Tyler Kepner discusses more experts from
Alex Belth shares a portion on Roger Clemens and his preparation for the 2000 World Series. I would have been fine not knowing this. Neil Best relays a pair of stories about Bernie Williams, who the book "poke[s] gentle fun" at. Apparently, Bernie drove home without his kid one day and, after a World Series clincher, he left without his wife.

Both Graig Nettles and Larry Bowa have come out in defense of Torre, with Bowa also providing support for A-Rod.

At a charity event for his Turn 2 Foundation, Derek Jeter didn't have a comment. He feels that it is best to allow people to read it and then ask Torre about it. Jorge Posada, who also attended the event, had a similar response.

Finally, Alex Belth has an A-Rod centric look at the book. Worthwhile reading as I expect Alex's take to be fair and not sensationalized.

Via Steve and Alex.

Newsday's Wallace Matthews reports that, in response to the Joe Torre/Ken Rosenthal book, the Yankees are considering including confidentiality agreements in their contracts, to help ensure that former managers and players cannot write books that would portray the organization in a negative light. Apparently, they are calling it a "non-disparagement clause."

As Matthews notes, these sorts of clauses aren't terribly uncommon in business relationships, such as those that celebrities have with their staff or assistants or that companies have with a CEO. He also mentions that the Mets are believed to have included this sort of language in the contracts they held with former manager Willie Randolph and former pitching coach Rick Peterson.

There is no freedom of speech issue. Freedom of speech is tied to Congress. They can't create laws that limit your freedom of speech. But, private citizens and organizations, if they give you access to their home, to their clubhouse, to their company... they are welcome to require what they feel is appropriate. This isn't just tied to speech, either. Take, for example, the Yankees facial hair policy. (Which I am a fan of).

I don't know how I feel about this. I can understand it. But, I don't know if it's something they should do. As an aside, is there any way that these clauses could represent a competitive disadvantage for the Yankees? i.e. if you have an offer from the Yankees and an offer from another team you are interested in, and one team won't allow you to talk about negative experiences in the clubhouse - ever - and another will, would that impact your decision? I would have to think that the answer would be no, generally, that money would trump all. But, I don't think that would always be the case. People generally consider speech to be a little more important than facial hair.

Via Steve.

From Buster Olney:


Via Ben.

Jack Curry of the Times spoke with Joe Torre on - what else - "The Yankee Years".


Mike Mussina, who is quoted in the book, spoke to the Post. Basically, he stressed that A-Rod is a great player and a hard worker and though it is possible he was called "A-Fraud," it would have been done in jest.

Ron Blum of the AP shares excerpts relating to Kevin Brown, David Wells, Carl Pavano and Randy Johnson, while the Daily News has some excerpts where David Cone is quoted, talking about steroids in the Yankees clubhouse. In so many words, some players suspected that people working with Brian McNamee were not just taking multivitamins.

Commentary wise, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports and Joel Sherman of the Post both have an interesting perspective.

Honestly, I don't know how I feel about the book right now. I haven't read it, so that makes sense, but also, I'm just not sure how I feel about the general context. I like Joe Torre, he was a phenomenal manager who I feel that too many people and, especially, Yankees fans, do not have the proper appreciation for. That doesn't make him perfect.

Unfortunately, I think most feelings tied to the book will boil down to this: if don't like Torre, this will be a reason to dislike him more. If you like him, you'll sympathize with what he says. As usual, I think the truth lies somewhere between.

Maybe he felt he needed to get this off his chest and set the record straight, in his eyes. But, perhaps selfishly, a good part of me wishes this book hadn't been written, even though I haven't read it. Maybe that's unfair. But at the same time, that perspective is not always realistic. This sort of book, in baseball, is rare. A look behind the scenes, not from a reporter, but from a credible source who lived it. Whether or not that's a good thing is probably a matter of your perspective.

Via Bryan Hoch and Frank Della Femina.

With Andy Pettitte returning, someone needed to give up their spot on the 40 man roster. That someone is Chase Wright, reports MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Wright was designated for assignment yesterday, and other teams will now get a crack at claiming the lefty.

Chad Jennings highlights the fact that the Yankees opted to keep Dan Giese. He pitched well last season - maybe he'll factor into our bullpen plans this season, as a long reliever/spot starter.

With Andy Pettitte agreeing to a $5.5 million dollar base salary, with incentives that will raise the deal up to as much as $12 million, Peter Abraham details how, exactly, those incentives will work.

He receives $500,000 each time he hits the 150 innings, 160 innings and 170 innings marks. He receives $750,000 each time he reaches the 180, 190, 200 and 210 innings plateaus.

There are also bonuses tied to him simply being on the active 25 man roster. He'll get $100,000 for 120 days, $200,000 at 130 days, $250,000 each at 140 and 150 and $400,000 each at 160, 170 and 180.

Updating today's earlier story, from the AP:


Welcome back.

John Harper of the Daily News reports that our long national nightmare may finally come to an end. Andy Pettitte will "apparently" be coming to terms with the Yankees, according to a pair of baseball sources, on a deal that will have a base salary of somewhere between $5-6 million dollars with incentives that could take it up to $12 million. So, he turned down a flat $10 (or $10.5) million for $5-$6 guaranteed where he could earn as much as $12 million? Seems strange to me.

Via Andrew.

SI.com has an interview with Tom Verducci of, you wouldn't believe, Sports Illustrated. Verducci is the co-author of "The Yankee Years, a book due out soon that turned New York newspapers and sports television a flutter yesterday, with reports of Joe Torre (the other co-author) bashing A-Rod and others. In reference to these reports, Verducci says the following:


He also says that the book is not a tell-all book and that Torre will not be surprised by any of the contents, because he has read it multiple times.

As an aside, Torre called Brian Cashman to talk about the reports, and ESPN mentions that briefly:


Via John Shabe and Steve.

For the most part, following that final press conference, Joe Torre has been pretty quiet about his feelings after leaving the Yankees. That's about to change. On February 3, Doubleday is set to release "The Yankee Years," a new book co-authored by Torre and veteran baseball writer Tom Verducci. The contents of the book are the subject of media frenzy today. See reports by ESPN, the Daily News and the Post.

Among the contentions is that Torre claims that Brian Cashman betrayed him, that A-Rod was called "A-Fraud" by his teammates and had an unhealthy obsession with Jeter and that, in 1999, Yankees doctors told George Steinbrenner that Torre had prostate cancer, even before they told Torre. But, there is a cautionary message, as well, to consider when reading into the "juicy" details. From the Daily News report by Bill Madden:


And ESPN:


I guess we'll have to wait and see exactly what is said.

Via Steve.