He knows the World Series euphoria will began evaporating as soon as the final shred of confetti has fallen on Broadway, and the players fade into a long and marvelous off-season. But while the Yankees themselves head home, members of the front office will assemble in Tampa, Fla., on Monday for the first in a series of organizational meetings. Steinbrenner has told his executives to be ready with a battle plan to keep the Bombers' World Series equation alive for another year. And then there's Darryl Strawberry, another potential free agent, but battling colon cancer. Like every other team, the Yankees have a 15-day window to negotiate exclusively with their own players, which began Thursday, but one rival American League GM says that no matter how much cash the Yankees commit to keeping the '98 team intact, they're doomed to fail.
People move on.
They want more money. They want more playing time. The question is how easily the Yankees accept that fact. Actually, it seems the Yankees have been bracing for the day when Williams stands before a news conference in Arizona, a beaming Buck Showalter at his side, and announces that he's begun a second career with the Diamondbacks. If the image hurts, at least the Yankees won't be shocked.