Yankees Old-Timer's Day Ceremony for the Unceremoniously Dumped

Expect to hear some of the most heartfelt cheers bellowing through the Bronx this Sunday afternoon in a long time.  No, the applause won't be for Derek Jeter's long-awaited milestone hit or even for any of the New York Yankees on the field.  The roar will be for three of the most beloved Yankees ever to don pinstripes--Joe Torre, Bernie Williams and Lou Piniella--who will be making their Yankees Old-Timer's day debuts.  All three will stand in the middle of Yankee Stadium for the first time after being unceremoniously dumped by the team.

All three former-Yankees have witnessed the pomp from the dugout.  Now it is their turn to bow and the gratitude extended to these former-Yankees will be both long overdue and bittersweet.

In a tradition that seems to have been around almost as long as the 65-year old ceremony, the Yankees are welcoming back fan favorites who were sent backing by the team.  In return, they triumphantly return to the Bronx as conquering heroes.  Remember Yogi Berra?

Why do the Yankees continue to perform this sado-masochistic act?



The appearance of Torre, Williams and Piniella should stir up memories of some not-so-good teams, dynasties and the turbulent reign of George Steinbrenner.

All and all, good memories, even though the trio all left the team under strained circumstances.

Individually, the former-Yankees' personalities are as different as the reasons for their walking papers.

Torre, the Brooklyn-born manager who guided the early careers of the Core Four--Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Jeter-- during the team's late-90's dynasty.

In 2007, the classy Torre rejected a one-year, $5 million take-it-or-leave-it contract by the Yankees.  He called the offer "insulting."  He was replaced by current manger Joe Girardi.

The parting wasn't amicable.  Don't even mention Torre's remarks about his time with the team or excerpts from his bitter 2009 book, "The Yankee Years," during this forgive-and forget weekend.

In the book, the 70 year-old Torre referred to A-Rod as "A-Fraud" and publicly aired out his dirty socks by ruminating about his contentious relationship with GM Brain Cashman and president Randy Levine.  Not exactly a Hallmark thank you card.

After a stint as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Torre is now MLB's executive vice-president of baseball operations.

Torre may have buried the hatchet, but if you look closely, part of it is still in Cashman's back.

Sunday's reconciliation tour continues with another of Cashman's castoffs showing love.

Bernie Williams, the quiet, guitar-playing ex-centerfielder is also coming to his first Old-Timer's game.  It still sounds weird saying old-timer and Bernie Williams in the same sentence.

Williams was shamefully excluded from the Core Four equation --it should have been known as the Fab-Five or Jive-Five or a more pertinent name that included the five-time All-Star in that Yankees core group--but not as disgraceful as his banishment from the Yankees.

The clutch Williams played the game just like he exited--with class.  Even after Williams contract wasn't renewed by Cashman in 2007, the fan-favorite and life-long Yankee retired with the gracefulness he covered the middle ground for 16 years in Yankee Stadium. Bernie's #51 is still one of the most worn jerseys.

Finally, Piniella joins the ranks of another incendiary former-Yankee player then manager who was fired--Billy Martin.

Like Martin, Piniella had success with the team on the field and in the dugout.  Unlike Martin, Sweet Lou was not canned five times.

It's been 23 years since Piniella has squeezed into a Yankee uniform after managing stints with the Reds, Mariners, Rays, and Cubs.

Torre has to remember the glaring omission of his name and image from the video tribute on the closing of the original Yankee Stadium in 2008.  That slight had to hurt more than the feeble contract offer but makes his trot into the stadium a cleansing of the soul.

""I know the way it ended the last couple of years in New York was something that both the Yankees and myself didn't know how to say goodbye and it turned out to be something uncomfortable," Torre said.  "Looking back, I never would have traded anything for those 12 years."

Get ready for 50,000 fans and 50 other Yankees old timers to salute the three first timers with a rousing welcome back. The trinity of new kings won't come empty-handed.  They'll come bearing 10 World Series rings.

All three Yankee greats will wear Yankee pinstripes for the first in a long time but, what must seem like eons in Yankees years to each of them.  

Sunday's appearance of Torre, Williams and Piniella beckons back to the time when Steinbrenner ruled the team with passion and an iron hand, not the cookie-cutter corporation it seems to have become. 

Torre, Williams and Piniella will discover, like the exiled Martin, Reggie Jackson and Berra before them, you can go back home.

Call it Yankee love.

Yankee Stadium Wins By KO

By Tony Mangia

COTTO DEFEATS FOREMAN TWICE ON SATURDAY

Saturday night's first fight at the new Yankee Stadium will be remembered for one of the strangest episodes in modern boxing. The WBA junior middleweight championship fight, between Yuri Foreman and challenger Miguel Cotto, was marred by Foreman's corner throwing in the towel only to have referee, Arthur Mercante Jr., throw the towel back and continue the fight.

The shenanigans began in the seventh round after Foreman (28-1, 8 KOs), the Brooklyn rabbinical student, slipped and re-injured an already bandaged right knee. Foreman continued to box, courageously on one leg--earning the respect of the fans. Foreman valiantly came out in the eighth with as much mobility as a peg-legged stork. Foreman's wife, Leyla Leidecker, began to scream at the fighter's trainer, Joe Grier, and his corner to stop the fight while Cotto began to punish the slow-moving Foreman. The single-legged fighter didn't have much of a chance when Grier threw the white surrender towel.

Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) raised his hands in victory and his corner people, photographers and promoters crammed into the ring. In a bizzare scene, Mercante pushed everyone from the canvas and asked Foreman if he wanted to continue. He even told the lame fighter, "You're fighting hard and I don't want to see you lose like that." This is where things get sticky. What fighter, worth his weight, is going to back out? A trainer is there to make sound decisions that a boxer's heart won't. The fight resumed and Mercante defended himself later by saying it was a good fight and " I did the right thing to let it continue."

Mercante was hired for the inaugural fight in tribute to his late father, who refereed the last fight (Ali-Norton) at the old stadium 34 years ago. Junior, is no stranger to controversy. In 2001, he was the referee at the Khalid Jones-Beethavean Scottland fight on the USS Intrepid when Scottland collapsed in the ring, then lapsed into a coma. He died a week later. Mercante later blamed the fighter's death on "being banged around in a elevator" as they took Scottland to an ambulance.

Rules (no matter how stupid) Are Rules

New York State Athletic Commission rules state: only the referee can stop a fight. Throwing in the towel is illegal in New York and only an athletic commission inspector can enter the ring and plead with the referee to end a bout. In this case, Mercante ignored the inspector and let Foreman continue to fight. Mercante put Foreman's health and life in jeopardy after he saw the inspector and tossed him from the ring. The NYSAC supports Mercante and claims he followed rules and didn't cross any lines.

Mercifully, Mercante stopped the match at :42 seconds in the ninth after Cotto landed a vicious shot to the right side of Foreman's body. The Jewish fighter crumbled. At this point, Cotto was picking up steam and it would only be a matter of time before the courageous Foreman would be beaten like a boiled potato. Foreman lost his title by TKO, but said he knew the fight was over.

There was more blame--thankfully--than blood to spread around. First, of course, is the referee. He can't override the trainer's decision to halt a fight---even if towel throwing is illegal in the New York ring. He knows what a white towel means. Second, is the inspector who didn't get the attention of Mercante. He saw Grier toss the towel and made too little an effort to stop the fight. Thirdly, some of the blame goes to Foreman's trainer, Grier, who---first of all---know that the white towel is illegal and should have made sure the inspector saved his fighter. Even Foreman's wife knew better and almost got into the mix. She threatened to punch out Mercante.

Cotto's Redemption?

Two things were apparent on Saturday night---Miguel Cotto still has it and Yankee Stadium never lost it. After his last two fights, where Cotto was unrecognizably pulverized by Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao---who was in attendance---the Puerto Rican fighter, and local favorite, looked strong. He has the option of staying at 154 pounds or go down to 147 for his next fight. Yuri Foreman was valiant, in a losing cause, but his guts and heart will never be questioned by people who saw this fight.

The stadium never looked better and is sure to host more fights. Only 20,000 people attended---way under the 30K anticipated---but Cotto and Foreman aren't exactly the biggest names out there. In order to lure big-time fights, Yankee Stadium would have to contend with expansive Cowboys Stadium and Las Vegas, which draw either the big crowds or high rollers. There is even talk with WBA promoter Bob Arum for a return boxing event at the stadium. How about October, Manny and Floyd?

SHORT JABS

436, If You Include the Mets Players

At Citifield, 427 Mets fans set a Guiness World Record for most people crocheting simultaneously. I guess Oliver Perez was on the mound.

The Spelling Bee is I-N-I-Q-U-I-T-O-U-S

On Saturday afternoon, I had a choice of watching Nascar on Fox, Rugby on ABC or The Scripps Spelling Bee on ESPN. I'm one of those guys who doesn't consider chess, cup-stacking or putting letters together a sport but I can't understand the Nascar announcers' grits and biscuits lingo and I'll be damned if I can figure out anything about rugby. I think most of these kids are good spellers because they had to learn to spell their own names. Some kids have every letter of the alphabet in their first name alone and one didn't even have a single vowel in his whole surname. I don't think it's fair when one kid has to spell nephrocytary or genethliac while another kid gets jehu.

Boston Celtics fan, Mayor Bloomberg, Woos LeBron to New York

New York's trans-fat-free mayor continues to campaign for LeBron James as a Knick. Bloomberg contends that by bringing James to our city, he would generate $57.8 million for the city. In a website video, the mayor said: " Willis on one leg, Clyde with the steal, Dr. J soaring from the line---Come on, Le Bron, write the next chapter in New York City basketball history." Hey Bloomie, Dr. J never played for a NYC team. He was a Net and 76er.