Twitterverse: Posada Situation Sinking His Yankees Legacy

With news that he opted out of Saturday's game Jorge Posada's Yankees legacy is quickly becoming a sinking ship. Credit: Phil Hoops

The press conference didn't even happen yet and it was clear that the relationship between Jorge Posada and the New York Yankees was damaged, perhaps beyond repair. I know you're probably thinking this isn't a Yankees blog and you're right we normally don't pick up too many New York Yankees news tidbits around here but when a cornerstone player for over a decade ...that's a game changer.

Last night began innocently enough, with Posada being a late scratch from the team's contest against the Boston Red Sox after he was slated to bat ninth in the batting order for the first time in over a decade. However, soon it became very clear that there was more to this story with Yankees General Manager telling reporters that the 39 year-old switch hitting catcher wanted out of the lineup due to being insulted by his position in the batting order (the number nine hole).

From there the truth became a bit more clouded. First Posada's father told YES Network correspondent and former New York Times journalist Jack Curry that his son made a mistake and should have played in the ball game. Jorge's wife Laura, on the other hand, maintained that her husband could not to play due to stiffness in his back. The truth...well the truth really doesn't even matter at this point. The relationship between one of sports arguably most well-known and respected teams and their long-time backstop is in peril.

What should the Yankees do? Frankly, I feel as if the team should punish Posada to the greatest extent possible. Why? Because they need to take a stand and protect the integrity of the organization. You can't let guys ask out of the lineup to make a statement regardless of their seniority and their popularity with the fan base.

Going back to the hitting ninth in the lineup argument, I have to say that I think it's probably the best spot for the veteran. This isn't just a prolonged slump we're talking about with Posada this season. The team is nearly one quarter of the way through the regular season and Posada is hitting .165 as the team's primary designated hitter. That's not just bad...it's atrocious for a guy who is making in excess of $13 million this season.

If I were in Posada's position I'd be in the lineup even if I were batting tenth in the order, but then again they're not paying me millions to go out there and play. Just my two cents of course.

Click through to check out a recap of last night's events via the Twitter Tale of the Tape:

Cashman confirms that Posada asked out of the lineup tonight. There is no injury, the GM said.