Yankees to Jeter: "Take some 'Reality' potion

NEW YORK -- Negotiations between the Yankees and Derek Jeter are at a standstill until Jeter and his agent, Casey Close, "drink the reality potion," according to a source close to the negotiations.

According to the source, a baseball industry executive who has knowledge of both sides' position, the Yankees are not budging from the three-year, $45 million offer they made to Jeter earlier this month, nor has Jeter moved off his demand for a longer contract believed to be in the area of $23-$25 million per season.

No talks took place over the holiday weekend and none are currently scheduled. Neither Yankees general manager Brian Cashman nor Close immediately returned messages seeking comment early Monday.

Last week, Cashman told ESPN New York: "We understand his contributions to the franchise and our offer has taken them into account. We've encouraged him to test the market and see if there's something he would prefer other than this. If he can, fine. That's the way it works."

A team source said Cashman's statement was not intended to be an ultimatum, but an invitation to comparison-shop around the league, with the belief that no other team would match or exceed the Yankees' offer.

The baseball industry source said the Yankees have provided Jeter and Close with detailed statistical and market analysis to support their contract offer, including comparisons between Jeter and other shortstops and middle infielders throughout baseball.

That is the way Jeter's last contract, the 10-year, $189 million deal that expired with the end of the 2010 World Series, was negotiated, based on Jeter's contention and the Yankees concurrence that Jeter was the second-best shortstop in the game, behind Alex Rodriguez, who had just signed a 10-year, $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers.

This time, the Jeter side is said to not want Jeter's value to be judged against that of other shortstops, preferring to base his worth on his legacy as an all-time great Yankee. The next highest-paid shortstop, Florida's Hanley Ramirez, is nearly 10 years younger than the 36-year-old Jeter, hits for more power (21 HRs last year) and in 2010, hit 30 points higher, .300 to .270. He will be paid $11 million in 2011.

"They've changed the rules this time around," the source said of the Jeter camp.

Other industry sources have mentioned the Los Angeles Dodgers as a possible Plan B for Jeter and Close, considering Jeter's warm relationship with Don Mattingly, who will succeed Joe Torre as manager for 2011, and his increasingly chilly relationship with the Yankees front office.

However, the Dodgers financial situation has changed due to the ongoing divorce battle between owner Frank McCourt and his estranged wife Jamie. In March 2009, the Dodgers gave Manny Ramirez a two-year, $45 million contract, but placed him on waivers last August, where he was claimed by the Chicago White Sox.

The uncertain financial future of the Dodgers pending the divorce settlement makes a possible Jeter-to-L.A. scenario a long shot at best.

Said the source: "There just doesn't seem to be much out there for him besides the Yankees."

Yankees won't offer Jeter arbitration

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the team will not offer free agentDerek Jeter arbitration before Tuesday night's midnight deadline, according to multiple media reports.

The two sides must now hammer out a deal or go their separate ways. The Yankees have reportedly offered Jeter a three-year deal for $45 million.

If the Yankees had offered arbitration, the shortstop could have accepted a one-year salary set by an arbitrator or signed elsewhere. If he walked, the Yankees would have received two draft picks.

Jeter's agent, Casey Close, recently called Jeter's negotiations with the Yankees "baffling." He argued that the team is not looking at Jeter's 16-year body of work in New York and is instead focusing on his age and off year in 2010.

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Cashman told New York media on Monday that he is indeed factoring in Jeter's age and recent performance in contract negotiations. A lifetime .314 hitter who has been named to 11 All-Star teams, the 36-year-old Jeter batted only .270 last season.

Cashman said there "is nothing baffling about our position here," according to The New York Times.

"We have been very honest and direct with them -- meaning Derek and Casey," he said. "We have told them directly, face to face, how we came up with our offer, and we have made it clear to them that our primary focus is his on-the-field performance."

Jeter is coming off a 10-year, $189 million contract. Close has compared Jeter's contribution to the Yankees with Babe Ruth's and had indicated that he wants more than three years and a higher average salary than the Yankees have reportedly offered.

But Cashman has countered that 32-year-old shortstop Jimmy Rollins will make $8.5 million in 2011; 32-year-old Rafael Furcal will make $12 million; and 26-year-old Hanley Ramirez will earn $11 million.

Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner had said weeks ago that negotiations with Jeter could become "messy" and that he hoped to conclude talks by Christmas. Now, he's not so sure.

"But it will take as long as it takes,Steinbrenner said, according to the Times. "The important thing is we don't make it personal."

Jim Leyritz accquitted of DUI charges

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A jury in Florida on Saturday acquitted former major league baseball player Jim Leyritz of DUI manslaughter in a 2007 crash that killed a mother of two.

However, Leyritz was convicted on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail. Leyritz had faced up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the manslaughter charge.

Testimony was inconclusive on whether Leyritz ran a red light on Dec. 28, 2007, when he collided with a vehicle driven by 30-year-old Fredia Ann Veitch, who died.

Defense experts testified that Leyritz may have been below Florida's 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level when the crash occurred, even though it was 0.14 percent three hours later.

Leyritz played 11 major league seasons, hitting a memorable World Series home run for theNew York Yankees in 1996.

The crash happened after Leyritz had been out at local nightspots celebrating his birthday. Veitch, who had gone out to other bars after work, was also drunk with a blood-alcohol level twice Florida's limit, according to trial testimony.

Two witnesses testified that Veitch had the green light at an intersection before Leyritz's Ford Expedition hit her vehicle, causing a rollover crash that ejected her onto the pavement. But under cross-examination, those same witnesses were less definitive about whether Leyritz's light was red or yellow.

Defense expert witnesses also said Veitch's lights may have been off and that Leyritz did not appear to be speeding. They also raised questions about the reliability of Leyritz's blood tests and suggested he may have suffered a slight concussion that caused his body to absorb alcohol more slowly.

Prosecutors insisted that Leyritz was too drunk to react to the traffic light or avoid the collision with Veitch's Mitsubishi Montero. They said he consumed the equivalent of between 11 and 12 shots of liquor in the three hours before the crash, which happened around 3 a.m.

Florida law provides for a DUI manslaughter conviction when a person's actions either caused or contributed to the cause of someone else's death.

In May, Leyritz settled a wrongful death lawsuit by agreeing to pay Veitch's family $350,000 in insurance and personal funds.

Leyritz's famous homer for the Yankees tied Game 4 of the World Series against Atlanta, a game New York would go on to win in extra innings. The victory paved the way for New York's 1996 title, its first in 18 years.

Primarily a catcher, Leyritz also played for the Angels, Rangers, Red Sox, Padres and Dodgers. He had a career batting average of .264 and hit 90 home runs.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

Yankees fans harassing Cliff Lee's wife

Fans' treatment of Cliff Lee's wife at Yankee Stadium was ugly, but it might not have hurt the Yankees' recruitment of one of the game's top left-handed pitchers.

During the American League Championship Series games in New York between the Yankeesand Rangers, fans were extremely rude to Kristen Lee, spitting and throwing beer in her direction and shouting obscenities.

But the treatment apparently did not change how the Lees feel about New York.

"I brush that off as fans being fans. You can't control 50,000 people and what they're going to do," Lee said Tuesday, the day before pitching Game 1 of the World Series for Texas. "There were some people that were spitting off the balcony on the family section and things like that, and that's kind of weak, but what can you do?"

Lee said what happened last week wouldn't have any impact on his offseason decision.

"No, I don't know the guy that did it. It could be anyone. Who knows? Who cares?," Lee said. "They're at home right now."

Lee's agent, Darek Braunecker, told ESPNNewYork.com that Lee's wife still likes New York.

"The story is not an issue to us," he said. "Her experience in New York is certainly a non-issue. She enjoys New York as much as anyone enjoys New York."

Lee helped Texas beat New York in the ALCS in six games. But there has been widespread speculation that the Yankees will make a serious run at signing Lee when he becomes a free agent after the season.

That didn't stop Yankees fans from harassing Lee's wife.

"The fans did not do good things in my heart," Lee's wife, Kristin, told USA Today. "When people are staring at you, and saying horrible things, it's hard not to take it personal."

She was sitting with other Rangers family and friends in the visiting family section at Yankee Stadium during the playoffs.

"Some people get a little alcohol in them and act inappropriate," Cliff Lee said. "There's so many people there you can't control them all. I know it's been made into a big deal, but that's really all it is, just two or three or four people just acting like fools, and 50,000, you can't group them all together. But there's always going to be a couple goofballs in the crowd that think they have a right to do that stuff."

In a text to ESPNNewYork.com, Yankees spokesperson Jason Zillo said that the Yankees are "not commenting."

On the flip side of Kristen Lee's bad experience in New York is her close relationship with CC Sabathia's wife, Amber. They have been close since Sabathia and Cliff Lee played together in Cleveland.

Cliff Lee and Sabathia are friends as well. The Sabathias and Lees already were discussing where the Lees should live when it appeared as if the Yankees were going to make a trade for Lee in July.

The Yankees are expected to make Lee their No. 1 free-agent target. He will likely receive a deal in the five-to-seven year range at $100 million to $150 million. It also could be Lee's final major contract; he turns 33 during next season.

Lee, acquired by Texas from Seattle on July 9, is getting ready to start Game 1 of the World Series for the second year in a row. Last year it was for Philadelphia, which traded him to the Mariners the same day the Phillies acquired Roy Halladay.

This time, Lee will get to pick where he plays.

"He has a chance to win here for a long time," Rangers teammate Jeff Francoeur said Tuesday. "At the end of the day, I think he's going to be between Texas and the Yankees. He'll wind up in one of those places."

The fans' treatment of Lee's wife was first reported by USA Today.

Andrew Marchand covers the Yankees for ESPNNewYork.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report

NOTE TO SELF: Never Wear LeBron Apparel In Cleveland Or This Will Happen (Picture Inside)

I've got a feeling (woohoo) that this "LeBron James is hated in Cleveland" thing isn't going to die down for a while. It is almost as if they do not like him very much for choosing to play with the Miami Heat. After all the jerseys are burned and boos are yelled, there will still be hatred in the hearts of spurned Clevelanders. Eventually, that hatred will turn from LeBron to his fans, and it seems that's already started to happen.




Naturally, the first incident in fan-on-fan LeBron taunts — or, "LeBraunts" — took place in Cleveland. It all went down at Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians, where some bro showed up wearing a LeBron James(notes) Heat jersey. The Cleveland faithful weren't too happy with his choice of shirt. From the Associated Press:

A fan wearing a Miami Heat jersey of LeBron James drew the ire of the crowd at a Cleveland Indians game and was escorted out of the ballpark.

Fans in the left-field bleachers chanted obscenities and pointed at the man Wednesday night during the sixth inning of the game between the Indians and New York Yankees. Hundreds of fans joined in before security led the man out of Progressive Field.

As he left, some fans followed him toward the gate with more derisive chants.

Well played, Cleveland. It's a little weird that some random guy was booed so vociferously that police had to step in to escort him and his ladyfriend away from trouble, but when you're heckling a fellow human for the clothes on his back, you really have to go for it. It's common sense.




Honestly, the guy had it coming. Not only did he wear the most hated tanktop in Ohio, he also wore Dane Cook jeans and popped his jersey while he was being moved away from danger. I'm guessing what the fans were chanting was actually pretty accurate.

Sour Bday for A-ROD

CLEVELAND -- Alex Rodriguez smiled when someone mentioned that Tuesday was his birthday.


"I've had some good birthdays," he said upon turning 35. "But tonight wasn't the greatest."

Not with baseball history waiting for him -- for the last five games. Since he hit his 599th career home run in a July 22 win over Kansas City, Rodriguez has gone 6-for-21 with no home runs. Tuesday, the Yankees trailed the Cleveland Indians 4-1 in the ninth inning when Rodriguez came to the plate with two on and two out.


Everyone stood. Flashbulbs popped. There was a feeling that something dramatic was about to happen. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said even he thought the same thing everyone in the Progressive Field stands thought: "Maybe this is it."

Rodriguez took a strike from Chris Perez -- a call he did not seem to like -- and then grounded a slider weakly to short. Game over. Rodriguez's quest continues.

"I think the number one thing is you want to get a big hit," Rodriguez said of the ninth-inning potential dramatics. "Hit the ball hard somewhere. A home run would be fantastic. Not to get 600, but to tie the game."

Rodriguez is very aware of 600, a figure that only six major leaguers have reached in their careers. But now that he has gone 21 at-bats without a home run, the concern is that he is becoming overanxious and trying to over-swing, Rodriguez admitted that has happened the last five games.

"The biggest thing is stay within the game and not try to do too much," he said. "A few times the last few games, I've come out of it a little bit, tried to swing a little too hard. Or maybe get a little pull-happy."



Being pull-happy is not the way Alex Rodriguez hits. Tuesday seemed like it might be his night, not just because of the birthday but because the Indians put Josh Tomlin on the mound. Tomlin was making his major league debut, and in that situation a guy can start nervous and pitch poorly. Tomlin went after the Yankees and took a shutout to the eighth.


"I didn't want them to think I was going to be nibbling all night," Tomlin said.


He pitched seven innings, gave up three hits and one run while walking none.

"I don't think we had any good swings off of him," Rodriguez said.

The first two times he faced Tomlin, Rodriguez grounded out to short in the second and grounded out to first in the fifth.

"They got him out in front with some breaking balls and he hit some ground balls," Girardi said.

Rodriguez's best at-bat came in the seventh, when he sent Shin-Soo Choo to the track for the third out.

"If we're at home," Girardi said, "maybe that's 600."

"I thought I hit it a little better than it showed," Rodriguez said.



Tomlin worked the first career start to his advantage. The Yankees did not know what to expect from him.

"That's not an excuse," Rodriguez said. "The kid threw really well. He had a really nice game. He had a pretty good cutter and kept our righties and lefties, both, off balance."

As 600 awaits, each at-bat brings a little more tension. Girardi said he did not think Rodriguez was over-swinging, but Rodriguez said his focus on pulling the ball has hurt him.

"Everything I'm pulling is soft," he said.


The solution?

"I don't think I'm really expanding my strike zone," he said. "Guys are throwing strikes. And for the most part I think I'm swinging at strikes. I think for the most part what I want to do is let the ball travel a little bit and use my hands a little more, like that one swing to right center."

The easiest at-bats, he said, are ones like he had in the ninth with the game on the line. Then he can try to hit the ball hard and focus on the pitches. Middle of the game, two out, nobody on are a little tougher.

"Everybody stands up, expecting one thing," Rodriguez said.

The 600th home run will happen. It's a matter of when. Fausto Carmona starts the next game for the Indians, and Carmona is a sinker/groundball pitcher. At some Rodriguez has to simply be up to the moment.

"There are times when hitters are going to go without getting hits," Girardi said. "If you make too much of it as a hitter, then it becomes a problem. But Alex has showed that he knows how to be calm in big situations and he'll continue to do that."