One day after Mel Stottlemyre announced that he would not return for an 11th season as the Yankees' pitching coach, owner George Steinbrenner issued a statement through the club addressing Stottlemyre's departure.

"Mel Stottlemyre will always be a Yankee," Steinbrenner said. "When I purchased the ballclub more than 30 years ago, he was one of the team's true stars and leaders, and during his 10 seasons as pitching coach, we won six American League pennants and four world championships.

"While it is no secret that I can be a very difficult boss, Mel has always conducted himself as a professional and a gentleman," the owner added. "I wish he and [his wife], Jean, much success and happiness in the future." ...

"Mel was wonderful for our pitching staff," said Tom Gordon. "He worked very well with the veterans as well as the young guys, which was really big for us, especially with what we went through early. We could have been down in the dumps, but we could count on Mel and [manager] Joe [Torre] to keep us together. Things worked out well."