavily pursue ace Cliff Lee after the conclusion of the World Series. That would seem to cast some doubt on the availability of a rotation slot for Pettitte, but if it came down to it, I'm sure A.J. Burnett's spot is not fully secured. I can tell you that nearly every Yankee fan I've ever met would personally help chip in for Burnett's contract if it meant they could move him to accommodate Andy Pettitte.

Not Quite the End Of An Era, But Getting There

In all likelihood, at least three members of the Core Four will remain in Yankee pinstripes for at least 2011. Posada will obviously stay for the coming season, and the overwhelming odds suggest Jeter and Mariano will sign new contracts to keep them in the Bronx for at least another few seasons.

Mariano will very likely be right where we expect him to be, anchoring the Yankee bullpen, providing security late in games as he has for years.

The time has come for Jeter and Posada to both take a serious look in the mirror, and realize that they aren't the dynamic young stars of their youth. Both Yankee leaders still have a valuable role to play with the only team they have ever known, but it may be evolving as the team needs to move forward without getting bogged down by nostalgia.

Andy Pettitte, as we have grown accustomed, will take his time to make his decision, and we very well may have seen the last of him on a mound. Sitting at 240 career victories, another season or two worth of wins would certainly garner him some significant Hall of Fame consideration when combined with his impressive postseason career. Pettitte has never been big on personal accolades, but that thought has to at least cross his mind.

Whatever happens in the off-season will have to wait a while to be revealed, but a season of change is surely approaching in the Bronx. Much of the uncertainty revolves around the Yankees' Core Four, and the manner in which change is handled will go a long way toward determining how successful the next few seasons are for the New York Yankees. No one wants to see history repeat itself and watch the dark days of the late 60's and early 70's return.

Joe Torre won't return as Dodgers manager; Don Mattingly to replace him

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2010/09/la-times-sources-say-don-mattingly-to-replace-joe-torre-as-dodgers-manager/
Sep 17, 2010
Joe Torre won't return as Dodgers manager; Don Mattingly to replace him
Bob Kimball

Joe Torre announced he will not return as Dodgers manager in 2011 and will be replaced by hitting coach Don Mattingly.

Torre made the announcement before Friday night's game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium.

"Baseball has been my life, and hopefully will continue to be my life in some capacity," Torre said during a news conference. "When I came out here, it was just to find out if managing can be fun again, and it's been fun. ... But you have to make some decisions by instinct, and my instinct tells me it's time to go."

Mattingly, who had a batting instructor with the New York Yankees under Torre, joined L.A. as hitting coach during the 2008 season, Torre's first with the Dodgers.

"It's baseball, and I've been around the game a long time," Mattingly said. "In my heart, I know I can do this. It's a belief in myself that I can do anything I put my mind to."

Torre came over to the Dodgers from the New York Yankees where he won four World Series and six American League pennants in 12 seasons.

Torre, 70, is in his 29th season as a big-league skipper. The former All-Star infielder and catcher made earlier dugout stops with the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals. He has a career 2,318-1,990 regular-season record.

The L.A. Times reported that it's still possible Torre will stay with the Dodgers organization, according to one source who required anonymity because the team had not yet announced the move.

Mattingly is a nine-time Gold Glove first baseman and six-time All-Star who won the American League batting title in 1984 and was MVP in '85. He played his entire career with the Yankees before retiring after the 1995 season and is one of the most popular players in their storied history.

SI names Derek Jeter 2009 Sportsman of the Year

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/magazine/specials/sportsman/2009/11/25/derek.jeter/index.html

Monday November 30, 2009
SI names Derek Jeter 2009 Sportsman of the Year
Story Highlights
Jeter is the 56th honoree and the first Yankee to be named SI's Sportsman
In 2009 he led the Yankees to their fifth World Series title in his 14 full seasons
He also passed Lou Gehrig's franchise mark for hits, which now stands at 2,747

NEW YORK (SI.com) -- In what has already been a banner year for Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees shortstop can add another honor: Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year award. Jeter was chosen as the magazine's 56th honoree (the Dec. 7 issue will hit newsstands on Wednesday) and becomes the first Yankee to be named SI's Sportsman.

Jeter's selection caps another outstanding season for the 35-year-old team captain and future Hall of Famer. In 2009 he batted .334 while leading the Yankees to their fifth World Series title in his 14 full seasons, their first since 2000 and their record 27th in franchise history. On Sept. 11 he passed Lou Gehrig's franchise mark for base hits, which now stands at 2,747. In 2009 Jeter led the American League by reaching base 289 times, finished second in the league in hits (212), third in batting average and on-base percentage (.406), fourth in runs (107) and eighth in stolen bases (30). He was named an All-Star for the 10th time, including the sixth time as a starter, while winning his fourth AL Silver Slugger as the best hitting shortstop in the league and his fourth Gold Glove as the league's top defensive shortstop.

In 15 postseason games Jeter lived up to his reputation as a clutch player, batting .344 with a .432 on-base percentage, three home runs and six RBIs. He batted .407 in the World Series to lead the Yankees to a six-game victory over the defending world champion Philadelphia Phillies. During the Series, Jeter was named the American League recipient of the Hank Aaron Award, given to the best hitter in each league, and the winner of the Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player who best displays skill on the field while giving back to the community off it.

It was that combination of on- and off-field achievement that helped make Jeter this year's Sportsman. Said Sports Illustrated Group Editor Terry McDonell, "Derek Jeter has always presented himself with class; he does numerous good works for the community with his Turn 2 Foundation, which is one of the most efficient, effective foundations of its kind; and he's extremely generous with not just his money but with his time, which in many cases is more valuable. He also had another signature year on the field."

Jeter is the first baseball player to win the award solo since Cal Ripken Jr. in 1995. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were co-winners in 1998, as were Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in 2001. The Boston Red Sox won as a team in 2004.

The Sportsman of the Year award has been given annually since SI began publishing in 1954. The first winner was track star Roger Bannister, and subsequent honorees include Arnold Palmer (1960), Muhammad Ali (1974), Chris Evert (1976), Wayne Gretzky (1982), Michael Jordan (1991), Tiger Woods (1996 and 2000, the only two-time recipient), Lance Armstrong (2002) and Tom Brady (2005). Last year's winner was record-setting Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

Beast of the Month - June 2009

Beast of the Month - June 2009
Alex Rodriguez
Steroid-Fueled Baseball Star

"I yam an anti-Christ..."
John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) of The Sex Pistols, "Anarchy in the UK"

"Jose Canseco Smirking Smugly At Nation"
Recent article title found at Onion.com

Is Jose Canseco ever wrong? Seriously, give this man a Pulitzer. In April, he speculated the reason Manny Ramirez (a two-time World Series champion for the Boston Red Sox and current Los Angeles Dodger superstar) didn't receive a monster contract offer during the off-season was because the owner's knew he was a steroid juicer. More than likely, Canseco guessed, Manny was on the 2003 list of players who tested positive for doping, a list of names likely already leaked to MLB owners. On this score, Canseco said he was 90 percent sure.

For his wacky conspiracy theorizing, Canseco was once again lambasted in the media, the same way he has been repeatedly treated over the last four years since his book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big, was released. Since then, not one claim by him has been proven false, and many of his claims, even those sounding most luridly outlandish at first, have been proven true. Despite his track record, one sportswriter dismissed Jose C as "ridiculous and irresponsible" for engaging in "pseudo-slanderous steroid chatter" over Ramirez.

But what do you know? Barely a month after Canseco made his reckless hunch, Manny was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a banned substance. While he wasn't actually caught taking steroids, the drug he did test positive for, human chorionic gonadotropin, is popular among roiders for stopping the side effects of ending a cycle. (You know, little things like lower sperm count and shrunken testicles.) Maybe there's another explanation for why Ramirez was taking a female fertility drug, but that he is indeed a drug doper as Canseco had suspected seems to fit Occam's Razor the best.

Of course, the whole steroid scandal may have jumped the shark with the Ramirez revelation. At this point, is anybody shocked when a ballplayer is revealed as a drug cheater? This is, after all, the third time since 2005 The Konformist has focused Beast of the Month on the subject, which means we've covered this more in our 13-year history than we have Israel's brutal treatment of Palestinians and Lebanon. Yes, baseball is America's game (well, really it's football, and anyone who claims otherwise is kidding themselves) and yes, the steroid scandal has tarnished the game's legacy, but at this point, we've got more important things to do, like investigate Wall Street mass thievery, remind people there are still bloody pointless wars being fought in the Middle East and search YouTube for videos of Lady Gaga. So consider this BOTM a kiss-off to the whole "professional baseball players cheat" moral outrage as we get onto better things.

But before we jump off the whole steroid scandal bandwagon, The Konformist needs to get one last jab in, to a guy really deserving it. After all, part of the reason the steroid outing of the best player on baseball's second most famous franchise received such a ho-hum response is because the best player on baseball's most famous franchise (Alex Rodriguez, The Konformist Beast of the Month) had been outed as a fraud only months before.

For those who don't follow baseball, Rodriguez, better known as A-Rod, is not only the best player on the New York Yankees, he is arguably the best player in baseball, period. (Only Manny and Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals come close.) He has already won 3 MVP titles, this despite not winning in 2001 and 2002, when he hit 52 and 57 home runs. In 2006, he was the only non-pitcher still active to make Sports Illustrated's Alltime All-Star Team. (Fellow Yankees Roger Clemens and reliever Mariano Rivera also made the team.) It is suspected by many that Barry Bonds, the man formerly viewed as the best player in baseball, was snubbed from the team thanks to the evidence against him as a steroid cheat.

Indeed, the conventional wisdom until last year was that A-Rod was going to be the hero who saved the game by restoring the integrity of the numbers. He ended last season with 553 career home runs, 13th all time. He is second to only Ken Griffey Jr. among current players, and Griffey (perhaps the only modern slugger without any steroid suspicion due to his non-muscled physique) appears soon to be headed to retirement. That left A-Rod with the best chance of surpassing Bonds' career total of 762* round-trippers, something he could conceivably do in four great seasons. After that, balance would be returned to the universe, as the most sacred record in American sports would not be held by a doping phony.

Even without the recent revelations, the "A-Rod as Christ savior" storyline had its problems. For all his talent, he's never been particularly loved by the public or, perhaps more importantly, his fellow teammates. He isn't a surly SOB like Bonds, but his well-noted narcissistic self-absorption (on full display on the April 2009 cover of Details where he was seen kissing his own image in a mirror) has made him a magnet for haters. As for his contributions to teams, here are some curious facts: in 2001, after he left the Seattle Mariners for a ten-year, $252 million payout with the Texas Rangers, the Mariners won an astounding 116 games. His Rangers, meanwhile, finished in last place the three seasons he was there. Since he has moved to the Yankees in 2004, meanwhile, they have yet to even appear in a World Series despite all their well-paid talent, while their nemesis in Boston broke the Bambino curse with two titles, starting coincidentally the year he started playing in the Big Apple.

Okay, maybe the bad luck of the Rangers and Yankees isn't his entire fault. (Although his notorious showing in post-season play, which has earned him like Bonds before the insulting nickname of "Mr. April-September" from some, certainly hasn't helped.) Still, entering his sixth year in NY pinstripes, he wasn't even half as loved by fans or fellow Yankees as fellow teammate Derek Jeter. This was underscored in manager Joe Torre's recently published book The Yankee Years, where he reveals A-Rod was derisively termed as "A-Fraud" by teammates annoyed by his shallow insincerity. His 2007 demand to renegotiate his record contract to an even larger ten-year, $275 million didn't help.

Torre's tell-all bio was only the second recent book to dish dirt on A-Rod. The first came out last year, when Canseco released his sequel to Juiced, titled Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball. The big bombshell in the tome: Canseco claims in the latter half of the 1990s, A-Rod asked for help in finding a trainer that would supply steroids. He refused to name the trainer (referring to him only as "Max") and when pressed on Nightline over his refusal to provide corroborating evidence, Canseco replied: "Let's see how Alex reacts. Let's see if they call me a liar again. How's that for ya? Let's see if all of a sudden they're gonna call me a liar again."

Surprise, surprise. As he was lambasted earlier this year over his Manny hypothesis, Canseco, despite his history of truth-telling, was indeed shredded in the press as a liar again in 2008 over the claim. In this case, it didn't help Jose that he has an admitted beef with A-Rod, claiming Rodriguez had an affair with Canseco's then wife. (Apparently A-Rod's affairs don't merely include cheating with wives of teammates: late last year, his wife Cynthia filed for divorce after a rumored adulterous affair between A-Rod and Madonna became top tabloid news.) His allegations did get some backing last year when former reliever John Rocker claimed MLB commissioner Bud Selig knew he failed a drug test for steroids in 2000, and doctors for both management and the players' association advised him and three other Texas Rangers - among them Alex Rodriguez - on how to use steroids. Of course, when the one person who helps confirm your story is a notorious pariah like the racist Rocker, it tends to undercut, rather than enhance, credibility.

Despite this, it appears Canseco is once again vindicated. In February, Sports Illustrated reported that A-Rod was one of the 104 players who tested positive for steroids. As the controversy became the talk of the news cycle, A-Rod finally fessed up and admitted, yes, he was a steroid cheat. The mea culpa came with a convenient asterisk, as A-Rod insisted he only did it from 2001-3 while with the Rangers, meaning he denied any usage after steroid use had penalties attached. In any case, his apology, especially the one he sent publicly to his teammates, was widely deemed as insincere.

Even with this limited hangout by A-Rod, outrage became the order of the day. No longer was "A-Fraud" enough of a put-down of the dude by his critics: "A-Roid" or (with even greater ingenuity, courtesy of a NY Post cover) "A-Hole" became the new insults. On David Letterman, a top ten joke list featuring messages left on A-Rod's answering machine included this knee-slapper: "Could you find a steroid that keeps you from choking in the playoffs?"

The SI report become the first shot of reporter Selena Roberts' A-Rod bio, the third book to talk smack about Rodriguez. Roberts claims A-Rod started his steroid regimen in high school, and that he has continued it during the Yankee years. She also made claims of another A-Rod cheating scandal: that A-Rod would tip buddies on other teams the pitch they were facing late in blowout games. According to Roberts, the quid quo pro deal allowed players in the pitch-tipping scandal to pad their stats in at-bats for games already decided, at the expense of late-inning pitchers. While the scheme wouldn't change the winner of the game, it certainly qualifies as an attack on the integrity of the game, perhaps even more so than steroids, and a betrayal of pitching teammates almost on par with sleeping with their wives.

(Adding insult to his injured reputation, a Yahoo! Sports article from August 2008 reported the next generation of Bill James wannabees had statistically uncovered a sabermetrics to measure clutch hitting, and A-Rod, as critics had long insisted, was indeed a pressure-situation choker.)

Fortunately for A-Rod, a cyst on his hip forced him to miss the first full month of the season. (Cynics note that a common side-effect of steroid usage is cysts developing at injection point.) By the time of his May 8th return, A-Rod outrage had dipped and been superseded by the Manny dope scandal, and hitting a home run on the first pitch certainly aided him in forgiveness. Come October, maybe A-Rod can finally earn the love (and the $275 million) he has long craved from fans by finally delivering in the playoffs, and the forgiveness that comes with it. Based on his track record, however, The Konformist is betting against him once again.

In the end, A-Rod is merely just another scapegoat in sports, a face for the public to focus wrath. And that's why we expect this to be the last steroid-related athlete BOTM we do, even if another great baseball superstar is eventually shockingly uncovered as a secret doper. But that doesn't mean we'll stop covering this issue: as The Konformist and Jose Canseco long have pointed out, the owners and the league itself have long sanctioned the steroid era with their covert consent. The tale of John Rocker, that the commissioner himself knew he failed a 2000 test and that management advised him on how to properly juice, provides ample evidence of just how complicit they are. Indeed, the evidence suggests that even as Bud Selig was personally promoting the "A-Rod as baseball savior" myth, he already knew via the 2003 tests that Rodriguez was a cheater. Meanwhile, as Nation magazine writer Dave Zirin has noted, owners "have yet to have to face any kind of Congressional subcommittee, grand jury or operatic media melodrama for their role in cheapening the sport." If they ever are, no doubt The Konformist will be there ready to point fingers again where they deserve.

In any case, we salute Alex Rodriguez as Beast of the Month. Congratulations, and keep up the great work, Al!!!

Sources:

Blum, Ronald. "A-Rod Says He Expects Questions on Drugs." Associated Press 20 February 2008 <http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iCj65bmE8AEQ7MvFQrBVYXwwJp9QD8UUAVI80>.

Brinson, Will. "Jose Canseco Says '90 Percent Chance' Manny Ramirez Is on 'The List'." MLB FanHouse 6 April 2009 <http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/04/06/jose-canseco-says-90-chance-manny-ramirez-is-on-steroids-list>.

Canseco, Jose. Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005.

Canseco, Jose. Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars, and the Battle to Save Baseball. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008.

"Details on A-Rod's Alleged Pitch-Tipping Scheme in Texas." Sports Illustrated 30 April 2009 <http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/04/30/roberts.qa>.

Escherich, Katie. "Exclusive: Jose Canseco Says 'The Truth Hurts'." ABC News 26 March 2008 <http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=4528387>.

Harris, Beth and Blum, Rondald. "Ramirez Suspended 50 Games for Drug Violation." Yahoo! Sports 7 May 2009 <http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AozPbdpnRxDcG.ttoQ3gr6URvLYF?slug=ap-dodgers-ramirez-drugs>.

"Jose Canseco Smirking Smugly At Nation." The Onion 12 February 2009 <http://www.theonion.com/content/from_print/jose_canseco_smirking_smugly>.

Passan, Jeff. A-Rod Is a $300 Million Migraine." Yahoo! Sports 31 August 2008 <http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AqYZcgXmuHwg3tDIHBh5_VYRvLYF?slug=jp-arod083108>.

Roberts, Selena. A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2009.

Roberts, Selena and Epstein, David. "Sources Tell SI Alex Rodriguez Tested Positive for Steroids in 2003." Sports Illustrated 7 February 2009 <http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/02/07/alex-rodriguez-steroids/index.html>.

Streeter, Kurt. "Manny Ramirez Blindsided Everyone but Jose Canseco." Los Angeles Times 7 May 2009 <http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-streeter-manny8-2009may08,0,5943246.story>.

Torre, Joe and Verducci, Tom. The Yankee Years. New York: Doubleday, 2009.

Verducci, Tom. "Alltime All-Star Team." Sports Illustrated 3 October 2006 <http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/magazine/10/03/bb.allstar1009/index.html>.

Zirin, Dave. "A-Rod, Anabolic Agonist Sports." The Nation 9 February 2009 <http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090223/zirin>.

Jeter tops Gehrig, sets Yankees hit record

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/wires/09/12/2010.ap.bba.yankees.jeter.record.8th.ld.writethru.1088/

Saturday September 12, 2009
Jeter tops Gehrig, sets Yankees hit record

NEW YORK (AP) - Puddles soaked the warning track and ponchos dotted the stands when Derek Jeter stepped to the plate in the third inning, hoping to give the soggy Yankee Stadium crowd a reason for showing up in all this rain.

With one of his classic, inside-out swings, Jeter sent a sharp grounder skimming through the infield. And there it was, the record-setting hit that pushed him past Lou Gehrig.

Jeter broke the New York Yankees' hit record held by Gehrig for more than seven decades on Friday night with an opposite-field single against Baltimore. It gave Jeter 2,722 hits, one more than Gehrig, whose Hall of Fame career was cut short by illness in 1939.

"The whole experience has been overwhelming,'' Jeter said. "This is more than I could've imagined.''

The captain kept right on going, too, with an RBI single in the fourth that put New York up 4-1. He came out of the game after a 67-minute rain delay in the seventh when manager Joe Girardi pulled most of his starters with the Yankees trailing 10-4.

Once play resumed, the Yankees held an unusual in-game news conference with Jeter and then teammates Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Alex Rodriguez.

"I didn't expect that many people to be out there after the rain delay considering how hard it was raining when we started the game,'' Jeter said. "But the fans were incredible. It says a lot about how they feel about their team and more importantly how they feel about the history of their team. I appreciate each and every one that was there.''

Jeter's record-breaking hit was remarkably similar to the one that tied Gehrig on Wednesday night, a well-struck grounder inside the first-base line. After this one, Yankees players poured out of the dugout and engulfed Jeter at first base with hugs and pats on the back.

"I didn't know that they were going to do that, so that sort of caught me off-guard,'' Jeter said. "It's a special moment for me, it's a special moment for the organization. To be able to enjoy it with my teammates was a lot of fun.''

Jeter spread his arms wide after rounding first base on his record-breaking hit and gave an emphatic clap as he headed back to the bag.

Rain-drenched fans, many wearing bright ponchos, roared during an ovation that lasted about 3 minutes. Jeter twice waved his helmet to the crowd of 46,771 - just as he did after tying the record. Fans chanted his name and the ball was taken out of play as a souvenir.

"For those who say today's game can't produce legendary players, I have two words: Derek Jeter. Game in and game out he just produces,'' Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement. "As historic and significant as becoming the Yankees' all-time hit leader is, the accomplishment is all the more impressive because Derek is one of the finest young men playing the game today.

"That combination of character and athletic ability is something he shares with the previous record holder, Lou Gehrig,'' the statement said.

When his grounder got past diving first baseman Luke Scott, Jeter's parents raised their arms in excitement. Joining them in an upstairs box filled with family and friends were his sister and steady girlfriend, actress Minka Kelly.

Jeter tied Gehrig's mark Wednesday night, snapping an 0-for-12 slump with three hits against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Yankees were off Thursday, and Jeter resumed his pursuit Friday at soggy Yankee Stadium.

"I'm happy I was able to do it quickly,'' he said.

The start was delayed 87 minutes by heavy rain that had tapered off by the third inning. Jeter struck out swinging against Tillman in his first at-bat, but came through his next time up.

"It's vintage Derek Jeter. Stay inside the ball and hit it the other way,'' Girardi said. "I think everyone was just ecstatic for him. ... I think we all feel very proud to be around him.''

Gehrig's final hit came on April 29, 1939, a single against the Washington Senators. The Iron Horse had held the club record since Sept. 6, 1937, when he passed Babe Ruth.

Gehrig's career ended suddenly in 1939. Two years later, he died at 37 from the disease that would later bear his name.

Jeter got his first hit on May 30, 1995, at Seattle and set the Yankees mark with 14 seasons of splendid consistency. His two singles Friday night gave him 1,363 hits at home and 1,360 on the road.

Now, No. 2 in Yankees pinstripes is number one in the record book for baseball's most storied franchise.

"It's still hard to believe for me,'' he said.

The 35-year-old Jeter also moved past Gehrig for 53rd place on the game's career hit list. Roberto Alomar is 52nd at 2,724.

It was Jeter's 268th hit against Baltimore, his most against any opponent.

Jeter finished 2 for 4 and grounded into an inning-ending double play in the sixth.

It was a special night at Yankee Stadium in several ways. Both teams and the umpires wore red caps with stars and stripes inside the logos to commemorate the eighth anniversary of 9-11. Pregame ceremonies included a moment of silence to remember those who died in the attacks.

Dorine Gordon, president and CEO of The ALS Association Greater New York Chapter, also congratulated Jeter in a statement that was passed out in the press box at Yankee Stadium.

ALS, of course, is the disease that afflicted Gehrig.

A-Rod mum on claims he used steroids in H.S.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gDyhPDBjnfHf9yHdoOLA9DsFnGAAD97T02G81

A-Rod mum on claims he used steroids while in H.S.
4-30-9

NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Rodriguez refused to address allegations that he used steroids when he was a highly touted high school player and with the New York Yankees. Rodriguez admitted in February to using performance-enhancing drugs while with the Texas Rangers but insisted he stopped before he was traded to the Yankees in 2004.

He brushed off a question Thursday about some details from Sports Illustrated writer Selena Roberts' upcoming book "A-Rod" that cast doubt on his earlier statements.

"I'm not going there," he said after homering in an extended spring training intrasquad game in Tampa, Fla. "I'm just so excited about being back on the field and playing baseball. My team has won two games (in a row) up there and hopefully I can come back and help them win some more."

The Daily News reported in Thursday's edition that Roberts' book offers an unflattering portrait of the MVP slugger as a needy personality who wanted his ego stroked constantly.

The paper doesn't say how it obtained a copy of the Harper Collins book, scheduled to be released on Monday.

A high school teammate of A-Rod's told Roberts that the future No. 1 draft pick was on steroids as a prep player and his coach knew it — an allegation the coach, Rich Hofman, denied.

Rodriguez said he wasn't worried that the steroids issue was being brought up again.

"No. Not really," he said. "I'm in a good place. I think more importantly physically I feel like I'm getting better everyday. We've had a great week here. We've worked extremely hard, and I'm just very anxious to do what God put me on this earth to do, to play baseball."

In the book, an unnamed major leaguer is quoted as saying A-Rod and former Yankees pitcher Kevin Brown, who was named in the Mitchell Report, were seen together with human growth hormone — or HGH — in 2004.

The book also goes on to say that two anonymous Yankees said they believed A-Rod was using banned substances based on visual side effects, and that a clubhouse staffer said management had a suspicion that that the third baseman may have been juicing.

Rodriguez, in Florida rehabbing his surgically repaired hip, went 1-for-6 with two walks in the extended spring game. He had a long homer to left center in his sixth plate appearance.

He will play in another extended spring game Friday against Pirates minor leaguers at Pittsburgh's complex in Bradenton, Fla.

Rodriguez said he needs to run the bases at full speed and is still on target to return to the Yankees in May.

"I think the last thing I'm going to do here before I leave is sliding," he said. "I think sliding is probably the thing I have the most reservation about because you have to get on your hip and bounce on it a little bit. Everything else seems so far on schedule."

A Pinstriped Patriot Act

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090504/zirin2

A Pinstriped Patriot Act
By Dave Zirin

One fine day last August, Bradley Campeau-Laurion just wanted to leave his seat and use the bathroom at the old Yankee Stadium. The 30-year-old New York resident had no idea that nature's call would lead him down a road to perdition where he would be accused of challenging God, country, and the joys of compulsory patriotism at the ballpark.

Under the thirty-six-year watch of George Steinbrenner--and now his offspring--the New York Yankees have always wrapped their fans, like it or not, in red, white and blue bombast. This is the team that so loves God and country that it mandates the singing of two national anthems--Francis Scott Key's 1814 epic, "The Star-Spangled Banner" and Irving Berlin's 1918 anthem, "God Bless America."

For a while after 9/11, "God Bless America" was standard fare in major league ballparks. But while most ball clubs have let the practice slide, the super-patriotic Steinbrenners have ramped up the flag-waving, extending the seventh-inning stretch to include "God Bless America" along with the traditional "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Sometimes "God Bless..." is performed live by Irish tenor Ronan Tynan, but most often the tune is delivered over stadium loudspeakers via a scratchy vintage recording by the operatic warbler Kate Smith, who first popularized the song in 1938. But no matter who's singing, the Yankees have been known to cordon off the aisles and put off-duty police officers in place to ensure the multitudes stand at respectful attention. (Fans of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but a long-dead singer and the chains on your bleachers!)

Not only do the Yankees expect fans to stand during the singing of patriotic songs, but during the Bush era they virtually mandated fan support for the Iraq War, all the while extorting tax breaks and other public subsidies from city, state and federal governments to build their new $1 .5 billion cathedral of baseball. (Separation of sports and state anyone?) For the Steinbrenners and the high-rollers who occupy Yankee Stadium's $2,500 top-shelf seats, this kind of power patriotism wedded to corporate welfare must be sweet as champagne.

But as the global economic meltdown has proven, there ultimately comes a time to put the brakes on corporate execs--to say nothing of mindless patriotism. And while some Yankees fans have grumbled and a few intrepid sports bloggers, like former Deadspin Editor Will Leitch, have raised concerns, it took one man's full bladder to hoist the Yankees organization with its own petard.

All Campeau-Laurion did was try to go to the men's room during the seventh-inning stretch. In swooped two New York Police Department officers working security detail, who reportedly roughed him up and threw him out of the ballpark. Now Campeau-Laurion has filed a civil suit against the the city, the cops and the team for violating his rights.

"New York's finest have no business arresting someone for trying to go to the bathroom at a politically incorrect moment," said Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, which is representing Campeau-Laurion in the lawsuit. According to the complaint, Campeau-Laurion drank two beers and took the seventh-inning stretch to mean he could actually go stretch.

"As he walked toward the tunnel leading to the concourse, a uniformed New York City police officer put up his hands and mumbled something to Mr. Campeau-Laurion, " according to the complaint, blocking his way to the bathroom during the singing of "God Bless America."
As Campeau-Laurion tried to move past the officer, the policeman grabbed his arm and said, "He's out" to another officer, who twisted his left arm behind his back, hustling him down the ramp and out of the stadium.

The NYPD tells a different story.

"The officers observed a male standing on his seat, cursing, using inappropriate language and acting in a disorderly manner while reeking of alcohol and decided to eject him rather than subject others to his offensive behavior," NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said in an e-mail reply to my query. This account strains credulity. If it were standard procedure for the NYPD to kick out every drunken fan from Yankee Stadium, the place would be emptier than a John Ashcroft concert at the Apollo Theatre.

Campeau-Laurion disputes the NYPD account. "Not a word of that is true," he told Bloomberg News. "The whole incident didn't occur at my seat. It occurred at my section when I went to use the restroom."

"I don't care about 'God Bless America.' I don't believe that's grounds constitutionally for being dragged out of a baseball game... I simply don't have any religious beliefs... It devalues patriotism as a whole when you force people to participate in patriotic acts," he continued. "It devalues the freedom we fought for in the first place."

This ugly incident raises a series of inconvenient questions: why does America feel compelled to bind sports to patriotic ritual? Why are publicly funded facilities like stadiums used to promote private religious or political beliefs? And given the putrid start of the Yankees's season, shouldn't management be more concerned with what's happening with the players than with the fans? All should stand with Campeau-Laurion until we get some answers.

[Dave Zirin is the author of “A People’s History of Sports in the United States” (The New Press) Receive his column every week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com]

Rice joins Henderson as baseball Hall of Famers

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/hallfame/2009-01-12-henderson-rice-elected_N.htm

Rice joins Henderson as newest baseball Hall of Famers
By Mel Antonen, USA TODAY

Rickey Henderson, baseball's all-time steals leader, was elected in overwhelming fashion to baseball's Hall of Fame on his first year of eligibility, while Boston Red Sox slugger Jim Rice also earned election to Cooperstown in his last year on the ballot.

In balloting released Monday by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, Henderson was named on 511 ballots (94.8%), a sweeping endorsement of the player considered by many to be the finest leadoff hitter of all time.

Rice's ticket to Cooperstown was stamped in a far more tenuous fashion.

Having failed election on 14 previous appearances on the ballot, Rice was named on 412 ballots, the 76.4% barely edging him over the 75% required for induction.

Henderson, who turned 50 on Christmas Day, is the all-time king of stolen bases with 1,406 and considered one of the most dangerous leadoff batters of all-time.

"When Rickey Henderson got on base, he could change the course of the game like no other player," Tony La Russa, Henderson's former manager with the Oakland Athletics, said last spring.

The induction ceremony is July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Henderson played for the Athletics from 1979-84, then rejoined them in 1989 in a trade with the New York Yankees. He batted leadoff on their 1989 World Series champion team and a year later won the AL MVP as the A's won a third consecutive pennant.

Henderson, who led the league in runs scored five times and steals a dozen times, was a 10-time All-Star. In addition to his steals, he holds the career record for runs (2,295) and his 2,190 walks ranks second. Henderson had 3,055 career hits.

He played for nine teams and hit .284 with 33 steals in 60 postseason games. His trademark postseason series was the 1989 American League Championship Series, when he batted .400 with a .609 on-base percentage, going 8-for-8 in steals when the Athletics beat the Toronto Blue Jays.

Rice, who missed enshrinement by 16 votes last year with 72.2%, averaged .298 with 382 home runs and 1,451 RBI during his 16-year career, all with the Boston Red Sox.

Andre Dawson (361 votes, 67%) and Bert Blyleven (338 votes, 62.7%) were the only other players listed on more than half of the ballots. Mark McGwire received 118 votes and 21.9%, down from 23.6% last year and 23.5% in his first year of eligibility.

Tommy John, who won 288 games in 26 seasons, received 31.6% of the votes in his final year on the ballot.

Mariano Rivera wants stadium bullpen mementos

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ys-motarivera092008

Mariano Rivera wants stadium bullpen mementos
By Mariano Rivera, Special to Y! Sports
Sep 20, 2008

Editor’s note: Mariano Rivera has played his entire 14-year career with the New York Yankees, appearing in 847 games and saving 480 – second-most of all-time. He spent time with Yahoo! Sports reporter Jose Mota to reflect on the closing of Yankee Stadium.

I have a plan as to which items I want to take with me after the last game. We all talk about it in the clubhouse and get a good laugh. I have every intention of taking the bench from the bullpen. This bench means a lot to me and to the members of the bullpen, it’s right in front of the mural. It’s mine.

Also I want to take a chair and the pitching rubber from the bullpen, along with plenty of dirt and grass. You know, it’s like my home, and all of these things have a special meaning to me. Some people might wonder why I’m so attached to that bench. I’m already hearing, ‘Why are you taking it?’ Man, it’s like moving from your childhood home.

I can’t think about that stadium and not think about the whole Yankee tradition, the arches, the championships, the names that built it, as they say ‘The House that Ruth Built.’ Not just him, all of the greats that laid the foundation for what is now the rich history of our team and our city, especially the Bronx. I think about all the pitchers that stepped on the mound and grinded it out, sweating. There are so many things that come to mind with all the great teams that I have been blessed to be a part of, thank God.

To be part of so many celebrations with my teammates, Mr. (Bob) Sheppard’s voice announcing my name, the music, the hot summers, the snow … so, so many things that all of sudden I realize how they’ve become part of who I am. In all of it, please let’s not forget Mr. Steinbrenner and everything he has put into making the Stadium what it became, by caring so much about the fans and the teams he put together for us. George is a huge part of Yankee Stadium.

In all of that I’ve learned to value even more the significance of wearing this Yankees uniform and the uniqueness of the die-hard fans. This building has made me stronger in every sense, there’s nothing quite like when the noise is high and the rocking atmosphere at Yankee Stadium. I’ve come to know more about its history in other events, like the Pope, boxing matches, concerts, soccer and football games, too … things I didn’t know. I also think about the tragedy of 9/11 and how close it was to here, for all of the victims and their families.

Let me share something I experienced here and that I will never forget. I see people that come to this stadium and they grind it out in their daily lives, pay their money and watch us play. It really hit home with me one day when we were playing a game and I wasn’t able to do my job. I lost the game and let so many people down, and I was very upset.

As I started to walk off the field, I noticed people gathering around a particular fan. I remember how hot it was, because this was after a mid-summer day game. This fan had suffered an apparent heart attack – the next day someone told me the person had died – and here I am so upset about a loss, still fuming, and this Yankees fan comes to the ballpark to enjoy the game and is fighting for his life in the stands. That moment still impacts me today. God showed during that time the importance of having a realistic perspective on things, especially losses. I was so miserable thinking, ‘Here I am, ticked off about a game, and yes, it is my job, but I saw this person fighting for his life, man. A life!’

I can clearly recall the successful outings and also the ones where I failed, couldn’t get the job done. Knowing that I gave 100 percent every single time out there makes me feel at peace with what I leave at the Stadium. A lot of my character has been built on that mound, not only for what I’ve been able to accomplish on the field, but also with who I’ve become as a person because of all of the tough moments.

Yankees go the healthy route

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-briefing24apr24,1,7520532.story

Yankees go the healthy route
A clubhouse ban on candy and other sweets doesn't go over so well.
By Chris Foster, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
April 24, 2008

So it has come to this in New York: You can't get a Baby Ruth in the clubhouse that was home to Babe Ruth.

New York Yankees Manager Joe Girardi has banned candy and ice cream in an effort to create a more healthy diet.

Furthermore, the Journal News of Westchester County reported that the Yankees asked opposing teams to remove the offending items from the visitors' clubhouse before the team arrives.

In Tampa Bay, the candy was replaced with nuts, dried fruit and granola, hardly an inspiring rhyme scheme for "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" ( . . . Buy me some peanuts, dried fruit and granola, I don't care if I ever go hoo-ma?).

Yankees players, meanwhile, were seen smuggling banned items (candy bars, not steroids) into the clubhouse.

It all leads to one important question: If the Yankees announce the hiring of Craig, will it be Roger or Jenny?

Jeter’s injury acute pain for Yanks

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-jeterarod040808

Jeter’s injury acute pain for Yanks
By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports
4-8-8

NEW YORK – Joe Girardi didn’t say no. Joe Torre would have.

Now, this is not to compare Girardi and Torre, not in a mano-a-mano fashion at least, but one that deals with today’s reality in the New York Yankees universe: Suggestions that Alex Rodriguez move to shortstop if the strained left quadriceps that forced Derek Jeter out of a game Monday lingers.

“There’s a lot of different scenarios we’ll talk about as a club and decide what we’re going to do,” Girardi said, and even though there was little substance to his words, it felt frighteningly candid – and, considering the other options, a rather sensible idea. Because under Torre’s watch, no matter how damaging to the Yankees in the short or long term, he wouldn’t dare place someone of consequence at Jeter’s position for fear of upsetting the captain’s chi.

Only if the injury doesn’t heal – Jeter thinks it’ll take a day or two, Girardi closer to a week and both hope he can avoid the disabled list – might the sentiment change, and even then it would be a hard sell. And that’s an important point to discuss, particularly months after a number of studies concluded that Jeter is among, if not the, worst-fielding shortstop in the major leagues.

One large study, conducted at the Wharton Business School, uses a metric – a statistic-based analysis – to show how Jeter was the pits from 2002-05 and Rodriguez was among the best shortstops. Its veracity is questionable, considering it named the positively slothful Ken Harvey as its first-base representative.

Not nearly as dubious is John Dewan’s book, “The Fielding Bible”, in which Dewan culls data from every play and rates players on a plus-minus scale – plus for making a play that at least one of his peers had missed, and minus for the opposite. It is the new standard for fielding statistics, and in the past three years, Jeter is minus-90, the second-worst number in all of baseball, better only than Manny Ramirez’s minus-109.

Is that damning enough to even entertain alternates at the position of the most beloved Yankee of the past two decades? Probably not, even though the Yankees sure have a built-in excuse if they want to see whether a bulkier, older A-Rod can cut it at shortstop.

It doesn’t help that Jeter’s legs, his springboards in the field, are causing him such trouble. In the bottom of the first inning Monday with a runner on first base against Tampa Bay, Jeter slapped a ground ball at the third baseman and lurched as much as ran down the line. He beat the double-play throw, spent another half-inning in the field and left before the third inning.

“He’s always been a tough kid, and he wants to be out there,” Girardi said. “No matter how his body feels, he wants to be out there. But you know, with these conditions, you jeopardize really hurting yourself badly, and we don’t want that, because we can’t afford to miss him for a long time.”

Jeter can still hit. He proves that every year, his inside-out stroke shooting balls to right field and reinforcing his opportunism. Jeter gets the loudest cheers at Yankee Stadium, and he didn’t earn them only by smiling into a camera.

Ultimately, such deification comes to roost, and to think the 33-year-old Jeter, with more than 12 seasons at the most demanding position, wants to continue playing shortstop deep into the decade is troublesome. Try center field. Settle at first base. Anything to keep him upright, which he has managed to stay with stunning regularity thus far.

Jeter first felt a twinge in his quad during the Yankees’ Sunday game and iced it before Monday’s game. That didn’t help, and Jeter ended up in an MRI tube to rule out extensive damage. Doctors found a low-level strain, nothing like in 2001, when Jeter missed Opening Day because of his right quad.

“That was worse,” Jeter said. “This is a mild strain, from what I was told. The other one was a lot worse than that. It was something you could feel moving your leg, period. This one is more when I put for a little effort. I really start running before I feel it.”

Soon after he felt it, Jeter excused himself. Wilson Betemit moved from first base to shortstop. Betemit, at 230 pounds, plays the position with all the agility of a cast-iron skillet. He’s not the answer.

Aside from Betemit and A-Rod, there’s not another person on the Yankees’ active roster who can play shortstop. They could call up rookie Alberto Gonzalez, who is on the team’s 40-man roster, or Cody Ransom, who would require a roster move but bring more experience. Or, of course, they could put A-Rod at short and use Morgan Ensberg, a natural third baseman, to fill in.

Like Girardi said, plenty of scenarios.

If Jeter heals slowly, it could get ugly, as quad strains tend to hang around like freeloaders. Mark Teixeira spent five weeks on the DL with one last season. Bengie Molina hobbled around most of spring. Victor Martinez missed a dozen games last year.

Jeter will sacrifice his first Tuesday afternoon. As much as he wants to play, Jeter recognizes Girardi runs a different ship than Torre did. When Girardi says no, he means it, and while he gladly massages egos, he also keeps them in check.

So for now it falls on Betemit, a natural shortstop who outgrew the position about 40 pounds ago. He’ll stand in the most trafficked position on the field, and he’ll replace a no-doubt Hall of Famer, and he’ll try to swim.

Rodriguez will stand next to him. He last played shortstop full time in 2003. Five years is a long time. And still, the idea just won’t die. It’s so crazy it just might work, and weird as it sounds, that’s the last thing the Yankees need.

Crystal strikes out in new career

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080314/ap_en_tv/bba_yankees_crystal;_ylt=Amw90xs2oKjR_tQcyWszJQhY24cA

Crystal strikes out in new career
By BEN WALKER, AP Baseball Writer
3-14-8

Billy Crystal whacked himself in the helmet with his backswing, found his shoelaces and socks sabotaged and watched his team lose. Oh, and the New York Yankees rookie struck out in his one and only at-bat as a big leaguer. "It was the strangest, greatest moment of my life," he said Thursday.

A day before his 60th birthday, the comedian, actor and Oscar host enjoyed every moment of the day he'd hoped for his entire life.

Talking ball with Yogi Berra and Reggie Jackson at the batting cage. Taking infield with Derek Jeter. Jogging in the outfield with Alex Rodriguez. Becoming a victim of clubhouse pranks. Getting a chance for the kind of hit he can't find in Hollywood or on Broadway.

"I felt like a baseball player," Crystal said. "I really hate to leave."

Wearing No. 60 and cheered on by fellow funnyman Robin Williams, the lifelong Yankees fan was no joke at the plate against Pittsburgh.

Players on both teams perched on the top step of the dugout when Crystal came up. They almost saw something special as he took Jeter's advice: "Swing early in the count."

Batting leadoff as the Yankees' designated hitter in the first inning, he took a late-but-solid cut at a fastball from Pirates lefty Paul Maholm. Crystal hit a chopper that got past first baseman Adam LaRoche, but came down 3 feet foul.

Crystal showed a patient, good eye and got ahead in the count 3-1. Maholm came back with a pair of cutters, and the right-handed Crystal swung over both 88 mph pitches.

"I was mad at myself for swinging at 'em," he said.

Especially the last one.

"It was ball four," said plate umpire Mark Carlson, who shook hands with Crystal before the at-bat.

Said Maholm: "I tried to lay it in there for him. I definitely didn't try to blow it by him."

"It was definitely a little nerve-racking," he said. "I'm glad I didn't have to watch it every day, him getting a hit off me."

The fans at Legends Field gave Crystal a standing ovation, and he raised his hand to acknowledge them. Rodriguez signaled Maholm, who tossed the ball toward the dugout for a souvenir.

Then it was time for a quick trip up to the suite level to talk to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

"I was worried he was going to trade me for Jerry Seinfeld," Crystal said.

Hank Steinbrenner was pleased.

"As long as the fans enjoy it, it's great. He has a real love for the Yankees. He's going to help us in the opening of the new stadium and all that," the general partner said.

Crystal's debut — and finale — followed the likes of Garth Brooks and Tom Selleck, other celebrities who played in exhibition games.

Johnny Damon took over at DH after the first inning — he was poised to pinch run had Crystal gotten on base. When the game ended, a 5-3 Pirates win, Crystal said his career as a major leaguer was over.

"I can always say I led off for the New York Yankees. That's an amazing feeling," he said. "I don't even know how to describe it. It was so intensely good."

Surely better than getting a World Series ring as part-owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks when they beat his beloved Yankees in 2001.

Technically, Crystal still is under contract to the Yankees. He signed a standard minor league deal Wednesday that commissioner Bud Selig approved; as long as the Yankees officially release him before opening day, they don't owe him any money.

No chance of comeback, Crystal said.

"Not the way my hamstring feels," he said.

Crystal walked away with a lifetime of "mahvelous" memories.

Manager Joe Girardi gave him a signed lineup card, a clubhouse attendant presented a DVD of his at-bat and Crystal kept his pinstriped uniform. He also exited with his socks and shoelaces cut, the culprits being his teammates-for-a-day.

Crystal brought his own black maple bat and a glove that had his name stitched on the side. While the former high school infielder did not need his mitt in the game, his family and friends did: a foul popup by Rodriguez landed a few feet from Crystal's wife and Williams.

Asked whether he'd like a turn as a ballplayer, Williams shook his head.

"No. It'll be a telethon," he said.

Crystal got this opportunity after a chance meeting with Jeter in Costa Rica over the holidays. Crystal said he wasn't too happy about turning 60, and the Yankees captain wondered what would make him happy.

Just like that, Crystal was headed to the majors.

Crystal did his best to fit in. He kept his comedy routines to a minimum in the clubhouse, signed his share of autographs — including one for Maholm — and honored the ballplayers' code by compensating infielder Cody Ransom for taking the minor leaguer's No. 60.

"He upheld his end of the bargain," Ransom said.

Neither said what was exchanged, but there was a fancy wrapped Sony bag in Ransom's locker.

Crystal said he was more nervous than he could remember walking to the plate. Before the game, he tried to act calm. The way he chomped nonstop on his bubblegum gave him away.

"I'm really relaxed, I really am," Crystal said an hour before it started. "That's until I see the 6-foot-2, 230-pound guy who's going to throw who's never been to a Seder."

Fans deride Hank’s ‘delusions of grandeur’

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1077336

Fans deride Hank’s ‘delusions of grandeur’
By Mike Underwood
Monday, March 3, 2008
Boston Red Sox

New York Yankees chief Hank Steinbrenner may have thought he’d have the Fenway Faithful seeing red over his scathing verbal attack on Red Sox [team stats] Nation this weekend, but instead they were laughing off his “jealous” remarks, following the lead of Sox principal owner John Henry.

“I think he is jealous,” said 21-year-old Ken Belanger of Columbus Avenue in Boston. “The Yankees aren’t doing as well as they were, while the Sox are finally where they want to be.”

Steinbrenner unleashed a tirade of trash-talking in an interview with the New York Times [NYT]’ Play magazine.

“Red Sox Nation? What a bunch of (expletive) that is,” he ranted. “Go anywhere in America and you won’t see Red Sox hats and jackets, you’ll see Yankee hats and jackets.”

Henry responded by sending Steinbrenner an official Red Sox Nation membership card.

The hoopla had Sox fans laughing across Fenway bars and restaurants yesterday.

“It isn’t Yankee country anymore,” said a smiling Jorge Padilla, 24, a former MIT student from El Paso, Texas, back in Boston for a reunion. “I see far more Red Sox stickers, hats and uniforms in El Paso.”

Other fans simply shook their heads in disbelief and smiled.

“I completely disagree with him,” said Miguel Amaya, 24, who was an MIT student when the Sox captured the 2004 crown. “I live in San Diego at the moment and I see Red Sox fans everywhere, especially since they pulled off the two World Series wins. I think they should start winning before they open their mouths.”

Still, not everyone was laughing.

“His comments were unnecessary,” said Mark Kaczorowski, manager of the Red Sox’ official souvenir store in the shadow of Fenway Park [map]. “I think he has delusions of grandeur.”

Photo could tie Clemens to Canseco's party

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/5563210.html

Feb. 22, 2008, 8:10PM
THE MITCHELL REPORT
Photo could tie Clemens to Canseco's party
By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ
Houston Chronicle

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Brian McNamee's lawyers have informed the Justice Department that there is a picture that was supposedly taken of Roger Clemens at Jose Canseco's Miami home during a 1998 party that has become a central point of contention in the aftermath of the Mitchell Report.

"I think the Justice Department will get the picture or pictures," McNamee's New York-based attorney, Richard Emery, told the Chronicle via phone. "And perhaps the congressional (House Oversight and Government Reform) Committee will get them, too. I have not seen the picture. I do believe the people who have the picture are credible and acting responsibly."

In the Mitchell Report, which was prepared by former Sen. George Mitchell and released Dec. 13, McNamee, Clemens' former trainer, claimed he discussed steroids with the embattled pitcher not long after the June 1998 party at Canseco's home.

Clemens and Canseco were teammates with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998, and McNamee has claimed Clemens attended the party Canseco threw for his teammates while they were in town to play an interleague series against the Florida Marlins.

"This is a very respectful, decent upstanding family," Emery said of the family who reportedly have the picture.

According to Emery young man who was about 10 or 11 years old at the time attended the party and took a picture with Clemens.

"The boy remembers the party," Emery said. "He's 10 years older now, but it was the only time he was ever at Canseco's house. And all the baseball players were there. It was a big event in this kid's life. He has this picture on his wall, both pictures on his wall. He kept those pictures.

"The mother remembers dropping him off at 1:30 and picking him up two hours later. And Clemens was still at the party. It was very clear, but they didn't want to give us the picture because they were all concerned. Apparently he's a baseball player in college, draft-eligible perhaps. They were very worried about this picture affecting this kid's life."

According to a person who has spoken to the young man's family, he is from Florida and playing baseball in college. Emery declined to divulge the man's name.

McNamee claimed to Mitchell's investigators that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone multiple times. He also claimed he gave performance-enhancing drugs to Deer Park's Andy Pettitte and Bellaire High graduate Chuck Knoblauch, two of Clemens' former New York Yankees teammates who also trained with McNamee.

Pettitte and Knoblauch, who were called in for depositions by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, have admitted to McNamee's claims. Pettitte went a step further, admitting he also used HGH in 2004 with the Astros after receiving the drug from his father, Tom.

Pettitte also held a news conference in Tampa, Fla., on Monday, apologizing to his fans and former teammates for using HGH and for lying about the use earlier. Clemens has fiercely McNamee's claims, even denying that he took steroids or HGH while testifying under oath on Feb. 13 before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Not long after the Mitchell Report was released, Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, questioned the methodology Mitchell used in preparing the report, which was commissioned by Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig. Joe Householder, Hardin's spokesman on the Clemens matter, even chastised reporters from around the country often for not investigating McNamee's claims about Clemens being at Canseco's party.

On Friday, however, the New York Daily News first reported that the man has the picture of Clemens at that June 1998 party. Reached in Hawaii, where he was giving a speech to a trade group, Hardin didn't want to comment on the Daily News' report.

"It's impossible for us to intelligently comment on it until we see any photos that may exist," Hardin said. "I do know that TV baseball announcers at the time and Jose Canseco have all said that Roger was not at the party."

Canseco's party has been a central theme used by Clemens' supporters to undermine the credibility of the Mitchell Report and McNamee. Last week before the congressional hearing in which McNamee and Clemens testified, Hardin presented the House Oversight and Government Reform committee an affidavit from Canseco claiming Clemens wasn't at the party.

Clemens' lawyers also presented the committee with a receipt of greens fees showing Clemens golfed near Canseco's home that day. Moreover, they handed over video footage of announcers saying how the righthander had not attended the party.

McNamee stuck by his claims during last week's hearing, telling the committee that he remembered seeing Clemens' nanny run after one of the 11-time All-Star's children near Canseco's pool during that party. McNamee even described the bikini the nanny was wearing.

The committee asked Clemens' lawyers for the nanny's name and phone number on Feb. 8. Two days later, Clemens had her at his home even though the two hadn't seen each other in years. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., reprimanded Clemens during the hearing for inviting the nanny to his home in Memorial before giving the committee her number.

"Was it your idea to meet with her before forwarding her name to us, or did someone suggest that to you?" Waxman asked Clemens during the hearing, prompting Hardin and Clemens' D.C. lawyer, Lanny Breuer, to protest at the insinuation of possible witness tampering.

"Mr. Chairman, I was doing you all a favor," Clemens replied.

At those hearings, McNamee took the most vicious criticism from Dan Burton, R-Ind.

"I know one thing I don't believe, and that's you," Burton told McNamee at the hearings during one of his many statements implying that the former trainer was a liar.

Burton's comments may have helped inspire the young man's family to contact McNamee's lawyers about the photo. Emery also claims that the family with the picture first contacted Hardin on Feb. 12 to tell him about its existence.

"On the 12th of February when they read that Rusty Hardin and Roger Clemens were asserting that Roger Clemens wasn't at the party, they called Rusty Hardin," Emery said. "Then they watched the hearing. They weren't going to do anything. Then they watched the hearing.

"When Dan Burton started harassing Brian McNamee, they were offended by that. The day after the hearing or two days after, they contacted us, and we spoke to them extensively. They told us about the picture and said they felt bad about the way McNamee was treated."

Clemens filed a defamation suit against McNamee in early January. There remains a possibility that Waxman's committee could ask the Department of Justice to investigate whether Clemens perjured himself last week at the hearings and earlier in his deposition to the committee.

Hardin, who is expected to attend a wedding in Florida on Saturday, said he doesn't expect to be back at his Houston office until Tuesday.

jesus.ortiz@chron.com

Torre is new Dodgers manager

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/la-sp-dodgers2nov2,1,1753735.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-majorbaseb

Torre is new Dodgers manager
The former Yankees manager signs a three-year deal to replace Grady Little, who resigned Tuesday. News conference is scheduled for Monday.
By Dylan Hernandez
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

November 2, 2007

It's official: Joe Torre is the new manager of the Dodgers.

Torre and the Dodgers finalized a three-year, $13-million deal today to replace Grady Little, who resigned Tuesday.

"Having grown up in Brooklyn, I have a great understanding of the history of the Dodger organization and I am committed to bringing a world championship back to Los Angeles," Torre said in a statement released by the team. "I consider it an honor to be a part of this organization, which is one of the most storied franchises in all of sports."

Said General Manager Ned Colletti: "Few managers in the history of the game have accomplished what Joe has delivered. Throughout his career he has demonstrated the ability to turn a vision for success into results on the field and we welcome his passion and leadership. We have tremendous fans and they deserve no less."

A news conference has been scheduled for Monday at Dodger Stadium.

Torre became available Oct. 18, when he parted ways with the New York Yankees after turning down an incentive-laden contract with a base salary of $5 million to return for a 13th season. Torre led the Yankees to the playoffs in every season he managed them and won four World Series titles.

Colletti made it clear Wednesday that Torre was the organization's top choice.

"When you look at his resume and what he's done and the market he's done it in, certainly, you have to start from there," Colletti said.

Torre was said to be negotiating for the right to appoint his own coaches, among them Don Mattingly. He also wanted assurance that he would have input on player personnel moves, which could lead to the free-agent pursuit of Alex Rodriguez.

Torre is taking the place of Little, who managed the team for two seasons. The Dodgers won the National League wild card in Little's first season in 2006, but were 82-80 and finished fourth in the NL West last season.

The Dodgers were able to expedite the hiring of Torre by receiving permission from Commissioner Bud Selig's office to skip the mandatory interviews of minority candidates. The exemption was granted because of the Dodgers' hiring record.

Assistant general managers Kim Ng and De Jon Watson are minorities -- Ng is an Asian American woman and Watson is African American -- and Dodgers President Jamie McCourt is the highest-ranking female executive in baseball.

Torre walked: Good for him

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AvjAnVPTCVV0B7dztUTngogRvLYF?slug=ti-torre101807&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Torre walked: Good for him
By Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports
October 18, 2007

CLEVELAND – George Steinbrenner's men in Tampa, his various sons, lawyers and allies, had neither the evidence nor the conviction to expel Joe Torre.

So it was better, perhaps, to insult a 12-year employee in the privacy of a conference room than to risk their fan base, their clubhouse and what little is left of their organizational reputation.

Better, in the end, to announce that Torre refused to remain the highest-paid manager in the game, because they all agreed – "Unanimous," president Randy Levine emphasized – that Torre was absolutely the right man to manage the Yankees next season. But, apparently, only next season, or less.

Better to have Torre walk than to explain why they pushed, when the next manager cannot match Torre's baseball and interpersonal sophistication.

That was no contract offer. That was no negotiation.

That was an invitation to be fired, to be humiliated again, to have Steinbrenner awake one afternoon with eyes for Don Mattingly or Joe Girardi or Tony La Russa, to open a lame-duck season possibly lacking his MVP third baseman, his legendary closer, his All-Star catcher and two-fifths of his starting rotation.

To his credit, Torre returned to the airport and boarded a plane bound for the rest of his life.

He left $5 million in Tampa, along with his Yankees No. 6, along with 25 players and a coaching staff he adored. He left behind the job of his life and vacated his seat at the center of the baseball universe.

Good for him.

Those men in Tampa believe no more in Joe Torre than they do Carl Pavano.

First, they cut his base salary, from $7 million to $5 million. Then they promised him $1 million if the Yankees went to the playoffs, another $1 million if they advanced to the American League championship series, and $1 million more if they went to the World Series, at which point his option for 2009 – worth $8 million – would vest.

"Joe Torre," Levine said, "turned that offer down today."

Well, of course he did.

After 12 consecutive seasons in the playoffs (the 12 seasons before Torre netted one postseason appearance – under seven different managers), he turned that offer down. He turned down a pay cut, an interim standing, the daily temperature readings from Tampa and the opportunity to be fired when Kei Igawa made his rotation out of spring training.

"It's nobody's fault," Levine said. "All of us are in it together."

Except at the end of the day, all of them were still in that conference room, staring at the contract Torre had pushed back across the table.

"We respect his decision," Levine said. "We appreciate everything he's done, but it's now time for the New York Yankees to move forward."

Judging from the offer, they not only respect it, but applaud it.

The Yankees are now seven years without a World Series championship. If, in their opinion, Torre was at fault, they could have saved him the trip to Tampa, acted on Steinbrenner's ALDS ultimatum, and hired the next guy.

Instead, the men who spent the past week working up Torre's performance review rode both sides, covering themselves in case this decision lands in the same heap as their decisions on Pavano, Igawa, Kyle Farnsworth and Roger Clemens.

"All I can tell you," Levine said, "is that the Yankees made the decision based on what's best for the Yankees. … We obviously wanted Joe Torre to come back. That's why we made the offer. We thought it was a fair offer. If we didn't think it was fair, we wouldn't have made it."

Torre was the final arbiter on that, it appears. As a result, Torre becomes something other than a Yankee, and the Yankees likely become more vulnerable at the dawn of a critical offseason.

It appeared the division series loss was the end for Torre, as Steinbrenner had threatened. In Torre's final game, fans chanted his name. Players lined up behind him. Columnists railed against an organization that no longer recognized Torre's touch. Chien-Ming Wang pitched poorly twice, and the Yankees were done, and Torre got a flimsy one-year offer.

That's how it went. Steinbrenner's son, Hal, said the contract's terms were based not on the division series flameout, but the body of Torre's work.

"We spent two long days analyzing this," Hal Steinbrenner said. "It was not about the last month or the last two months. We analyzed a lot of factors."

He listed none of them.

So, Torre is gone for the moment. He said last week that he might think over other managing jobs as they come up, but didn't really want to move anywhere. That leaves … the Mets?

But, not the Yankees.

"With what he's accomplished, I think that he should manage as long as he wants to manage," Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "I know there's a business side of it, but from what I understand, for him to look at that [contract] and say no, good for him. You know what? He's earned and deserves to do whatever the hell he wants to do."

He didn't want to go home. It's how it worked out. Yes, good for him.

"I guess I hope that however it came down – and nobody knows but Joe and whoever he was dealing with – I hope Joe is happy," Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "I think he deserves the respect. And I think you're going to hear people in baseball, every area of baseball, say probably very, very kind, respectful things about Joe. … And they're all deserved. I just hope he's happy."

Tim Brown is a national baseball writer for Yahoo! Sports.