SJK: What type of access have you had with the Yankees this season? Tell us about your experience of covering such a volatile season.

MF: The access for writers is standard across the majors. The clubhouse opens 3 1/2 hours before first pitch, giving the writers time to gather information and conduct interviews for our stories. We do a daily press session with Joe Torre when BP starts, then, depending on whether we're home or away, there might be time to go back into the clubhouse for any follow up. The clubhouse closes one hour before first pitch, giving the players time to eat, relax or do whatever they do to prepare for the game.

As for this season, it hasn't been much different than any other Yankees season. The fact that they were so bad to start the year, were 14 1/2 games back, etc., it certainly made the first few months of the season a little more tense, but that always seems to be the case with this team no matter what the standings look like. The Yankees draw more attention from fans, media and the rest of the world than any team in sports, so there's always some issue surrounding the team.

I grew up in New York as a Yankees fan, as my father grew up a couple blocks from the Stadium. But since I have taken this job, it's impossible to be a fan, because I have to remain objective. That said, the job becomes much easier when the team is winning, because the overall mood of the players, coaches, manager and GM is much lighter. When they were 21-29, this team was not much fun to cover. Now, that clubhouse is obviously a happier place to be.
 

SJK: If you were a betting man, would you put money on Alex Rodriguez being a Yankee in 2008?

MF: Yes. I have flip-flopped on this one on a daily basis throughout the season, but here's the bottom line: How can the Yankees let him go? Who would they replace him with? Wilson Betemit? Come on. They will pony up whatever A-Rod and Scott Boras want, as long as they can do it before the opt-out date. If Rodriguez opts out, the Yankees will lose the $30 million that Texas owes them, and that might cause them to think differently.

The only other hitch in A-Rod's return is A-Rod himself. If Alex doesn't want to stay in New York, he'll leave. This isn't in the Yankees' hands. Right now, I think he'll stay. But if he goes 1-for-15 in another first-round loss? Then it gets interesting.
 

SJK: I teach my students to show no mercy, but you think we're too hard on Joe Torre? Why?

MF: Is Joe Torre the best X's and O's manager in baseball? No. Is he the best manager for the Yankees? It's not even a question. Managing this team is about communication, not strategy. The number of times a baseball manager is directly responsible for a win or a loss (despite your creative tally board on the site) is small. Five, maybe ten times a year, tops. But Torre runs a clubhouse with almost $200 million worth of talent and ego, and he manages to keep controversy away for the most part.

Handling the media is also a huge part of the job, and there is no better manager in baseball for that than Torre. He speaks with the press for about 20-30 minutes before each game, then another 10-15 minutes after each game. That's a lot of time, and many managers wouldn't have the patience for it. Torre has been a part of the media before, broadcasting for the Angels in the 80s, so he understands the business.

But the biggest misconception as far as I'm concerned is the "Joe Torre ruins relievers" theory. Tanyon Sturtze? Had his most productive seasons of his career under Torre, then pitched with a tear in his rotator cuff and didn't tell the team. How should Torre have known that Sturtze was in so much pain if the pitcher kept saying he was fine. Scott Proctor? Torre gave him the shot to pitch in important situations, and his career took off as a result. And while most people assume Proctor will eventually have arm trouble from pitching so much, it hasn't happened yet. Tom Gordon? Got a huge contract as a closer after leaving Torre. Paul Quantrill? Pitched in 80+ games every year, but when Torre throws him that many, it's irresponsible. Maybe it was that he was almost 40 years old.

Do I agree with everything Torre does? No. Does he fall in love with a reliever and use that guy a lot? Yes. But to say that he wrecks careers is unfair. Players love playing for this guy, and without him, the 96-00 Yankees win one, maybe two titles, not four.
 

SJK: Speaking of the Maestro, do you think Torre will be managing the Yankees in 2008? If not, who do you think are realistic candidates for the job?

MF: This question can't be answered until the postseason ends. A first-round loss would spell the end of Torre's tenure, but anything beyond that opens the door for a return. I think Torre wants to come back next year (and probably a year or two after that), and a tough ALCS loss, World Series loss, or obviously a World Series title, could be enough to bring him back. The biggest question is this: who is making that decision? Is it still George? Is it his sons? Randy Levine? Brian Cashman? Without that answer, it's really hard to predict.

If Torre doesn't return, I would have to assume that either Don Mattingly or Joe Girardi would take over, though I wouldn't want to be the guy replacing Joe Torre. It's a tough spot.
 

SJK: At any point this season, were coaching or front office changes ever a distinct possibility?

MF: Back at the end of April, I think there was a possibility that changes were being considered. In the end, though, what would that have accomplished? Torre had earned the right to finish out the season, win or lose. If the Yankees missed the playoffs, he would have been gone. But given the injuries the team was dealt, especially to the pitching staff, the right move was to let Torre -- and Brian Cashman, who I don't think was ever really in danger -- finish the year and win or lose on his own terms.
 

SJK: Fill in the blank with a player name: Don't be surprised if __________ is moved in the offseason.

MF: Johnny Damon. I don't think it's likely to happen because of his contract, but if the Yankees can get another team to take the final two years and most of the money, it could. Hideki Matsui, Melky Cabrera and Bobby Abreu (whose option will likely be picked up) will be the starting outfield, and with one more year on Jason Giambi's contract, there isn't really a clear spot for Damon. If he comes back, they'll have the same kind of rotation they've had this year with Giambi, Damon, Matsui and whoever is at first base. They could also ask Damon to work at first this winter and maybe start him there in 2008-09.
 

SJK: Which player has been the biggest disappointment to the members of the front office?

MF: It has to be Carl Pavano. When they signed him, the Yankees expected Pavano to be a horse at the front of the rotation for four years -- and maybe more. Instead, they got a so-so half-season in 2005 and nothing whatsoever over the past two years. He won't pitch next year because of his Tommy John surgery, meaning that they will have paid $8 million per win. Not good. Kei Igawa has a chance to become Pavano's equal, though there's as much a chance that he won't be in pinstripes through the end of his contract.
 

SJK: What is it about Alex Rodriguez that invites a media feeding frenzy? Do you think it's fair how Rodriguez has been treated by the media?

MF: His $252 million contract is certainly the thing that first caused him to be the oft-scrutinized player he has become. Alex is one of the most talented players ever to play the game, so when he endures a 1-for-15 in the playoffs, or comes to New York and doesn't produce the same ridiculous numbers he did in Texas, he's going to be criticized. In 2005, he won the MVP award, but that was quickly forgotten after the Angels series.

I think the way A-Rod is treated by the sports media is fair. When he does well, as he has all year long, there is plenty written about his enormous talent and the great things he does on the field. When he fails in the postseason, he takes the heat like anybody else would. If you hit third or fourth (or eighth, I guess) and your team goes down in flames, you're going to hear it. The front-page stuff with the blond in Toronto, on the other hand, is not fair. I'm not condoning his actions by any means, but it's really none of our business. Virtually no other player in baseball would have received that kind of coverage, but that's what happens when you're Alex Rodriguez.
 

SJK: Sal Fasano: A great Yankee or the greatest Yankee of all-time?

MF: Love this question. I don't know about either of your choices, but I will tell you that Sal is one of the great fantasy football minds of our time. Before a game last year, Sal and I were chatting about football (he's a huge Bears fan and I'm a die-hard Redskins fan) when the subject turned to our upcoming fantasy drafts. He told me about this rookie receiver who might be eligible at tight end, and he would be a great sleeper. It was Marques Colston. Colston was not eligible at tight end in my league, so I didn't draft him, but the next week, Sal told me it would be worth picking him up even as a receiver. So I did. God bless Sal Fasano.
 

SJK: Assuming the Yankees make the postseason, what will be the leading stories entering the playoffs?

MF: Obviously, A-Rod will be front and center. Two straight terrible postseasons for him will put the spotlight directly on him. If they play the Angels, that will be a huge storyline as well, since they have knocked the Yanks out twice in the past five years in the Division Series. Other than that, it will be this: "Can the Yankees finally make it out of the first round?"
 

SJK: Tell our readers something we don't know about a particular Yankee.

MF: Mike Mussina has a ridiculously large collection of t-shirts from the 1980s. Karate Kid, Captain America, Bad News Bears, Sanford and Son ... it's hilarious. For a guy who had made about $100 million since 2001, his wardrobe is awfully low-maintenance. It's nice to see.
 

SJK: Do you think sportswriters will ever regularly include sabermetric stats into their commentary?

MF: No, but not because we don't find them to be legit stats. But most of our readers are casual fans, and they simply don't know what most sabermetric stats mean. Until they become common stats that are listed in the paper or on TV on a regular basis, I just don't see it. I find some of the stats useful, though I am admittedly not a huge sabermetrics guy. Stats such as on-base percentage and WHIP have made their way into the mainstream conversation, which is a change from 10 or 20 years ago, but I find it hard to believe that many sabermetric stats will do the same any time soon.
 

SJK: Writers often get critiqued by fans for their regular season award voting. For example, Justin Morneau was probably the 3rd or 4th most valuable player on the Twins in 2006, yet won AL MVP. Do you believe there is something wrong with the voting process?

MF: No, because quite frankly, there will never be a perfect process. If you leave it to fans, it becomes a popularity competition. Same to some extent if the players voted. Do you think that anyone on the Blue Jays would vote for A-Rod for MVP this season after all the nonsense between them this year?

For the most part, the writers take the job of voting seriously. Once in a while, someone casts a bizarre vote that could skew the results, but I think they get it right most of the time. There are many people who believe that Mariano Rivera has been the Yankees' MVP every year for the past decade, but other players have finished above him in the MVP vote. It's all subjective.

This being my first year in the BBWAA (internet writers haven't been allowed in the organization in the past), I have my first awards vote, and I know I have been watching the race obsessively since I found out what I was voting for. After the awards are announced, the votes are made available, so you may be called out on your vote if you did something questionable. The guy in Chicago who voted Jeter sixth last year had to answer a lot of questions, and rightfully so. That was ridiculous. Fortunately, his vote didn't change the result, but it has happened before. Like I said, there is no perfect process.
 

SJK: Prediction: If the Yankees make the playoffs, they will...

MF: I've said it for weeks... this will be the Yankees' Revenge Tour. Beat the Angels in the first round, knock the Red Sox out in the ALCS and then beat the Diamondbacks in the World Series. How intriguing would that be?

Honestly, I have no idea. If Wang, Pettitte and Clemens pitch well, they can win the World Series. If they don't, they could get smoked in the first round. That's what makes the postseason so much fun. Any team can get hot for three weeks.

Mark Feinsand is in his first season as the Yankees beat writer for the New York Daily News, though this marks his seventh season on the Yankees beat, having held the same position for MLB.com from 2001-06. Before covering the Yankees, Mark worked at FoxSports.com and The Sports Business Daily. A native of Manhattan, he graduated from Boston University in 1996. Mark lives in New Jersey with his wife and son.