The next time a drooling NY sportswriter makes a statement like the only thing that counts in NY is winning, they should be reminded of the shameless headlines over these past few days.

I almost get the feeling that all the rags want A-Rod gone. Utterly moronic.

And scary as it sounds, I agree with Ozzie. A freakin' knuckleball?

The $ figures thrown around in that article are mind boggling, especially when you consider what George paid for the team back in 1973. The thought of the team being sold gives me an uneasy feeling, but overall, the mere prospect of George Steinbrenner passing on makes me very sad. Like him or hate him, he has been a huge part of the Yankees and the New York scene, and it just wont be the same without him.

I hear Alex also failed to cure cancer last night. Was that on page 2?

Regarding Ozzie, I think he is experiencing payback from this umpiring crew for his tirade during the game two nights ago. He's not diplomatic,but sure is entertaining.

Some interesting and disappointing quotes from Damon here: http://tinyurl.com/29vdzt.

It's amazing how the ego can obscure the truth. I hope Torre is persuaded by Damon's veteran sensitivity to supplant Melky in CF once Giambi returns.

The rags definitely don't want Alex gone. Who else are they gunna put on the cover? Nobody else on the Yanks, even Jeter, is better fodder for the tabloids. And once he hits the homer, they'll be stroaking him (or, they'll sarcastically say "Finally" or something to that effect). That's the nature of the game. Build you up, tear you down, and repeat.

Hey, at least the Yanks look like they'll have a decent bench for the first time in a long time down the stretch...

6 That should be isn't persuaded...not is.

Anybody know why Joba pitched for Trenton (and not Scranton) yesterday?

7 I never thought of A-Rod vs the rags that way. Great point, Alex.

I wonder if the Yanks will retain their share of YES, even if GoldmanSachs and the former Nets owner sell out. While the sale price ($3.5 BILLION?!) is awfully nice, and having the extra cash to handle estate taxes etc is good, there are advantages to a team owning its own RSN too. Derek Zumsteg did a nice profile at BP a few years ago on how a team could stash profits in their RSN and decrease their revenue sharing payout. The Yanks also get to write off construction costs with regards to revenue sharing, but I'd think those are short-term only; the new Stadium will be done in by 2009.

But maybe the cash is too much to turn down. Any financial advisors out there?

I think when umpires make these INEXCUSABLE decisions, they need to be taken to task. I agree with Ozzie, that short of betting on baseball, these guys seem to have free reign.

Look at some films of Billy Martin and Lou in his early days. These guys would put on tirades that would impress Shakespeare, and often were not throw out of a game.

If you didn't cuss the ump (or a family member), they often let you do you dance, and then the game resumed. Back then, the Umps understood they were 'observers', not participants.

That call last night showed EXTREME lack of judgement. And it bothers me that MLB seems to not be concerned in the least.

10 I didn't but Chad Jennings of the SWB Yanks blog does: http://tinyurl.com/2mfqkh

12 "Back then, the Umps understood they were 'observers', not participants."

That ended with Ron Luciano, and to an extent Rich Garcia.

6 I thought JD was candid and open with his feelings. He and JT are in a difficult spot.

Considering the situation with Abreu (2008 or not) and that I am not sold yet on Melky's bat, as much as part fo me would like to unload JD's contract, I don't think we should trade him. He's not a great player, but when he does his (good) thing leading off, he's an important cog in the Yankee wheel.

Communication is very important here. I think JDs MAIN complaint was Torre not telling him ahead of time. His feelings were hurt, plain and simply. My bad on Torre.

This teams NEEDS to be together the rest of the year. The Post Season could literally come down to one game, one inning, one play. We need to have everyone contributuing their best.

15 It can be easily remedied, as this situation has happened before; Fielder/Martinez, Hayes/Boggs, Stanley/Fielder, Cabrera/Matsui/Damon, Lofton/Williams, so on and so forth...

11 I think the Yankees will be writing of construction costs for a few years -- that'll help keep revenue sharing down.

And it sounds like some of the limited partners may want to be bought out of Yankee ownership. That could be good if the Steinbrenner sons buy them out. Alternatively, they could form a LLC to buy the team and own it that way.

Hey! We are 2 games out of the WC. TWO GAMES! (and only 3 behind Detroit)
At the ASB, I said we still had a good chance, but I'm not sure if I believed it.
What were we.... 7 games behind Cleveland?
We have played 10 games over .500 in three weeks!

And Giambi, Phil and Joba all coming soon, and a greatly improved bench.

Is this Yankee magic? Are the ghosts back in play?

(I think even Steve Lombardi is getting excited)

6 Damon seems stung that the Yankees reportedly shopped him. Asked flat out after the game if he wanted a trade, he told reporters, "No."

"I really like the way this team is improving," he added. "We're playing really well.

Re: Damon:
I think some of the current Yankee players must be watching "The Bronx is Burning" and thinking, "cool". The Bronx Zoo seems to be back. Not that the Damon thing is a big deal, but just the fact that his discontent made the papers shows you that Joe isn't running as tight a ship as he once was. It seemed like there were YEARS during the first Torre dynasty where nothing interpersonal ever got to the press. I think it sort of started to change with Sheffield. Torre met his match with Sheffield. Joe couldn't rein him in; Sheff brought his many beefs to the press and there was nothing Torre could do about it, although I'm sure it burned him. Then you had Mariano popping off uncharacteristically in spring training about his contract. Now it seems common for Yankee players to go to the press with complaints Damon being the latest. Personally, I don't think it affects their ability to win very much, but Torre gets a lot of credit for (and has inadequacies forgiven in other areas such as bullpen management) for maintaining a good clubhouse atmosphere and for managing the press to the benefit of his players' psyches. Well, he's not doing that anymore.

11 As 17 mentions, I believe the revenue sharing rules allow the Yankees to write off debt costs. Of course, the Yankees are expecting at least $150mn in incremental revenue as a result of the new ball park, so the benefit of writing off the debt will be off set and then some.

What I think might be driving the Yankees' interest in a sale is Selig's intention to more heavily scrutinize how RSN's value team programming. It could be that endeavor will lead to the mitigation of some of the benefits of team-owned channels. Also, the cash is simply insane. Think of it this way…the Yankees stake in YES would be worth about $1.26bn if the $3.5bn sale price is correct. If the Yankees took that number and invested it at a modest 8% ROI, the annual return would be over $100mn. Now, add in that the Yankees' rights fees would probably at least be $100mn (presumably, the buyer would negotiate a long-term deal with the Yankees). As a result, the combined revenue of $200mn would actually be more than current cash flow of YES, in which the Yankees only have a 36% stake.

Selling YES would generate the same return as selling the team, but without having to actually sell the team. The Yankees would also retain the main asset of YES (their games) once the long-term deal expired.

All in all, a sale probably makes a lot of sense for all of the investors involved.

20 Note that taxes were excluded from the calculations above, so while they may not be entirely accurate, the principles would be the same.

13 Ah, that makes sense.

15 I would trade JD, if not now then certainly in the off season. Not out of malice, mind you--but as much as I am not sold on Melky's bat, I am completely sold on the fact that Damon cannot play CF anymore and will(probably) never hit well enought to warrant playing corner OF full time. If that's the case, then Melky wins by default, and there is little room left for Damon on the roster except #4 OF.

It's probably worth keeping him around this season, because I'm not sure that they have an OF in the system who could replace his bat (though KT intrigues me as a RH stopgap). On the other hand, they are LH heavy and vulnerable to LHP. If they found a waiver pick-up OF who was RH and had either power or speed, I would swap them in a second.

Gentlemen: 28 years ago today:

"On the day after his death, before the start of the Yankees' four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles in the Bronx, the Yankees paid tribute to their fallen captain in a pre-game ceremony during which the starters stood at their defensive positions, save for the catcher's box, which remained empty

That night, in front of a national viewing audience, the Yankees beat Baltimore 5-4 in New York, with Murcer driving in all five runs with a three-run home run in the seventh inning and a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth.

Not long after Munson's death, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner announced No. 15 would be retired. On Sept. 20, 1980, a plaque was dedicated in Munson's memory in Yankee Stadium's fabled Monument Park.

Out of sheer respect for his character and performance Munson's locker at Yankee Stadium remains empty to this day."

Steve at WW has some appropriate links.

15 Excellent post...agree totally.

I'm really starting to feel good about this team -- as pointed out, the depth of the bench including veterans reminiscent of the late 90s, Hekkyl and Jekkyl's enthusiasm and the way they treat A-Rod as a big brother, the Shelley Story, and potential bullpen magic to come from Joba and Edwar (imagine Edwar's Bugs Bunny change coming in after Joba's heat).

It's too early to talk playoffs when we are still two out, but I am very encouraged by events since the ASB. We're going to find out just how good a people person JT is in the next few weeks as Giambi returns, and possibly even Mink the Stink. Will he automatically re-insert veterans at the expense of the kids, or will he find a way to ride the hot hand as he did in '96?

24 I remember exactly where I was when I heard. You?

Cool Standings today has the Yankees at exactly 50% to win the WC, with another 7% chance to win the division. This is the first time I remember that we're odds-on to make the play-offs!

Do most managers let their players know personally (or through coaches) if a player is in or out of the lineup? Why wouldn't you tell an player what their job was for the day (be ready on the bench)? I'm sure Damon would be better prepared hearing he was going to be a bench player than finding out from the lineup card. I know the burden is on players to be professional but what possible benefit can their be in NOT telling a veteran with 2000+ hits that he's sitting behind a guy with twenty odd career ABs?

With all due respect, no matter what static the Yanks deal with, the Bronx Zoo is dead and will never return. Things might get hot again one day, but this team is tame, a bunch of pussy cats compared with the teams of the late 70s-80s.

7 Gotta love the major sports sites' subtle approach as well - more often than not, I'll see a headline in the ticker that reads something like: "Yanks pound Chicago", but then you'll see right next to it, "A-Rod fails to homer".

As if the average baseball fan is going to sign on to ESPN or FoxSports.com and think, "Hmm, I don't see anything about A-Rod hitting his 500th home run, but he may have done it anyway - let me go to another web site just to make sure."

Are you kidding me? We all know A-Rod's image will be splashed ALL over the place once he hits #500, and you'd have to be living under a rock in a cave on Mars not to know about it.

You don't need to tell us EVERY day that he didn't hit #500 yet.

We know.

It's pretty obvious.

29 I think ALL athletes now are pussycats compared to that era anyway.

Then again, the players in the 70's were pussycats compared to the sports stars of the 40's & 50's. Baseball used to be just a summer job for those guys, and then they'd go back to loading crates on trucks or delivering meat or whatever else they did...

I'm looking at the cover of Newsday which states, "More Pop, Another Flop"... 13 HR's in 2 games and we get that headline,"hey Media, lay off the man already and let him bang out #500 with ease (I'm speaking to deaf ears right now)".

Side Note- Does anyone want Giambi back in the cruising lineup we currently have? If I recall last year, when we threw Sheff and others back in the lineup, it spelt out the Yankee demise...

29 Especially the rift between Munson and Jackson. It divided the entire team.

Reggie said: "This team, it all flows from me. I'm the straw that stirs the drink. Maybe I should say me and Munson, but he can only stir it bad."

Sorry Alex, but WHAT AN INCREDIBLE ASSHOLE!
I have strongly disliked Reggie since that day.
Imagine ARod saying that about Jeter?
And the feud between Munson and Fisk made the current relationship between the Sox and Yankees look like family.

Then add a crazed Billy Martin and (future) criminally insane George Steinbrenner to the mix.

Fortunately, they had 3 winning teams then, because if not for that, they would have been extremely dark days for the Yankees.

(Thank God for Torre and his white horse)

32 When Matsui came back he was a beast. Sheff, not so much. Yes, i want Giambi back, but only if he's up to form.

27 BP's Playoff Odds (compared to yesterday):

AL Wildcard
Yanks 39.40946
Indians 22.41283
Tigers 14.51572
Twins 4.72001
M's 6.7822
Jays 2.88666
Red Sox 4.14619
Angels 3.67781

That's up almost 7% for the Yanks in one day - let's see what another win will do!

33 Was Reggie wrong?

33 He kind of said something similar, which made the Alex/Jeter relationship a very mini version of Munson/Jackson.

32 34 I hope that, if Giambi looks sluggish, he won't play everyday. I really hope Duncan stays around to DH vs LHP until Giambi proves he's 100% back.

We all know what Giambi's capable of and I'm all for him playing...eventually. We're 36-20 without him and to shake everything up (between Damon, Duncan, Melky and Giambi) just doesn't add up to me...JT has his work cut out for him!

Hey, you don't have to apologize to me about calling Reggie an a-hole. He was most certainly that. But he was right too--Yanks didn't win it with Munson and they won two with Reggie. He wasn't always a big game player--witness his ALCS in 77--but he was often enough. The guy could actually back up the boasts. Had many flaws, especially by the time he reached New York, but he hit some huge, huge homers for the Yanks.

And not for nothing, but Thurman Munson wasn't exactly a sweetheart. He was an angry, self-absorbed sombitch.

37The difference being that A-Rod saying that about Jeter is utterly wrong, as Jeter had won four rings before A-Rod ever arrived. Munson, however, had just one pennant and no rings. Without Jackson, the 1977 Yankees finish in third place.

Similarly, without Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees would probably be 10 games under .500 right now. Oddly enough, out of A-Rod's first three months this season, May was the worst.

I'm proud to say I have never purchased a copy of either the Post or the News.

35 I want Giambi back too. The parallel to Sheff is not 100% accurate because Giambi will be much more accepting of a limited role. For one, he has a guaranteed $20mn next season, and secondly, he simply isn't as surly and selfish as Sheffield. I firmly believe that Torre was intimidated into playing Sheffield because he didn't want to deal with the headache.

I see no problem why an arrangement like the following couldn't keep everyone happy:

6 games/week – Melky plays all 5 in CF and 1 in RF. Damon plays 3 in LF and 1 in CF. Matsui Plays 3 in LF; 3 at DH; Giambi plays 3 at DH; 1 at 1B; Abreu plays 5 in RF.

Joba played in Trenton I believe because of some odd passport issue that didn't allow him back into Canada. so they decided might as well send him closer to town.

For Damon, I have a suspicion that Newsday misused his quote to make a story look a lot more than just Damon being frustrated by his season. but we shall see...

As for Giambi, I want him back that's for sure. we aren't getting much from the DH spot with Damon there most of the time.. only real production we're getting is Shelley's crazy burst that's not the greatest bet to count on for the rest of the way. not to meantion Phillips better start hitting some extra base hits and/or walks or he's going to look awfully bad awfully soon (he was robbed a couple of time recently though, so there's still a little hope, but it seems far more likely we end up with Betemit playing 1B more often than not the rest of the way.)

32 Very small sample size (1 month last year), but I agree the chemistry was off, and Shef at 1st was very weird. But I think it was really taking Melky out of the mix that hurt their energy (and defense).

The Yankees NEED a healthy, powerful Giambi in the 3 or 5 slot. At DH, as long as Melky stays in CF and Torre handles the rotating of JD/Abreu/Matsui/Phillips well, we are a VERY deep team.

This also means that we can rest Posada more. He's doing great, but lets not take a 175-181 season lightly for the guy. Being able to have 'scheduled' rest for our older players is an advanmtage in a long season (as long as Torre lets everyone know what's going on).

And as well as they are doing, lets not forget they can 'crush out' 5 runs in any 3 game series.

I mean, I love what FrankenShelly has done so far, it's really cool. But are you guys counting on this to continue? Into the PS? Seriously? Duncan/Damon in our PS lineup instead of Giambi?

I guess a lot of folks here see the 'steroid, one-dimensional, clogging-the-bases, often injured dolt'. I see a guy who overcame tremendous odds in 2005, who has a real passion to win, who 5 years out of 6 averaged a .415 OBP and .975+ OPS, who was always our 2nd or 3rd most important offensive player.

36 Was Reggie wrong?
Was Reggie WRONG!
WAS REGGIE WRONG!
Dude! I don't have the words. Some other old person help me.

41 I didn't mean he said exactly the same thing...rather, his comments were more, I am a player teams have to stop, while Jeter is just a cog in a strong Yankee lineup. That's not exactly saying "Jeter can only stir it bad", but it did make waves none the less. Also, like RJ's statement, Arod's had a kernel of truth behind it, which I guess is why both upset people so.