Meanwhile, at Yankees headquarters

Never before has so much attention been paid to a bunch of October meetings of a first-round playoff victim.

But a convention of New York beat writers are hanging out in Tampa, Fla., this week, hoping to break the story about what's going to happen to manager Joe Torre, the future of George Steinbrenner as owner or whether they'll pursue Alex Rodriguez if he decides to become a free agent. This soap opera is just beginning.

They didn't meet at the Yankees' Legends Field complex, instead going to Steinbrenner's home. (No word on what they ate for lunch, who delivered the Powerpoint presentation or the type of table at which they sat.) There has been speculation that Steinbrenner will turn over more control over the team to his sons, Hal and Hank.

The little word that did leak out involved bench coach Don Mattingly, the former Yankees first baseman who is considered a top candidate should the Yankees let Torre go. Mattingly's agent refuted a report that he's told the team he's not ready to manage, but he's caught in the middle, loyal to Torre.

"I would think it's like following [legendary UCLA basketball coach] John Wooden or something," Mattingly said on Oct. 9 to MLB.com. "This guy wins championship after championship, and he's in the playoffs every year. It's pretty much a no-win situation for someone coming in here.

"To be able to live up to the expectations or live up to what he did -- it's not going to happen. So as far as someone coming in and taking over this job, it's not necessarily a great situation."

If I'm Torre, I pull the plug on my own. He's set for life financially, his Hall of Fame legacy intact. Why go through all of this?

It's already been a tumultuous offseason in several of the most stable baseball front offices. Walt Jocketty was let go in St. Louis, Jon Schuerholz moved aside in Atlanta and Terry Ryan is out in Minnesota. All were in their jobs for more than a decade. And on Tuesday, Angels GM Bill Stoneman announced he's retiring and will remain a team consultant.