Red Sox Want Their Baseball. Again!

This gave me a good laugh. Right after the WS ended, Jason Varitek said he would give the baseball, which was in his mitt after Jon Papelbon struck out Seth Smith for the final out, to the team to avoid the controversy of 2004. Somewhere along the line, Varitek changed his mind.

"I already gave it to Pap," Varitek said. "It's out of my hands."

Neither Larry Lucchino nor Red Sox spokesmen immediately returned calls or e-mails seeking comment Wednesday.

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Mike Cameron Hit 25 Game Ban

Mike Cameron wants it made clear that he has not used steroids. That being said he'll start out next season with a 25 game suspension after a 2nd offense for using a banned stimulant.

"The one thing I wanted to make sure was explained is, no steroids," Cameron told AM 1090, the Padres' flagship radio station. "I never took nothing like that before in my life. That would be 50 games, and that would affect me a whole lot more."

"After all of the analysis and testing, I can only conclude that a nutritional supplement I was taking was tainted," he said. "Unfortunately, the actual supplement is gone, and therefore cannot be tested. Without the actual supplement in hand, the rules are clear, and I must accept the suspension."

For Cameron, who is about to file for free agency, the timing couldn't be worse.

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Yankees or Bust

Andy Pettitte has told a Houston TV station that he'll either play for the Yankees in 2008 or retire.

"The New York Yankees committed an awful lot of money to me and put it in my hands, gave me a player option and trusted me with that option," Pettitte said. "It probably wouldn't be real honorable for me not to do anything other than if I shut it down or go back and play for the New York Yankees. I gotta figure out in my mind exactly what I want to do."

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Listen to the Tuesday's Press Conferences.

But I warn you..the 1st two are coma inducing. Thanks to Peter Abraham for posting them!

Joe Girardi


Brian Cashman


Don Mattingly

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Torre and Dodgers Close to Agreement

Joe Torre is getting his wish, just not with the team he had originally hoped. Reports earlier this evening were that Torre and the Dodgers were close to agreeing on a 3 year deal for app. $15 million. A deal could be announced as early as Thursday.

Dodgers skipper Grady Little was forced to resign earlier in the day, receiving a buy out in the process.

Don Mattingly is already on board to join Torre's staff and contract discussions are taking place for the remaining staff.

Donnie Baseball in a Dodgers uniform? Vomitous.

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Coaching Staff in (tentative) Place

Joining Joe Girardi in pinstripes next year will be...

Bench Coach - Rob Thomson. Kudos to a guy who has worked behind the scenes for many years, without getting much of the credit.

Pitching Coach - Dave Eiland. No surprise here. Ron Guidry was out no matter who was the manager. Eiland worked with Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Ian Kennedy, as well as other young arms in the Yankees organization.

Hitting Coach - Kevin Long. Excellent move by the Yankees in retaining this guy. He took a lot of heat early in this past season, but he definitely deserves plenty of credit for the offensive turnaround as well as A-Rod's monster season.

1st Base - Tony Pena. Great to have Tony Sr. back after missing out on the manager's job. Has a great rapport, not only with the young Latin players, but with everyone.

3rd Base - Bobby Meacham. I still get shivers thinking back to his days as a Yankees shortstop. He was awful. But he's earned high marks for his minor league work and was Girardi's 3rd Base coach in Florida.

Bullpen - Mike Harkey. Who?

Never thought I would ever see the day I would say I would miss Larry Bowa, but I will. As annoying a player as he was and as testy a manager as he was, he did a tremendous job during his time in pinstripes. Good luck in Seattle (or LA if you decide to rejoin Joe Torre), Larry.

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What Crawled up Michael Kay's A.....

Every day he takes shot after shot at Joe Torre. Today he's ripping the media for canonizing Torre. Ultimate company man (though he always kissed Torre's behind on YES) or spurned journalist? Either way, he just sounds foolish.

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Mattingly, Girardi Press Conferences

Being carried by WFAN-AM; Mattingly's began at 4, Girardi's to follow.

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Official Girardi Press Release

Courtesy of PeteAbe

This press release from the Yankees:

YANKEES NAME JOE GIRARDI 32ND MANAGER IN FRANCHISE HISTORY; SIGNED TO A THREE-YEAR CONTRACT THROUGH THE 2010 SEASON

The Yankees announced today that they have named Joe Girardi the 32nd manager in franchise history, signing him to a three-year contract which extends through the 2010 season. He becomes the 17th Yankees manager to have played for the club and the fourth former Yankees catcher to skipper the team, joining Bill Dickey, Ralph Houk and Yogi Berra. At 43 years old, Girardi becomes the third-youngest manager in the Major Leagues, behind the Washington Nationals’ Manny Acta (38) and the Cleveland Indians’ Eric Wedge (39).

Girardi was the 2006 National League “Manager of the Year,” guiding the Florida Marlins to a 78-84 record in his only season as a Major League manager. With the award, he matched the Houston Astros’ Hal Lanier (1986) and the San Francisco Giants’ Dusty Baker (1993) as the only managers to win the honor in their managerial debuts. In 2005, he served as the New York Yankees’ Bench Coach and Catching Instructor in his coaching debut.

In 15 Major League seasons as a catcher, Girardi played for the Chicago Cubs (1989-92 and 2000-02), Colorado Rockies (1993-95), New York Yankees (1996-99) and St. Louis Cardinals (2003). He was originally selected by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 1986 draft and went on to appear in six career postseasons, winning World Series titles with the Yankees in 1996, 1998, and 1999. In 1,277 career Major League games, he batted .267 (1,100-for-4,127) with 454 runs, 186 doubles, 36 home runs and 422 RBI, finishing with a .991 career fielding percentage while throwing out 27.6% of potential base stealers. He was named to the National League All-Star team in 2000 while playing with the Cubs.

As a Yankee, Girardi was behind the plate for Dwight Gooden’s no-hitter on 5/14/96 vs. Seattle and David Cone’s perfect game on 7/18/99 vs. Montreal. In Game 6 of the 1996 World Series vs. Atlanta, Girardi tripled in the game’s first run in a three-run third inning as the Yankees clinched their first World Championship since 1978 with a 3-2 victory.

A native of Peoria, Ill., Girardi was a three-time academic All-American and two-time All-Big Ten selection at Northwestern University, graduating with a degree in industrial engineering in 1986. Following his retirement as a player in 2004, Girardi joined the YES Network as an analyst and won an Emmy Award for hosting YES’ “Kids on Deck” series. In 2006, he rejoined YES, working as an analyst on Yankees broadcasts. He and his wife, Kim, have three children, Serena, Dante and Lena.

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Got to Go to Mo

The Daily News is reporting that Mariano Rivera and his agent, Fernando Cuza, are meeting with the Yankees in Tampa today to work out a new deal for the closer.

When asked if he was meeting with the Yankees, Rivera said, "Yeah. We have to see something." Rivera declined further comment, telling reporters he would elaborate on his way out of the ballpark.

Mo officially filed for free agency yesterday, the first day he was eligible to.

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7.5

That's the number of millions Joe Girardi will be getting over the next 3 years.

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Girardi Makes it Official

The Yankees are expected to officially announce Joe Girardi's hiring today, via a conference call. At some point, a meet and greet the media in NYC will be set up.

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With the Yankees coaching contracts expiring tomorrow, the Yankees are reportedly working quickly to retain Kevin Long as hitting coach. If indeed Joe Torre takes the Dodgers job, he would probably want to hire Long, who makes his off-season home in Arizona. The Yankees would probably like to keep Tony Pena, and possibly Larry Bowa as well. Long time scout/player development guy Robbie Thompson may also join the staff. Girardi's bench coach in Florida, Gary Tuck, who has worked with the Yankees before, could leave the Red Sox to join Girardi in the same capacity.

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The Star-Ledger's Lisa Kennelley also did a nice piece on the Yankees new Joe in today's paper.

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Torre to Manage Dodgers

The Journal News is reporting tonight that Joe Torre has agreed to manage the LA Dodgers next season and Don Mattingly will join him as bench coach. An announcement could come as soon as tomorrow.

The Dodgers had to buy out current manager, Grady Little, who lost his last job with the Red Sox, in part, due to Joe Torre.

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Don't Let the Door Hit Ya

Brian Cashman addressed the A-Rod situation with a prepared statement and possibly a veiled shot.

"I received a message from Scott Boras last night informing me that Alex Rodriguez formally opted out of the final three seasons of his contract," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said in a statement released Monday. "We always understood that it was his contractual right to do so.

"We expressed our interest in keeping him in pinstripes, and requested the opportunity to convey those feelings to him directly with the Steinbrenner family in an open, face-to-face dialogue.

"Alex was a key part of our success over the last four seasons, and I appreciate having the opportunity to work with him. I wish Alex, Cynthia and their growing family the best of luck in the future. I only wish we could have raised a championship trophy together during his time here, which was the ultimate goal we all shared."

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MLB Hand Slaps Boras; Agent Repents

It didn't take Major League Baseball long to respond to the ill time announcement of A-Rod's pending free agency.

"We were very disappointed that Scott Boras would try to upstage our premier baseball event of the season with his announcement," Bob DuPuy, baseball's chief operating officer, said Monday in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

"There was no reason to make an announcement last night other than to try to put his selfish interests and that of one individual player above the overall good of the game," DuPuy said. "Last night and today belong to the Boston Red Sox, who should be celebrated for their achievement, and to the Colorado Rockies, who made such an unbelievable run to the World Series."

Knowing that he has to do business with the Red Sox and Rockies, Boras was quick to apologize.

"I apologize to the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies and their players, Major League Baseball and its players, and baseball fans everywhere for that interference," he said in a statement. "The teams and players involved deserved to be the focus of the evening and honored with the utmost respect. The unfortunate result was not my intent, but is solely my fault. I could have handled this situation better, and for that I am truly sorry."

We're sure if you asked Boras if he had it all to do over again, he would respond yes to repeating his actions.

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Tigers Acquire Renteria

The Detroit Tigers, according to Buster Olney, are players in the Alex Rodriguez sweepsstakes, but it would not include a move back to shortstop. The Tigers acquired shortstop Edgar Renteria from the Braves for rookie starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez.

The Braves will be handing the full time shortstop job to Yuniel Escobar.

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Tampering Rumors Continue to Spread

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If you recall there were rumors back in September that A-Rod already had a deal in place with the Cubs, including partial ownership. While it sounded ludicrous and Scott Boras categorically denied it, Ken Rosenthal and others think back room deals were already taking place well before last night's opt out.

The deal is done. Or darn near close to it.

I don't know the team. I don't know the terms. But I know this much: There is no way Alex Rodriguez would have opted out of his contract with the Yankees unless he and his agent, Scott Boras, knew they had a bigger score coming.

Boras doesn't act on impulse. He routinely hoodwinks owners because he outworks and outsmarts them. And even if he doesn't know exactly how this will play out — which I doubt — he surely has, uh, surveyed the landscape.

Some will be outraged that Boras chose the final game of the World Series to drop his latest — and greatest — stink bomb. The more serious concern for baseball is the possibility that Boras already has shopped A-Rod to other clubs, winking and nodding if not outright tampering.

If it's true, hopefully MLB comes down hard on Boras, A-Rod, and whicever teams are involved.

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Donnie Baseball Speaks

Courtesy of PeteAbe:

Don Mattingly’s agent, Ray Schultze, just released this statement:

“Don was extremely disappointed to learn today that he wasn’t the organizations choice to fill the managerial vacancy. Instead, he was informed the organization offered the position to Joe Giradi.

Don feels both Joe and Tony Pena represent true professionalism both on and off the field and he was honored to be among them as candidates for the managerial position. Don extends congratulations to Joe and wishes him and the organization good luck next year!

Today is a very difficult day because managing the Yankees was Don’s aspiration and goal since becoming the hitting coach four years ago. Even though this opportunity has passed him by he wants to thank Mr. Steinbrenner for his initial faith, inspiration and support throughout his playing and coaching career.

Don will use this time to reflect on this experience while considering future family and career options. In the meantime, he did inform the Yankee’s that given the circumstances he won’t accept a coaching position within the organization during 2008.”

It's a sad day to see Donnie Baseball go, but we believe Joe Girardi was the correct choice as manager.

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Sign in Triplicate Please

Joe Girardi will be the next manager of the New York Yankees. According to several sources, the Yankees officially made a contract offer to GI Joe. The contract will be for 3 years, with the money ranging from a reported 4.5 to 6 million in total.

Where does leave Don Mattingly? Possibly in Los Angeles. The Dodgers are reportedly working on a buy out of Grady Little and then will offer a deal to Joe Torre. If that happens, there's a good chance Mattingly could end up on Torre's staff.

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Have Fun in Chicago or Wherever, Whore

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B-ye B-ye A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez has notified the Yankees Sunday night that he's opting out of the remaining 3 years of his contract. According to SI - Rodriguez's agent Scott Boras said he sent word of the opt-out in writing Sunday and left phone and text messages for Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.

Team president Randy Levine said the Yankees were unaware of A-Rod's intentions.

There you have it. Apparently there is no answer for just how much money do you need? So A-Rod and Scott Boras, you can take your greed and shove it up your collective asses.

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A PSA for Red Sox Moronation

A PSA that recently aired on Jimmy Kimmel's show...

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NFL Week 8

For a variety of reasons we didn't get a chance to do our usual preview of this weekend's games, but here were our picks and the results going into Monday night.

Anyone watching the locals needed a crate of No-Doze to stay awake.

We went 8-4, going into the Monday night game.

Giants -9.5 vs. Miami in London, England.
What a waste of a trip. The weather sucked, the field sucked, the fans were great, but did they really give a fish and chips who won? We took the Giants, laying the points, and not only didn't they cover, they nearly blew the game.
Final- Giants 13 Dolphins 10 WRONG

Bills +3 vs. Jets
How in the name of the late Pete Rozelle were the Jets favored? Mangenius finally pulled Chad Pennington...but with 3:30 left in the game?
Final- Bills 13 Jets 3 RIGHT

Browns -3 at Rams
The Rams had Marc Bulger and Stephen Jackson in the starting lineup and we were tempted, but luckily we stayed with the Browns. And Jackson got hurt again.
Final- Browns 27 Rams 20 RIGHT

Bears -5 vs Lions
We don't trust the Bears, but the Lions have been notoriously bad on the road. We were so wrong on this one. This Bears team is one year removed from the big game???
Final- Lions 17 Bears 6 WRONG

Colts +7 at Panthers
David Carr or Vinny Testaverde? Did it really matter. Can the Colts just play the Pats for the AFC title game and get it over with already? Still wondering who we took?
Final- Colts 31 Panthers 7 RIGHT

Vikings -1 vs. Eagles
Kelly Holcomb was filling in for Tavaris Jackson and we thought that would be enough to take the Vikes at home. Donovan McNabb quieted the critics for a bit.
Final- Eagles 23 Vikings 16 WRONG

Steelers -4 at Bengals
This is clearly a bad Bengals football team. Marvin Lewis is a very good coach, but his head may be on the chopping block. Who had the most input for all the misfits they've either drafted or signed as free agents? We went with Mike Tomlin and his normal jaw all the way.
Final- Steelers 24 Bengals 13 RIGHT

Titans -7 vs. Raiders
Outside of Rob Bironas, the Titans have been unable to put points on the board. We still thought they'd get more than enough against the Raiders. Oops. Btw, Vince Young threw for less yards than Eli Manning!
Final- Titans 13 Raiders 9 WRONG

Chargers -10 vs. Texans
The Chargers are starting to take out their early frustration on the rest of the league. We figured they would.
Final- Chargers 35 Texans 10 RIGHT

Jaguars +3.5 at Bucaneers
No David Garrard, but we don't trust this Bucs squad. Our fears paid off.
Final- Jags 24 Bucs 23 RIGHT

Saints -1.5 at 49ers
How were the Saints favored by so little? Just because Alex Smith was back? Similar situation to the Chargers.
Final- Saints 31 49ers 10 RIGHT

Patriots -14.5 vs. Redskins
When do you not go with the Pats, when they're favored by 50? Even then they probably would find a way to cover. We're just glad they don't play the Giants until the last week of the season. Hopefully they'll call of the dogs by then.
Final- Patriots 52 Redskins 7 RIGHT

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Wells Fargo

That be the name on the truck that will be backing up to Alex Rodriguez's house to unload the money. Whether he opts out or not, the soon to be AL MVP is on the brink(Brinks?) of getting his 2nd break the bank contract.

Word from several sources is that the Yankees are preparing an offer that will, hopefully, keep him from being a free agent 10 days after the World Series ends.

There is currently 3 years remaining on his existing deal, with Scott Boras throwing out numbers like 12 years, $360 million. While A-Rod will get plenty, Boras seems to be smoking his own propaganda. The reported offer by the Yankees would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 years for $150 million, giving him an 8 year deal overall. And, most importantly to the Yankees, the Texas Rangers would still be on the hook for $21 million.

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The Manager is...

JoeDon Girardingly...or is it DonJoe Mattinardi? Depending on whose opinion you read, Don Mattingly will definitely be the next manager of the Yankees. Or Joe Girardi is definitely the next manager. The King and his pretenders to the throne, related and unrelated, need to make an announcement soon so that the collective press can stop spinning their wheels.

Brian Cashman knows how much Don Mattingly means to the Yankees tradition, so he's behind Mattingly for manager.

Brian Cashman knows the Yankees need an experienced guy who knows about decision making and leading a team, so he's clearly backing Joe Girardi.

And so it goes.

Whomever is named manager will be subject to a plethora of second guessing once the season starts, as will ownership. Get off to a good start, we told you we picked the right guy. Get off to a bad start, we told you, you should have picked the other guy.

As of early Sunday, neither Mattingly or Girardi had been contacted by the Yankees. At least that is what their public response is. With the World Series a very strong possibility to end this evening, the announcement of the new manager could come as early as tomorrow.

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Yankee Auction for Good Cause

I received this email this morning from Tom Kackley, an employee of the Trenton Thunder.

Hi blogger people.....pardon the intrusion.

If you can help in any way.....perhaps a link on your blog to my charity auction.

I work as a minor league equipment manager in the Yankees system. This season I collected whatever goodies I could to hold an auction to benefit The Domestic Violence Project. It's all legit...100% of the profit goes to the DVP.

http://www.domesticviolenceproj.org/

My hope is that I can encourage bloggers to pass along a little info about the auction to their readers so that we can raise as much money as possible for the women and kids affected by domestic violence.

Everything is on Ebay here: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZclubsoulcity

or you can link through the Trenton Thunder website here: http://www.trentonthunder.com/

We have a nice collection of autographed balls, game used equipment from some high profile prospects, and some Yankee clothing that isn't available elsewhere.

I've been working in baseball 20 years, all at the minor league levels. Ten years ago, about a week before opening day, my wife's sister was murdered by her husband. I was angry for some time over the fact that I didn't get the chance to do something to save her. So, since then what I do is raise her son, and now this auction.

Hope you can help. Thanks.

Tom in Ohio

Sounds like an excellent cause indeed

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Like it or Not, the World Series Goes on

Yes, there will be a World Series. Yes, there will be a World Series winner. And unfortunately, yes, it will most likely be the Red Sox. While the Rockies have captured our attention with their phenomenal play since the stretch run, 21 wins in 22 games, we're not convinced. The Rocks were a barely .500 team before their hot streak.

Make no mistake though, we will be rooting for the Rockies rooting against the Red Sox. We'll let 2-faced politicos like Rudy Guiliani tell a Boston crowd that he's rooting for the Red Sox in the WS. "I'm an AL fan". Yeah, okay Rudy.

The difference in this series should be Josh Beckett. He's an arrogant little prick, but right now no pitcher is more dominant than he. Beckett actually reminds us of a young Roger Clemens, and we didn't like that guy either.

The lack of a DH in games 3 thru 5 could also have a big impact on the series. You can't take David Ortiz's bat out of the lineup for up to 3 games. And Kevin Youkillis has been swinging the bat well again. Our guess is that Terry Francona's lineup will depend on the series situation. Choosing offense or defense depending on who leads in games and by how many.

We certainly won't be watching much of the series, especially if the Red Sox do as well as we expect. We've also hit our Joe Buck tolerance level for the season.

Win Rockies, Win.

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A Name with a Spark

One name you don't hear brought up too often when teams are looking for manager is Sparky Lyle. The former Cy Young (to Sayonora) winner has managed the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League since 1998. He's won 3 pennants and has good success in terms of players getting deals with major league affiliates.

Sparky was one of the biggest characters to ever don a Yankees uniform and his performance on the field was outstanding. He helped turned the poor 1970s teams into pennant contenders and champions.

It's possible that Sparky doesn't want to manage at the big league level, but it would be cool if the Yankees considered him. Then again, King George may still be upset about, "The Bronx Zoo". At the very least some consideration for a bench coach position should be given.

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Thought You Had a Bad Day?

Have one of those days where you feel like the floor came out from under you? This model did, literally. Gotta love how no one jumps up to help. Even the model does seems to do it reluctantly.

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The Real Reasons Joe Torre Said No

In case you missed the Top 10 reasons why Joe said No, here they are...

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Life Brings Perspective

Tragedy always brings perspective to life, especially concerning the importance, or lack thereof, of sports. While reading some more on Derek Jeter's statement in the Journal News, we came across this sad item.

Team mourns intern: Matthew Wasser, a 22-year-old intern in the team's media-relations department, was killed Sunday morning when a cab he was riding in was struck by a driver changed with operating under the influence.

Wasser was in Boston working for Major League Baseball at the Indians-Red Sox series. The Bernardsville, N.J., native had started with the Yankees last spring.

"A loss of this magnitude is impossible to put into words," media-relations director Jason Zillo said. "The Yankees family reaches out to the Wasser family during this tremendous time of grief, as we keep his loved ones and friends close to our heart."

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Makes you not really too concerned who the next manager is. We send our thoughts and prayers out to Matthew Wasser's family. Rest in Peace.

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Donnie Baseball Steps Up to the Plate

Don Mattingly completed his lengthy interview with the Tampa boys yesterday. Click here to hear his post-interview press conference with reporters.

Tony Pena gets his turn today, and unless there's candidates we don't know about, that's it for the "process".

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Torre's Turn

Joe Torre had the opportunity last night to answer Hank Steinbrenner and his other critics. Torre, spoke to Bob Costas on HBO Sports with Bryant Gumbel and handled everything with his usual class and tact.

As you recall, Hank made Torre out to be an ingrate (Dad, always did like you best) in response to Torre's use of the word "insult" for his contract offer. Torre's response did have a veiled shot at Hank.

"Well, I'd like to think I worked together with people to do things. I certainly have never bypassed the fact that George Steinbrenner gave me this opportunity. ... For some reason ... he [Hank] thought I was disrespectful because I said I was insulted. But the insult, the insult came from the incentive-based situation. Unless you understand what sport is all about and how important winning is to you, I don't think you understand the insult part of this thing."

"I said I've been here a long time and I've never needed to be motivated," Torre said. "Plus, in my contract that I get a million-dollar bonus if we do win the World Series. So that's always been there. And, you know, as far as needing incentive to go ahead and win a ballgame, that, that I thought I used the term 'insulting.' And, and that's the way I felt."

Perhaps Jon Heyman should consider Torre's remarks.

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The Captain Speaks

Derek Jeter released this statement this afternoon:

"Out of my great respect for Mr. Torre, I have refrained from comment until he had a chance to address the public.

"In my eyes, Joe Torre is more than a Hall of Fame manager. He is a friend for life, and the relationship we have shared has helped shape me in ways that transcend the game of baseball. His class, dignity, and the way he respected those around him--from ballplayers to batboys--are all qualities that are easy to admire, but difficult to duplicate.

"I have known Mr. Torre for a good majority of my adult life, and there has been no bigger influence on my professional development. It was a privilege to play for him on the field, and an honor to learn from him off the field."

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NFL Recap - Week 7

Big Blue made us quite happy again this past Sunday. We're not delusional, this is a decent, not superb team. But the winning the games they have to. With a victory against Miami of England, they'll be 6-2, setting Tom Coughlin up for his usual horrible 2nd half.

But here's a look at this past week's games, in which we went an excellent 9-5!
For the season 52-46-6

Giants -9 vs. 49ers
If only the Giants could have manhandled Trent Dilfer like that in Super Bowl XXXV. The 33-9 final score didn't indicate just how lopsided this game was.
We easily got that one RIGHT.


Bengals -6 vs. Jets
Close game, but another late, bad INT by Chad "barely hanging on to my job" Pennington. Jets 'D' torched for 31 points in the 38-31 final.
We're RIGHT again.

Redskins -8.5 vs. Cardinals
If only Tim Rattay had played all day, we might have gotten one. Kurt Warner played and did a decent job. A rare Neil Rackers missed PAT blew this one for the Cards. Redskins hang on by the "skin" of their teeth, 21-19.
We we were WRONG.

Saints -9 vs. Falcons
Saints are slowly coming back to life, but how was this not a blow out? Byron Leftwich and Joey Harrington picked apart the Saints defense. It's a win, but 22-16 is not impressive.
We we were WRONG.

Bills +3 vs. Ravens
We were on the money here and that was without knowing Kyle Boller would be at QB for the Ravens. The Bills gave up 114 yards to their old back, Willis McGahee, and only managed 242 total yards. And won, 19-14.
We were RIGHT.

Patriots -16.5 at Dolphins
Patriots 49 Dolphins 28. 'nuff said.
We were RIGHT.

Bucs +2.5 at Lions
We said the Lions are murder at home and we should stayed with that. Don't let the close score fool you, this was a 16 point game with a little over 2 minutes to play.
We were oh so WRONG.

Titans -1 at Texans
The Titans managed to blow a 32-7 lead (yeah, we still hurt from last year's Giants-Titans game), and still managed to win on Rob Bironas' 8th FG of the day.
We were barely RIGHT.

Raiders -3 vs. Chiefs
Anyone know how the Chiefs are atop of the AFC West? A defensive battle, though LJ did top 100 yards. And the Chiefs won 12-10.
We was robbed..nah we were WRONG.

Vikings +9.5 at Cowboys
We said their 'D' was overrated and their QB stunk, so why did we take them? Granted it was only a 10 point, so we narrowly missed. I guess the question should be why didn't the Cowboys beat them by more.
We were WRONG again.

Bears +5 at Eagles
Wow, what has happened in Philly? They didn't play that badly on Sunday, but Brian Griese, never to be confused with his Dad, threw for 322 yards. He also found Muhsin Muhammad in the back of the end zone with 9 seconds left for a 19-16 Bears win.
Oh yes, we were RIGHT.

Seahawks -8.5 vs. Rams
You cannot tell me anyone thought the Rams would be winless for 6 weeks. Marc Bulger was back in the lineup and sure enough they're now winless for 7 weeks. The Seahawks romped 33-6.
We were RIGHT.

Steelers -3.5 at Broncos
Great game on SNF. Steelers came back from 14 down to tie things up, but Jason Elam blasted a 49-yd game winner as the clock went bye-bye. However...
We were RIGHT.

Colts -3 at Jacksonville
Like we said last week, how were the Colts only favored by 3? It was close early, but 29-7 was no surprise.
We were RIGHT.

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MMD Answer Levine

Mike and the Mad Dog opened their show today with a response to Randy Levine's comments in the New York Times. Levine comes off looking like an even bigger buffoon than before.

Franseca took the point since he has been the most critical of Levine over time, including well before the Joe Torre situation came up. They accurately pointed out that Levine is thin skinned and needs to toughen up if he is going to put himself in the forefront of the Yankees hierarchy.

Levine stated that MMD criticized Levine because their YES contract comes up next year. As Francesa pointed out, "how would criticizing help negotiate?".

Clearly MMD do not need YES, but they do need MMD.

Kudos, and I don't give them to MMD often, for defending Tom Verducci as well.

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Mo Backs off Remarks

Mariano Rivera was clearly upset at the conclusion of the ALDS when queried about the possible end of Joe Torre's managerial tenure. He remained that way when it was announced last week that Torre would definitely not be back. But yesterday he backed off his original words.

"I know the Yankees are going to do whatever they think is best for the team. I always respect them for that," Rivera told Sirrius Satellite Radio when asked if he needs to know who the new manager will be before he starts to negotiate a new contract. "The Yankees always have given the opportunity to give us the best everything: the best players, the best coaching staff. They always tried to do that. I don't think it (Torre leaving) has (anything to do) with me, in terms of signing with the Yankees."

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Levine Comes out Firing

First we had Hank Steinbrenner stepping in front of the moving freight train in his defense of Daddy. Now Mr. Politico, Randy Levine, has come out with both one barrel firing at his critics. He does not address all criticism, only that which came from people who he feels have a conflict of interest.

First he attacked Mike and the Mad Dog, because Levine has been openly critical about spending money to air their show on YES, and they have a new negotiation coming up.

Then he attacked Tom Verducci, one of the most respected men in the business, because he once collaborated on a book with Joe Torre.

And finally, John Kruk, of all people, because he and Torre share an agent.

Levine had no problem though calling up a NY Times reporter, Richard Sandomir, whom he once did a major favor for, so he could be heard.

This is NOT getting any better.

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Now Batting, #23, Don Mattingly, #23

Don Mattingly gets his turn before the Yankees brass today in the interview "process". I cringe every time I hear that word. Joe Girardi met with the suits yesterday for about 5 hours. He and Brian Cashman met with King George at the royal palace between 2 meetings at Legends Field.

The plan is for each of the candidates to do a Q&A with reporters in the evening. Girardi came off very polished and sincere in answering each of the questions posed to him. You can go to Pete Abraham's blog to hear the full audio.

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Worlds Apart

Tony LaRussa agreed to a new 2-year deal with the Cardinals today. There's also an option for a 3rd year. LaRussa started in St. Louis in 1996, just when Joe Torre was beginning with the Yankees. LaRussa has 6 division winners, and 2 World Series appearances, winning in 2006, since his hiring.

Big difference in expectations between NY and St. Louis.

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No V for Valentine

Peter Abraham has learned that the Yankees will NOT be interviewing Bobby Valentine for the manager's spot. Hank Steinbrenner told reporters its not happening.

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It's Time to Admit it

The Red Sox are back in the World Series. It's disgusting. Plain and simple. The only good news is that their NL opponent is a team we can root for. Lot of good that did in 2004. But no Mets, no Diamondbacks.

The Red Sox should win this in 6, despite the incredible hot streak the Rockies have been on. For one thing, having the home field advantage will help the Red Sox out (you couldn't have lost the All-Star game, AL?).

The Rockies haven't played a game since sewing up the NLCS last Monday. And there are still 2 more days until game 1 of the NLCS. They'll send Jeff Francis and Ubaldo Jiminez to the mound for the first 2 in Fenway. The Sox counter with Josh Beckett and the old "to be determined". You have to figure it will probably by Curt Schilling. The Red Sox would rather use him at home than in Colorado. Really what is the other option? Tim Wakefield's back is still balky and Dice-K just threw last night.

Spring Training can't come fast enough.

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Early Bird Catches the Posada

Jon Heyman reports that the Yankees are moving quickly in effort to sign Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada to new deals. Word is that talks with Posada has progressed much more than those with the Yankees Hall of Fame closer.

Those in the know see both players being offered 3 year, $40 million deals. While that may seem high, considering their ages, it is not really when you consider what else is on the market and competitive deals. Ivan Rodriguez recently had a $13 million option picked up by the Detroit Tigers. And replacing a closer is never an easy task.

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Crying in her Beer

Whether you thought it was professional, unprofessional, human, whatever, when Suzyn Waldman broke down in tears following the Yankees ALDS elimination, you probably moved on. Unfortunately, Suzyn has not. She wrote a lengthy op-ed piece in yesterday's Newsday.

Do the clickage if you want a gander.

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Bore-Ass

Scott Boras is trying to downplay a report in CNNMoney.com that had him speculating that the Yankees front office turmoil and 2008 roster indecision could make it easier for A-Rod to move on. Cut the crap. A-Rod can go A-Way at this point. Enough of the phoney personality ("I had fun today") and the greed. If he really wants to stay he'll find a way, and not for 12 years and $360 million.

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The Yankees, and just who are they these days, plan on meeting with Boras in the coming days, presumably to discuss a contract extension for A-Rod.

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Waffle Mike and the Indecisive Dog

If you read columns by Phil Mushnick and Bob Raissman, you know that they have an agenda against Mike Francesa and Chris Russo, a.k.a "Mike and the Mad Dog". But at times they are right on the money with their criticism, and that is the case with Mushnick's latest piece.

It describes the flip-flopping that the two bozos regularly do with their opinions and so-called expertise.

You'll want to read this, especially if you heard the Bergen Record's Ian O'Conner on the show last Friday.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE: FRANCESA, RUSSO BUTCHER TORRE STORY

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Just Don't Charge Levine

Who didn't see this coming? Don Zimmer has reacted to Joe Torre's treatment with a roundhouse right.

"It was sad the way it was handled," Zimmer said. "What has the man done? It speaks for itself. To let him sit there for 10-12 days is bullc---, and then all you hear about is 'keep Torre, don't keep Torre.' ... Do things in a better way than that. You've got so many people over there now involved, I don't know.

"Where do they stand now? They're going to interview six managers? Let them have a good time."

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Batting Lead Off, Joe Girardi

Perhaps if Bob Sheppard is feeling better, he can announce each managerial candidate as they step up to be screened. First up today is Joe Girardi, widely favored by the Yankees fans who are looking for more experience than Don Mattingly. Though Girardi only has 1 year in MLB managerial experience, he has the cachet of having been a major league catcher. Whether accurate or not, former catchers are quickly deemed good managerial prospects.

Donnie Baseball will go in for his interview on Tuesday, with Tony Pena following sometime there after. Whether or not any other candidates (i.e. John Farrell) will be looked at, remains to be seen.

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Hank Hammerin'

Sometimes you just need to leave well enough alone. Apparently, Hank Steinbrenner didn't get that memo. Hank decided to be the bull in the china shop (actually he looks like a bloodhound) and blast Joe Torre for his comments pertaining to the "insulting" contract offer.

"Where was Joe's career in '95 when my dad hired him?" said the new Boss. "My dad was crucified for hiring him.

"Let's not forget what my dad did in giving him that opportunity - and the great team he was handed," Steinbrenner told The Post by phone from Tampa, Fla.

"You can't take credit for success when you're going good, and then not take at least some of the blame when things change," Steinbrenner said. "I'm sorry he feels insulted, but that was not the intent."

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Now was not the time for firing salvos back in the Torre camp. Torre was respectful of George during his press conference. Right now Randy Levine, mainly because he was the front man during the news conference, is the villain. Hank needs to learn how not to move in front of the on coming train. His actions only further infuriated the majority of the fans.

But here's the bigger issue, bean counters and politicos are now running the show. George didn't know baseball, he was a "football man", when he bought the Yankees, but he did learn over the years. These guys haven't. Levine, in particular, is strictly business and politics. He repped the owners during the '94 player's strike. He was a deputy mayor to Rudy Guiliani - (very interesting Bob Raissman piece back in March concerning that issue.); he was an integral part of getting the new stadium approved. But does he know baseball and baseball people? Fuhgetaboutit.

We're starting to read things like, "Brian Cashman has been authorized to negotiate...". This does not bode well for the immediate, and possibly future, status of the Bombers.

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The Process in Progress

From PeteAbe:

Just spoke to Brian Cashman. He said he reached out today to three candidates to become manager: Joe Girardi, Don Mattingly and Tony Pena.

Cashman said the process could be culiminated swiftly. But he also warned that it could take until after the World Series. “I’ll expand the pool of candidates if that is what I need to do,” he said.

At the same time, he said, he will be negotiating with the in-house free agents. He does not yet know whether the departure of Joe Torre will make that more difficult.

“Nobody has told me that,” he said. “We’ll find that out.”

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Bowa Out of the Picture

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Manager John McLaren says he is "very close" to finalizing his coaching staff.

From all indications, Mel Stottlemyre will become the pitching coach, Eddie Rodriguez the first-base coach, Norm Charlton the bullpen coach, Jim Riggleman the bench coach, and probably Larry Bowa the third-base coach.

The Mariners are expected to name the entire staff when all the pieces are in place. As of Thursday night, all but one of the selections had been finalized.

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Torre Tells it Like it is

Joe Torre struggled through his statement, obviously somewhat overwhelmed by his emotions, as he reminisced about his 12 years as Yankees manager. He first thanked George Steinbrenner for his 12 years and the wonderful opportunity he had. He then thanked his good friend Arthur Richmond for recommending him to George.

Torre went on to thank the players, coaches, support people, training staff, and of course the fans. He reiterated how he could feel the fans' hearts beating.

Joe then discussed the contract offer and what went on yesterday. After Brian Cashman called with the offer, Torre decided he wanted to meet face-to-face with upper management. He wanted to tell "his side of the story". The meeting only lasted 20 minutes.

As for the contract, he had an issue with the 1 year, and the incentives..motivation was not needed. He took the incentives as an insult. He said he knew what was expected every year. He didn't think the contract was the right thing for him or his players.

In response from questions - The Yankees never asked what it would take for him to come back. Would not say if he thought the offer was made so he would refuse. He left it up to the media to decide.

Torre realized $5 million was a lot of money and he would never take it for granted, but a pay cut means someone is not satisfied with your progress. Had 2 years been guaranteed, it would have made things more palatable. He said there was no waivering by the front office as far as negotiating the deal.

The nature of the offer didn't surprise him since so much time had passed before it was offered.

Torre said what he'll miss the most is the day-to-day interaction with the players and media.

He got a chuckle from the media when asked who would he recommend to replace him. He replied, "I don't think I'm the right guy to recommend anyone. I just lost my job". He would not mention specific names, because he did not want to help or hurt anyone. He did say what some of the characteristics are to handle the job.

Was complimentary about George Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman, but skirted the issue of Randy Levine, saying he really didn't deal with him.

Torre is not feeling total love towards the Yankees though, as he couldn't "comment right now" when asked if he would participate in any future ceremonies (i.e. throwing out a 1st pitch).

As for regrets, he said that he should have been more proactive in game 2 of the ALDS to get the game stopped during the bug attack. He also defended his decisions for the 2004 ALCS.

When asked if George was still part of the "process", Torre confirmed that George was at the meeting and was a participant.

Torre has heard from several of his players, though he didn't want to mention names. He would consider managing again, but it would really depend on the situation. When asked, he said he was "free to listen right now" to any potential offers.

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Royals About to Name Their Man

Scratch Trey Hillman off the list of prospective replacements for Joe Torre. ThE AP is reporting that the KC Royals will announce Hillman's hiring as their manager, possibly as early as today.

Update 1:50 - 1050 ESPN is now reporting that the Royals will hold a press conference on Monday to announce Hillman's signing.

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The Media Speaks

What they're saying today:

Peter Abraham

Mark Feinsand

Tom Verducci

Mark Kriegel

The Yankees.com spin

Bob Klapisch

Mike Lupica He's wrong though, Ralph Houk was the 1st to spurn to King George

John Heyman

Dan Wetzel

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Fall Out Boys

The repercussions from yesterday's poor attempt to sway Joe Torre into returning are already being felt. The Yankees brain trust, and we use that term lightly, is taking a beating today, from both the media and from the fans. The family von Steinbrenner and Jeri-curl Randy Levine fooled no one with their "respectable" contract offer to Joe Torre.

We said before the season that it was time for a change. That the Yankees were going as far as they could with Joe Torre at the helm, and we still feel that way. But we also know what Joe Torre did for the franchise. Not since the 1950s had a manager won 4 world series in 5 years. And yes, he was handed the players by George Steinbrenner, but he still knew how to cajole, manipulate, ride, appease his way to one division title and one playoff berth year after year.

If the Yankees really wanted Torre back they simply would have guaranteed him 7 or 8 million for next year. Why should a guy who has made 12 straight playoff appearances have to hit incentives? The anti-Torre sect's argument of, "Hey, I work for a living, and I don't get my money handed to me", is absurd, because no one ever mistook sports for real life. As Peter Abraham shrewdly pointed out, look at the percentage of the pay cut instead of the actual dollars. If you are a financial analyst making 50 grand a year and for 2008, your boss says, your salary next year will be $32,500 with the chance to earn 50 grand, would you be happy? We didn't think so.

For the pro-Torre faction, you should remember what happened in 1995. Fans were furious at the handling of Buck Showalter. We were even more furious when Joe Torre was hired (you know you were). The headlines screaming today that Joe got screwed were the same ones that called him "Clueless Joe" back then. So keep in mind that this may work out all right.

We'll hear Torre's side of things today on a 2:00 conference call that will be carried by ESPN and other outlets (we're sure WFAN will carry it).

So what happens now? Obviously the first matter at hand is finding a manager, and doing it quickly with pending free agents. Brian Cashman can drone on all he wants to about "the process", but the Yankees need to move quickly for damage control.

The Candidates

Don Mattingly - Says he's not ready, though he denied that. We don't think he's ready either.

Joe Girardi - We would love to see him in there, but the front office is supposedly concerned about Girardi's control freak personality.

Trey Hillman - He was highly thought of while managing in the Yankees farm system and is currently managing in Japan. But do you really see a non-experienced guy, other than Mattingly, being hired?

Larry Bowa - We've never loved him as a manager, but he did do a great job as 3rd Base coach and working with the infielders, especially Robinson Cano. We would like to see him get a 2 year deal, with Mattingly staying on as bench coach, set to take over in 2010 (in 2009 if Bowa spits the bit next year).

Tony Pena - Did a good job in KC before quickly resigning. That may have left a smudge on his resume. We would like to see him stay on the staff though. It could certainly help in trying to get Jorge Posada to re-sign.

Bobby Valentine - Smug. Arrogant. Self-centered. NOT the right man for the job.

We won't even mention the bad haired, DUI guy in St. Louis.

Free Agent Impact

We've been really surprised at the reaction of the fans towards mainstays like Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada for their allegiance to Torre. Mariano was already feeling bitter towards the Yankees for not giving him an extension prior to the '07 season. The handling of Torre didn't help the Yankees cause any. Andy Pettitte has a big decision ahead of him. Will Pettitte's decision be swayed by a new manager coming in?

Forget about what A-Rod has to say. He professed his love for Torre after the ALDS, but do you think it's genuine? Torre batted the man 8th in the '06 ALDS. A-Rod and Boras will go where the money is. Period.

This is why the Yankees have to get a manager that will help get these free agents to come back.

What remains to be seen is whether or not this will be the winter of our discontent.

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The Usual Suspects

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Torre Turns Down Yankees

1050 Radio played the conference call. Torre was offered $5 million base, plus $1 million bonuses for each playoff round. If they made the WS, he would be guaranteed a base of $8 million for 2009.

And Torre said NO.

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1 Year and an Option

That's what it looks like Joe Torre will be getting to return as Yankees manager. The story was leaked out by an "official" and will include a pay-cut, per WFAN.

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No Midge, so Go for the Heart

The Yankees had to put up with annoying bugs during game 2 of the ALDS. The Sox should be so lucky. Instead, tonight's starting pitcher, Josh Beckett, will look on as his ex-girlfriend sings the national anthem. Of course, the Indians claim there was no intent.

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Torre set to Return?

Update - WFAN is reporting a conference call at 4 PM

From PeteAbe:

"Accompanied by Brian Cashman, Joe Torre arrived at Legends Field about 70 minutes ago and is now meeting with the Steinbrenners.

Obviously he did not go down there to get fired in person. It is evident the Yankees are finalizing a contract extension for him to return as manager.

More on this story as it becomes available."

From Mark Feinsand:

"Joe Torre is now in Tampa, apparently negotiating a new deal to remain as the manager. Torre arrived in Florida today with Brian Cashman and Lonn Trost, and the three of them have now headed to the ballpark to meet with the Steinbrenners.

It certainly looks like Torre will be back in the fold, possibly as soon as today. The end is in sight. Then all we'll have to watch will be A-Rod, Mariano and Jorge."

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Fall Ball Update

Here is the latest on the Yankees prospects playing in Arizona and Hawaii.

Arizona

Brett Gardner
Off to a torrid start, 10-25 (.400); has stolen 3 bases in as many attempts, and has 4 runs scored. Sporting a .963 OPS.

Juan Miranda
After hitting 16 HRs in the regular season, has added 2 in the 1st 6 AFL games. Is hitting .304 with a 1.016 OPS.

Reggie Corona
Off to a bad start, hitting just .222 (4-18). Does have a HR, double, and 5 RBI. Had a mediocre year in the minors, but is still just 20 yrs old.

Steven Jackson
Has made 2 relief appearances, allowing 5 runs (3 earned) in 4 innings pitched. League is hitting .294 with 2 home runs off him. He allowed 12 home runs in 90 innings between Trenton and Scranton, so this seems to be a bad trend.

Kevin Whelan
After throwing a scoreless inning in his 1st appearance, allowed a pair of runs in 1 inning his next time out. Opponents only hit .159 against him at Tampa and Trenton.

Eric Wordekemper
Bounced back from a horrendous inning his 1st time out to throw a scoreless frame yesterday. This guy has put together amazing back-to-back seasons. It will be interesting to see if translates to the higher minors and the big club.

Steven White
Has gotten hammered to the tune of 6 runs, 5 hits, 2 walks, and an HR in just 3 innings pitched.

Hawaii

George Kontos
Has been dominant in his last 2 starts, striking out 16 in just 10 innings pitched. Yesterday he k'ed 11 in 5 innings as the Honolulu Sharks posted a shutout. Overall, Kontos is now 2-2, 3.00.

Brad Suttle
Would like a do over. Is just 3-35 without an RBI. He's also struck out 12 times in 35 at-bats.

Austin Jackson
Hitting .269 with 10 RBI in 52 at-bats. Has yet to take one deep. Has 4 doubles, 2 triples, and has stolen 7 bases in as many attempts. Has 10 walks, but has also k'ed 16 times.

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Life of Brian

Is there a more boring speaker, outside of Joe Lieberman, than Brian Cashman. "It's a process" and other biz speak is all we hear from the Yankees GM. And he was spewing the same rhetoric yesterday at the conclusion of the 2nd day of Yankees org meetings.

Cash flew home yesterday and will continue to participate in the meetings via phone. Perhaps he'll be personally meeting with Joe Torre. Why else fly home?

"Hello Joe. This is Brian from the Bronx. 1st time, long time."

Cash also re-iterated that the Yankees will not negotiate with A-Rod if he opts out. Cashman obviously has Steinbrenner's backing of this plan. Now Scott Boras, aka "resident evil", must decide if he can do a big time deal without the Yankees participating.


photo courtesy of yankees.com

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Manny Being.....

No wait, this is more than Manny being Manny........this is just plain stupid.

“We've been in this situation before,” Ramirez said. “We got nothing to lose. Everybody's playing great. Let's see what happens. . . .

“We'll go play hard and if things don't come like they're supposed to come, we'll come back next year. . . . If it doesn't happen, who cares? there's always next year. It's not like the end of the world.”

We're sure the fans will be glad to know you aren't sweating it.

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This Week in the NFL - week 7

Short rest for Big Blue, but their opponents, the San Francisco 49ers, are without their starting QB, Alex Smith. All this translates to is another trap game. With the Dolphins next up over in jolly old England, the Gints should be 6-2 halfway through the season. But these are the Gints and anything can happen with them.

Giants -9 vs. 49ers
We so hate this point spread. The Giants are notorious for playing poorly as the spread gets bigger. But the offense is clicking, and the guy on the other side of the ball is Trent Dilfer. Go G-men.

Bengals -6 vs. Jets
Gang Green is making their fans green with every play. The Bungles know how to screw up, on and off the field, but Carson Palmer should have a field day.

Redskins -8.5 vs. Cardinals
This spread is probably a little bigger than it should be, but with Tim Rattay QB'ing the Cards it's somewhat understandable. The Redskins are mediocre, but all they really need to do to win the game is shut down Edgarin James.

Saints -9 vs. Falcons
Another favorite, but the Saints got back on the ball on Sunday night and the Falcons are the Falcons. Byron Leftwich gets the call at QB, but the Falcons defense, coming off a horrendous night against the Giants, won't fare any better against Drew Brees and co..

Bills +3 vs. Ravens
An underdog at last, but another home team. Bills had a bye week after that heartbreaking loss to the 'Boys. Ravens were all Matt Stover in their win over the Rams. Bills should hang in there.

Patriots -16.5 at Dolphins
A road team at last. This is ugly even before it starts. Do we even need to analyze this game? Nah.

Bucs +2.5 at Lions
Lions are murder at home, but the Bucs defense will make the difference. Jeff Garcia will have to have a big day to make up for the lack of a running game.

Titans -1 at Texans
Maybe no Vince Young this week, but Kerry Collins can still sling the Titans to victory.

Raiders -3 vs. Chiefs
This is one of those picks we hate. 2 poor to fair teams. This was once a great game, but now it'll be dull, even with the Raider faithful in their garish outfits. Raiders 'D' makes the difference.

Vikings +9.5 at Cowboys
Vikings 'D' is overrated and their QB stinks, but they have the Sooner Boomer, Adrian Peterson. Cowboys will put plenty of points on the board, but will give them up too. We see a 33-24 'Boys win, the Vikes just slipping in under the spread.

Bears +5 at Eagles
Wow, this should have been a very hyped game. Except now both teams pretty much stink. Eagles will win a low scoring clunker.

Seahawks -8.5 vs. Rams
Seahawks can look really bad at times, and Mike Holmgren showed once again on Sunday night that he can make some really odd decisions. That being said, the Rams are a mess.

Steelers -3.5 at Broncos
Game of the week, easily. Should be close, but the Steelers should win by about 6.

Colts -3 at Jacksonville
3? How? Colts will blow them out of the water.


To date: 43-41-6

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Swinging in the Breeze

Remarkably, or maybe not depending on how you look at it, the Yankees have concluded their organizational meetings today with no resolution concerning Joe Torre.

The official statement:

Statement from Howard J. Rubenstein, spokesman for The New York Yankees:

“The Yankees have completed their discussions today. No decisions have been made concerning Joe Torre. The discussions will continue.”

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D Day is Upon Us

Decisions, decisions. What's a team to do. Day 2 of the Yankees meetings are under way. The fate of Joe Torre should finally be decided today. Or at the very least, leaked to the public. Most of the participants were there early, but according to the Daily News' Mark Feinsand, King George arrived around 10 to 1. So things should just be getting going.

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Tribe Within One of World Series

It's unfortunate, but sometimes post-season sports comes down to rooting against, rather than rooting for. We already had the DBacks eliminated and now the Indians are 1 game away from sending the Beaneaters home for the winter.

A Red Sox starter didn't make it out of the 5th inning for the 3rd straight game, with Tim Wakefield taking the beat down this time around. All 7 Indian runs came in the 5th, with Casey Blake and Jhonny Peralta homering. Blake also had an RBI single in the inning.

The Sox got all of their runs in the 6th when Kevin Youkillis, David Ortiz, and Manny Ramirez (don't worry Chase Wright, your record is safe) hit back-to-back-to-back home runs off of Paul Byrd and Jensen Lewis. But Byrd did it again, baffling the opposing lineup for his 2nd post-season win.

Now don't think for a minute that this series isn't going back to Boston. Josh Beckett has been lights out and C.C. Sabathia has resembled his regular season self in weight only.

...

Congrats to the Rockies. What an incredible run. 21 wins in 22 games, including 7 straight in the playoffs. Now they get the waiting game, but get their pitching lined up any way they want. And heck, we may have a World Series in the snow.

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NFL Recap - Week 6

As we await white smoke from the Conference of Cardinals Yankees, lets review this past weekend's NFL games.

Giants 31 Falcons 10
Great job by our boys in blue! A very complete win on both sides of the ball. And a congrats to the Giants classy quiet man (what, you were thinking Jeremy Shocker), Amani Toomer, on becoming the Giants all-time pass catcher.
We said take the Giants -3.5 and were RIGHT

Eagles 16 Jets 9
We really thought the Jets would keep this one close, and thanks to David Akers' Meadowlandsphobia, it was for the most part. But the Jets were completely inept on offense and Chad threw another air ball up for grabs.
We said take the Jets +3.5 and we were WRONG

Chiefs 27 Bengals 20
We're still kicking ourselves. How many times will we be fooled by the Bungles? LJ ran for 119 and the Chiefs controlled the clock.
We said take the Bengals -3 and we were WRONG...again
With the Bengals arrest record they should be wearing totally orange uni's. Not looking good for Rudi Johnson and his bad hammy. Their lack of defense should still be enough against a scuffling Chiefs team. Plus we need to see that clip of Herm Edwards repeating "just win a game" over and over...you get the idea.

Jaguars 37 Texans 13
Okay, this is getting embarrasing. Garrard was efficient and Mo-Jo ran for 125, only on 12 carries. How do the Texans get the 390 yards and lose? Oh yeah, the Jags had over 450.
We said take the Texans +6.5 and we were WRONG

Browns 41 Dolphins 31
This was a no-brainer, though Cleo Lemon nearly ruined it in the 3rd qtr. 3 more TD passes for Derek Anderson.
We said take the Browns -4.5 and were RIGHT. Woo hoo!

Vikings 34 Bears 31
Did NOT expect and out right win. But our Sooner Boomer ran like he was back in Norman. Mr. Peterson with 224 yards on 20 carries. The Bears must miss their Tank. 311 yards rushing allowed!
We said take the Vikings -5.5 and were RIGHT

Ravens 22 Rams 3
Gus Frerotte, please go smash your head on the wall again. 5 picks? Matt Stover wins another one for the Ravens.
We said take the Rams -9.5 and we were very WRONG

Bucs 13 Titans 10
Talk about lackluster. One of the 2 pushes this week as Matt Bryant, yeah that Niners game still hurts, won it with 11 seconds left. Losing Vince Young to a bad quad meant losing the game.
We said take the Titans -3 but it was not liking kissing our sister...not that we would know.

Packers 17 Redksins 14
Charles Woodson saved the day with a 57 yard fumble return in the 3rd qtr. The Pack only had 225 yards of offense. Man, the NFC stinks.
We said take the Packers -3 - another Push.

Panthers 25 Cardinals 10
The battle of the 3rd stringers. Vinny Testaverde (Jets probably wish they had him) comes in on Wednesday and leads the Panthers to victory. It was in no small part to the fact that Kurt Warner joined Matt Leinart on the sidelines and it was left to Tim Rattay...who also joined his team this week.
We said take the Cardinals -4.5 and we were, unfortunately, WRONG

Patriots 48 Cowboys 27
The Romosexuals made a game of it for a while, but spying or no spying, the Pats and Colts are in a league of their own (where's Madonna?).
We said take the Patriots +5.5 and we were obviously RIGHT

Chargers 28 Raiders 14
It's official the Chargers have woken up. Or maybe Norv Turner remembered he had the best running back in the NFL. 3 TDs for LT.
We said take the Raiders -9.5 and blew it...WRONG

Saints 28 Seahawks 17
Could this be the one to turn it around? The Saints looked like the '06 version and not the 'aints. Drew Brees and Reggie Bush looked good, real good.
We said take the Saints -6.5 and we got the MNF game RIGHT


Which left us a very mediocre 5-6-2 for the week.

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No News is No News

Courtesy of PeteAbe:

Statement from Howard J. Rubenstein, spokesman for The New York Yankees:

“The meetings are adjourned for tonight. There have been no decisions made, nor will there be any comment today. The meetings will resume tomorrow.”

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Mattingly Denies Reports

From PeteAbe:

Don Mattingly’s agent, Ray Schulte, is denying a report that his client told the Yankees he wasn’t ready to manage. The story was initially in the Star-Ledger of New Jersey.

“It’s not true,” Schulte said. “I talked to Don and he has no idea where that came from.”

Schulte said Mattingly wants Joe Torre to return. But if not, he is prepared to manage the team.

Mattingly made it clear last week that he wanted to manage. But he also said in strong terms that replacing Torre under these circumstances was not what he wanted. “It’s a no-win situation,” he said.

It’s anybody’s guess as to what is going on behind the scenes. But I’m sure Mattingly and many of the players have told the Yankees they want Torre back.

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A-Rod and Boras Scheming

According to the NY Post, Alex Rodriguez and bottom feeder agent Scott Boras are meeting in Orange County, CA to discuss A-Rod's future. The delusional Boras said last week that a 12-year, $360 million deal isn't out of the question. If any owner is dumb enough to do it be our guests.

The Yankees should just say, "here's 7 years, 210 million...take it or leave it". There's no question that re-signing A-Rod is smart for both the team and the business. You may think that's crazy, but with a new Stadium opening, you want the big marquee player.

A-Rod is sitting on 518 career homers. It's not out of the realm of possibility that he could his 600th at the end of the 2009 season, and could hit number 700 in 2012. You see where were going here. The all-time home run leader should be wearing pinstripes.


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Gator Gone?

The NY Daily News is reporting that Larry Bowa and Tony Pena will remain in their current positions should Joe Torre come back as manager. However, it appears that Ron Guidry will get the axe as pitching coach. We can't honestly say whether or not Gator is doing a good job (we are more than amused at some fans reactions who think he is clueless. How do they have any idea?), but it's tough to see because of his link to the past and his love of the Yankees organization. That being said it looks like Dave Eiland would take over as pitching coach and he has done a wonderful job with the Yankees youngsters at the minor league level.

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