The young son of a Florida woman who cops say was killed by ex-Yankee Jim Leyritz in a car crash went to bed with tears in his eyes after his father broke the horrible news to him.
...
"He asked me why Mommy wasn't going to come home; why Mommy was in the grass and who's going to take care of him," the unshaven and teary-eyed father said yesterday on the doorstep of his suburban Fort Lauderdale home. "She was a good mother and a great wife."
...
A bartender at the Blue Martini confirmed Leyritz had been in the place with two women.

"He came in and had a few [mixed] drinks. I think he had two," said the bartender, who would only give his name as Ray. Ray said he has served Leyritz before, adding, "He doesn't get plastered. He'll have a few drinks and switch to water."

“If Roger Clemens continues to play fast and loose with the truth on ‘60 Minutes’ and he continues to call Brian McNamee a liar then we will proceed with a defamation suit,” [McNamee attorney Richard D.] Emery said in a telephone interview. “It is one of the only avenues Brian has to defend himself against the claims that he lied.”

To date, Clemens has disputed McNamee through statements issued through his agent, through [his attorney, Rusty] Hardin and through a video he posted on the Internet. Clemens did not call McNamee a liar in any of those statements, although in the video he specifically states that McNamee never injected him with steroids or H.G.H.

Hardin confirmed that an interview between Clemens and Wallace was taped at Clemens’s home in Katy, Tex., on Friday.

“I think I’ll let the interview speak for itself,” Hardin said in a telephone interview. “We will wait for it to air on January the 6th but my advice to Brian and his lawyers would be to stay tuned because he told Mike Wallace the truth.”

Leyritz, who turned 44 on Thursday, faces charges of DUI manslaughter and DUI property damage, said Detective Kathy Collins, Fort Lauderdale police spokeswoman.
...
Fort Lauderdale authorities got a call at 3:20 a.m. that a crash had occurred in the city's entertainment district, Collins said.

She said Leyritz was driving a 2006 Ford Expedition when he collided at an intersection with a 30-year-old woman driving a 2000 Mitsubishi. The woman was ejected from the car. She was critically injured and transported to the Broward General Medical Center, where she died, Collins said. Her identity was not immediately released.

"On Roger's behalf, we are investigating the allegations about him contained in the Mitchell Report," Clemens' attorney, Rusty Hardin, said Wednesday in a statement. "To our surprise, we have identified several people who logic dictates the Mitchell team should have talked to but did not. That's troubling. We are asking questions and we encourage the news media to do the same."

“I would imagine probably I’ll get a call and maybe be invited to spring training again,” said Guidry, who has had a role with the Yankees every spring since his pitching career ended in 1988. “So I’ll just wait and see. If they don’t call, I won’t go. I’ve got to make sure that they want me to go.”

Below, we present the findings of the Mitchell report as a social network. Players are connected to the person who first introduced them to the Mitchell report's star witness, Mets batboy turned personal trainer Kirk Radomski. In some cases, players met Radomski directly; in other cases they are several degrees apart.

talked to several people in the Yankees organization today, and everyone expects Joba Chamberlain to be a starter. So don't worry about a change in plans. He should be in the rotation.

Heard this: If all goes well in spring training for the Yankees, Joba Chamberlain is likely to start next season in the Yankees' bullpen, as part of the team's effort to limit his innings. Chamberlain will go to spring training and, at the outset, prepare to pitch out of the rotation, along with five other rotation candidates: Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes, Mike Mussina and Ian Kennedy. Assuming that none of the other five has a physical or performance breakdown, Chamberlain would then open 2008 in the bullpen, as a set-up man, for at least the start of the season -- under the Joba Rules.

The Yankees want to restrict the number of innings Chamberlain throws, and working him out of the bullpen for at least a couple of months will allow them to do that. Chamberlain may return to the rotation sometime in the middle of the season, depending on the Yankees' needs.

"We acknowledge the inaccuracies of the report and deeply regret the mistake," Times spokesman Stephan Pechdimaldji said.

In a separate two-page order, U.S. Magistrate Judge Edward C. Voss in Phoenix cited the newspaper for "abusive reporting" in its article that linked Clemens to the affidavit.

"At best, the article is an example of irresponsible reporting," Voss wrote. "At worst, the 'facts' reported were simply manufactured. ... Hopefully, any reference to the Times article as authoritative will now cease."

"When this grossly inaccurate story broke in October 2006, Roger said it was untrue and the Los Angeles Times chose not to believe him. As the record now clearly proves, Roger was telling the truth then, just as he continues to tell the truth today.

"Roger Clemens did not take steroids, and anybody who says he did had better start looking for a hell of a good lawyer."

After hearing names like Alan Horne (left) and Jeff Marquez being tossed around as major league relief options, I asked Newman if there were any pitchers designated as possible relievers. His answer, in short, was that anyone and everyone is a bullpen possiblity. ...

I brought up Horne, Marquez, Steven White, Kei Igawa and Chase Wright as bullpen options and Newman didn't shoot down any of them.

“I want to state clearly and without qualification: I did not take steroids, human growth hormone or any other banned substances at any time in my baseball career or, in fact, my entire life. Those substances represent a dangerous and destructive shortcut that no athlete should ever take.

I am disappointed that my 25 years in public life have apparently not earned me the benefit of the doubt, but I understand that Senator Mitchell’s report has raised many serious questions. I plan to publicly answer all of those questions at the appropriate time in the appropriate way. I only ask that in the meantime people not rush to judgment.”

Both have expressed "preliminary interest" in Prior, John Boggs, the pitcher's agent, said yesterday. "But it hasn't been anything more than that. Next week will probably be pretty busy."

“I am glad that he did that, maybe I would have done the same thing, God knows. I want to help the team as quick as I can," said Rivera, who said he has never thought of using HGH and admitted to being naïve about baseball's drug culture. “It was the wrong thing to do but I support Andy and the way he works and how hard he works. I am glad he said that. We all make mistakes. We don't point fingers at other people, I don't think like that. I love Andy and I support Andy's decision. The thing that I admire about him is that he came out and said he was sorry and that he did it."

Rivera and the Yankees formally finalized a three-year agreement worth a reported $45 million on Monday. The pact will keep Rivera, a Yankee since 1995 and the most dominant postseason closer of all-time, in New York.

"It's great," Rivera said. "That's what I wanted. To me, it was important to finish with the Yankees, because that's the only team that I have played with. I wanted to wrap it up with the Yankees, and we were able to do it. The Yankees and I got to the agreement, and thank God it's done."

All grades are EXTREMELY PRELIMINARY and subject to change.
1. Joba Chamberlain, RHP, Grade A
2. Jose Tabata, OF, Grade B+
3. Ian Kennedy, RHP, Grade B+
4. Alan Horne, RHP, Grade B
5. Austin Jackson, OF, Grade B-
6. Bradley Suttle, 3B, Grade B-
7. Dellin Betances, RHP, Grade B-
8. Austin Romine, C, Grade B- (hate grading guys who haven't played yet, could be C+)
9. Jesus Montero, C, Grade C+ (borderline B-)
10. Dan McCutchen, RHP, Grade C+

Grade A prospects are the elite. They have a good chance of becoming stars or superstars. Almost all Grade A prospects develop into major league regulars, if injuries or other problems don't intervene. Note that is a major "if" in some cases.

Grade B prospects have a good chance to enjoy successful careers. Some will develop into stars, some will not. Most end up spending several years in the majors, at the very least in a marginal role.

Grade C prospects are the most common type. These are guys who have something positive going for them, but who may have a question mark or three, or who are just too far away from the majors to get an accurate feel for. A few Grade C guys, especially at the lower levels, do develop into stars. Many end up as role players or bench guys. Some don't make it at all.

A major point to remember is that grades for pitchers do NOT correspond directly to grades for hitters. Many Grade A pitching prospects fail to develop, often due to injuries. Some Grade C pitching prospects turn out much better than expected.

Also note that there is diversity within each category. I'm a tough grader; Grade C+ is actually good praise coming from me, and some C+ prospects turn out very well indeed.

Finally, keep in mind that all grades are shorthand. You have to read the full comment for my full opinion about a player, the letter grade only tells you so much. A Grade C prospect in rookie ball could end up being very impressive, while a Grade C prospect in Triple-A is likely just a future role player.

In 1964, Hank was 7 and owned a small, cheap guitar that he banged around on at home. News hit that the Beatles were making a return concert at Cleveland's Music Hall and Hank watched all the reports on TV.

"I didn't ask to go see them, I was just following it on the news like everybody else, with all the excitement it created in the city," he says. "My dad came home from work one day and said, 'We're gonna go see the Beatles.' He was in his early 30s and into Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra and all that and he didn't know a thing about rock 'n' roll. Even at 7, I knew what to expect. But he didn't. So he got great seats, like fifth row, center. I remember every bit of that concert because we were so close.

"But the funny part was we were sitting there and there was no announcement. I'll never forget how George Harrison backed out onto the stage and he was laughing and joking with the other guys, and all hell broke loose. I mean, girls coming screaming down the aisles and people climbing on the back of our chairs. And my dad was looking around, like, 'What the expletive have we gotten into?' His reaction was classic."

>Asked by Couric whether he has ever used steroids, human growth hormone or any other performance-enhancing substance, "No," says Rodriguez. He gave the same answer to Couric's follow-up on whether he had ever been tempted to use them.

Replying to former Sen. George Mitchell’s statement yesterday that his report should be a call to action for baseball fans, Rodriguez says, "I think baseball's done a fine job of implementing some very strict rules. I mean, I got tested eight or nine times. I know some of my teammates got tested, you know, seven, eight…times," he tells Couric. "And, you know, if you think about where the game is today versus where it was six years ago, I think major league baseball has made some nice strides."

"My concern is that the image of Mac is one of a steroid pusher and supplier," Nitkowski, who played in Japan last season, said in an e-mail. "That couldn't be further from the truth." ...

"I certainly believe Mac," he said. "He had no reason to lie. He would not make things up to stay out of jail. He would only tell the truth."

First, I would like to say that contrary to media reports, I have never used steroids. I have no idea why the media would say that I have used steroids, but they have done so repeatedly. This is hurtful to me and my family.

In 2002 I was injured. I had heard that human growth hormone could promote faster healing for my elbow. I felt an obligation to get back to my team as soon as possible. For this reason, and only this reason, for two days I tried human growth hormone. Though it was not against baseball rules, I was not comfortable with what I was doing, so I stopped. This is it - two days out of my life; two days out of my entire career, when I was injured and on the disabled list.

If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize. I accept responsibility for those two days. Everything else written or said about me knowingly using illegal drugs is nonsense, wrong and hurtful. I have the utmost respect for baseball and have always tried to live my life in a way that would be honorable. I wasn’t looking for an edge; I was looking to heal.

If I have let down people that care about me, I am sorry, but I hope that you will listen to me carefully and understand that two days of perhaps bad judgment should not ruin a lifetime of hard work and dedication. I have tried to do things the right way my entire life, and, again, ask that you put those two days in the proper context. People that know me will know that what I say is true.

"Now is the chance to clean it up," Rivera said. "I heard the Commissioner say that he is going to do whatever it takes to do things right. If you're going to try to do things right, just clean it up for good. Start it now."

Rivera was a member of four Yankees World Series championship teams from 1996 through 2000, considered by many to be among the top dynasties in the sport's recent history. Even though the names of several teammates from those clubs surfaced in Thursday's release of the report, Rivera said that the Yankees' October achievements should not be suspect.

"I don't think so," Rivera said. "It was a lot of players involved in that. It's hard for baseball."

"I opted out simply because, let me preface it by saying it was a mistake," Rodriguez said. "I was pretty sure based on the information that I was getting that the Yankees were not interested in my services ... As far as the World Series, that was handled very poorly. My understanding was the letter would not go public until a day or two after the World Series was over. The timing was distasteful and very inappropriate. The whole thing was a mistake; it was a huge debacle." ...

"I was very angry about the whole situation, I was very upset, and I voiced that to [Boras] the one time I talked to him," Rodriguez said.

2008: $27 million
2009: $32 million
2010: $32 million
2011: $31 million
2012: $29 million
2013: $28 million
2014: $25 million
2015: $21 million
2016: $20 million
2017: $20 million

Regardless of where the pendulum rests, this will be a sea-change moment in baseball history, particularly in New York. According to one industry official, "several" prominent Yankees will be named by Mitchell in his 2 p.m. news conference in Manhattan. The official, who spoke to a third party who'd seen the final report, predicted, "It's going to be a rough day in the Bronx" after the identities are made public.

“I guess there has been a lot of speculation that we need a true power arm, ace or whatever. I disagree with that,” he said. “I think Wang is an absolute stud. I think he is an ace. I understand he struggled in the postseason but that’s going to happen. I’ve struggled in the postseason before then come back and pitched extremely well. … To say we need (Santana) to be successful, that’s hard for me to say.”

In a sense, Joe Torre has followed in the path of the baseball team that preceded him from the borough of Brooklyn 50 years ago, departing New York City to land in Los Angeles with the Dodgers.

But while the pinstripes have been packed away, Torre's contributions to spur on his Yankees in 2007 have not been forgotten. Torre has been selected as the Manager of the Year in MLB.com's annual This Year In Baseball Awards.

Zach McAllister, RHSP - In what kind of organization is this guy the 14th best pitching prospect? A stacked one.

Carl Pavano is still mulling a Yankees proposal to release him and then re-sign him to a minor league contract. He said Monday he is not close to a decision.

"I'd be giving up a lot of options if I signed a minor league deal," Pavano said.

Meanwhile, the Twins' talks with the Yankees remained dormant. According to a person close to the talks, Yankees lefthander Kei Igawa was one of several players the sides discussed last week, along with righthander Phil Hughes and center fielder Melky Cabrera.

Igawa has four years and $16 million remaining on his contract, and though he struggled last year, some scouts say they think he could benefit from a change of scenery.

Tim Naehring, former player development director for the Reds, has been hired as a major league scout by the New York Yankees. ...

Naehring ran the Reds' player development department under Jim Bowden and then Dan O'Brien. He was moved to minor league field coordinator under general manager Wayne Krivsky.

Alan Nero, Fukumori's agent, told Newsday he met with Yankees assistant general manager Jean Afterman on Wednesday. Nero said about 10 teams have expressed interest in the righthander. The Padres and Rays are among the reported suitors. ...

Fukumori, 33, served most recently as a closer for the Rakuten Golden Eagles. He went 4-2 with a 4.75 ERA in 34 appearances, striking out 33 and walking 17 in 36 innings, before going down with an elbow injury. He underwent season-ending surgery in July to remove bone chips from his elbow.

"He's going to look and see what's out there," said Phillips' agent, Rex Gary. "He proved that he is a Major League player and would have been the Yankees' first baseman all throughout the season had he not gotten hurt. If he's not going to get that opportunity with the Yankees, he'd like to get that opportunity elsewhere."

The Giants need offense and may have pitching to spare. Potential matches for Matsui in a trade would be lefthanders Noah Lowry and Jonathan Sanchez. Lowry, 27, went 14-8 with a 3.92 ERA this season. In his career, he's 40-31 with a 4.03 ERA. Sanchez, a 25-year-old reliever, was 1-5, 5.88 in 33 games.

A source familiar with the early discussions said Matsui and a prospect might be enough to net Lowry or Sanchez. Giants righthander Tim Lincecum is considered untouchable.

While Andy Pettitte's contract will be for one year and $16 million, he has told people he intends to pitch for the Yankees in 2009 as well.

"If I come back for one year, I'm coming back for two," Pettitte told one friend, who asked not to be named because Pettitte did not authorize him to be a spokesman. "I'm opening up the new stadium."

With a need for space on the 40-man roster, the Yankees are about to approach "American Idle" Carl Pavano. Their plan is to release him then invite him to spring training on a minor-league deal. Pavano had Tommy John surgery last summer. The minor-league offer may have something to do with collecting insurance money on Pavano's four-year, $40 million contract that expires after the 2008 season.

The Giants asked about Hideki Matsui and are talking to the Blue Jays about Alex Rios for pitchers Matt Cain or Tim Lincecum. Matsui has a full no-trade clause.

Girardi said that the Yankees are considering inviting Ron Guidry to Tampa, Fla., as a guest instructor this spring, but those arrangements have not been finalized. Guidry served two years as Joe Torre's pitching coach but was not invited back for 2008 as the club selected Dave Eiland, who held the same position at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

On another front, the Pirates and New York Yankees are discussing a trade involving Damaso Marte. Another left-handed reliever, John Grabow, has come up in talks, too, but the focus is thought to be on Marte. The Pirates and Yankees had not made contact regarding relievers until last night.

Bad as it was to be sacrificing Hughes, Cashman told the Yankee high command, look at what the payroll was going to be now if they added $20 million-$21 million for Santana on top of the $16 million they just tacked on with Pettitte. At that point, there was considerable internal debate as to whether to proceed with Santana even after the Twins had backed off from Kennedy and picked Marquez, who is regarded as a second-tier pitching prospect, and Hilligoss, a Wade Boggs-type singles-hitting third baseman who did have a 35-game hitting streak last season and led the South Atlantic League in hits.

In the end, Cashman prevailed, convincing Hank and Hal Steinbrenner of something he could never have done with their dad - that trading for Johan Santana was simply too expensive for the New York Yankees. Left unsaid was why the Yankee payroll is once again out of hand. For starters, there's the $10 million that is being frittered away on Carl Pavano next season and another $4 million for Kei Igawa that is separate from his $26 million posting fee. And had Cashman not chosen to let Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera play out the season before dealing with them as free agents, he would have saved at least a year and a couple of million apiece on their contracts.

As for Haren, a 27-year-old righthander who was 15-9 with a 3.07 ERA this season, Steinbrenner stomped on the idea of the Yankees acquiring him. Oakland general manager Billy Beane has told teams he would need to be blown away to deal Haren. He would want a similar haul from the Yankees as the Twins asked for in exchange for Santana.

Steinbrenner called that price "ridiculous" and vowed: "It won't happen, not with us."

It’s been tough trying to follow any of this the past week. One minute it’s a for sure thing, the next it’s not. I want to stay in NY and its good to know I have the backing of the fan base.

Among those [Astros] who called Pettitte in recruiting efforts: New manager Cecil Cooper, ace Roy Oswalt, slugger Lance Berkman and veteran starting pitcher Woody Williams, who has a longstanding relationship with Pettitte and Roger Clemens.

Pettitte had to be somewhat tempted. But one underreported aspect of Pettitte's and Clemens' time in Houston was their frustration with the Astros' team culture _ that, unlike the Yankees, the Astros, in the two pitchers' minds, weren't 100 percent committed to winning.

A source indicated that Chien-Ming Wang's agent, Alan Nero, was interested in talking to the Yankees about a long-term contract. However, the Yankees told Nero to make them an opening offer. That was the end of any discussions.

New Yankees manager Joe Girardi wants to rest all of his regulars once a week, which would be very smart. Is it realistic? We'll see. But that's why the Yankees are trying to bring back Nick Green on a minor-league contract. Green offers versatility _ he can play pretty much anywhere in the infield or outfield _ and he is well liked. During his Yankees stay in 2006, he lived with Alex Rodriguez in New York for a while, at A-Rod's invitation.

"I really believe now, especially after playing with the Astros and pitching with my elbow the way it was when I needed the surgery, I realize now I could go out and probably pitch until I'm 45 years old, because I was throwing 82-83 miles an hour and still being able to compete -- maybe because I'm left-handed or whatever," Pettitte told KRIV-TV on Tuesday in Houston.

"For me, the thing of me not being able to go out there and get any guys out, I think that's so far down the road probably that's never going to play into my decision." ...

"One of the main things this was such a tough decision for me, one year could lead to another maybe," Pettitte said. "For the main reason, if I'm healthy and if my family wanted to support it again, we would consider it, but also the Yankees are going to have a new stadium. I know down the road when we get through this season that will be in the back of my head also. That would be awfully nice to play in that new stadium.

"[Hank Steinbrenner] closed the door on the Santana thing," a high-ranking Yankees official told the newspaper. "The Santana thing's over."

Albaladejo throws in the mid-90s and appears to have tremendous control, having walked just 1.73 men per nine innings in his minor league career and just two men in his 14 1/3 major league frames. His strike out rate isn't quite as impressive, but in combination with the walks it yields a 4.27 K/BB over more than 500 minor league innings, which is remarkable. Albaladejo has also allowed less than a hit an inning in his pro career and doesn't seem to have much of an issue with home runs either (though he was somewhat protected by RFK Stadium last year).

The Yankees' "by Monday night" deadline came and went. And Johan Santana was still a Twin when Tuesday arrived at the winter meetings. But even though the Yankees and Twins were still talking about different combinations as the night grew later and later, there was no indication that they were any closer to a deal for Santana than they were four days ago. In fact, if anything, the momentum seemed to be in the opposite direction. Officials from other clubs said several of the Yankees' baseball personnel at the meetings had begun openly questioning whether they even wanted to make this trade if the Twins said yes. "The more this goes on," said one AL executive, "the less they want to do it."

Santana, who has a full-no trade clause and intends to wield it to land a six-year contract extension from any team striking a deal for him, told the Twins that he would veto a trade to any team except the Yankees or Red Sox. He also warned them that he would not accept a deal in-season, forcing the Twins to move him this week or lose him to free agency after the 2008 season, when his current contract expires.

For the Yankees, the coming spring will signify a new hope and wash away the unfulfilling memories that linger from last October. For Virginia Tech, the spring will mean something entirely different.
The victims of last April's Virginia Tech tragedy won't have the luxury of washing away memories, wiping slates clean or enjoying any other mental comfort that baseball teams find every spring. Their hurt can't be reversed. ...

The Yankees will play a Spring Training game against the Virginia Tech baseball team, traveling to Blacksburg, Va., to honor the university -- less than a month before the first anniversary of the deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history.

Former commissioner Bowie Kuhn was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the revamped Veterans Committee on Monday while his longtime adversary, players' union boss Marvin Miller, was left out for the second time this year.

Former Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley, managers Dick Williams and Billy Southworth and ex-Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss also were elected.

"I had a lot of good teachers whether they know it or not," Hank says now. "All those dinners on the road with Clyde and Woody and Lou - I learned a lot."

"What was the most important thing you learned?" I asked him.

"The mistake of trading young pitching," he answered quickly. "It killed me seeing all those young pitchers we traded back then - (Scott) McGregor, (Jose) Rijo, (Doug) Drabek - who went on to have great careers because we just didn't have the patience. If there's one thing that's going to be different between me and my dad it's patience."

"Maybe," I said, "but it sounds like you're about to do the same thing - trading young pitchers - for (Johan) Santana."

"There's a big difference," Hank countered. "Santana's only 28 and just coming into his prime. I remember consoling Woody when my dad insisted we trade Drabek for (Rick) Rhoden. Rhoden was 32 or 33, but back then that's the way we did things.