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Written by Mark Healey
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Monday, 10 November 2008 |
 Since the retirement of Paul O'Neill, the New York Yankees have lacked something.
A refusal to lose, a simmering anger when failure is realized, call it
what you will. Their skipper, Joe Girardi, has plenty of that steel in
his belly, but it is not as effective with some of his former teammates
as the front office had hoped it would be. That kind of leadership,
especially with today's athletes, must come from the clubhouse, and
while the Yankees have several players that are consummate
professionals, they lack the edge that made O'Neill such a beloved
figure on and off the field.
The Yankees are intrigued by the leadership abilities of Mike Cameron, Aaron Rowand and several others, but is  it Jim Edmonds who some team insiders believe is the proper target. There have been more than one Edmonds/Brain Cashman flirtation over the years, and for different reasons, the two have never been able to pull off a deal.
“He's the next coming of (Paul O'Neill),” said one team exec. “We really think he's the answer to a lot of our problems, and with him in center and Johnny Damon in left, we'll cover a ton of ground and get some offense out of there as well.”
“He won't cost us players – the Brewers want Ian Kennedy-plus for Cameron, so that's pretty much not happening – He won't cost us years – he's looking for a two-year deal – and we have Brett (Gardner) and the kid (Austin Jackson) around in case he needs rest or gets hurt.”
Plus, he's also creeping up on 400 career home runs, and to some baseball observers, is a borderline Hall of Fame candidate. A good year or two in the Bronx would certainly help his chances.
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