N.Y. not ready to start thinking about 2002

JOHN DELCOS, GANNETT NEWS SERVICE

NEW YORK -- This is the New York Yankees' time of year, not a time to think about next year.

Fresh off an American League Division Series victory against Oakland, their thought process is winning a fourth straight World Series to become a part of history, not that their current championship run could be history.

Paul O'Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius and Chuck Knoblauch -- all integral components to the success they've had the last three years, with the first two also key figures in the 1996 title -- know this could be their last year with the Yankees.

None say they are thinking of that.

O'Neill, who will likely retire after the postseason, said the playoffs and his future are not intertwined.

"It is much easier for me to think of one thing, and that's winning," said O'Neill, whose reluctance this year in talking about his future is in not wanting to be a clubhouse distraction for his teammates, or accepting this as his last year in being a distraction to himself.

"Whether I'm back next year, or Tino, or Bro, has nothing to do with what we're trying to accomplish now.

"Our focus is on right now."

Tunnel vision of winning

The tunnel vision of winning; the shortsightedness of the immediacy of winning now is what has defined the Yankees.

When the Yankees made history in 1998, manager Joe Torre pointed to an April series at Detroit as a defining moment because he said he could see the fire in his team's collective eye in wanting to sweep the lowly Tigers.

In 1999 and 2000, they overcame the distractions of Torre's cancer, Darryl Strawberry's cancer and arrest, the swirling trade rumors around Andy Pettitte one year, and Sammy Sosa and Juan Gonzalez the next, with the "today is the only day that counts" mentality.

"Once a day is gone, it is gone," said Knoblauch, who said he has put his turbulent season of his throwing problems, the position switch, trade rumors and feud with the press behind him with the knowledge he's again Torre's leadoff hitter in the postseason.

About the possibility of this being his last season with the Yankees, he simply said: "I'm not thinking ahead."

Knoblauch hasn't had a good season, and despite rumors of a handshake deal, it's a strong possibility he won't be back.

The Yankees force-fed Drew Henson this year in the minor leagues in anticipation of losing Brosius; Martinez had a strong season that thinks is deserving of a three-year deal, not the one or two years they want to give him as they wait for Nick Johnson.

What's important now

"It's easy not to think of it. Next year is next year," Brosius said. "We worked our tails off to get to the playoffs, and that's what's important now. I think one of the strongest characteristics of this team, and that fits into it, is that we carry a certain day-to-day focus. We're thinking of now, not next year."

Martinez followed an off-year by hitting .280 with 34 homers and 113 RBI, and at 33, he'll be looking for at least three years; by comparison, Oakland's 30-year-old Jason Giambi, one of the marquee players in the free-agent market is seeking six years.

But right now he swears he's only thinking about baseball.

"I'm focusing on trying to help us win this post-season, and when it's all said and done, it may or may not be the last time around for all of us. We don't know," Martinez said.

The Yankees have been through this before, said Torre, losing Jimmy Key and John Wetteland after 1996, the trade of David Wells before the start of the 1999 spring training, not bringing back David Cone this year.

"We are going to lose somebody major every year," Torre said. "We sort of feel that way every year, to make it special with the group we have at that particular time."

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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