Yanks split on Girardi, Mattingly Friday, October 26, 2007 BY ED PRICE Star-Ledger Staff The Yankees' choice for manager might tell a good deal about their owner's status. The team is apparently still undecided between Don Mattingly -- George Steinbrenner's preference -- and Joe Girardi. At about 5:30 p.m. yesterday, Steinbrenner spokesman Howard Rubenstein issued a statement: "The evaluation process is continuing and there will be no immediate decision or announcement." A Yankees official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the discussions, said there would be no decision last night but did not rule out something today. "As far as making the decision, it will be before the end of (the World Series)," Hank Steinbrenner, the owner's older son, told The Associated Press. "No question." A baseball official familiar with the Yankees plans, who asked not to be named because the process is ongoing, said the wait has nothing to do with Major League Baseball's edict prohibiting major announcements during the World Series. Once they pick a manager, the Yankees could ask commissioner Bud Selig for permission to go public. Selig would seem to grant that only on a Series off-day, the first of which is today. With an announcement today looking unlikely, the next opportunity would be Tuesday -- unless the World Series ends in a Boston sweep on Sunday. When Joe Torre last week turned down the Yankees' offer of a one-year contract, Mattingly became the favorite. He got into coaching in order to become a manager some day, and he was moved to bench coach a year ago to further groom him for the job. But Steinbrenner and sons Hank and Hal -- who serve as team executives -- wanted to hear from their baseball people. So the interviewees, including first-base coach Tony Pena, met with a large contingent from the front office. According a baseball official in contact with Yankees management, who asked not to be identified because the situation is in flux, the baseball operations department, including general manager Brian Cashman, have been pushing for Girardi. Those arguments, the official said, seem to have swayed Hank and Hal Steinbrenner. That leaves George, who all along intended to hire Mattingly. If Mattingly gets the job, it shows that Steinbrenner -- despite being in his late 70s and ceding more and more control of the team -- is still The Boss. But should the Yankees hire Girardi, it could signify a changing of the guard. There are two potential pitfalls to hiring Girardi. Catcher Jorge Posada, who is a free agent and could not easily be replaced, has told people he is not comfortable with his former teammate. The issues are unclear but seem to date to 2005, when Girardi was Yankees bench coach. Also, hiring Girardi could run the risk of insulting Mattingly, who wants the job and probably believes he has apprenticed for it. Some who know Mattingly say he would not agree to remain a coach under Girardi, and after the Torre debacle, the Yankees might not want another public-relations mess -- this time with a popular former captain. "We haven't made the final decision yet, really," Hank Steinbrenner said. "We've got a lot of brilliant baseball people going over this process and interviews they did with the candidates. We're taking it all in." Mattingly spokesman Ray Schulte last night wrote in an e-mail: "At this time, we haven't heard any news from the Yankee organization nor have any expectations of when they will inform Don of their decision." Pena and Girardi did not return phone calls. Meanwhile, according to the first official, the Yankees want to meet with Alex Rodriguez and agent Scott Boras. Rodriguez can opt out of his contract any time before 10 days after the end of the World Series, and the Yankees -- who insist they will not try to re-sign him should he opt out -- plan to offer Rodriguez a contract extension to keep him from testing the free-agent market. Should the Yankees not hire him, Girardi could go to the Los Angeles Dodgers, possibly as bench coach. Girardi's name has been discussed within the Dodgers organization since early this month. Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti was said to be unhappy with his coaching staff last season, feeling that the young players underachieved, and is searching for a bench coach to work under manager Grady Little. Colletti worked in the Chicago Cubs front office during Girardi's first playing stint with the Cubs (1989-92). It isn't clear whether Girardi would want to go back to being a bench coach, the position he held with the Yankees in 2005. But it appears that the Dodgers are going to hire a bench coach without the input of Little, an indication that Little is on the hot seat. Dan Graziano contributed to this report. Ed Price may be reached at [email protected] --

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