The greatest closer of his era -- if not the best ever -- will be going about his business with his usual quiet class this spring, all the while wondering if his current address will remain the same when 2008 commences.
Meantime, one of the best center fielders of his era sits at home unemployed, which when you think about it, may be even less insulting than the alternative.
As for the manager? Well, one of the best of his era can probably already feel the increased warmth on his backside.
Say this for the New York Yankees: They sure give the masses who love to bash them plenty of ammunition.
Interesting thing is, Yankee bashing is coming with a new twist this spring. The Yankees should catch heat not for the money they have spent, but for the cash on to which they've clung. General manager Brian Cashman has survived a power struggle to wrestle the reins of the franchise from owner George Steinbrenner's advisors in Tampa, and under Cashman's approach, the Yankees are showing a new financial restraint.
The net result being that Mariano Rivera has entered 2007 as a lame-duck closer, Bernie Williams has essentially been told he has nothing more to offer, and Joe Torre is among the first names mentioned in those annual "Manager on the Hot Seat" essays.
At least the Yankees haven't asked the trio to turn in their World Series rings.
Now understand, it's difficult to argue for loyalty these days. The concept in baseball (and all pro sports, for that matter) never really existed, and to say players eroded the concept when free agency evolved is to overlook all those decades when owners paid most of their employees chicken feed. As for real life, well, loyalty has become as outdated as those mom-and-pop shops that helped put a generation through college.
The Yankees had a chance to go against the tide in this case, and that would've been no small thing inasmuch as they are the standard-bearers in their industry. Hey, one small gesture to a man ...
Start with Rivera. He is the Yanks' all-time leader in regular-season and postseason saves, and his trademark cutter -- one of the most unhittable pitches of all-time -- launched more parties during the past decade than Dick Clark. Yes, he is 37, and he endured elbow difficulties last season, but both in action and comportment, he has meant as much to this storied franchise as anyone who has worn the pinstripes. Not one other player _-- not even Derek Jeter -- more deserves to be designated a Yankee for life.
Yet Cashman has indicated the Yanks have no interest in discussing a new contract for Rivera until after 2007. Rivera has responded by saying the Yanks can get in line with every other team if he hits free agency next winter. It's likely that both are posturing, but it has put an ugly, unfortunate twist on what has been a beautiful relationship.
Then again, it's not nearly as unfortunate as the way Williams was treated. Williams brought a grace back to center field, manning the position long enough (16 seasons) and well enough (22 postseason home runs, 80 postseason RBI) to make Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle proud. But Cashman extended Williams only a minor-league contract and an invitation to make the team. Williams rightly refused. Williams is 38 and his best days have long been behind him, but being a key cog on four World Series champs meant he deserved better, even if that meant a clean, mutual break.
Torre deserves the same thing, though he probably won't get it. His contract also expires at the end of 2007. Torre hasn't brought home a World Series crown since 2000, but he has guided the Yanks to 11 straight playoff appearances. Just as important, he brought dignity to the job with the way he deftly handled the challenge of working for Steinbrenner.
Now, it appears, he's about to be kicked to the curb. Just as Williams has been. Just as Rivera may soon be. All of which leaves little doubt as to what the Yankees will do when the other staples of their last dynasty _-- Jeter and Jorge Posada -- find themselves in a similar spot.
Such, it appears, is the new Yankees way. Cashman has said his motivation is the long-term health of the franchise, and nobody will argue that Rivera, Williams and Torre are short-termers these days. Too, you can't fault Cashman for putting a limit to what's available in the team's vault.
But clearly, there's still plenty left to keep Rivera and Torre from twisting in the wind, just as there was enough to show Williams he hadn't outlived his usefulness. These three brought pride back to the Yankees.
Too bad Cashman couldn't give them a small token of green in return.
DIFFICULT DAYS: If spring training is supposed to be all about affirmation and renewal, then you have to wonder how Kevin Lidle must feel these days. Former A's and Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, who perished when his small plane flew into a New York City building on Oct. 11, was Kevin's fraternal twin.
"Different days are different," Kevin told the St. Petersburg Times. "Some days, the thoughts are there more than others. I guess in a way it's sad. But the majority of the time, there's positive thoughts [and] memories I'm able to have of him."
Kevin Lidle manages a baseball facility in Lakeland, Fla., less than an hour from where the Yanks train in Tampa. He and Cory often got together during the spring, though Kevin said he has tried to avoid those thoughts as much as possible.
"Sometimes, I don't want to say I play a game, but sometimes I'll just think, 'What would Cory say about a certain situation?'," he said. "And I'll know to the exact phrase what he might say. A certain thing will just remind me of what he'd think or say. And I know I'm on the same page."
