According to reports, the Yankees and longtime closer Mariano Rivera have agreed on a two-year-deal worth around $30 million. The 41-year-old pitcher reportedly had serious offers from other teams, including the Angels and Red Sox, and was offered a three-year-deal worth more money from one of those other teams yesterday, according to the News. That offer seemed to have spurred the Yankees into finalizing their deal with Rivera, which sources expect should be finalized by tonight. more ›

Yesterday, the Mets inducted four beloved Mets—and members of its 1986 World Series Championship team—into its hall of fame: Slugger Darryl Strawberry, pitcher Dwight Gooden, manager Davey Johnson and general manager Frank Cashen were celebrated in a pre-game ceremony. Gooden, whose personal problems have been in the news lately, said, "This is really, really amazing, and it feels so good to be home. There was no better feeling than when I took the mound, there were two strikes on the batter, and all you guys were standing and clapping for the third strike." more ›

The All-Star Game just offered a moment of silence in tribute to Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Since news of the larger-than-life figure's death this morning, past and present players, managers, colleagues, and politicians have been offering their condolences to the Steinbrenner family and thoughts on The Boss. Yogi Berra, who was fired as manager after just 16 games in 1985, said today, "George was 'The Boss,' make no mistake. He built the Yankees into champions, and that's something nobody can ever deny. He was a very generous, caring, passionate man. George and I had our differences, but who didn't? We became great friends over the last decade and I will miss him very much." more ›

The Mets brought retired superstar Darryl Strawberry down to camp as a hitting instructor, but it didn't take long before he started giving an unofficial lesson in media relations. When asked if he would have taken steroids had they been commonplace in the '80s, he responded, "Hell, yeah, I would have used them. Are you kidding me?...And I wouldn't have denied it, because you guys know I don't deny anything." He also didn't fault the newest public enemy in the steroid scandal, Alex Rodriguez, for lacking any of the notorious candor of the former Mets All-Star with a tell-all book on its way. The Straw Man told reporters, "He's taking the bullet for everybody. He admitted he was wrong and everything. I think that should be enough for everybody." As for A-Rod's much-criticized defense of being "young and stupid" when he took banned substances, Strawberry said, "Sometimes people question that, but over the years of my life, I've realized, you are stupid when you're 24 or 25 years old." more ›

In a week that Major League Baseball has been on damage control with well loved veterans coming out to tell the public how disappointed they are in A-Rod's steroid admissions, what better a time for Darryl Strawberry to release some choice quotes from "Straw: Finding My Way," his upcoming book detailing the debaucherous bad boy Mets days of the 1980s. Strawberry makes the 1986 World Series champs sound more like a hair metal band of the era, having cocaine-fueled romps with women from the stands in between innings. The Post shares an anecdote from the book where the slugger says, "I was in the clubhouse, having one last quickie with this cute little Florida girl. Charlie Samuels, the equipment manager, came in and caught us. He just stood there shaking his head while I finished up." A couple of years back, a group of comedians at the Upright Citizens Brigade brought Strawberry in for a talk where he recounted tales of tag-teaming women. more ›

Ooh, finally we move to the "Handwriting Analysis" portion of the Astor spat! There were accusations of her son Anthony Marshall making 104 year old Brooke Astor wear tattered nightgowns and sit on a couch reeking of dog pee and being cheap with her medical care. Then there was the odd sale of her favorite painting. And of course allegations that her estate was being mishandled. more ›

From the way back machine, NJ.com's Always Amazin' (by way of Deadspin) points us to this classic image from 1986. Classic on so many levels. It's never really been the same for any of the people pictured. more ›

This weekend marks the unofficial start to summer, and if you aren’t going to your estate in Bridgehampton or East Quogue that means you’ll be looking for something fun and comedy related to do in your fresh-from-storage summer whites. Right? Right. more ›

David Hirschman, Writer/Editor more ›