Posada puts contract aside

[browntown653]

TAMPA, Fla. -- There are players who say they are not going to worry about their contracts and there are players who really mean it. Jorge Posada insists he's part of the latter group.

"I [couldn't] care less," Posada said.

At 35 years old and with more than 10 years of service time, Posada is comfortable with his place in pinstripes. He has always seen himself as a Yankee and believes that won't change.

The Yankees don't plan to negotiate a new contract until after the season, but Posada clearly isn't worried by the uncertainty. He dismisses the thought so quickly, it's as if he's swatting a fly.

Who would have thought that when faced with the same contractual situation, it would be soft-spoken Mariano Rivera who speaks out and the fiery Posada who takes a quieter approach?

Surprising, eh?

"If you do what you're supposed to, everything is going to take care of itself," Posada said. "And if it doesn't work out here, you've got other places to go."

Not that Posada foresees that. He takes his role as one of the veteran leaders very seriously, and his influence in the clubhouse seems to grow each year.

After his three-year absence, one of the first differences Andy Pettitte noticed about the Yankees was that Posada has become more outspoken.

"It's just how he is carrying himself now," Pettitte said. "He's more vocal than I can ever remember him being. He's one of the guys who the team looks to to lead. He knows how to win."

Posada is coming off what he believes might have been his best all-around season - he hit .277 with 27 doubles, 23 homers and 93 RBIs and threw out 37 percent of would-be base-stealers (38 of 102), which was just shy of his career-high 40 percent (32 of 80) in 1999.

Posada credits his successful season to coaches Tony Peña, Larry Bowa and Ron Guidry. He said each brought positive energy to the team that helped fuel him through a grueling season.

"They're my energy-boosters," he said. "Every day, they are there ready, looking forward to the work. It's fun to be around."

Peña, after a year working closely with Posada, knows he can lean on Posada to teach the younger catchers in camp. Peña said Posada, upon request, has reported early to speak to the other catchers.

"He's already played, what, 10 or 11 years in the big leagues, but he still comes in early and helps me teach the younger players," Peña said. "I use him as an example all the time."

Posada is at the age when catchers generally are on the decline, but he isn't all that worried. "Nowadays, everything is completely different," he said. "Everybody plays until they're 40."

Still, the Yankees intentionally rested Posada more last season; his 121 starts behind the plate were his fewest in seven years. They would like to do the same in 2007, even though his backup most likely will be either 40-year-old Todd Pratt or the inexperienced Wil Nieves.

Catching also takes a long-term toll on the body. Posada, like every catcher around baseball, winced at the news that the Giants' Mike Matheny had to retire last month because of ongoing problems with concussions caused by foul tips.

"Foul tips, they're like a blow, a punch in the face," Posada said. "There's only so many you can take, and you can't control it. You really can't control foul tips, plays at the plate, concussions. It's part of the game. There are a lot of risks. We get banged up."

Not that Posada is going to worry about it. In many ways, the concussion situation is just like his contractual status. At a fun time like spring training, Posada refuses to entertain negatives.

"I'm just coming here," he said, "and having fun."

Even at 35, still far and away one of the best catchers in the game...there doesn't seem to be much in the miniors of a potential replacement though, unless I missed something, so I hope we have him locked up for a few more years.

[Dry1313]

Koyie Hill?