'Dead' Yankees have issues; Mets flying high

	Even if the Yankees fail to turn things around, Joe Torre will probably remain the manager for the rest of the season. Chuck Rydlewski/WireImage.com
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• New Braves owners won't spend
• Ozzie awaits A-Rod in Chicago
• An omission from my over-40 list
• More news and notes

The Yankees, in the words of one person close to George Steinbrenner, appear "dead." But Steinbrenner, apparently, is not.

The Boss is kicking and screaming over his team's poor start although, in his later years, he is confining his kicking and screaming to behind-the-scenes stuff. "He's not a happy camper," is the way a Steinbrenner acquaintance put it.

While Steinbrenner has limited his public comments to statements presumably written by others, apparently he shares the opinion of many Yankees observers early this year that the players appear to lack motivation. While this would seem to suggest that manager Joe Torre's job could be in jeopardy, there's a very believable theory going around for why Torre will likely be spared.

It goes like this: Steinbrenner dislikes Torre so much that he wants him to suffer the consequences of a lost season, and that he likes heir apparent Don Mattingly so much that he doesn't want to subject him to skippering a sinking ship. That sounds about right to me.

So it's Torre's punishment, not his reward, to manage this 18-21 team for the rest of the season.

The Yankees enter the Subway Series, which begins Friday night, at about the lowest point of the Torre era. Worse yet for Steinbrenner, the Mets enter on an extreme high. There is little doubt which is the better team now. Though in a small consolation for the Boss, the Mets' nice start has been mostly obscured by the soap opera going on eight miles to the north (or by Subway, the 7 train to the 4 train, about 40 minutes).

More headlines and storylines to watch from New York ...

Life of Brian: It's no fun to be Yankees general manager Brian Cashman right now. While one person suggested that Cashman could be "in trouble," that likely means that Steinbrenner will turn up the volume on his complaints and possibly threaten to take back the power he'd given his GM in recent months. It's not known whether Steinbrenner's main beef(s) with Cashman involves the Carl Pavano signing, the Kei Igawa signing, the unwavering support of Torre or a combination of all of the above. Nonetheless, Steinbrenner appears likely to make the next managerial selection, which puts Mattingly in an enviable spot (or an unfortunate spot, depending on whether this team is better than it looks).

The Biggest Call of All: Cashman told SI.com several weeks ago that the Yankees would not be renegotiating Alex Rodriguez's contract, that it would be up to A-Rod decide whether to stay with the Yankees for three more years at $81 million or exercise the opt-out clause in his contract. And while he felt that way when he made that proclamation (and A-Rod's torrid start is definitely over; he's hit one home run since April 24), the Yankees may not be in position to stick to that hard-line approach. They are already anemic against left-handed pitchers, and couldn't possibly afford to let A-Rod go. Word is, A-Rod will be "George's call," which means it can't be considered cut and dried.

Roger, Over and Out: One call that was clearly Cashman's (or at least that's the way sources are portraying it) was the one to bring back Roger Clemens, at a cost of $28 million prorated. And don't think Steinbrenner hasn't mentioned (behind the scenes, of course) a time or two that if the Yankees don't get back in the playoff hunt, this will turn out to be as big a waste of money as Pavano and Igawa.

Bronx Bright Spot: No, not everyone is currently stinking for the Yankees. There is Derek Jeter and his constant companion Jorge Posada, who are close together atop the AL leaderboard for batting average, at .368 and .371, respectively. Joe Mauer last year became the first catcher to win a batting title in the American League, and Posada can attempt to become the first middle-aged, slow-footed catcher to do it (though it's a real long shot, obviously). Posada is, in the words of one scout, "better now than he was five years ago."

Life's a Pitch: The Mets were supposed to have pitching problems. But so far they have the best rotation ERA in the National League (3.52). They were ripped for not acquiring Barry Zito, Dan Haren, Rich Harden, Freddy Garcia or anyone else in the offseason. But somehow they've made it work, thanks especially to John Maine and Oliver Perez, who came to Flushing as throw-ins in trades.

Aches and Pains: If injuries were a stat, the Yankees would be right up there (maybe just below the Blue Jays). Everyone in their rotation has suffered some sort of ailment, and same goes for their outfield. Johnny Damon looks like he might soon need a walker to get out onto the field.