Sunday, October 7, 2007

George Speaks

Bergen Record columnist Ian O'Connor broke the big story this morning, after speaking to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner last night.

Apparently, The Boss was in good spirits and as sharp as ever, stating that 1)a loss today would mean the firing of Joe Torre, and 2)Alex Rodriguez will be a top priority regardless of his performance the remainder of this series.
"His job is on the line," the Yankees' owner said in a phone interview. "I think we're paying him a lot of money. He's the highest-paid manager in baseball, so I don't think we'd take him back if we don't win this series."

"I think we'll re-sign him," Steinbrenner said of Rodriguez. "I think he's going to have a good run the rest of the [postseason]. I think he realizes New York is the place to be, the place to play. A lot of this [postseason] is laying on his shoulders, you know, but I think he's up to it."

"I have full control," Steinbrenner said. The owner maintained that rumors of his declining health were false.
The portfolio.com story which painted Steinbrenner as a man deep in the throes of dementia may be as inaccurate as Yankees management stated it was. Should Torre fail to move his team into the ALCS, he will most likely face retirement. Whether A-Rod goes 11-for-15 during a three game winning streak, or goes 0-for-5 tonight amidst a LDS sweep, the Yankees want him back for a long, long time.

Big Stein put his cards on the table. If the core of the most recent Yankees dynasty want to secure their beloved manager's future, they'll have to be playing Boston next week.

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