That's when Mel (Daniels) and I ran the workouts.

Mel did a great job here all these years, but that's the way the Yankees are. Everybody knows when you come to the Yankees, that things can change from year to year. Everybody that's been here a while understands the things that may arise.

I think Ronnie is a guy who acts first and thinks later. If he were to do it over again, he might do it differently.

I've talked to a lot of teams, discussed myriad types of offers. Some are player for player, some involve first-round draft picks, some involve savings, some involve a combination of those things. I'm encouraged by some of the things we were offered.

There's really nothing new to report on that. We've dealt with the issue, and now it's up to David Stern.

Things are starting to clarify. The number of teams is down to three or four, and I'm dealing with one or two a day in a serious way. The players [being offered] are better, and I think teams realize if they're going to do it they have to offer good players. Draft choices and cap space don't equal a good player.