The AP is reporting that…….

Avon Products Inc. has signed the New York Yankees shortstop to a deal in which it will create a men’s fragrance called Driven — “reflecting the unique personality of one of the most driven men in America,” according to a news release from the company.

The fragrance, the first in a line of men’s grooming products bearing Jeter’s name, goes on sale in November.

The report shares that “The fragrance is a blend of chilled grapefruit, clean oak moss and spice.”

A mix of cold citrus fruit, unadulterated fungus and aromatic flora, huh?

Oh, Derek, you had us at “hello.”

With all the recent Yankees trade activity, I’m guessing that the Yankees roster will shape up like this for tomorrow’s game:

Pitchers (11)

Mike Mussina – Starter #1
Worm Killer Wang – Starter #2
Randy Johnson – Starter #3
Cory Lidle – Starter #4
Jaret Wright – Starter #5
Mariano Rivera – Closer
Kyle Farnsworth – Mr. 8th
Scott Proctor – Mr. 7th
Mike Myers – The LOOGY
Ron Villone – Jack of All Trades
Sidney Ponson – Break Open In Case of Fire

The Regulars (9)

Jorge Posada – Catcher
Craig Wilson – 1B
Miggy Cairo – 2B (Until Cano Returns)
Derek Jeter – SS
Alex Rodriguez – 3B
Melky Cabrera – LF
Johnny Damon – CF
Bobby Abreu – RF
Jason Giambi – DH

The Bench (5)

Nick Green – Placeholder for Robinson Cano – then this is Cairo
Andy Phillips – Back-up CM/Emergency MI/Main Clubhouse Squeeze
Bernie Williams – In Charge of Green Tea
Sal Fasano – Beta Catcher
Bubba Crosby – In Trouble When Matsui Returns

When Hideki Matsui comes off the D.L., I could see Bubba Crosby getting kicked off the team and then Melky Cabrera becomes the best 4th OF in baseball.

When Sheffield comes off the D.L., no one will have to move because it will be after September 1st. (Although it will be interesting to see who is left off the post-season roster for Sheffield. It’s between Bernie, Phillips, and Wilson. Knowing Torre, it will be Wilson.)

As a side note, for a while, all the Yankees starting OFers will have first names that end with “Y.” Has that ever happened before?

Back to the roster, I hope that Nick Green and Aaron Guiel get to come back when the rosters expand on September 1st.

Torre and Cashman seem to like T.J. Beam. So, I expect Ponson will be gone soon. And, of course, the Godot Twins (Dotel and Pavano) will probably be after Ponson’s spot on the team as well.

It’s going to an exciting last two months of the season. I’m looking to see what this team can do now. If Randy Johnson can be decent, and everyone else just plays their normal game, this team can and should win the A.L. East – and has a very good shot at the pennant.

And, I would love to see this Yankees team play the Mets in the World Series – especially after the moves the Mets made and didn’t make today.

From ESPN -

The Yankees traded pitcher Shawn Chacon to the Pirates for infielder Craig Wilson, ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney reported.

Chacon is 5-3 with a 7.00 ERA in 17 games with the Yankees.

Wilson is batting .267 with 13 homers and 41 RBI in 85 games with the Pirates.

This is what I wrote about Wilson on May 12th:

Wilson is not a star – but, he’s a useful player on the whole. Actually, against LHP he bats like a star – for what it’s worth.

He’s currently playing on a one-year deal that pays less than $4 million – so, he’s cheap. Also, he can play a little 1B if needed there too.

Wilson will be 30-years-old at the end of the year. So, it’s not like he’s going to be someone to build around.

Nothing about Wilson has changed since I wrote that in May.

The question is: How will Wilson be used in New York? And, who leaves the team to make room for him?

I have to think Wilson will be used as a 1B when Giambi is a DH. So, what does this mean for Andy Phillips? He cannot be sent to the minors – so, do the Yankees just let Andy go? If yes, he will be missed in the clubhouse – the other players seem to love him.

Or, does this mean that someone like Bubba Crosby or Aaron Guiel is to leave the team? One of them was probably going anyway when Abreu joins the team. Does Wilson mean that they’re both gone?

At the least, in terms of talent and contract, getting Wilson for Chacon is a steal – as Chacon was not helping the Yankees now.

It will be interesting to see how Torre will use Wilson and how Cashman handles the roster.

Out of nowhere, at least to me, the Astros are now shopping Roy Oswalt this season.

Since 2002, Oswalt, Brandon Webb, and Carlos Zambrano have probably been the best young starting pitchers in the National League.

Oswalt is currently only 28-years-old. If I recall correctly, he cannot be a free agent until after the 2007 season.

Yes, he had some injury problems in 2001. And, he’s logged a lot of innings for someone so young and slight of build. But, right now, he’s “ace” material.

Is Oswalt the type of pitcher that the Yankees should go after now – even if it means trading someone like Philip Hughes?

If New York does have an interest in Oswalt, they better hurry. There’s just about 70 minutes left until the trading deadline.

Looks like the Yankees were the talk of the town for the the Olde Towne team.

From the Boston Globe:

“What are we doing?” asked Boston designated hitter David Ortiz.

“Abreu is a great player. He can hit, man, and people forget he’s a Gold Glove outfielder. Lidle is a good pitcher. When he’s on, he can be nasty, man. What did they give up?”

When told, Ortiz’s face dropped. “That’s all?” he said. “Hey, that’s a good deal.”

“Abreu is an impact player,” said the Sox’ Terry Francona, who managed Abreu in Philadelphia. “My hope is that he stinks. My concern is that he goes over there for a couple of months and that he’s the best player in baseball. Because I think he has that in him. He’s a good ballplayer.”

From the Daily News Tribune -

“The Yankees got a lot better today,” said outfielder Gabe Kapler. “And we all recognize that. Abreu’s been one of the better players over the last five years. And their pitching is better with Lidle. I don’t think you’d rate one over the other, but I think they both add a nice piece to their puzzle.”

….

Even without the trade, Kapler is impressed with the Yankees.

“Talent aside, which I think is evident that they always will have, they always do have . . . You can’t have injuries that are devastating and perform great unless you have a lot of superior character personalities in the clubhouse,” he said.

Said right fielder Trot Nixon: “Abreu’s a good ballplayer and Lidle is a good pitcher, and I don’t know what else to say beyond that. I’m only worried about our team. I’m not going to worry about what other teams are doing.

“But obviously it makes them a better team,” Nixon added. “They were a pretty doggone good team to begin with, even when they had all those injuries. This makes them that much better. Still, I’m worried about us, not what they did.”

“Abreu can hit everything,” said outfielder Wily Mo Pena. “A guy like that, hitting for average and power, there aren’t many of those.”

Pena, a teammate with Lidle on the 2004 Cincinnati Reds, said the right-hander “has some good stuff. I faced him in spring training and got a couple of hits off him, but he’s good. He’s a big pickup for them.”

Curt Schilling and Bobby Abreu were teammates from 1998 through 2000. What did he have to say? From All-Headline News:

Schilling went on to tell the Globe about all the distractions surrounding the Red Sox.

“Today is one of those days where [the Yankees] make a huge deal, they win a game, I pitch like crap, we lose a game, and everybody is at the extremes,” Schilling said. “As players, you just can’t afford to do that.”

No comment, yet, as far as I can tell, from Larry Lucchino.

Here’s the Yankees record this year, to date, by month:

April: 13-10
May: 18-10
June: 14-12
July: 16-9

Back on April 26th, I made a prediction on how the Yankees would do each month, going forward.

I had them going 18-11 in May – which was very close to their actual 18-10 record.

I had them going 19-8 in June – but, they did much worse (14-12). I never predicted that A-Rod would disappear for a month. Oooops. My bad.

I had them going 14-11 in July – and they were near that (being 2 games better at 16-9).

Back in April, I predicted that the Yankees would go 16-13 in August and then 19-10 after August. Since I was good in May and July, in terms of my prediction, I’m sticking with my prediction for August.

There’s many tough teams that the Yankees need to play in August: the Blue Jays, the White Sox, the Angels, the Red Sox, and the Tigers. In total, New York will play 21 games against this group next month.

What about the other 9 games in August? It’s 6 games against the O’s and 3 against the Mariners.

These nine games are key for New York in August. If the Yankees take 7 of 9 against the O’s and M’s combined, and then play .500 ball against the “tough” teams that make out the rest of the August schedule, it will be a good month for the Yankees.

But, if the Yankees look past the O’s and M’s next month, they’re going to be hard pressed to put some distance between them and the rest of the A.L. East in the next upcoming month of play.

Via The Feeding the Monster Blog -

This year, Crisp seems to have taken on the mantle of the miserable moper convinced everyone’s out to get him, like Edgar Renteria in ‘05 or Nomar Garciaparra in ‘04. Twice in the sixth inning last night Crisp threw wildly off target–first when he threw up the first base line after a spectacular diving catch, later when he skipped a relay throw into the infield after an Orlando Cabrera sacrifice fly–and both times he was hanging his head, Linus-style, before his throws had even been gathered up. Now that Willie Harris (who had been Crisp’s best friend in the clubhouse) is in Pawtucket, Crisp is isolated, sullen and sulking, in spite of the fact that Boston fans have more or less given the guy a free pass. Someone who came in replacing a matinee idol/cult hero and has been a bust on both offense and defense could reasonably expect a lot worse. It’s almost as if Crisp is depressed in preparation for the Boston boo birds.

Interesting, Crisp was singing a different tune back in April when he signed a $15.5 million, three-year contract extension with the Sox:

Crisp said his short time in Boston convinced him it was worth giving up his first shot at free agency.

“I was able to hang out with the guys and the front office, and see what they were like,” Crisp said. “I had fun with the guys. Being with the Red Sox made it easy. You want the security and having that, and playing for the Red Sox, is great. There’s no better place to be.”

On April 12th of this year, Red Sox G.M. Theo Epstein said:

“We think investing in Coco was a wise move.”

Really?

The above chart is the up-to-date Double-A stats for two pitchers that the Yankees currently have pitching for their farm team this season in Trenton.

Granted, “Pitcher A” is a year older than “Pitcher B.” (He’s actually about 16 months older. But, that’s still just one-year in baseball circles.)

Noneteless, the numbers for these two pitchers are very close – in terms of hits and walks allowed, strikeouts earned, and their command of the strike zone. Also, they both give you a shade under 6 IP per start.

“Pitcher B” is Philip Hughes – the best pitching prospect in the Yankees organization.

“Pitcher A” is Tyler Clippard.

The Yankees had a situation like this back when Sterling Hitchcock and Andy Pettitte were coming up through their system. Two pitchers, about a year apart in age, and they both looked like good pitching prospects. But, in fact, one of them had a better career than the other one.

It will be interesting to see how it works out for Clippard and Hughes.

Personally, I hope they both go on to star in New York for the Yankees. That would be the best case scenario.

So, in the end, the Yankees gave up C.J. Henry, Matt Smith, Jesus Sanchez and Carlos Monasterios for Abreu & Lidle.

There’s nothing there, lost, that’s going to make mark on the Yankees farm system. Nothing at all, on the whole.

Better yet, the Phillies paid Abreu to waive his no-trade clause. And, the Yankees didn’t have to pick up Abreu’s option for 2008. New York will “only” owe Abreu $4.4 million this season, $13 million next season and a $2 million buyout for 2008.

Oh my stars and garters, this is sweet.

I’ve already gone on record that I believe Cory Lidle can help the Yankees. Put it this way, compared to Sidney Ponson, he’s gold.

And, Bobby Abreu? I have a gut feeling about him coming to the Bronx now – and I see him having a “David Justice 2000″ impact on the Yankees team this season. (And, I’m not worried about the “loss of power” thing for him. Actually, I buy into the theory that N.L. teams would rather walk him than give him a pitch to drive. Thus, he could sneak up on the A.L. pitchers for a few weeks here.)

I hope the Yankees bat Abreu ahead of A-Rod and Giambi (and after Damon and Jeter). I like the idea of the line-up going left-right-left-right-left. And, then, in the bottom four of the line-up you will have Posada, Phillips/Matsui, Cano, and Melky.

Yes, Melky. What about Sheffield? He’s on target, now, to be available for the last 4 weeks of the season. He’s going to want to play – because he’s making a case for himself to get a contract, somewhere, next year.

To be honest, I think Sheffeild should only get a chance to play if Cabrera is struggling or if Matsui cannot come back. Otherwise, he should be used in spots – and not on a regular basis. If he tears the cover off the ball in those chances, then you reconsider the line-up.

That might not be fair. And, he’s not going to like it. But, who ever said life was fair and that you’re always going to like it?

I missed this one today – we took the kids to go see the Staten Island Yankees play the Hudson Valley Renegades.

The starter for the S.I. Yanks, Edgar Soto, got torched today: 7 ER in 3.67 IP. The crowd was really on him. It’s a shame. At this level, it’s all about getting your reps in. Yes, it’s nice to win. But, at the short-season A-ball level, it’s about getting PAs and facing batters. The crowd wanted Soto out of the game in the first inning.

I got to see Colin Curtis play for the Yankees. Despite the fact that he’s batting .342 for Staten Island, it looked like he needs work, still, against off-speed stuff.

Moving to the big team – it was nice to see Damon have a big day after he was one of the few brave enough to face the press after that mess on Saturday. Shame on the big boys who bolted out of the clubhouse as soon as they could yesterday.

You know, I hated Damon with a purple passion when he was on the Red Sox. But, boy, has he impressed me as a Yankee. Now I know why they loved him so much in Boston.

Looks like Moose had his A-game on today. After Unit’s F-game yesterday, it was just what the doctor ordered.

From Rotoworld:

ESPN’s Jayson Stark believes the Yankees will acquire Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle from the Phillies for 2005 first-round pick C.J. Henry and right-hander Steven White.

I have no beef with giving up Steven White. He’s already 25-years-old and has had issues throwing strikes in the minors the last two seasons. At best, he’s a back-end of the rotation guy someday. At worst, he never gets out of Triple-A.

C.J. Henry? He’s toolsy – but, he has some holes in his game. And, at best, he’s three years away from being able to help a big league team. A lot can happen in three years.

I see this deal as White for Lidle and Henry for Abreu. That’s about right. I don’t think the Yankees got taken to school on this one.

From Fox Sports:

The Bobby Abreu trade is likely to happen Sunday, and the Phillies are expected to send the right fielder to the Yankees even though the Red Sox are still in the mix, FOXSports.com has learned.

The Yankees would get Abreu and right-hander Cory Lidle in their proposed deal, while the Red Sox are negotiating only for Abreu. However, the Sox are working on several other fronts, and their primary motivation apparently is to muddle matters for the Yankees, according to a source close to the talks.

Abreu, 32, has given assurances that he will waive his no-trade clause for the Yankees, presumably in exchange for the exercising of his $16 million option for 2008. But due to the large amount of paperwork involved, a resolution likely is necessary by Sunday to ensure that the trade is completed by Monday’s 4 p.m. non-waiver deadline.

If Melky Cabrera gets the shaft in this deal, I don’t like it.

But, with Matsui, Damon, and Abreu under contract for the next two years, I don’t see how this is good news for Melky and his fans.

Unless, the plan is to make Abreu a DH next year and play Giambi at 1B all the time. But, I don’t think Abreu will go for that – and it’s questionable as to whether or not Giambi can play 1B for 150 games and survive.

The more you noodle this, it doesn’t look good for Melky.

Mike Berardino talks about Philip Hughes and shares some scary stats about prior Yankees pitching prospects:

Besides Andy Pettitte, no drafted-and-developed Yankees pitcher has made more than 10 starts in a major league season since 1995.

That was the year Sterling Hitchcock and Scott Kamieniecki joined Pettitte in the same rotation for Buck Showalter. That’s how long ago that was.

Of the other 10 pitchers the Yankees have taken in the first round since the June draft was instituted in 1965, only one has reached the majors with them. Bill Burbach, a high school righty from Dickeyville, Wis., was taken 19th overall in the inaugural draft and made 37 combined appearances (going 6-11) for the Yankees from 1969-71.

Among those who were either traded or sidetracked before they could reach Yankee Stadium: Dave Cheadle (’70 draft), Scott McGregor (’72), Steve Taylor (’77), Jeff Pries (’84), Rick Balabon (’85), Brien Taylor (’91), Matt Drews (’93), Eric Milton (’96) and David Walling (’99).

The Big Stein braintrust is on the hook for Steve Taylor, Jeff Pries, Rick Balabon, Brien Taylor, Matt Drews, Eric Milton, and David Walling.

That’s not going to look good on a resume.

The week before you need to go out and get a new policy for your car insurance is the worst week to go out and get five speeding tickets. And, when you need pitching and it’s the weekend before the trading deadline, it’s the worst time to have four of your pitchers get undressed in a game.

Brian Cashman must hate answering his phone at this moment.

You know what? It’s almost August. A legit playoff contender does not go out there at this stage of the season and gets it’s clock cleaned by a team as lowly as the Devil Rays are at this junction.

This is embarrassing with a capital “E.”

NoSenseWorrying.com shares a report on the fan reaction to A-Rod last night in the Bronx:

One of the more anticipated moments of the evening was how the Stadium would react to A-Rod. Well, I’m quite impressed with my fellow fans tonight. He received a nice ovation when he was announced his first time up. And that continued through the evening. Yeah, there were a couple of smart asses who still booed. But I saw people who I know dislike the man clap and cheer him on. They know that the Yankees need him to do well. I can’t say for sure what brought the change of heart on. Maybe they were sick of the media attention. Maybe it was because he ended the road trip on a good note. Maybe the fans who weren’t booing finally got tired enough of the other mooks and decided to do something about it. Who knows. But, I think the shift is happening.

And, for the record, it was a sellout in the Bronx last night – the 31st one this year, if I heard it right on the YES coverage. So, perhaps it’s safe to say that the booing tide is turning.

What was it that The Byrds once sang?

To everything – turn, turn, turn
There is a season – turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time of peace, I swear it’s not too late!

There’s a new one at the NetShrine Discussion Forum – if anyone is interested.

On Monday, July 31st, the FSN network will be airing an episode of In Focus detailing the “1990′s New York Yankees.”

Check your local listings for air-times.

From Newsday -

Yankees officials expressed optimism that some of the deals they have discussed recently have a good chance to get done. The most likely trade partners are the Phillies and Pirates.

If it’s Philadelphia, the Yankees could enhance their starting rotation with the addition of former Yankee Jon Lieber and add some pop and patience to their lineup by acquiring rightfielder Bobby Abreu.

The Phillies continue to ask for high-level prospects, but the Yankees maintain they shouldn’t have to give up major prospects because they would be assuming more than $40 million in contracts for the two veterans. The Yankees also are interested in starter Cory Lidle.

If it’s the Pirates with whom the Yankees do business, the salaries of outfielder Craig Wilson and reliever Roberto Hernandez are relatively modest, though it might cost the Yankees more in legitimate prospects.

Hernandez is 41-years-old and Wilson is a free agent after this season. If the Pirates want very good prospects for them, I would tell them to go fish.

If I was a betting man, I think the Yankees-Phillies connection is more likely. Just guessing, I’m saying that it’s going to be Lieber and Abreu for Marcos Vechionacci, Steven White, Jeff Marquez, and either Matt Smith or T.J Beam.

But, that’s just a wild guess – based on no facts whatsoever.

At this moment, both Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina have winning percentages of at least .750 for the season.

When was the last time that the Yankees had two true starting pitchers go the whole season and end up with winning percentages of at least .750 for the season?

It was the magical year of 1998 when David Wells went 18-4 and El Duque Hernandez went 12-4. But, Hernandez only made 21 starts that season.

The last time that two Yankees starters went the full season and had winning percentages of at least .750 was 1963 – when Whitey Ford went 24-7 and Jim Bouton went 21-7.

If Wang and Mussina can keep up their pace, we might see something in New York that we haven’t seen in 43 years.

OK, com’on, and sing along with me……….

“W” is for the way you WIN with ease.
“A” is for the bullpen ARMS you please.
“N” is NASTY, NASTY mega-ground-ball-master-sassy.
“G” is GREAT that you do, each time out, no-thin’ new.

Thanks to Nat King Cole and “Worm Killer” for the inspiration.

From Peter Abraham -

Posada is one of the main reasons the Yankees are 59-40 and leading the American League wild-card race.

“I don’t know where we would be without him,” Torre said. “It’s like he discovered something.”

More like somebody. When the Yankees hired Tony Pena as their first base coach, they also found a mentor for Posada.

Pena and Posada had only a nodding acquaintance before this season. But by the second week of spring training, they had become friends.

“He’s been so positive with me,” Posada said. “Tony is an old fox. He’s seen everything, he knows everybody. He understands the position and he understands me. He knows how I’m feeling and what my point of view is.”

Pena worked Posada hard during spring training, getting him to lose five pounds in the belief that it would improve his reflexes behind the plate. Posada had gotten heavier the year before, adding muscle during the winter to try and combat age.

“Looking back on it, I made a mistake,” he said. “I’m better off when I’m a little lighter.”

“I didn’t know him until I got here but I look at him like he’s one of my sons now,” Pena said.

I guess Girardi couldn’t connect with Jorge. I’m glad that Pena was able to make the connection. Posada has been huge for New York this year.

Now, this looks sweet!

Vintage World Series Films – New York Yankees: 17 Championship Seasons 1943-2000

It was just released 3 days ago.

According to Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

A miserable defensive slump and disappointing offensive production rekindled trade speculation around A-Rod. The Chicago Tribune suggested the Cubs should make a play on him as a rebuilding block.

At some point, the Yankees may realize that Rodriguez and Derek Jeter is just an unhappy marriage on the left side of the infield and in the clubhouse.

Clueless.

“Rodriguez and Derek Jeter is just an unhappy marriage on the left side of the infield and in the clubhouse”?

What the……?

Oh, it’s Jeter’s fault that A-Rod is having a rough go of it this season – now I get it.

And people say that bloggers just make stuff up.

John Brattain recently penned an essay entitled A Tale Of Three Cities: The Saga Of A-Rod. It’s a pretty interesting read.

It’s worth checking out.

The Brewers are trading Carlos Lee and minor leaguer Nelson Cruz to the Rangers for Francisco Cordero, Kevin Mench and Laynce Nix.

That’s two that you can take off the “rumored to the Yankees” list.

The Yankees drafted Eric Milton in the 1st Round of the 1996 amateur entry draft. He was the 20th overall section in the draft.

In 1997, his first pro-season, Milton was awesome. Splitting the season between Single-A and Double-A, Milton threw 171 innings, allowing only 137 hits and 50 walks. That works out to a WHIP of 1.09. In addition, in those 171 IP, Milton struck out 162 batters – which is a K/9IP rate of 8.53.

At the end of the 1997, Milton was just 22-years-old and as blue-chip as a blue-chip pitching prospect could be in terms of potential.

What did the Yankees do with him at that point? On February 6, 1998, they traded Milton, Brian Buchanan, Cristian Guzman, Danny Mota, and cash to the Minnesota Twins for Chuck Knoblauch.

Eight years later, at the age of 29, Eric Milton was the second worst starting pitcher in the major leagues. Further, coming into this season, in 233 career major league starts, Milton’s career ERA was 4.99 (compared to a league average of 4.57).

If the Yankees do end up trading Philip Hughes this season, before Yankees fans get too upset, they should think about Eric Milton.

Where you’re drafted and how you pitch in the minors does not always mean that you will be a star.

Given the way that Juan Rivera has developed this year, is the Yankees trade of Nick Johnson, Juan Rivera, and Randy Choate for Javier Vazquez (made on December 16, 2003) now the worst deal in recent Yankees history?

I saw this in an article about the Red Sox adding IP telephony to their organization:

Last season, Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein’s cell phone was posted on a New York Yankees fan Web site, resulting in so many calls to his phone that Conley had to quickly get Verizon Wireless to change Epstein’s number.

Awesome. I missed this story last year. Does anyone know what site posted the number?

From Newsday:

Thanks to a few tips from catching instructor Tony Peña, Jorge Posada has become one of the most difficult catchers in the major leagues to steal on this season.

Ramon Hernandez, Bal 39.7 (23-for-58)
Miguel Olivo, Fla 35.3 (18-for-51)
Jorge Posada, NYY 33.9 (19-for-56)
Kenji Johjima, Sea 29.8 (14-for-47)
Brian McCann, Atl 29.5 (13-for-44)

If you told me this, without showing me the stats, I would not have believed it. OK, now, seeing the numbers, I’m impressed.

Attaboy Georgie.

From the Palm Beach Post -

When he initially joined the Yankees in 1996, coming from Colorado to replace popular catcher Mike Stanley, fans did not even wait until he played his first game to voice their displeasure.

“I got booed the first month and a half, and I didn’t even do anything,” Girardi said. “I got booed before I got there.

“They loved Stanley, and he was a home-run hitter. I got booed at the FanFest. … I got signs on opening day – ‘Go Back to Colorado.’ ”

It did not let up until May 14, 1996, when Dwight Gooden took the mound with Girardi catching.

“I got booed until Gooden threw his no-hitter, and then it all started to change,” Girardi said.

And, after that triple in Game 6 of the 1996 World Series, it’s safe to say that Girardi will never be booed in New York again.

As bad as the fans can get on a guy in New York, all it takes is one huge play to win them over for good.