The Daily Yankeeland

Roger Clemens has completed his 60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace, and needless to say, we are skeptical that anything new will come out of this fluff piece. Newsday's Shaun Powell has his take on it and he's more cynical about it than us.

Just to clarify a misconception about Jim Leyritz. No, he's still a putz. It's not that. But Leyritz's license in Florida was not suspended as some media outlets had reported. His Florida license was no longer good in NYC. Either way he's up shit's creek.

One more thought (does it ever end) from Hank Steinbrenner concerning Roger Clemens-

"I'm not signing Clemens," Steinbrenner, the Yankees' senior vice president, said in a telephone interview yesterday.

"Andy (Pettitte) is (signed) for one year and he's only 35 and he knows how to pitch in the big games," Steinbrenner said. "Roger does, too, but let's face it, he's going to be 46 (in August).

"Pettitte is just as good with the young pitchers, though Clemens was great with the young kids last year. I don't think Roger is going to come back anyway."

Now if we could only believe anything Hank says.

Can't wait until there are some actual baseball related stories going on.

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Leyritz Releases Statement, Hires Lawyer

We didn't get a chance to report on this the other day, but Jim Leyritz, through his attorney, released a statement to the public regarding his actions/behavior of December 28.

"Due to the tragic and unfortunate events of December 28, 2007, Mr. Leyritz and his family wish to express their deepest sympathies and condolences to the Veitch and O'Keefe families."

Since then Leyritz has hired high profile lawyer David Bogenschutz to try salvage his own life. Leyritz will certainly need all the help he can get. Information has now been released that Leyritz already had a poor driving record, that included at least seven traffic citations for speeding and running stop signs in Broward County alone.

Meanwhile, Fredia Veitch's husband Jordan prepares his wife's funeral.

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The Face of the Victim

Too often the victim is forgotten in criminal cases. Jim Leyritz is not likely to forget the face of Fredia Veitch any time soon. Veitch was the victim yesterday early morning when Leyritz allegedly drove while under the influence and crashed his SUV into Veitch's car.

Fredia Veitch was a waitress at a Ft. Lauderdale area steakhouse, working her last week on the late shift. Her husband was uncomfortable with her late hours due to the propensity of drunk drivers on the road when she would be returning home from work.

Her two children are now without a mother because of an irresponsible act. It's a reminder of the dangers of drunk driving. If you don't care enough about yourself, think about the pain you could be inflicting on someone else's family. Think about what it would be like if it was your family that was affected. And then call a cab.

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Breaking News: Leyritz Arrested for DUI, Vehicular Homicide

Former Yankee Jim Leyritz has never been afraid to speak his mind, but it will be interesting what he has to say after his arrest earlier today on charges of DUI and Vehicular Homicide. Leyritz is being held on $11,000 bond after his SUV collided with another vehicle at an intersection in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The vehicle rolled over and the female driver was ejected. She later died at an area hospital. Leyritz was booked on suspicion of DUI after he refused to take a Breathalyzer test.

Leyritz has been making a name for himself as a baseball analyst for mlb.com and has announced minor league games for the YES network.

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UPDATE: 3:05 EST: A conviction of vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol is a second degree felony in Florida. Leyritz would face a fine of up to $10,000 and up to 15 years in prison. He also would lose his driver's license permanently, though he could apply for reinstatement after five years. Leyritz was apparently out celebrating his 44th birthday on Thursday.

UPDATE: 6:00 EST: Some more details of the crash have surfaced. Leyritz was driving a Ford Expedition when he ran a red light, smashing into the Mitsubishi Montero, driven by Fredia Ann Veitch. The 3o-year old victim leaves behind 2 children.

"Officers on scene observed Leyritz to have red, watery eyes, a flushed face and an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his person," Fort Lauderdale police detective Kathy Collins said.

When Leyritz refused the Breathalyzer, police took blood samples and are awaiting the results.

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