Monday Monday (la la la la la la) …. here’s the press:

• Over at WasWatching.com, the Yankees’ “Top 10 Prospects” are listed, as per Baseball America.  OF Austin Jackson heads the list.
• PeteAbe at LoHud.com notes that Andy Pettitte filed for free agency, but only wants to play for the Bombers for a one-year deal.  Abraham suggests $12-13 million should do the job.
• Mike Lupica of the News joins the list of columnists piling on Mayor Bloomberg for the funding of new stadiums for the Mets and Yankees given the City’s budget cuts.
• John Perrotto of BP.com makes some educated guesses at where the premier free agents will land.  He expects the Yanks to land Sabathia (its all about the Benjamins, at the end of the day).  Also, Derek Lowe will be wearing pinstripes in 2009.  He sees Abreu re-signing, but not for the three years he was seeking.
• Happy 30th birthday to Jorge DePaula.  Happy 44th to “The Gambler”, Kenny Rogers.  Jack Clark turns 53.
• On this date in 1978, the Bombers traded Sparky Lyle and four other players to the Rangers, getting back top pitching prospect Dave Righetti and four others.
• On this date 80 years ago, Knute Rockne delivered his famous “win one for the Gipper” halftime speech to the Notre Dame team during a game at Yankee Stadium.

It’s a tough job. Not many people want it and even fewer can do it. Maybe that’s why everyone is always looking for the next great leader.

I’ve listened to a lot of talk about past leaders and present leaders and future leaders and I keep coming back to the way Charlie Manuel led the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series title.

Manuel gave everyone a good look at what it means to be leader during the National League Championship Series when he told reporters:

“If I had never gone and played baseball in Japan (where he hit 48 homers for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in 1980), I don’t think I would have been a coach or manager. What I learned was there’s a lot of different people in the world, and there’s more people in the world than Charlie Manuel. And I mean that I learned to respect things more. I learned to care about more things.”

That helped mold Manuel into the best kind of leader: One who understands that everyone is different, but we are all the same.

It’s a simple lesson with a confusing past and an uncertain future. Figuring it out helped make Manuel a better person, a great leader and eventually a champion.

Before you settle in front of the tube for an afternoon of football, here’s what is going on:

• PeteAbe from LoHud gives us audio clips from various Yankees and general gossip while at the Joe Torre event Friday night.
• Over at Newsday, Ken Davidoff compares the organization-building philosophies of the Yanks and BoSox.  Here’s an interesting quote from Theo Epstein on the philosophy they employ:

“I think the goal is always to build a healthy organization. We try to keep that in the front of our mind,” Epstein said this past week at the general managers’ meetings in Dana Point, Calif. “If we ever get too focused on having to fill this hole, or having to get better in this area, we take a step back and say, ‘Does this make sense for what we’re trying to do over five to 10 years?’

• The Post’s Kevin Kernan has a nice piece on star pitching prospect Dellin Betances, who conceivably could be with the big club in 2010.
• ESPN reports that Willie Randolph was named to be bench coach of the Milwaukee Brewers.  Good luck Willie!
• From the “Does the construction union know about this?” department, “with the help of a few legendary players and Bronx teenagers, the New York Yankees carried pailfuls of dirt taken from home plate and the pitchers’ mound at their old home to a new one Saturday.” (Source: Canadian Press).  Here’s MLB.com’s coverage of the “event”, including video.
• Today’s birthdays: The only player in ML history whose last name begins with Mm, Kevin Mmahat, turns 44.  Kevin’s “career” consisted of 4 games in 1989, giving up 13 hits and 8 walks in 7.7 innings.  Dion James is 46.
• On this date in 1953, the United States Supreme Court rules 7-2 that baseball is a sport and not a business and therefore not subject to antitrust laws. The ruling is made in a case involving Yankees minor leaguer George Toolson, who refused to move from Triple-A to Double-A.
• On this date in 1998, Catfish Hunter announces that he is suffering from Lou Gehrig disease.  Hunter will succumb to the disease less than a year later.

It’s about time.

While scoping the coverage of this week’s GM meetings and perusing the papers, blogs, TV, etc., a shift occurred in the news flow, particularly with the timing of how and when stories broke. Understanding the sensitivity here between sports and politics, it should be noted that the major professional sporting leagues and the media coverage of them are one of the last true bastions of traditional conservatism.

(For an example of this, check out this link recapping Thursday night’s Broncos-Browns game, and Brandon Marshall’s thwarted touchdown celebration. Dave Zirin’s analysis at The Nation can be found here. Mike Shanahan’s sound bite is especially telling.)

It’s big businesses assessing a big business; rarely in the mainstream will you find writers like Zirin or Will Leitch of Deadspin openly challenging the establishment. Nor would you look to the supposed leaders in coverage — the mainstream newspapers — aiming to break new ground in reporting, scooping, or information presentation to their reader base.

This week, there was a noticeable change, and it occurred for a number of reasons:

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I’m going to be one of the guests on the Baseball Digest Daily Live podcast today at noon, which you can listen to live. I’ll be talking Yankee hot stove, of course, and will be preceded by BDD’s Rob McQuown, who will be talking Jake Peavy, and followed by Baseball Prospectus’s Christina Kahrl, who will discuss the Mike Jacobs trade. Check it out.

Update: The online player here doesn’t seem to work for me, but if you go here you can download an MP3 of today’s show. I come in at the 21:21 mark, and do stay tuned for Christina, who follows, as she’s always interesting.

BEFORE YOU READ THIS POST: Some will probably be wondering why I’m still writing about the election. It’s a fair question so I’ll give you the numbers up front: Barack Obama received 88.2 percent of the presidential vote in the Bronx. Derek Jeter would have received 100 percent if he was on the ballot. You can finish the math after the story.

A young girl leaned comfortably against her mother on the 2 train this morning. They shared a newspaper and kept smiling at each other.

“It’s good news,” the mother said. “All the news is going to be good from now on.”

Fingers were crossed behind her back because the mother knows that the news is never all good. But nothing was going to ruin this – the first Saturday morning after Barack Obama won the country and inspired world – for her daughter.

“She’s always been more into Derek Jeter,” the mother said. “She watches all the games with her father, but she started following the presidential race with me after the baseball season ended.”

“I love Derek the most,” the little girl said, “but I like Obama a lot.”

The mother beamed.

“She even helped me vote. We pulled the lever together didn’t we, honey?”

“Yeah,” the little girl answered. “We did it together because I’m too young to vote.”

She’ll still be too young in four years, but the quality of the rest of her life depends on Obama’s ability to deliver.

“He’s going to make everything better for all of us,” the little girl said. “It’s like when Derek comes up and you just know he’s going to get a big hit.”

That kind of hope can lead to just about anything.

The GM meetings are over …. so let’s kick back and catch up on the news:

• Newsday reports that the City Comptroller William Thompson found that the Yanks had underpaid the city by $11 million over a three-year period. The team is supposed to pay the city a percentage of all revenue from tickets, parking and cable television.  The team is in the midst of paying it back.
• In the “we’ll pay you to take this off our hands” department, Peter Abraham reports that no one has contacted Brian Cashman regarding the readily-available Kei Igawa.
• The Times Jim Dwyer takes Mayor Bloomberg to task for assisting the Yankees in the funding for the new Stadium, while slashing the City budget.
• Abraham also has some fun facts gleaned from his attendance at the Joe Torre Safe at Home charity event Friday night:

1. Girardi revealed that Mussina told him after the season that he planned to retire. He has not heard from Moose since.
2. Pettitte, contrary to some reports, wants only a one-year deal and only to play for the Yankees.
3. Posada and Rivera said their respective shoulder rehabs are going well and both expect to be ready for spring training.  Posada said he is a catcher and has no interest in playing first base.
4. Don Mattingly said he wants to manage.

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Although his name can be found right below that of the already-legendary Alex Rodriguez in reference books like Total Baseball, he has been mostly forgotten since his playing days ended in 1983. That’s more than a bit sad, partly because the original “A-Rod” left such a distinct impression on me—first as an opposing player and then during a late-career turn with the Yankees.

Aurelio Rodriguez couldn’t hit like today’s more well-known “A-Rod,” but he was one of the most graceful defensive third basemen of the 1970s. Rodriguez had the range of a shortstop and the throwing arm of a right fielder; along with his smooth hands, those skills combined to form a delightful package at the hot corner. In fact, I’ve never seen an infielder with a stronger arm than Aurelio. (A list of such arms would have to include recent infielders like Shawon Dunston and Travis Fryman or current-day players like Rafael Furcal and Troy Tulowitzki. All terrific arms, but all a notch below that of Rodriguez. ) That cannon-like right arm, which Ernie Harwell often described as a “howitzer,” made him a treat to watch during his many stops with the White Sox, Orioles, Yankees, Padres, Tigers, Washington Senators, and Angels.

A product of Cananea, Mexico, Rodriguez struggled with English during his early major league career with the Angels. As Rodriguez once said without bitterness, he knew only three words of English during his first ten days with California. “Ham and eggs” became a frequent refrain, resulting in a less-than-balanced diet for the young Rodriguez.

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Prior to my postmortem this morning, I’ve been relatively quiet this week. The main reason for that is that all of my attempts to write about baseball have come out looking something like this.

Still, baseball is never far from my mind, and that was all the more true this week as the election results proved something I’ve known for a long time: Nate Silver knows a thing or two about statistics and projections. By using the sort of corrections and adjustments Baseball Prospectus has long used to normalize baseball stats, Nate normalized the polls and predicted Obama’s popular vote win down to within a tenth of a percentage point based on the votes counted thus far. As for the electoral college, out of the 50 states, the only one he projected incorrectly was Indiana, which he had as a slim red state and wound up just going blue by less than a percentage point, backing the Democratic candidate for the first time since 1964. It seems he also will have missed the one electoral vote for the Omaha area of Nebraska, but that vote was so close, it still hasn’t been called one way or the other. Still, that’s all he missed.

If you need further proof that the BP statisticians know what they’re doing, check out my last post and note how VORP, SNLVAR, and WXLR explain the difference between the 2007 and 2008 Yankees down to the win. Some who know that I’ve edited and contributed to several Baseball Prospectus books might accuse me of being a shill for the group, but those who know me well know I wouldn’t have participated in those projects if I didn’t believe in the quality of the work they do. I just hope they’re smart enough to cash in on Nate’s newfound fame.

We made it to Friday!  Here’s the latest:

• The Boston Globe’s Tony Massarotti handicaps the race for Manny Ramirez in a blog piece.  He lists the Mets, Phillies and Dodgers as favorites, with the Yanks, Angels and Giants (!?) in the next tier.
• Peter Abraham at the LoHud blog reports that the Yanks have been eliminated from the Peavy sweepstakes.  Its down to three NL teams: the Braves, Cubs and either the Cards or Astros.  He also clues us in on a potential cross-town battle for Derek Lowe.
• Joel Sherman and George King of the Post report that a Mike Cameron for Cabrera and pitching swap might be in the works with the Brewers.  Also, Wilson Betemit may also be on the move.
• At Newsday, Ken Davidoff reports that the Yanks declined their option on Damaso Marte.  He also chimes in on the possible Cameron deal, stating that Ian Kennedy would probably not be included in any package.  An update: No deal will get done until the Brewers know for sure whether Sabathia is staying (he and Cameron are buddies, and the Brew Crew don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the chances of re-signing C.C.)
• Over at ESPN.com, Brian Cashman keeps an open mind on the future of Phil Hughes, “”He’s a significant piece for us as we move forward.  But that doesn’t mean he can’t be traded, either. He continues to be a guy that gets asked about quite often, so he must being doing something right despite the ’08 season.”  Cashman also seems happy to hear that Andy Pettitte would like to return next year.
• Congrats to Mike Mussina on winning his 7th Gold Glove award.  He was the only Yankee so recognized.
• Happy 40th birthday to a guy who made his ML debut with the Yanks at age 23, pitched 14 games for them in 1992, and has since pitched for 7 other teams, Russ Springer. The big 7-0 to a Yankee broadcasting favorite, Jim Kaat.  Also, a happy 70th to the man that preceeded Munson behind the plate, Jake Gibbs.
• On this date in 1963, Elston Howard becomes the first African-American to win the A.L. MVP Award.
• On this date in 1978, Jim Rice edges out Ron Guidry for the A.L. MVP.  Rice led the AL in homers (46), RBI (139), hits (213) and SLG (.600), and became the first AL player to accumulate 400 total bases since DiMaggio in 1937, while Guidry posted a 25-3 record with 248 Ks and a 1.74 ERA.
• On this date in 1997, the bombers trade Kenny Rogers to the A’s for a PTBNL, which turns out to be Scott Brosius.

“What went wrong?” seems like a natural question given the fact that the Yankees’ 13-year streak of playoff appearances came to an end this season, but before we begin to sus out the answer to that inquiry, it’s worth asking, “How wrong did things go?” The answer might surprise those Yankee fans who had become spoiled by a playoff streak that was nearly as old as this fall’s high school freshmen.

To begin with, the Yankees had the fourth best record in the American League this year. Their 89-73 mark was a half-game better than that of the AL Central champion White Sox, who needed a tie-breaking 163rd game to pick up their 89th win. Over in the NL, just three teams won more than the Yankees’ 89 games. Joe Torre’s Dodgers, who took their skipper past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004, won just 84 games while playing in a division in which the other four teams had a combined .449 winning percentage. By comparison, the four non-Yankee teams in the AL East had a combined .535 winning percentage. Here are the aggregate winning percentages of each of baseball’s six divisions:

.535 AL East*
.515 NL Central
.501 AL Central
.490 NL East
.487 AL West
.463 NL West

*not including the Yankees’ .549

Playing in a division in which just one team had a winning percentage below .531, the Yankees had the toughest row to hoe in all of baseball in 2008. Even so, they performed at a 90-win pace against their own division—40-32 (.555)—splitting their season series against the Red Sox and Blue Jays and going 11-7 against both the Orioles and the pennant-winning Tampa Bay Rays. The Yanks were even better in interleague play (.556), and against the AL West (.563) despite once again struggling against the Angels, and stayed above .500 against the AL Central (.525). They had just two losing months all year, combining to be just three games below .500 in April and August, and played .582 ball after the All-Star break (a 94-win pace over a full season).

In fact, for all of the injuries and disappointing performances from young players that they endured this year, the Yankees won just five fewer games than in 2007 and actually won two more games than the 2000 Yankees, the last Bomber squad to win the World Series. Then again, that 2000 team was the only Torre-era Yankee team to win fewer than 92 games, and with the Rays having finally arrived atop the AL East, even 92 wins is unlikely to return the Yankees to the playoffs any time soon. Still, when asking what went wrong, it’s worth noting that, while the 2008 Yankees failed to live up to the standards of the franchise’s 13-year playoff streak, they didn’t miss by that much.

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The old barbershop just off West Broadway can be a tough place to play. It’s cramped and cluttered and the ceiling hangs low. The men with razors use that to their advantage and they are always tough to beat.

Alexi – the toughest of the five-man crew – pointed me to his chair.

“What are the Yankees gonna do?” he asked before I even sat down. “Can they get Sabathia? And how about Burnett?”

Alexi fired up his razor and kept going:

“Will they go after Teixeira? Should they trade Cano? And what are they gonna do in centerfield?”

“Do I look like Brian Cashman?” I asked.

“Nope, you’re too ugly,” Alexi said.

“Agreed,” I said. “Next question.”

“Okay,” Alexi said. “Who’s gonna win the fight on Saturday?”

“Roy Jones,” I said.

“Joe Calzaghe can handle him,” Alexi said. “Jones is finished.”

I shook my head and said:

“Everyone thought Bernard Hopkins was finished and he beat Kelly Pavlik. They all thought Mike Mussina was finished and he won 20 games.

“That’s the only tip I’ve got for you,” I continued. “Don’t be so quick to write these guys off. They are world-class athletes who are capable of things that people like us can’t even imagine. And you’ll be glad that the Yankees didn’t trade Cano when his big, left-handed bat is parked in the middle of the order next year.”

Alexi nodded and then asked:

“What do you call a barber who can’t hit a curveball?”

I shrugged.

“A beautician,” Alexi said with a laugh.

“Okay, you win,” I admitted.

“I’m unbeatable,” Alexi roared.

Let’s get right to it …

• Don’t rush out to get your Jake Peavy Yankee t-shirt just yet.  Following up on a story yesterday, the Times Michael Schmidt notes that Peavy would “consider” a trade to the Bombers, but not necessarily approve of one.  Schmidt also passes along a somewhat amusing quote from Peavy’s agent.

“Jake grew up dreaming of playing in pinstripes, but he has a strong preference to stay in the National League,” Axelrod said. “He’s a good hitter -– he was the most potent part of the Padres’ offense at times this year -– and he knows the hitters in the National League.”

• More Peavy news:  Mark Feinsand of the News reports a source stating that the Yanks could put together a package built around Phil Hughes and Austin Jackson, although they would likely have to include two or three more players, one of which could be Ian Kennedy. The Padres, according to the source, have no interest in Cano.
• A three-way Holliday?  Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports quotes a source noting a potential three-way deal that would send Matsui to the Mariners for a pitching prospect, perhaps Ryan Rowland-Smith. The Yankees would package the prospect with Cano and another young player to the Rockies for Holliday.
• Four 2008 Bombers filed for free agency on Wednesday, reports MLB.com.  Pavano, Giambi, Marte and Mussina put their paperwork in.
• Joel Sherman of the Post reports that the Yankees have just about finalized their coaching staff for ’09, with Tony Pena shifting from first base to the bench, Rob Thomson moving from the bench to third base and Mick Kelleher being named the first base coach.
• In a separate blog entry, Sherman writes that any Bomber pursuit of Matt Holliday will probably include (but not be centered around) Ian Kennedy.  Also, he suggests the Yanks might find something to like (OBP, switch-hitting, 1B-capable) in the possibly-available Nick Swisher.
• DE-FENSE! That’s what Brian Cashman wants to improve in 2009, says Newsday’s Ken Davidoff.
• Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald suggests that the Marlins might be interested in reacquainting themselves with Carl Pavano.
• Happy 37th birthday to another player that suited up for both NY teams, Bubba Trammell.  Happy 40th to the hero of Game 3 of the 1999 World Series, Chad Curtis.  Happy 55th to the “Candy Man”, John Candelaria.

Alan Schwarz of the Times has a nice piece on the friendship between White Sox GM Kenny Williams and now President-elect Barack Obama:

“All 30 general managers at baseball’s annual executive meetings here at a Southern California resort spent Tuesday distracted by more than arbitration seminars and beckoning golf holes. Like many other citizens, they sat around televisions expecting to watch the national election returns deep into the night.

But Williams, general manager of the Chicago White Sox, followed the coverage with a keener sense of anticipation than any of his contemporaries. Not only is he one of just two African-American general managers — the Los Angeles Angels’ Tony Reagins is the other — but as a fellow prominent member of Chicago’s black community he has known Barack Obama for almost 10 years, and considers him a friend.

They have hung out at mutual friends’ barbecues, shot hoops at a local health club as recently as this summer, and — with Williams intrigued by public-policy issues and Obama a longtime White Sox fan — discussed each other’s jobs far more than their own.

“I’m interested in all these questions of foreign policy and national security,” Williams said. “In between his games, shooting a couple of baskets, he asks me, ‘What about your pitching?’ I said, ‘Excuse me, you worry about national security, I’ll worry about the pitching.’ ”

Congrats to President-elect Obama…here now the news:

• Bryan Hoch at MLB.com reports that Robinson Cano “could help anchor a trade package for Peavy if San Diego is willing to take on his deal, which has three years and $27 million remaining, plus two club option years.”   Another interesting quote from the article, “Cashman also told reporters that the Yankees have had interest from other clubs in outfielders Melky Cabrera, Brett Gardner and Austin Jackson.”
• Ken Davidoff of Newsday.com informs us that the Yankees had their first meeting with C.C. Sabathia’s representatives Monday at the GM meetings.  Nothing too substantive …. just preliminary.
• DailyNews.com’s Mark Feinsand has Brian Cashman stating that he is counting only on Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain as starters next season at this point in time.  He’s not sure if the Yankees will bring Andy Pettitte back, though Pettitte wants to come back.  The biggest shock?  Cashman hasn’t shut the door totally on Carl Pavano returning.
• Jon Heyman at SI.com chimes in from the GM meetings in California with some tender morsels. The Bombers are exploring a possible bid for 2B Orlando Hudson, with the thought that he might displace Cano, or may even be capable of playing CF.  They may have interest in the Dodgers’ Matt Kemp or the Royals’ David DeJesus, but no teams appear anxious to trade a young center fielder.  As expected, they announced they were declining options on the contracts of Jason Giambi and Carl Pavano.
• Over at Newsday.com, Wallace Matthews makes the case for keeping Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen in 2009, reminding us of the recent domination shown by the Phillies bullpen in its ability to “shorten” games.
• Is Jason Giambi returning to the A’s?  Well, MLB.com notes that the A’s have re-hired Bob Alejo, who has ties to Giambi, as their strength and conditioning coach.  When Giambi signed with the Yankees after the ’01 season, he hired Alejo away from Oakland to serve as his personal trainer.
• NY Times blogger Michael Schmidt notes that Yankee hitting coach Kevin Long plans to travel to the Dominican Republic this winter to work with Robinson Cano.  Cano plans to play one month for a team in the Dominican Winter League as a designated hitter.
• At BP.com, they’ve started giving out their annual Internet Baseball Awards, as voted on by BP readers.  Dustin Pedroia took AL MVP honors (A-Rod finished 4th).  Cliff Lee took the Cy Young (Rivera finished 6th, Mussina 8th).  Evan Longoria ran away with the AL ROTY award (Joba finished 4th).  Joe Maddon won AL Manager of the Year (Girardi finished 9th).
• At AssociatedPress.com, Scott Boras is quoted as stating that his relationship with A-Rod has been repaired.
• Happy 35th to Johnny “not Matt” Damon.
• On this date in 1996, Derek Jeter is named the unanimous winner of the A.L. Rookie of the Year award. He becomes the eighth Yankees player to win the award and the fifth unanimous choice in AL history.

If you want to ruin a party, just bring up religion or politics. This isn’t a political blog, but I had to at least acknowledge the day.

Vote for your White House All-Star Team today … then read this:

• ESPN.COM’s Jerry Crasnick notes that a group of 15 GMs, assistant GMs and baseball operations people and scouts were surveyed by ESPN, and 12 believe Sabathia will end up signing with the Yankees.  On a separate issue, one out of the 15 believes the Yanks will sign Manny Ramirez.
• Jon Heyman of SI.COM has news that Jake Peavy has added the Yankees to the list of teams he would be willing to be traded to, but that NY is at the bottom of the list (along with the Angels, also a new addition).
• Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.COM makes an educated guess at where his top 50 free agents will land.  He sees the Bombers landing Sabathia and Lowe, with Pettitte re-signing and Mussina retiring.
• Times blogger Michael Schmidt chimes in from the GM meetings in California, having spotted Brian Cashman in a 30-minute conversation with the Reds Walt Jocketty.
• The Yankee beat reporter for MLB.COM (Bryan Hoch) answers readers’ questions.  Here’s some unconfirmed World Baseball Classic attendees: Damon said that he had already filed his paperwork to play again, while A-Rod and Jeter enjoyed their experiences in 2006 and said they’d play in the Classic again. Chamberlain, Abreu, Cano and I-Rod also showed interest.  As far as free agent compensation goes, Hoch mentions that Marte is a Type A free agent, so if the Yankees offered him arbitration, they would get two compensatory Draft picks if he signed elsewhere — same with Abreu. Pettitte and Mussina are also Type A players, but both say they’ll only pitch for the Yankees. Ivan Rodriguez is a Type B, which would entitle the Yanks to one Draft pick if he is offered arbitration.
• Tom Singer of MLB.COM examines the disappointing crop of free agent CFs, and has some interesting notes with regard to the Yankees’ supposed plans for the position.   “The Yankees reportedly have cooled on Melky Cabrera, and Johnny Damon is no longer an everyday option in center. Now that Cameron is off the table as a free agent, the Yankees may have to swing a trade to fill their need. One option might be Gary Matthews Jr., a high-priced No. 4 outfielder in Anaheim, or Cameron himself, should the Brewers be open to listening.”

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Joyce Kilmer Park in the Bronx doesn’t have a baseball field, but that didn’t stop the kids. They got a game going with four pieces of cardboard, a plastic jug, an old aluminum bat and a rubber ball.

Maria came out to enjoy the afternoon with her children – a seven-year-old girl and a nine-year-old boy – and they jumped right in the game.

Maria watched from a bench and waved when her daughter bounced a hit into centerfield.

“It’s a nice day for the kids,” she said. “They love to play out here.”

Maria kept talking about the baseball game and her daughter’s art project at school and her son’s basketball team. She even asked if CC Sabathia was really coming to the Yankees. It was easier than talking about what’s really on her mind these days.

“I’m scared,” she finally admitted. “People are losing their jobs everywhere and I’m afraid I’ll be next.”

She is most concerned about her full-time job as an office manager, but she’s also worried about her summer job at Yankee Stadium.

“I use the baseball money to payoff winter bills from Con Ed and Christmas for the kids and a lot of other stuff,” Maria explained. “The Yankees are doing something new with the concessions and I haven’t heard anything about my job. I’m behind the Union because they make sure we’re treated right, but I really need that job.”

Maria needs both of her jobs. She needs fair pay and health insurance. Her kids need all that, too.

“I don’t want any of this to hurt them,” Maria said. “They should just go to school and play ball and have fun.”

Maria is stuck worrying.

“I keep thinking about what I’ll do if I lose one of my jobs,” Maria said. “There’s no good answer so I try to put it out of my mind, but it won’t go away and that’s the worst part.”

Fear even ruins the good days.

You many not know who to vote for, but you KNOW you should read the latest news:

• John Perrotto of BP.COM has some analysis of the Yankees off-season needs, and thinks the pressing issue is starting pitching, particularly with Mike Mussina leaning toward retirement.  He notes there is some sentiment towards acquiring a center fielder, though many in the organization believe rookie Brett Gardner can ably fill that position. Ian Kennedy, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are listed as top trade bait.
• SI.COM’s Jon Heyman has some educated guesses regarding the landing spots for various free agents.  He thinks C.C. will end up with the Yanks (7 years, $160 million), as well as A.J. Burnett (5 years, $80 million).
• At FOXSports.COM, Joel Sherman noted this amazing comment by one agent, made without any hint of a joke …  “(he) would not be surprised if the Yanks signed CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez. Beyond having a conscious, there is no reason the Yanks cannot take their payroll to $250 million or more.”
• Over at the LoHud Yankees Blog, our buddy Peter Abraham thinks Pat Gillick might be useful in a consultant function for the Yankees.
• Ken Davidoff of Newsday suggests the Yanks hire Mick Kelleher for their coaching staff. Kelleher has “a long-standing relationship with Robinson Cano, and his easygoing demeanor would be a boon to a team that takes itself too seriously too often”.
• According to Boston.com, the Bombers have already tried to initiate trade talks with a few teams, such as Houston.  The Astros said that Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman were not available.
• Happy 36th birthday to one of 51 players to have pitched for both the Mets (333 games) and Yankees (9 games) … Armando Benitez.  The big 4-0 for a guy who gave up 172 hits in only 127.7 innings over two seasons with the Bombers, Paul Quantrill.  Happy 63rd to a pitcher acquired in a 9-player trade with the Orioles in 1976, Ken Holtzman.
• On this date in 1934, Lou Gehrig clinched the A.L. Triple Crown after hitting  .363 with 49 homers and 165 RBI.

The 2 train jerked away from the 72nd Street station and an empty soda bottle rolled along the car. Everyone lifted their feet and it missed a half-eaten hotdog, a wadded up newspaper, two coffee cups and all four center poles. It banged against the conductors door and sat there as the train rumbled down the Westside of Manhattan.

The train braked hard going into Times Square and the bottle rolled back. About halfway through the car a man dropped into perfect fielding position, scooped it up and made a phantom throw to first base.

“Nice play,” someone said. “You’re as smooth as Robinson Cano.”

“Thanks,” the man said. “I’m just warming up.”

“So when does the game start?” someone asked.

The man shook his head and said:

“Not for about five months.”