Torre Will Return

UPDATE 3:55 pm

Torre will receive a one-year contract with a club option for a second year. It is being reported that he will also take a pay cut from the $7 million annual salary of year's past.

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Updating the last post, Joe Torre arrived in Tampa and entered Legends Field in what is expected to be a meeting discussing a contract extension. The conversation will likely revolve around the length of the deal, either one or two years.

Torre just landed here, in what could be the surest sign that a new deal with the Yankees brass is imminent.

Torre, wearing a dress shirt with sleeves rolled up, departed from Westchester this morning and landed here in a private jet at the Hawker Beechcraft Services airport at 1:26 p.m. He was accompanied by GM Brian Cashman and Yankees COO Lonn Trost.

As WFAN opined, another topic the Yankees could discuss pertains to the 2008 assistant coaching staff, particularly Ron Guidry as pitching coach.

In conjunction with a Torre return, George S. Steinbrenner III will officially recede into the shadows, abdicating his throne in Yankeeland and signaling the forward march of his sons.

What A Circus

In the photo above, Yankees beat reporters dubiously wait outside of Legends Field. Unbeknownst to the New York inkblotches, the (second) meeting took place at George Steinbrenner's Tampa residence, forcing sportswriters to join in on the Yankees rendition of the Keystone Cops.

Hal and Hank Steinbrenner were in attendence. As were son-in-law Felix Lopez, scout extroidinaire Stick Michael, GM Brian Cashman and obviously The Boss himself.

Once the afternoon worked its way near the early bird special, the meeting adjourned. Was the status of 12-year manager Joe Torre decided? Nope. Had a replacement skipper found his way to the forefront? Of course not. In fact, the conclusion to the meeting had Steinbrenner's mouthpiece, Howard Rubenstein, inform the media that they had no new information.

In the meantime, Torre can look forward to Day 9 of twisting in the wind. The Geneva Convention was brief compared to this trumped up version of baseball egomania. From denied comments stemming from Don Mattingly's "close friend" to the availability of Leo Mazzone. From the impending free agency of Posada, Rivera, Rodriguez and Pettitte, to what capacity Joba Chamberlain pitches, the 2008 offseason promises to be active.

From these actions, the next decade of New York Yankees successes or failures may well commence. Unfortunately for Randy Levine and his collection of nitwits, the first steps toward the future appear rickety, blind and in all honesty, clueless.