Yankees News

Girardi's selfless act
Comment
November 7
Washington Times
 
"Yankees' manager far from an average Joe The best test of a person's character is what he does when no one is watching. Joe Girardi passed with a perfect score in the early hours Thursday morning. After consistently and subtly pulling the right strings during the World Series, Girardi made his most impressive move following the Yankees' Game 6 victory. With his players having scattered from the soaked clubhouse and the empty champagne bottles tossed into trash bags, Girardi was driving to his home in the New York suburbs when he came upon a sport utility vehicle that had crashed into a wall along the highway. Without a second thought, Girardi pulled over, sprinted across the busy ..."
Yankees to open Phillies' exhibition schedule
Comment
November 7
Philadelphia Daily News
 
"It seems as if it was only Wednesday night that the World Series ended. And the Yankees had their ticker-tape parade just yesterday. But it's never too soon to plan those spring-training trips. The Phils and Yankees will waste no time getting back at it when they face each other to open their Grapefruit League seasons on Thursday, March 4, at Bright House Field in Clearwater, Fla. That opens a 31-game exhibition schedule that will culminate with the annual "On Deck" series at Citizens Bank Park, when the Phillies will host the Pirates on April 2 and 3. The Phillies and Yankees will meet five times in Florida, three in Clearwater and two in the Yankees' spring home in Tampa. The Phils' ..."
Bleacher Creature memories on parade with World Series champion New York Yankees
Comment
November 7
New York Daily News
 columnist Filip Bondy
"There's this one big problem about winning a championship: It means the Bleacher Creatures have to wake up early to get to the parade. The morning is always a bad time for Creatures. And by morning, I mean any time before 3 p.m. Think of us as vampires, and you wouldn't be far off. This is why the baseball playoff schedule is perfectly fine for the denizens of Section 203. Heck, Bud Selig could start the games three hours later, for all we care. Alarm clocks remind us of the Boston Red Sox. There is, however, an alternative to waking up early - staying up all night. Mike Donahue long ago figured out he only needs to kill a couple of hours after last-call at 4 a.m. before heading downtown. ..."
'New guys' enjoy ride with World Series champion New York Yankees
Comment
November 7
New York Daily News
 
"Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Nick Swisher all were brought to the Bronx last offseason to help the Yankees get back to the top of the baseball world. After accomplishing that goal, the foursome was rewarded with its first ticker-tape parade, an experience that left each player virtually speechless. "It was more than I thought it was going to be," Burnett said. "I expected a lot of people, but when you look down every street, all you see is heads as far as you can see. That's pretty impressive." Said Swisher: "It's amazing; to not only win the World Series, but to be able to come and celebrate like this - when you win in New York, they do it right. Being a first-year guy ..."
Free agent Johnny Damon eyes return to New York Yankees
Comment
November 7
New York Daily News
 
"After joining agroup of players to take part in World Series parades for both the Yankees and Red Sox, Johnny Damon said he hopes to have another chance to float through the Canyon of Heroes. Damon, whose memorable swiping of second and third base helped the Yankees beat the Phillies in Game 4, is one of the three high-profile free agents - along with Andy Pettitte and Hideki Matsui - on the Bombers' championship roster, but the 36-year-old is hoping to return to the Bronx after capping his four-year run with a championship. "I'm going to have a lot of options, so I think what it comes down to is what kind of option the Yankees want to give me or not give me," Damon said after riding ..."
Is this New York Yankees World Series MVP Hideki Matsui's last hurrah?
Comment
November 7
New York Daily News
 
"Only after saying goodbye to his teammates did Hideki Matsui realize it might be for good. "I guess I never really looked at it in that way," the Japanese slugger said, speaking through an interpreter at the Stadium following Friday's victory parade in lower Manhattan. "Usually we just say goodbye, and just go from there. If we see each other, we see each other." In what may have been his final game in pinstripes, Matsui went 3 for 4 with a double, a homer and six RBI as the Yankees wrapped up their 27th World Series title Wednesday night. His Game 6 performance not only powered the Bombers to a 7-3 victory over the Phillies, it also capped a series in which he hit .615 (8 for 13) with ..."
Jose Canseco challenges Yankees World Series champ Alex Rodriguez to a fight
Comment
November 7
New York Daily News
 
"Former Bash Brother and admitted steroid user Jose Canseco has picked a fight with newly crowned World Series champion Alex Rodriguez - this time offering to take on A-Rod in the ring. Canseco, who has taken to boxing in his post-baseball career, called out the Yankee slugger while in Springfield, Mass., to promote Friday night's bout against Pittsfield, Mass., fighter Todd Poulton. Canseco won the fight by decision. Rodney King, the victim of the famous videotaped beating by Los Angeles police in 1991, also won his bout on the card, via TKO. Canseco has long professed a dislike for Rodriguez, whom Canseco blasted in his 2008 book "Vindicated," the followup to his 2005 steroid tell-all ..."
New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi goes from ordinary to extraordinary
Comment
November 7
New York Daily News
 
"To say that Joe Girardi has had an eventful few days would be beyond an understatement. It's perfectly understandable that the Yankee skipper nodded off to sleep around 8:30 one night after Wednesday's World Series clincher to be alert and ready to go for Friday's celebratory parade through the Canyon of Heroes. "The parade was awesome. They never get old. I hadn't been in one in 10 years, and it's unbelievable the amount of people," Girardi said Friday at City Hall. "It brings back fond memories. I was thinking today, 'I can't believe it's been 10 years since I've been in a parade.' " In his second year as Yankee manager, after missing the playoffs in his first, the former catcher ..."
Confetti and cheers fill the streets as New York honors the Yankees
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"Crowds roared, church bells rang, and streams of paper rained down on Broadway as the New York Yankees celebrated their 27th championship in a way only this city can, with a parade up the Canyon of Heroes.The players, joined by a few celebrity fans and Yankees of the past, drank it all in yesterday as they rode on floats and double-decker buses through Manhattan's financial district.

It has been years since the city used actual ticker-tape to celebrate its World Series wins, but the experience was still authentic to the many thousands who crammed the sidewalks along the three-quarter-mile parade route near Wall Street. "I love it!" said city sanitation worker John Freeman, as he raked ..."

For New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, first World Series title is worth the wait
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"On one of the greatest days of his life, Alex Rodriguez couldn't help but think back to one of the worst. As A-Rod made his way down Broadway during the Yankees' ticker-tape parade, memories of the Yankees' historic collapse in the 2004 ALCS against the Red Sox flashed through the third baseman's head. In a strange way, it made the celebration even more enjoyable for Rodriguez. "We've waited a long time for this, and '04 obviously made it a lot more special," A-Rod said. "A lot sweeter." After putting on one of the great postseason performances of all time, Rodriguez felt a great sense of satisfaction as he basked in the fans' affection. A-Rod led the Yankees with a .365 average, six ..."
New York Yankees players celebrate World Series victory, but know club will change next year
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"The Yankees gathered for a trip through the Canyon of Heroes Friday, celebrating their World Series victory with more than a million of their closest friends. Ticker tape flowed from the sky - as did newspaper, toilet paper and just about any other kind of paper you could think of - while the Bombers were hailed as the city's latest sports heroes by their adoring fans. "A magical day," Hal Steinbrenner said. "It's hard not to enjoy that. New York just has the best fans in the world, period." "You feel like you're the President," Derek Jeter said. "You could do this every day and you wouldn't get tired of it." But while the trip up Broadway marked a reason to rejoice, the Yankees also ..."
A-Rod caps rocky year in, um, style
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"A season that began with an embarrassing press conference for Alex Rodriguez ended with a triumphant trip up Broadway. Rodriguez captured his first championship, and in the process answered all the questions about his postseason capabilities, batting .365 and driving in 18 runs in 13 games. The only thing his critics could rip him for yesterday was the black fedora he wore. "For me, it's an opportunity to reflect on the year '09, which we all know didn't start very well for me," Rodriguez said. Spring training began with a Sports Illustrated report that Rodriguez used steroids in 2003. He followed that with a public admission. Hip surgery delayed the start of his regular season, but when ..."
Adoring fans do Jeterian swoon
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 columnist Andrea Peyser
"It's good to be Derek Jeter. No. It's great. Two million of my fellow New Yorkers and I mobbed the downtown streets at dawn, cramming our bodies onto rickety trucks, climbing on scaffolding or claiming a grate, lobbing entire rolls of toilet paper giddily into the air. Screaming. But there was just one man capable of transforming New Yorkers of all religions, races and orientations into this shivering, jabbering, drooling, hysterical mob: Derek Jeter. De-rek! De-rek! I was lucky enough, dumb enough or kooky enough yesterday to withstand early-morning temperatures that hovered around the digits of Paris Hilton's IQ to board the back of a truck after dawn. Upon arrival, I was asked whom ..."
2 million cheer Yanks up the Canyon
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"The 2009 Yankees made one last ride together -- this time up the Canyon of Heroes. After 177 games, 114 victories, nine months and one world title, the Yankees sat together on a stage at City Hall Plaza yesterday celebrating a championship, but also realizing this would be their last time together as a team. "I think I probably think about it more than a lot of other guys because I know how teams change quite a bit during the offseason," said Johnny Damon, who will soon become a free agent. "This team was good enough to win the whole thing and that's the memory I'm always going to take with me. We're champions. You can't take that away. It's going to be that way for history." Signs along ..."
A-Rod wipes slate clean
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"A-Rod's on a roll! The often-stoic Yankee beamed with pride yesterday as he rode up the Canyon of Heroes, finally enjoying the cheers he's sought since arriving in The Bronx in 2004. Wearing a fedora, sunglasses and a Yankee game jacket, A-Rod smiled with glee, even as he dodged a roll of celebratory toilet paper that flew by his head. "He's not the player to hate anymore. He's the player to love," said Chris Alicea, 18, from Huntington, LI, at the parade for the World Series champs. "With all the controversy surrounding A-Rod, the divorce, Madonna, look how he performed this season." He's gone from A-Fraud to A-God, and all it took was a World Series title for fans to finally embrace ..."
For every New York Yankees fan, 'this is a beautiful thing'
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"They kept coming in waves of pinstripes and Yankee jackets and caps down Church St., walking against the traffic, walking toward the last of the baseball season, walking downtown toward the last day of the Yankees until spring. They came in their Jeter No. 2 jerseys, a lot of those, always a lot of Jeter jerseys, and Matsui 55's, and even a few with No. 7 for Mickey Mantle on their backs, and all of them were part of the biggest baseball crowd ever assembled. There were kids having the best kind of day, a snow day of sports, one of those instant national sports holidays because the Yankees had won the World Series for the first time in nine years. The kids had heard about parades like ..."
Matsui stays mum on plans for future
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"Hideki Matsui appears to be in full negotiating mode already. On the same day he received some of the loudest cheers in the Canyon of Heroes for his contributions as the World Series MVP, Matsui wouldn't even say yesterday if he wants to return to the Yankees next season. "I don't have any thoughts right now," Matsui said outside the home clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, referring to his 2010 preference. There has been some thought that Matsui, who can become a free agent, will return to play in his native Japan if the Yankees don't make him a competitive offer. But when asked about playing for another major league team, Matsui said anything is possible. Those possibilities include shedding ..."
Kids skip school to watch Yankees parade down Canyon of Heroes
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"The Yanks sure know how to play baseball - and some of their young fans know how to play hooky. Scores of school-aged Bombers boosters decided to get an education in fun Friday, skipping class to cheer on their heroes along Broadway. "We're going to tell the teachers we had a fever and a deep congested cough," said Harlem high schooler Joshua, who came with his friend, Jason. Both students at A. Philip Randolph High School, they smartly gave just their first names. About 12% of New York public school students were absent Friday, about 2 percentage points - or 22,000 kids - more than on an average Friday, said city Education Department Spokesman Margie Feinberg. Youngsters bundled in ..."
2 million cheer Yanks up the Canyon
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"The 2009 Yankees made one last ride together -- this time up the Canyon of Heroes. After 177 games, 114 victories, nine months and one world title, the Yankees sat together on a stage at City Hall Plaza yesterday celebrating a championship, but also realizing this would be their last time together as a team. "I think I probably think about it more than a lot of other guys because I know how teams change quite a bit during the offseason," said Johnny Damon, who will soon become a free agent. "This team was good enough to win the whole thing and that's the memory I'm always going to take with me. We're champions. You can't take that away. It's going to be that way for history." Signs along ..."
New York Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang deals with mixed emotions
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"Friday's championship parade was pure joy to most Yankees, but it unleashed a flood of mixed emotions for Chien-Ming Wang. The righthander, who had shoulder surgery on July 29, said he has felt "sad" at times during the Yanks' postseason run because he could not contribute on the field. "I couldn't do anything," he said. While he acknowledged that he enjoyed the trip through the Canyon of Heroes Friday, the parade "would have been more fun" if he had been healthy and pitching, he said. When Wang walked through the Yankee clubhouse Friday with his 4-1/2-month-old son, Justin, in his arms, it might have been for the last time. The Yankees might not offer him a contract for next season, ..."
Canseco has fighting words for Rodriguez
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"Former baseball player and current celebrity boxer Jose Canseco said he would like to fight Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. Speaking Thursday at a weigh-in for his upcoming fight in Massachusetts, Canseco was asked which current player he most would like to box? His response: "Who I would love to fight the most, if I could pick a baseball player? Alex Rodriguez, get your [butt] in the ring, I'll beat you to a pulp. That lying little idiot, I'd like to get him in the ring." Canseco has written two books on steroid use in baseball. At first his claims were dismissed, but many of them were proven to be correct. In "Vindicated," released in 2008, he said he introduced Rodriguez to a trainer who ..."
Rib injury threatened Mo's Series
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"If there had been a Game 7 in the World Series, the end of the game might have been dicey. Mariano Rivera revealed yesterday he was nursing a rib injury during the World Series. Rivera, speaking at the victory parade, would not say whether he could have pitched in a Game 7, but manager Joe Girardi said he was concerned. "It was real important we close it out in Game 6," Girardi said. Girardi said the injury occurred after Rivera pitched two innings in Game 2 of the World Series. Rivera said the rib started bothering him during the ALCS with the Angels. "It don't matter now," Rivera said. "It's over. Thank God it's over. It was manageable. Thank God we were able to do what we did." ..."
'Incredible' day for Sabathia and Teixeira
Comment
November 7
Los Angeles Times
 
"CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira never had been part of anything like this. Two of the Yankees' prized additions -- and key forces in their 27th world championship -- had just seen confetti rain down on the Canyon of Heroes on TV before yesterday. Sabathia and Teixeira, who shared the same float during the morning celebration down Broadway, could be excused for their awe at the sight of 2 million mostly pinstriped fans chanting their names and screaming deliriously despite the windy chill. After all, they didn't have any baseball parades in Cleveland, Milwaukee, Arlington, Atlanta or Anaheim -- the previous combined major-league stops for Sabathia and Teixeira before they found championship ..."
Yanks bring city together in lovefest
Comment
November 7
New York Post
 columnist Mike Vaccaro
"These are the best days of all, and only partly because they happen in the immediate afterglow of triumph, a championship in the bank and satisfaction sating every ounce of your sporting soul. That part of a parade day is nice, sure. But this is the better part: For the couple of hours that it takes the floats and the flatbeds and the bands to march from Battery Place to City Hall, for that piece of morning and chunk of afternoon when the players and the politicos mingle and chatter and exchange pleasantries and keys to the city, the most famous and most expensive baseball team in the world becomes a public trust, a penny stock. The Yankees belong to the people then, and the people belong ..."
Offseason moves pay big dividends
Comment
November 7
New York Post
 columnist Joel Sherman
"The Yankees regained what matters most to their organization when they won their 27th title. And just to show their single-mindedness to that cause, manager Joe Girardi already had decided to switch from No. 27 to 28 for 2010, symbolically revealing the next quest before a single flatbed had navigated up the Canyon of Heroes. But the Yankees got something else vital back this year that is harder to explain. It can be called mystique and aura, or mojo, or chemistry. Difficult to define, it was easy to see this year, especially because of its absence in recent years. Now those who believe in cold, hard numbers will pooh-pooh such elements, and simply point to the overwhelming talent ..."
Hey, Yanks: Make this parade an annual event
Comment
November 7
New York Post
 columnist Kevin Kernan
"One parade is not nearly enough. There should be a parade next year and the year after that, too. A Yankees victory parade should become as common as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with the talent they have and their ability to outspend the competition. Money doesn't guarantee success (look at the Mets), but it sure beats the alternative. To the Yankees' credit they now all understand what it takes to be a champion. They know it takes playing as a team to win and they know what the Summer Game is all about in October and November. The home clubhouse at Yankee Stadium was a pretty quiet place yesterday. The only sign of the World Series celebration that came after their Game 6 triumph ..."
Matsui stays mum on plans for future
Comment
November 7
New York Post
 
"Hideki Matsui appears to be in full negotiating mode already. On the same day he received some of the loudest cheers in the Canyon of Heroes for his contributions as the World Series MVP, Matsui wouldn't even say yesterday if he wants to return to the Yankees next season. "I don't have any thoughts right now," Matsui said outside the home clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, referring to his 2010 preference. There has been some thought that Matsui, who can become a free agent, will return to play in his native Japan if the Yankees don't make him a competitive offer. But when asked about playing for another major league team, Matsui said anything is possible. Those possibilities include shedding ..."
A-Rod caps rocky year in, um, style
Comment
November 7
New York Post
 
"A season that began with an embarrassing press conference for Alex Rodriguez ended with a triumphant trip up Broadway. Rodriguez captured his first championship, and in the process answered all the questions about his postseason capabilities, batting .365 and driving in 18 runs in 13 games. The only thing his critics could rip him for yesterday was the black fedora he wore. "For me, it's an opportunity to reflect on the year '09, which we all know didn't start very well for me," Rodriguez said. Spring training began with a Sports Illustrated report that Rodriguez used steroids in 2003. He followed that with a public admission. Hip surgery delayed the start of his regular season, but when ..."
Canseco has fighting words for Rodriguez
Comment
November 7
New York Post
 
"Former baseball player and current celebrity boxer Jose Canseco said he would like to fight Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. Speaking Thursday at a weigh-in for his upcoming fight in Massachusetts, Canseco was asked which current player he most would like to box?"
Rib injury threatened Mo's Series
Comment
November 7
New York Post
 
"If there had been a Game 7 in the World Series, the end of the game might have been dicey. Mariano Rivera revealed yesterday he was nursing a rib injury during the World Series. Rivera, speaking at the victory parade, would not say whether he could have pitched in a Game 7, but manager Joe Girardi said he was concerned. "It was real important we close it out in Game 6," Girardi said. Girardi said the injury occurred after Rivera pitched two innings in Game 2 of the World Series. Rivera said the rib started bothering him during the ALCS with the Angels. "It don't matter now," Rivera said. "It's over. Thank God it's over. It was manageable. Thank God we were able to do what we did.""
Grand Canyon of celebration
Comment
November 7
New York Post
 
"They've still got it! After a nine-year drought, millions of raucous Bomber fans found themselves back in familiar surroundings yesterday -- lining the confetti-covered Canyon of Heroes to watch the World Series champion Yankees take their victory ride. The estimated 2 million fans didn't show any celebration rust, forming a sea of blue and white as they climbed light poles and street signs and crammed Broadway to cheer on their beloved Bombers. "It's been too long, hasn't it?" team captain Derek Jeter -- a member of five championship squads -- told the adoring crowd at City Hall. "It feels good to be back." The throngs that braved the chilly temperatures to show their pinstripe pride ..."
Series crew good until end
Comment
November 7
Buffalo News
 columnist Alan Pergament
"One of the reasons that I've never been a big fan of Fox play-by-play man Joe Buck is that he rarely says anything memorable after the final out in a World Series. And that held true Wednesday night after the New York Yankees beat Philadelphia, 7-3, to win in six games. "The Yankees are back on top," Buck said. "World champions for the 27th time." That wasn't as clever as The Buffalo News headline Thursday — "On top of the heap" — which played off the lyrics of the classic song, "New York, New York." That said, Buck and analyst Tim McCarver had an excellent series. They saw just about everything almost instantly during the six games and talked about every possible story line except one. ..."
In a Child's Company, Champions Become Gods
Comment
November 7
New York Times
 
"Before Game 5 of the World Series, in the visiting manager's office at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Joe Girardi admitted he had thought about the parade. His son Dante, then 7 years old, had been asking about it. Girardi said he tried to put the magnitude of the crowd in perspective for the boy. Imagine 70 sold-out baseball stadiums, he said. Then take all those people and put them in the streets of Manhattan. That would be roughly the size of the throng if the Yankees won the World Series. It took an extra game, but they did it at home on Wednesday with a 7-3 victory over the Phillies. The parade was Friday, and Girardi's estimate seemed conservative."
All Along Broadway, Pinstripes, Proposals and Chants to 'Go for 28'
Comment
November 7
New York Times
 
"The Yankees took one last ride together to celebrate their championship. It was a slow, joyous journey up Broadway, an outdoor party attended by hundreds of thousands of their closest friends. For the first time in nine years - and time is measured in dog years in Yankeeland - the Yankees and their fans could brag about being the best. The fans offered marriage proposals to players, suggested that the Yankees re-sign Hideki Matsui, shouted about the importance of repeating as champions and taunted Pedro Martinez by holding up pictures of him in a diaper. Not everyone in New York was a Yankee fan Friday, but across a few chilly hours, it felt and looked that way. "Let's see - we had to get ..."
Amid Celebrations and the Cheers, Cashman Reflects
Comment
November 7
New York Times
 
"More from kindness than melancholy, Brian Cashman urged all the Yankees to enjoy the ticker-tape parade through Lower Manhattan on Friday morning. The players earned it; they had every right to feel the love from the crowds in the narrow streets. This was their hour. They should be able to dial it back for the rest of their lives. Cashman, the Yankees' general manager, has known championships - three of them in a row from 1998 through 2000. He is no longer so young, all of 42, and he knows that every championship is different, knows how much luck goes into it, even for a team with the biggest payroll in baseball, $206 million in the season just ended."
DH Matsui perfect part of post-Series daydream
Comment
November 6
Tacoma News Tribune
 columnist John McGrath
"The day after the World Series is a day I dread, especially if the Yankees win. Denied the anticipation of a real baseball game until April, fans are left to debate the pros and cons of an open-market system that ensures the Yanks can install a highly paid star at every position. But Thursday was different. Instead of groaning during each replay of Hideki Matsui's bravura performance - he tied a Series single-game record with six RBI on Wednesday - I imagined how the designated hitter might look in a Mariners uniform. It could happen. Matsui's contract with the Yankees has expired, and the team gets two weeks to decide whether to re-sign him, offer him arbitration for a one-year contract, ..."
Series title vindication for quieter Hank
Comment
November 6
New York Post
 
"Hank Steinbrenner isn't The New Boss, but still considers himself a boss of the Yankees. The eldest Steinbrenner brother largely has disappeared from public view over the past year, but said he is still involved in the team's day-to-day operations. This comes after his younger brother Hal last year was named managing general partner of the team, leaving many to question if Hank still had a role with the Yankees. As the Yankees celebrated the 27th world championship in franchise history, Hank Steinbrenner was part of the on-field festivities and said rumors of his demise have been exaggerated. Last season Hank Steinbrenner was the face of the organization, often making bombastic statements ..."
Girardi's boldness pays off
Comment
November 6
New York Post
 columnist Kevin Kernan
"There's just one number that counts, being No. 1. Manager Joe Girardi has understood that from the first day he put on a baseball uniform. Now that Girardi is planning on changing his number from 27 to 28, the Yankees are officially in pursuit of World Championship No. 28. Way to go Joe. Too many teams are not bold enough to say they are shooting for No. 1. The Red Sox, who once challenged the Yankees, are now one of those teams just happy to be here, saying the goal is to get to the playoffs and then everything from that point on is a crap shoot, a matter of luck. Yeah, right. As long as the Red Sox keep thinking that way, the path to No. 1 for the Yankees will be wide enough to drive CC ..."
Mo thrived despite sore rib cage
Comment
November 6
New York Post
 
"If the Phillies-Yankees World Series had progressed to a Game 7 last night, the Yankees would have had a hurting Mariano Rivera to close it out and would have played Jerry Hairston in left field for an ailing Johnny Damon. How effective Rivera would have been, however, was open to argument because he was nursing a problem on the left side since working two scoreless innings in Game 2. According to general manager Brian Cashman, Rivera would have been healthy enough to pitch. "He was dealing with a rib cage thing," Cashman said off Rivera, who worked two-thirds of an inning in Game 3, one inning in Game 4 and 1 2/3 innings in the clinching Game 6. The only sign that Rivera was ailing in ..."
Yanks beat out the Bosox as team of decade
Comment
November 6
New York Post
 columnist David Wells
"Let's end one debate before it really gets started. The Red Sox gave it a nice run for a while, but the Yankees are the team of the decade -- again. I can just imagine what the scene in Red Sox Nation is about now. The fans are bitter. Very bitter. The Yankees are back on top, and that can't be sitting too well in New England. Boston fans can cry all they want that the Yankees bought a championship, but so what? The Yankees are winners. They get the ring. Their city is happy and they are sticking out their tongues at the Red Sox and the rest of the world. Don't get me wrong. Boston had a good team and made a nice run for a few years, but now they have got some holes. The Yankees and Red ..."
Money may keep Yanks off free-agent market
Comment
November 6
New York Post
 columnist Joel Sherman
"The Yankees found $181 million lying around last offseason, and made a late, victorious bid to corral Mark Teixeira, so never say never when it comes to the Yankees and spending. But the initial read as the winter bazaar opens is that the Yankees do not intend to make a play for the three biggest free agents: Jason Bay, Matt Holliday and John Lackey. After signing the three biggest free agents last offseason (Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett), the Yankees just might be boring this winter. This is not about need, because corner outfield and starting pitcher are priorities to fortify what is now a champion. But based on conversations with multiple Yankees officials, I sense that ..."
Captain's contract a big deal
Comment
November 6
New York Post
 
"A year from now, the Yankees and Derek Jeter will be involved in the mother of all contract negotiations. Next season will be the last on Jeter's 10-year, $189 million deal that will pay him $21 million. Fifteen days after the 2010 World Series is completed, Jeter will be able to negotiate with every team. And though it's hard to believe Jeter would ever leave The Bronx, it's not likely the Yankees will get his name on an extension before next November. "We have had no discussions," general manager Brian Cashman said. Anything involving Jeter is always delicious the farther you get away from him. And this has the legs to be tantalizing, because the 35-year-old shortstop and captain is ..."
Pettitte: To return or not will be a family matter
Comment
November 6
New York Post
 
"Andy Pettitte's decision over whether to return for a 16th major league season or retire will come down to his two families -- his own and the Yankees. Pettitte has been through this to-be-determined situation before and each time he has chosen to continue to pitch. The 37-year-old is eligible for free agency and he's not certain whether he'll be back. "I need to get home and talk to my family," Pettitte said after winning Game 6 to capture his fifth World Series ring. "I'll need to talk to the Yankees and find out where they're at and then I'll try to figure out what I'd like to do." Last night, Pettitte appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, along with Derek Jeter, Hideki ..."
Vets, Bombers ponder pinstriped future
Comment
November 6
New York Post
 
"Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon and Andy Pettitte will be with the Yankees when they bask in the glory of a ticker-tape parade today up the Canyon of Heroes as World Series champions. However, when the three step off the floats, will they be headed to Tampa for spring training? Matsui, Damon and Pettitte are expected to file for free agency before the midnight, Nov. 19 deadline. Because all three played big parts in the Yankees beating the Phillies in six games to cop the organization's record 27th World Series title, there are decisions to be made. If they return, at what price? If they don't, who will replace them? Matsui, who tied a single-game record with six RBIs in the clinching Game 6 ..."
'09 Yankees reminder of big, bad Bombers
Comment
November 6
New York Post
 columnist Mike Vaccaro
"It took a while for the city and the Yankees to get together with this parade business, if you want to know the truth. Babe Ruth never got to see the Canyon of Heroes. Neither did Lou Gehrig, or Joe DiMaggio, or Lefty Grove. Phil Rizzuto had to wait until he'd taken residence in a broadcast booth to go. Casey Stengel had to wait until he was the manager of the expansion Mets to go. Bobby Jones got two ticker-tape parades and Ben Hogan got one before anyone ever thought to invite the Yankees to the Canyon of Heroes. The first baseball man of any kind to be showered in confetti wasn't even a New York baseball man, but Connie Mack, honored on Aug. 19, 1949, on his 50th anniversary as manager ..."
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November 6
New York Post
 columnist Joel Sherman
"Mariano Rivera jogged slowly toward the mound. This is what the beginning of the end has looked like in this generation, Rivera's steady procession toward the mound. The unfazed face, Enter Sandman booming. Late on a Wednesday night in The Bronx, the Phillies watched the arrival of their executioner, the man who would throw the final pitch of another season. Eight years to day earlier, Rivera had thrown the last pitch of the 2001 season and Luis Gonzalez deposited it beyond a drawn-in Derek Jeter. The Diamondbacks had won a World Series and the Yankees had lost a dynasty. Now, again on the latest date a baseball season had ever ended, Rivera brought the final offering, his windup as ..."
A bittersweet climb to the top
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November 6
New York Post
 columnist Mike Vaccaro
"Alex Rodriguez didn't want to celebrate prematurely, he knows better, but he couldn't help himself, couldn't keep his arms from flying in the air and his mouth from opening wide, couldn't keep the roar from spilling out of his heart and through his tongue and into the frosty New York night. Not now. He watched the baseball bound along on the ground toward second base, saw Robinson Cano scoop it up, flip it to first baseman Mark Teixeira, and now it was OK to act however he pleased. He'd seen this final act on television many times before, but it always had been someone else's party, someone else's celebration. And now it was his. Now it was theirs. Now it was time for the New York Yankees ..."