Sad to See Ya Go, Mel.

I suppose it was inevitable but Mel Stottlemyre will not be returning as the Yankees pitching coach. And though his association with the Bronx Bombers has spanned 5 decades, it seems this is the last we'll see of Mel around here. This is of course thanks to the Tampa half of the dysfunctional family which King George seems to rely heavily on. Mel deserves credit for the job he did this year in making 3 no-name pitchers into consistent major league starters seemingly out of the blue in Wang, Chacon, and Small. He delivered his parting shots at the Boss by saying he was unfairly criticized and could no longer deal with the verbal jabs Big Stein issues through his PR machine. He's been a pillar of consistensy and credibility during the Joe Torre era and now the focus is squarely on the team's manager and GM Cashman, who looks more sure every day to be leaving.

So that leaves Torre, who is masterfully leaving the media to write anti-George headlines for a few days before he gives his end of the season address. Keep it real, Joe.

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