All Things Bubba

According to SI, the Yankees have offered Bernie Williams a spring training invite. That's it - just an invitation to spring training. And Bernie is apparently considering it, even though he could probably get more from another club.

I'd kill for a chance to wear pinstripes and play in Yankee Stadium, even for a day. So I can't blame Bernie for wanting to stick around as long as possible. But I think Roger Staubach was right. He said he wanted to retire while it was still his decision - not wait until other people decided it was time for him to retire. (And he did. He retired at age 37, after one of the best seasons of his career.)

Aaron Small is not retiring yet. He was thinking about it, before his magical year with the Yankees, so I thought he might it call it a career now. But he's signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners. He always seemed like a really nice guy, and I wish him the best.

And speaking of people who should be retired...Ruben Sierra - the 41-year-old, .179-hitting Ruben Sierra - has been signed to a minor league contract by the Mets. Good grief. They'd be better off signing Ruben Studdard.

Sierra had some nice moments as a Yankee, but I mostly remember him blocking younger players who deserved a shot. In particular, 2005, when Torre kept running him out there instead of Bubba. Man, that was aggravating. Even in September, when Bubba was hitting something like .350 and Sierra was hitting about .100, Torre kept using Sierra. Even after Sierra's incredible ineptness in right field finally got Bubba the start, Torre kept using Sierra to pinch-hit for Bubba.

What are the Mets going to do with this guy? They're an NL team, so they can't use him as a DH. Are they really that hard up for outfielders?