Morning Links:

Torre Leaves Open the Possibility of a New York Return: While this might peak Yankees fans interest if they don’t win the World Series this year, Torre was talking about their cross town rivals the New York Mets. While it might sound shocking to some, Torre finished up his playing career and began his managerial career as a member of the Mets, so it is hard not to see how those ties run deep for him. All-in-all its a lot of speculation based on one radio interview while the season is still in progress, but I wouldn’t rule it out entirely. The Mets will obviously make a managerial change,  and have the desire and money to make a big splash. Torre would get the most out of that lineup and give the team instant credibility. While i’m not buying it yet, it will be an interesting story to watch this offseason.

Yankees Add a Game to Their Lead Over the Rays: In an emotional night in which the Yankees unveiled a statue honoring the late George Steinbrenner, the Yankees held off their division rivals 8-6. It was a big win for the Yankees who now have a 1.5 game lead over the Rays for the division. Not only did they win the game, but they did so behind rookie pitcher Ivan Nova. Nova didn’t have a great game by any means, but the fact that he was able to pitch well enough to set up the team to win, means that the Yankees still have Hughes and Sabathia throwing in this series (as well as Burnett but that could be a long shot for a win). While the bullpen allowed the Rays to get a little closer they hung on when it counted and got New York their 91st win. This series is a crucial one for New York and will go a long way to determining who takes the East and who ends up with the Wild Card.

Steelers Without Dixon, Resign Leftwich to Battle Batch: The news on Dennis Dixon isn’t promising as it looks like a torn lateral meniscus, which will keep him sidelined 2-5 weeks. The Steelers quickly resigned Byron Leftwich who was released over the weekend, who has missed the last two weeks after spraining his knee in preseason. Leftwich was originally supposed to be the seat warmer for Ben Roethlisberger as he sits out this 4 game suspension, but now his healthy return to the field is a priority with Dixon’s injury. If Leftwich can’t go Charlie Batch will start this Sunday against the Buccaneers. Batch came in for Dixon this past Sunday and the numbers were less than impressive, as the Steelers really had to play a vastly more conservative game than they would have liked. With a limited passing attack the Titans were able to stack the line against the run slowing down Mendenhall. While a full week of practice could allow Batch to be more active in the passing attack, the best thing for the Steelers will be a healthy Leftwich, who has the arm to allow the Steelers to go vertical. While the Buccaneers have been a surprise team this year, the real test will be week 4 at home against the Ravens. For the Steelers to have any chance of winning they will need some sort of passing attack to try to balance out the run game.