The Daily Yankeeland - 9/19

"This was the place, the No. 1 place in baseball. The Stadium was like the Empire State Building or the Grand Canyon of baseball, and every time I stepped inside of it, I had to pinch myself!"

- Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen

Prior to last night's game, the Yankees honored 102-yr old (listed as 103 in some places) Emilio Navarro. Navarro was the first Puerto Rican born ball player to play in the Negro Leagues and is the oldest living major league player. It was the first time Navarro ever stepped inside Yankee Stadium.

Dan Graziano has more on this wonderful story.

The Yankees won the season series with the White Sox, 5 games to 2.

An Iraqi veteran's journey to the greatest Stadium on Earth.

Sunday is going to be emotional and the Yankees are lining up an amazing send off for the Stadium.

Joe Girardi has Andy Pettitte starting Sunday's finale and plans to take him out in mid-inning. He also plans on giving the ball to Mariano in the ninth.

Moose reflects on his final start at home. He's taking some dirt and baseballs with him.
Mariano Rivera can't wait to see the fans' reaction to Bernie Williams.

In case you missed it, and care, the A-Rods are now officially divorced.

A giant "Yankee Stadium" sign is to be hoisted into place today at the main entrance of the new Stadium.

SI's Tom Verducci says goodbye to baseball's cathedral.

The Daily Yankeeland - 9/19

"This was the place, the No. 1 place in baseball. The Stadium was like the Empire State Building or the Grand Canyon of baseball, and every time I stepped inside of it, I had to pinch myself!"

- Yankees broadcaster Mel Allen

Prior to last night's game, the Yankees honored 102-yr old (listed as 103 in some places) Emilio Navarro. Navarro was the first Puerto Rican born ball player to play in the Negro Leagues and is the oldest living major league player. It was the first time Navarro ever stepped inside Yankee Stadium.

Dan Graziano has more on this wonderful story.

The Yankees won the season series with the White Sox, 5 games to 2.

An Iraqi veteran's journey to the greatest Stadium on Earth.

Sunday is going to be emotional and the Yankees are lining up an amazing send off for the Stadium.

Joe Girardi has Andy Pettitte starting Sunday's finale and plans to take him out in mid-inning. He also plans on giving the ball to Mariano in the ninth.

Moose reflects on his final start at home. He's taking some dirt and baseballs with him.
Mariano Rivera can't wait to see the fans' reaction to Bernie Williams.

In case you missed it, and care, the A-Rods are now officially divorced.

A giant "Yankee Stadium" sign is to be hoisted into place today at the main entrance of the new Stadium.

SI's Tom Verducci says goodbye to baseball's cathedral.

The Daily Yankeeland - 9/18

Chien-Ming Wang and, and...George King says The Wanger is the only guarantee for the '09 rotation.

Joe Girardi knows he has to make adjustments for next year.

"He's definitely adjusting," Damon said. "In Florida he had a whole bunch of little kids. He's finding his way around with us veteran guys. I like the way he manages; the game's not too fast for him. He has a game plan, and that's a start; unfortunately, the horses didn't come through for him this year. He mixed and matched as well as he could. I like him at the post.

"I hope we can go out and get some big players in the free-agent market to see what we can do."

Bobby Murcer will be immortalized on the Graffiti Wall of Fame (at the corner of 158th St. and River Ave) tomorrow by local residents.

The Yankees called up first baseman Juan Miranda prior to yesterday's game.

Bobby Richardson to speak for the United Fund in South Carolina tonight.

A look back at Lou Gehrig's remarkable speech.

The new Stadium makes its debut on April 16 with the Cleveland Indians in town.

Dan Graziano longs for the press box to shake again.

The Daily Yankeeland - 9/18

Chien-Ming Wang and, and...George King says The Wanger is the only guarantee for the '09 rotation.

Joe Girardi knows he has to make adjustments for next year.

"He's definitely adjusting," Damon said. "In Florida he had a whole bunch of little kids. He's finding his way around with us veteran guys. I like the way he manages; the game's not too fast for him. He has a game plan, and that's a start; unfortunately, the horses didn't come through for him this year. He mixed and matched as well as he could. I like him at the post.

"I hope we can go out and get some big players in the free-agent market to see what we can do."

Bobby Murcer will be immortalized on the Graffiti Wall of Fame (at the corner of 158th St. and River Ave) tomorrow by local residents.

The Yankees called up first baseman Juan Miranda prior to yesterday's game.

Bobby Richardson to speak for the United Fund in South Carolina tonight.

A look back at Lou Gehrig's remarkable speech.

The new Stadium makes its debut on April 16 with the Cleveland Indians in town.

Dan Graziano longs for the press box to shake again.

The Daily Yankeeland - 9/16

New York state assemblyman Richard Brodsky claims that New York City manipulated the assessed value of Yankee Stadium in order to get a tax break. Brodsky is expected to issue a report later today.

The Yankees have already moved some artifact's and mementos out of the Stadium.

A great story in today's Star Ledger on some of the long time vendors at the Stadium. We walked right past Mike McNamara as we entered the Stadium on Sunday.

Dan Graziano has a nice story on a long time Yankees fan.

Thanks for stirring the pot again Jorge. Joba Chamberlain is tired of the starter vs. reliever talk.

The South Bronx's Humberto Sanchez has finally made it to Yankee Stadium.

Pedro Martinez exploded over Posada's comments about him. Perhaps they shouldn't have told him after the Nationals kicked his ass.

Hideki Matsui will most likely have his knee surgery as soon as the Yankees are mathematically eliminated, if not sooner.

The Daily Yankeeland - 9/16

New York state assemblyman Richard Brodsky claims that New York City manipulated the assessed value of Yankee Stadium in order to get a tax break. Brodsky is expected to issue a report later today.

The Yankees have already moved some artifact's and mementos out of the Stadium.

A great story in today's Star Ledger on some of the long time vendors at the Stadium. We walked right past Mike McNamara as we entered the Stadium on Sunday.

Dan Graziano has a nice story on a long time Yankees fan.

Thanks for stirring the pot again Jorge. Joba Chamberlain is tired of the starter vs. reliever talk.

The South Bronx's Humberto Sanchez has finally made it to Yankee Stadium.

Pedro Martinez exploded over Posada's comments about him. Perhaps they shouldn't have told him after the Nationals kicked his ass.

Hideki Matsui will most likely have his knee surgery as soon as the Yankees are mathematically eliminated, if not sooner.

2 Months to Go

The Yankees sit 4.5 games back of the Rays in the AL East and 1.5 games behind the Red Sox for the Wild Card (the Twins are in between, one-half game back of Boston). One of our favorite sportswriter's, Dan Graziano, thinks Boston just said good-bye to their season and the AL East will be between the Rays and Yankees. We strongly disagree.

Last night's Yankees game epitomized how the season has gone for this team. You have two starters in Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner, who pretty much stink (though we keep hoping Rasner can make some grand adjustment), which means the rotation can't afford to have a hiccup such as the one Andy Pettitte had last night, or Mike Mussina had against Baltimore.

The Red Sox are certainly not the same team without Manny. He and David Ortiz formed the most fearsome 1-2 punch in baseball. When Manny went so did Ortiz's protection in the order. Mike Lowell and Jason Bay are very good hitters, but they don't strike fear in opponent's hearts.

All that being said, the Red Sox still have a very good lineup, and solid pitching. Theo Epstein's mistake this deadline was not upgrading his bullpen. But the team is not inferior to the Yankees. They are still the reigning World Series champions and they know how to win.

Currently this is what the AL East looks like

Rays 63-44
Red Sox 61-48
Yankees 59-49

There are 54 games left in the Yankees schedule, against the following opponents:

Angels 9
Blue Jays 9
Mariners 3
Orioles 6
Rangers 4
Rays 6
Red Sox 6
Royals 3
Tigers 1
Twins 3
White Sox 4

12 games with the two teams in front of the Yankees in the East and 3 games, next week, with the Twins, who are ahead in the Wild Card. Plus 13 more games with teams in 1st place (the White Sox and Angels).

So let's try to figure out how the Yankees will do in those games.

Angels 9 games...the Yankees stink against the Angels 3-6
Blue Jays 9 games...depends if they have to face Halladay and Burnett, but we'll go 6-3
Mariners 3 games..should sweep this one 3-0
Orioles 6 games..they've been a nemesis 3-3
Rangers 4 games.....their pitching is still bad 3-1
Rays 6 games....tough pitching, but we think experience will out 4-2
Red Sox 6 games...Beckett can only go so many times 4-2
Royals 3 games...getting worse as the year goes on 2-1
Tigers 1 game...a make up...coin flip 1-0
Twins 3 games...on the road...tough 1-2
White Sox 4 games...at home 2-2 or 3-1...difficult, well go out on a limb 3-1

So that means the Yankees would go 33-21 and finish 92-70. Ironically, we predict 93 wins before the season started. Will 92 wins mean enough for a playoff spot though? Just for the AL East, the Rays would have to go, at the most, 28-27 and the Red Sox would have to finish no better than 30-23 for the Yankees to capture the division. That would also leave the Yankees ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card race, meaning the Twins would have to finish no better than 31-23.

12 games over .500 could get the Yankees to the playoffs. They're capable of it, but we're not sure they can do it unless Ian Kennedy, Al Aceves, Phil Hughes, or whomever can step it up in the rotation. It should make for interesting dog days of Summer.

2 Months to Go

The Yankees sit 4.5 games back of the Rays in the AL East and 1.5 games behind the Red Sox for the Wild Card (the Twins are in between, one-half game back of Boston). One of our favorite sportswriter's, Dan Graziano, thinks Boston just said good-bye to their season and the AL East will be between the Rays and Yankees. We strongly disagree.

Last night's Yankees game epitomized how the season has gone for this team. You have two starters in Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner, who pretty much stink (though we keep hoping Rasner can make some grand adjustment), which means the rotation can't afford to have a hiccup such as the one Andy Pettitte had last night, or Mike Mussina had against Baltimore.

The Red Sox are certainly not the same team without Manny. He and David Ortiz formed the most fearsome 1-2 punch in baseball. When Manny went so did Ortiz's protection in the order. Mike Lowell and Jason Bay are very good hitters, but they don't strike fear in opponent's hearts.

All that being said, the Red Sox still have a very good lineup, and solid pitching. Theo Epstein's mistake this deadline was not upgrading his bullpen. But the team is not inferior to the Yankees. They are still the reigning World Series champions and they know how to win.

Currently this is what the AL East looks like

Rays 63-44
Red Sox 61-48
Yankees 59-49

There are 54 games left in the Yankees schedule, against the following opponents:

Angels 9
Blue Jays 9
Mariners 3
Orioles 6
Rangers 4
Rays 6
Red Sox 6
Royals 3
Tigers 1
Twins 3
White Sox 4

12 games with the two teams in front of the Yankees in the East and 3 games, next week, with the Twins, who are ahead in the Wild Card. Plus 13 more games with teams in 1st place (the White Sox and Angels).

So let's try to figure out how the Yankees will do in those games.

Angels 9 games...the Yankees stink against the Angels 3-6
Blue Jays 9 games...depends if they have to face Halladay and Burnett, but we'll go 6-3
Mariners 3 games..should sweep this one 3-0
Orioles 6 games..they've been a nemesis 3-3
Rangers 4 games.....their pitching is still bad 3-1
Rays 6 games....tough pitching, but we think experience will out 4-2
Red Sox 6 games...Beckett can only go so many times 4-2
Royals 3 games...getting worse as the year goes on 2-1
Tigers 1 game...a make up...coin flip 1-0
Twins 3 games...on the road...tough 1-2
White Sox 4 games...at home 2-2 or 3-1...difficult, well go out on a limb 3-1

So that means the Yankees would go 33-21 and finish 92-70. Ironically, we predict 93 wins before the season started. Will 92 wins mean enough for a playoff spot though? Just for the AL East, the Rays would have to go, at the most, 28-27 and the Red Sox would have to finish no better than 30-23 for the Yankees to capture the division. That would also leave the Yankees ahead of the Red Sox in the Wild Card race, meaning the Twins would have to finish no better than 31-23.

12 games over .500 could get the Yankees to the playoffs. They're capable of it, but we're not sure they can do it unless Ian Kennedy, Al Aceves, Phil Hughes, or whomever can step it up in the rotation. It should make for interesting dog days of Summer.

Born to Score Runs

The Star Ledger's Dan Graziano sat down with an unnamed American League scout recently to compare the vaunted lineups of the Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. While Detroit's already potent lineup got even stronger with the addition of Miguel Cabrera, the Yankees led the AL in runs scored last season with 882.

Graziano and the scout performed a position by position comparison. Some of the results might surprise you.

FIRST BASE: The Tigers' Carlos Guillen moves over from shortstop, where he had a 102-RBI season and a .357 on-base percentage that was his lowest in four years. He's not as great an offensive player for a first baseman as he was for a shortstop, but he's a reliable and productive hitter, and he's probably better than whatever the Yankees will get from the mishmash of Jason Giambi, Shelley Duncan, Wilson Betemit and Morgan Ensberg. If Giambi can be healthy and good enough to play first every day, this could swing the Yankees' way, but as it stands:EDGE: Tigers.

SECOND BASE: This is one of a few spots where these teams might have the two best players in the league. Detroit's Placido Polanco had a brilliant year in 2007, with 200 hits, 105 runs scored and a .388 on-base percentage. He was one of the best all-around players in the game last year, but his season wasn't exactly in line with the rest of his career. Our scout is betting on the Yankees' 25-year-old on the upswing over the Tigers' 32-year-old coming off his career year. But as he says, "only, maybe, by a hair."EDGE: Yankees.

THIRD BASE: Another spot where the matchup is one in which any of the other 28 teams would gladly take the loser. Miguel Cabrera was the big off-season addition to the Tigers or any other team in baseball, and he may well be the second-best hitter in baseball. However, the Yankees' third baseman is the clear-cut, head-and-shoulders best hitter in baseball, and for now, our scout says, "there's nobody you'd take over A-Rod."EDGE: Yankees.

SHORTSTOP: Our scout isn't as high on Detroit's acquisition of Edgar Renteria as some others are. "He struggled in the American League the first time (with Boston, in 2005), so why should we think he can handle it this time?" This strikes us as a little harsh. Renteria is a nice all-around player and would hold up in a head-to-head comparison with most shortstops. But the Yankees' shortstop is, well, Derek Jeter. And since we're talking only offense, not defense, here, the choice is a clear one.EDGE:Yankees.

CATCHER: "A mismatch," our scout says. "(Detroit's) Pudge (Rodriguez) is a Hall of Famer, but he doesn't hit like one anymore." The Yankees' Jorge Posada did hit like a Hall of Famer last year. In fact, with another year or two like the one he had in '07, he might be a future Cooperstown candidate as well. For now, though, he's as good an offensive catcher as there is in the game.EDGE: Yankees.

LEFT FIELD: "Once (Johnny) Damon got healthy and in shape last year, the Yankees' offense took off," our scout says. He's right, and Damon seems healthy early in spring training. That, along with the fact that the player competing for playing time with Damon is Hideki Matsui, makes this one another mismatch. Jacque Jones looks like a good No. 9 hitter, but he's not likely to give the Tigers what Damon/Matsui will give the Yankees. EDGE: Yankees.

CENTER FIELD: This one's a mismatch for the Tigers, and no offense to Melky Cabrera. "Melky's a nice-looking player, but (Curtis) Granderson is a do-it-all superstar on the rise." Granderson's 2007 season was historic -- 38 doubles, 23 triples, 23 home runs and 26 steals. Cabrera might still be improving, but so might Granderson.EDGE: Tigers.

RIGHT FIELD: Bobby Abreu is another guy whose return to form keyed the Yankees' second-half surge. But Detroit's Magglio Ordonez would have been the league MVP if not for that A-Rod guy. This year, Ordonez will bat between Gary Sheffield and Miguel Cabrera, which means he could be even more productive.EDGE: Tigers.

DESIGNATED HITTER: Tough call here. "If (Gary) Sheffield is going to stay healthy, you give the edge to Detroit," our scout says. "But I don't think he'll stay healthy," and the "leftovers" from the Yankees' bench -- Giambi, Duncan, Matsui, Damon ... whoever's not playing the field on a given night -- should contribute more over the course of a season than Sheffield's backups will.EDGE: Yankees.

The Yankees came out on top in 6 of the 9 comparisons. But as we well know, and have seen far too often in the past few years, it will still be pitching, defense, and timely hitting that wins games in October.

Born to Score Runs

The Star Ledger's Dan Graziano sat down with an unnamed American League scout recently to compare the vaunted lineups of the Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. While Detroit's already potent lineup got even stronger with the addition of Miguel Cabrera, the Yankees led the AL in runs scored last season with 882.

Graziano and the scout performed a position by position comparison. Some of the results might surprise you.

FIRST BASE: The Tigers' Carlos Guillen moves over from shortstop, where he had a 102-RBI season and a .357 on-base percentage that was his lowest in four years. He's not as great an offensive player for a first baseman as he was for a shortstop, but he's a reliable and productive hitter, and he's probably better than whatever the Yankees will get from the mishmash of Jason Giambi, Shelley Duncan, Wilson Betemit and Morgan Ensberg. If Giambi can be healthy and good enough to play first every day, this could swing the Yankees' way, but as it stands:EDGE: Tigers.

SECOND BASE: This is one of a few spots where these teams might have the two best players in the league. Detroit's Placido Polanco had a brilliant year in 2007, with 200 hits, 105 runs scored and a .388 on-base percentage. He was one of the best all-around players in the game last year, but his season wasn't exactly in line with the rest of his career. Our scout is betting on the Yankees' 25-year-old on the upswing over the Tigers' 32-year-old coming off his career year. But as he says, "only, maybe, by a hair."EDGE: Yankees.

THIRD BASE: Another spot where the matchup is one in which any of the other 28 teams would gladly take the loser. Miguel Cabrera was the big off-season addition to the Tigers or any other team in baseball, and he may well be the second-best hitter in baseball. However, the Yankees' third baseman is the clear-cut, head-and-shoulders best hitter in baseball, and for now, our scout says, "there's nobody you'd take over A-Rod."EDGE: Yankees.

SHORTSTOP: Our scout isn't as high on Detroit's acquisition of Edgar Renteria as some others are. "He struggled in the American League the first time (with Boston, in 2005), so why should we think he can handle it this time?" This strikes us as a little harsh. Renteria is a nice all-around player and would hold up in a head-to-head comparison with most shortstops. But the Yankees' shortstop is, well, Derek Jeter. And since we're talking only offense, not defense, here, the choice is a clear one.EDGE:Yankees.

CATCHER: "A mismatch," our scout says. "(Detroit's) Pudge (Rodriguez) is a Hall of Famer, but he doesn't hit like one anymore." The Yankees' Jorge Posada did hit like a Hall of Famer last year. In fact, with another year or two like the one he had in '07, he might be a future Cooperstown candidate as well. For now, though, he's as good an offensive catcher as there is in the game.EDGE: Yankees.

LEFT FIELD: "Once (Johnny) Damon got healthy and in shape last year, the Yankees' offense took off," our scout says. He's right, and Damon seems healthy early in spring training. That, along with the fact that the player competing for playing time with Damon is Hideki Matsui, makes this one another mismatch. Jacque Jones looks like a good No. 9 hitter, but he's not likely to give the Tigers what Damon/Matsui will give the Yankees. EDGE: Yankees.

CENTER FIELD: This one's a mismatch for the Tigers, and no offense to Melky Cabrera. "Melky's a nice-looking player, but (Curtis) Granderson is a do-it-all superstar on the rise." Granderson's 2007 season was historic -- 38 doubles, 23 triples, 23 home runs and 26 steals. Cabrera might still be improving, but so might Granderson.EDGE: Tigers.

RIGHT FIELD: Bobby Abreu is another guy whose return to form keyed the Yankees' second-half surge. But Detroit's Magglio Ordonez would have been the league MVP if not for that A-Rod guy. This year, Ordonez will bat between Gary Sheffield and Miguel Cabrera, which means he could be even more productive.EDGE: Tigers.

DESIGNATED HITTER: Tough call here. "If (Gary) Sheffield is going to stay healthy, you give the edge to Detroit," our scout says. "But I don't think he'll stay healthy," and the "leftovers" from the Yankees' bench -- Giambi, Duncan, Matsui, Damon ... whoever's not playing the field on a given night -- should contribute more over the course of a season than Sheffield's backups will.EDGE: Yankees.

The Yankees came out on top in 6 of the 9 comparisons. But as we well know, and have seen far too often in the past few years, it will still be pitching, defense, and timely hitting that wins games in October.

The Fallout Continues

While some players continue to deny steroid and HGH use (Roger Clemens), others have come forward, albeit with half-hearted apologies (Andy Pettitte). There are those who have given full disclosure and co-operated (Dan Naulty) with the Mitchell investigation, but they are in the minority. And there are those players like Johnny Damon and Albert Pujols who are furious about their names being mentioned in a premature and false report produced by NBC news.

Steve Politi of the Star-Ledger had an excellent piece in today's paper on Naulty. It's the story of a player who took the easy route to get what he wanted, and has lived with regrets- and physical and mental ailments- ever since (photos to the left are Naulty in '89 and '97).

Naulty was a 6'6" stringbean who used steroids to bulk up and help him to gain entry to major league baseball. Later, he switched to HGH to help the numerous injuries that occurred as a result of too much muscle mass on his frame. Naulty actually received a World Series ring from the 1999 Yankees, though he wasn't much of a contributor. His career was taking a downward spiral at that point. Ironically, he credits a new faith that he gained by participating in Christian-based meetings with several Yankees. The ironic part? Andy Pettitte and Mike Stanton, both named in the Mitchell report, were also part of that group.

Today, Naulty is a pastor and tries to counsel youth to stay away from drugs and alcohol. If only more players would learn from his mistakes. Click here to read more of Naulty's story.

The more you re-read Andy Pettitte's statement, the more you realize his apology rings hollow. It's not even really an apology. "If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize." Those words don't exactly say, "I'm really sorry for what I did and I was stupid."

We're huge Andy Pettitte fans and have always admired and respected him. Anyone who has ever dealt with him speaks glowingly of him. Joe Torre once said, "If you have a son, you'd want him to be like Andy Pettitte."

Okay, maybe not completely. We are still Pettitte fans and we think it was great that he came forward. But, at the same time, he could have been a little more sincere with his words. Dan Graziano and Peter Abraham sum up our feelings quite nicely.

As for Roger Clemens, now that his buddy Pettitte has come forward it kind of puts him in an awkward position. His reputation is already tainted. He's in the Mitchell Report as a repeated steroid user. And if he did want to come forward, he made it even harder by having his attorney blast the report and defend his honor. Of course, he could just claim that his lawyer spoke on his own without consulting him.

But, how do you remove the taint when you haven't done anything wrong? That's what Johnny Damon is wondering right now. Damon's name appeared in that erroneous NBC report. He considered suing the station, but his agent advised against it.

"I woke up and my brother is telling me there are reporters at my father's house," Damon told The Post. "My dad told them, 'My son isn't a liar, my son doesn't lie.'"

"It sucks. I am wondering if there is any legal course to turn to", Damon said. "I walk around with my shirt off. If I had anything to hide I wouldn't do that. I really don't know what to say. There seems to be some people who don't like me..."

"I asked my agent about legal action, but he said it wasn't worth it. Maybe the president [of NBC] will write me a nice letter."

Damon was one of 41 players listed in the NBC report that were not included in the Mitchell report. Pujols was also on the erroneous list and worried about his family's reaction.

"What concerns me is the affect this has had on my family and that my character and values have now been questioned due to the media's lack of accuracy in their reporting."

MLB wants to pull a Mark McGwire and move forward, but this is all far from being over.

The Fallout Continues

While some players continue to deny steroid and HGH use (Roger Clemens), others have come forward, albeit with half-hearted apologies (Andy Pettitte). There are those who have given full disclosure and co-operated (Dan Naulty) with the Mitchell investigation, but they are in the minority. And there are those players like Johnny Damon and Albert Pujols who are furious about their names being mentioned in a premature and false report produced by NBC news.

Steve Politi of the Star-Ledger had an excellent piece in today's paper on Naulty. It's the story of a player who took the easy route to get what he wanted, and has lived with regrets- and physical and mental ailments- ever since (photos to the left are Naulty in '89 and '97).

Naulty was a 6'6" stringbean who used steroids to bulk up and help him to gain entry to major league baseball. Later, he switched to HGH to help the numerous injuries that occurred as a result of too much muscle mass on his frame. Naulty actually received a World Series ring from the 1999 Yankees, though he wasn't much of a contributor. His career was taking a downward spiral at that point. Ironically, he credits a new faith that he gained by participating in Christian-based meetings with several Yankees. The ironic part? Andy Pettitte and Mike Stanton, both named in the Mitchell report, were also part of that group.

Today, Naulty is a pastor and tries to counsel youth to stay away from drugs and alcohol. If only more players would learn from his mistakes. Click here to read more of Naulty's story.

The more you re-read Andy Pettitte's statement, the more you realize his apology rings hollow. It's not even really an apology. "If what I did was an error in judgment on my part, I apologize." Those words don't exactly say, "I'm really sorry for what I did and I was stupid."

We're huge Andy Pettitte fans and have always admired and respected him. Anyone who has ever dealt with him speaks glowingly of him. Joe Torre once said, "If you have a son, you'd want him to be like Andy Pettitte."

Okay, maybe not completely. We are still Pettitte fans and we think it was great that he came forward. But, at the same time, he could have been a little more sincere with his words. Dan Graziano and Peter Abraham sum up our feelings quite nicely.

As for Roger Clemens, now that his buddy Pettitte has come forward it kind of puts him in an awkward position. His reputation is already tainted. He's in the Mitchell Report as a repeated steroid user. And if he did want to come forward, he made it even harder by having his attorney blast the report and defend his honor. Of course, he could just claim that his lawyer spoke on his own without consulting him.

But, how do you remove the taint when you haven't done anything wrong? That's what Johnny Damon is wondering right now. Damon's name appeared in that erroneous NBC report. He considered suing the station, but his agent advised against it.

"I woke up and my brother is telling me there are reporters at my father's house," Damon told The Post. "My dad told them, 'My son isn't a liar, my son doesn't lie.'"

"It sucks. I am wondering if there is any legal course to turn to", Damon said. "I walk around with my shirt off. If I had anything to hide I wouldn't do that. I really don't know what to say. There seems to be some people who don't like me..."

"I asked my agent about legal action, but he said it wasn't worth it. Maybe the president [of NBC] will write me a nice letter."

Damon was one of 41 players listed in the NBC report that were not included in the Mitchell report. Pujols was also on the erroneous list and worried about his family's reaction.

"What concerns me is the affect this has had on my family and that my character and values have now been questioned due to the media's lack of accuracy in their reporting."

MLB wants to pull a Mark McGwire and move forward, but this is all far from being over.