Pettitte, Arod, Torre.... and Kerry Wood?

It was reported today that Andy Pettitte has made a decision on his future. While its not the announcement we were hoping for, Yankees fans should still be relieved by the news. According to Newsday, Pettite told Houston's KRIV television that he will either play for the yankees in 2008 or retire.

"The New York Yankees committed an awful lot of money to me and put it in my hands, gave me a player option and trusted me with that option," Pettitte said. "It probably wouldn't be real honorable for me not to do anything other than if I shut it down or go back and play for the New York Yankees. I gotta figure out in my mind exactly what I want to do."

With Torre reportedly headed for LA, I was nervous Pettitte might opt out and follow his beloved manager to the Dodgers. Hopefully he will decide to keep his pinstripes rather than hang them up. (How could he throw away $16 million?)

Speaking of Torre, it is said he will take the helm of the LA Dodgers in 2008. With a reported 3 year/ $15 million in place, it looks as though he will hold onto it through 2010. If rumors are true, it wouldn't be a suprise if Mattingly, Larry Bowa, Ron Guidry, and Lee Mazzilli follow Torre to make up the LA coaching staff. Talk about the the west coach Yankees. If Arod joins the crew (the Dodgers are said to have interest), the team should change their name to "Yesterday's Yanks." First they take on Grady Little, Dave Roberts, Nomar Garciaparra, and Derek Lowe in 2005 as an attempt to imitate the Red Sox of 2004, and now this. If only the Dodgers executives knew how succeed on their own. Next we'll see the entire 2006 St. Louis Cardinal team in Dodger blue.

Kerry Wood is a free agent and is coming off a September in which he constantly hit 98 mph with his fastball and allowed only 2 runs in his final 22 innings. With Chamberlain headed to the rotation, the Yanks need a suitable set-up man for soon to be signed Mo. If Wood commands anything close to his 1 year /$8 million contract he had last year, the Yanks should bite. That's less money than Kyle Farnsworth will be making in 2008, and Wood has a gigantic upside. Let's just hope Cashman wouldn't bite on a multi-year contract. I think he's smarter than that.

In unrelated news, how scary is the woman in the red bonnet on the front of raison cartons?