His agent Scott Boras informed general manager Ned Colletti of the decision, which Ramirez had until this month to make.

He could have exercised an out clause in the two-year, $45 million deal he signed in March.
Ramirez hit .290 with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs in 104 regular season games. He missed 50 games while suspended for violating baseball's drug policy.

In the NL division series against St. Louis, Ramirez batted .308 with no homers and two RBI. Against Philadelphia in the NL championship series, he hit .263 with one homer and two RBI.

Ramirez was traded to the Dodgers from Boston in July 2008.

The whole scene made him a little wistful.

"It's good he got to do it in his first year here," Damon said as the energetic Swisher bounced around beside him after the parade finished in the shadow of City Hall. "It took me my fourth and possibly final year. I am so overjoyed because you don't know how many times you get this opportunity."

Damon helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004 and played one more season in Boston before bolting for a $52 million, four-year contract with New York. That deal is up now and the parade is over, leaving the outfielder's future as one of the major questions facing the champs heading into the offseason.

"I think that's just the reality of our game," slugger Alex Rodriguez said. "You hope obviously as many guys come back as possible."

World Series MVP Hideki Matsui and left-hander Andy Pettitte, who won the clinching game in each playoff series, also are eligible for free agency. The fate of Matsui and Damon could be linked if New York decides to add another big bat in the offseason, and both have said they want to come back.

"At this point right now, I'd like to just take a little break and just let my body rest," Matsui said through an interpreter, after his creaky knees limited him to DH duties this year. "I think at some point we'll pick up some of the offseason topics that need to be worked out and go from there."

The 37-year-old Pettitte is deciding whether to retire or return for a 16th major league season to try for a sixth World Series ring.

Damon, who turned 36 Thursday, tied a career high with 24 homers this season and hit .281 with nine RBIs in the playoffs. He also had one of the postseason's most memorable plays, stealing second and third on one pitch during New York's three-run rally in the ninth inning of Game 4 against the Phillies.

"Obviously, I'm going to have a lot of options," Damon said, "and I think what it comes down to is what kind of option the Yankees want to give me or not give me. Why wouldn't I want to come back? We have the best owners in baseball. We have the best team. We have the most revenue and the biggest payroll, so who wouldn't want to be part of the Yankee tradition? I would like to continue mine and I feel like I can come back and do a great job again."

Damon left New York's clinching Game 6 victory Wednesday night with a strained right calf but he called it "probably a week thing" after participating in the parade.

His injury wasn't the only one overshadowed by the World Series win. After the Yankees wrapped up their 27th title, closer Mariano Rivera said he tweaked his ribs in the ALCS against the Angels, with his ailing side bothering him for the rest of the playoffs.

"It don't matter now," Rivera said when asked Friday about how much pain he was in on the mound. "It's over. Thank God it's over. It was manageable."

Rivera tossed 5 1-3 scoreless innings over four appearances in the Series, recording two saves. He had five saves in five opportunities with a 0.56 ERA in the postseason, just adding to his reputation as a big-game pitcher.

"He did what we needed him to do," reliever Joba Chamberlain said.

A handful of players started cleaning out their lockers at Yankee Stadium after the parade was finished. The name plates had been removed and the carpet was clean after it was soaked with champagne during the celebration after Game 6.

A.J. Burnett gave hugs to Chamberlain and Chien-Ming Wang. Eric Hinske took his folding chair with the Yankee Stadium inaugural season logo.

"It's definitely a day to celebrate and enjoy," captain Derek Jeter said.

What's also a shame is that, In MLB, there's no way a team like the NFL's Green Bay Packers possibly could challenge consistently for a championship. Revenue sharing, along with the draft and the NFL's method of scheduling, enables pro football teams to have better overall competitive balance, which makes the sport more interesting and exciting than MLB's system, where the rich get richer, enabling teams to buy titles.

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has a lot on his docket this offseason and it officially began on Thursday with a minor deal that he hopes turns into something major.

The Sox acquired outfielder Jeremy Hermida from the Florida Marlins in exchange for left-handed pitchers Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez.

Hermida, 25, was the Marlins' first-round selection (11th overall) in the 2002 draft and has yet to reach his potential, according to Epstein and he's hoping Hermida will find it in the Sox' organization.

"Hermida is player who hasn't fulfilled his potential yet and we acquired him today at a reasonable cost to see if he might be able to fulfill that potential with us. He's somebody who has positive indicators that his future performance might be better than his past performance. With his minor-league track record, his age and his draft pedigree and our scouting reports over the years indicate there's a chance that he can turn into the player that he was once thought to be."

Epstein believes this was a good time to make this deal given Hermida's low value at this point with a potentially high ceiling.

Hermida, a left-handed hitter, posted a .259 average with 13 homers and 47 RBI in 129 games for the Marlins last season. Defensively he can play the corner outfield positions and made only one error in 205 total chances.

"He's an average defender on the corners and is a fairly well-rounded player," said Epstein. "Having an outstanding minor-league performance as a young player, he showed a lot of offensive potential."

Overall, Hermida owns a .265 career average in the big leagues with 57 homers and 210 RBI in a total of 516 games for the Marlins. He's also dealt with some injuries in his career, including an intercostal strain on his right side last August.

"I think [injuries] have held him back and has prevented him from reaching his potential," said Epstein. "The injuries he's had have been soft tissue and nothing structural. It's not something that should impair him going forward."

With the Sox attempting to re-sign left fielder Jason Bay with center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and right fielder J.D. Drew cemented into their positions, Hermida's role will be based on performance and need.

"When you acquire a player, sometimes you acquire them because you think there's a chance - with a change of scenery - they might grow into their potential and promise. He's somebody who had, and we feel may still have considerable promise. . . Things really never came together for him in the big leagues and that's not uncommon for young players."

The Sox believe Hermida is just about to reach his prime years and that's why Epstein made this deal to kick off what will likely be a busy winter season.

In other Red Sox news, the club outrighted right-handed pitcher Fernando Cabrera, outfielder Joey Gathright and infielder Nick Green to Pawtucket.

Here's a position-by-position breakdown:

Catcher -- This was the only weak spot on the '27 powerhouse, as duties behind the plate were divided between Benny Bengough, Pat Collins, and John Grabowski. Jorge Posada is much better than any of them.

First Base -- Lou Gehrig, on his way to playing in 2,130 consecutive games, hit .373 with 47 homers, and drove in 175 runs. Mark Teixeira is a very good player, but he's not a legend.

Second Base -- I'll give the nod to Robinson Cano, who hit. 320, with 25 homers, over Tony Lazzeri, even though Lazzeri is in the Hall of Fame. Wouldn't argue, however, with anyone who'd say Lazzeri was better.

Shortstop -- Speaking of the Hall of Fame...Derek Jeter should be a first-ballot selection. Without a doubt, he's one of the all-time great Yankees. Mark Koenig was the SS in '27.

Third Base -- A-Rod, too, may be a Hall of Famer. In any event, he's much better than Joe Dugan, who manned the hot corner for the Bronx Bombers in '27.

Left Field -- Bob Meusel hit "only" .337 in '27, which was the lowest average among NY's starting outfielders. He also had an exceptional throwing arm -- unlike Johnny Damon. I'd take Meusel over Hideki Matsui, too.

Center Field -- Earle Combs hit .356, with 23 triples, as the best leadoff hitter of his era. Huge edge here to '27 Yanks, but still not as big as in...

Right Field -- George Herman Ruth broke his own record by hitting 60 home runs while batting .356.

Pitching -- The '27 Yanks are best remembered for their powerful bats, but they also had outstanding pitching, so it was hardly surprising that they won 110 games and lost only 44, finishing 19 games of the second-place Athletics and sweeping the Pirates in the World Series.
Waite Hoyt won a league-high 22 games while losing only 7. Herb Pennock won 19, as did bullpen ace Wilcey Moore, who also led the majors in ERA (2.28) Urban Shocker won 18.
Good as that staff was, the current staff, featuring C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettite, with future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera as the closer, is better.

As to which was the better team...

Ruth headed an outfield for the ages, the Iron Horse was at first base, and the pitching was first-rate. The '27 Yanks are still the best..

Weren't they supposed to?

Would anything less have been acceptable, given the obscene sums spent to assemble what is, without question, the best team in baseball? The team that is, in fact, the best that money can buy, as they proved conclusively by beating the defending champion Phillies in six games?

The Yankees are to be congratulated for winning their 27th World Series. But not applauded. Not wildly, anyway. Clap politely, if you're so inclined. But there's no reason to get overly excited about the Yankees victory, because they should have won.

As for whether they should be admired, well, the 2009 Yanks certainly have an admirable aggregation of highly-talented (and, yes, highly-paid) players.

It is impossible not to admire future Hall of Famers such as Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, two of the greatest ever.

But, while Kate Hudson and Madonna may find A-Rod lovable, many baseball fans do not find him so. Which is not to say they don't appreciate his considerable abilities.

Sabathia, Burnett, and Teixeira all paid dividends on the Yankees' considerable investment in them.

Hideki Matsui, nicknamed "Godzilla" when he played in Japan, made even that fearsome creature seem as harmless as the Geico gekko as he came up huge Wednesday night in Game Six, driving in six runs.

Catcher Jorge Posada deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Yankees' greats Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, and Thurman Munson.

Red Sox fans watching Johnny Damon's performance at the plate and on the bases in the World Series had to wish he still played for Boston.

Old pro Andy Pettite clearly outpitched Pedro Martinez in adding the clinching win in the World Series to his clinching wins in both the ALCS and ALDS -- and how can you not admire that?

Manager Joe Girardi had a tough act to follow, stepping into the spikes of the classy Joe Torre. But he got the job done, leading the Yanks to their first championship since 2000.

So give the Yankees their due. Give them a tip of the cap. But it's not a team to which most fans could give their hearts.

Dr. Eduardo Reguera said Padilla didn't need surgery after spending time at Managua's Metropolitan Hospital.

Police spokesman Vilma Reyes said Wednesday that Padilla's pistol apparently jammed during a target shooting session late Tuesday. Padilla was trying to clear a round from the chamber when the pistol went off.

His agent, Adam Katz, told The Los Angeles Times that it was a "hunting accident."

Padilla went 4-0 with a 3.20 ERA for the Dodgers the final two months of the regular season. He allowed one run in 7 1-3 innings in Game 2 of the NL Championship Series, but was battered for six runs in three innings in a season-ending loss to the Phillies.

Chris Chambliss?

How about suiting up Reggie Jackson and putting him in right field -- or at least at DH -- so he can keep Chase Utley from breaking his HR record?

Perhaps Robin Roberts should take the mound for the Phillies. He's not THAT much older than the scheduled starters in tonight's Old Timers Game at Yankee Stadium.

It'll be 37-year-old Andy Pettite pitching on three days rest for New York against 38-year-old Pedro Martinez as the Yanks try to wrap up their 27th World Series title in Game Six.

Pettite, who's 3-0, with a 3.24 ERA, in four starts this postseason, now has more postseason wins -- 17 -- than any pitcher in history. How many of those should be credited to HGH we'll leave up to Bud Selig to decide.

Speaking of decisions...can we officially label Mr. Utley "Mr. November?"

It'd be nice if he got some slugging help tonight from Ryan Howard, who has struck out a record-tying 12 times in the Series.

"I know that they don't like the Yankees to win, not even in Nintendo games. And knowing that I am part of Boston, I consider myself a Bostonian, as well, too, I've been a Montrealer, a Bostonian, and now a New Yorker, and somehow I might become a Philadelphian now. But I've only been there for a short period. It's something that's a work in progress, and I'm pretty sure that every Boston fan out there can feel proud that I'm going to try to beat the Yankees, and I'm going to give just the same effort I always did for them. They're special fans, and they will always have my respect."

The Lincoln Journal Star reported Tuesday that Jackie Standley pleaded no contest Monday to delivery of a controlled substance in Lincoln, Neb.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 16, pending a recommendation from a drug and alcohol treatment center.

Lincoln police say the 44-year-old Standley was arrested in May after selling a gram of methamphetamine to an undercover officer at her Lincoln apartment.

The Yankees play Game 6 of the World Series against Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Hazen is a former player in the Padres' minor-league system. He joined the Red Sox' front office in 2006.

"Show your Phillies pride and celebrate their World Series win with championship gear from Majestic & Nike," the ad says. "New styles arriving daily."

An account of the error on the web site of Philadelphia's NBC affiliate suggests that a Yankee fan on the Inquirer's copy desk might have had something to do with the ad erroneously appearing. As proof, it cites a second error on the page. A headline misspells the name of David Axelrod, senior advisor to President Obama, as "Alexrod." Alex Rodriguez? Seriously?

Ratings for Game Three of the World Series was up 49 percent, a 57-percent increase from last year's series, the TV ratings site By the Numbers reports.

The New York Yankees won 8-5 to take a 2-1 lead in the series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Game Three averaged an audience of 15.4 million viewers Saturday on FOX, according to Nielsen Media Research.

That makes Game Three the highest-rated, and most-watched prime-time Saturday broadcast on any network since FOX's Arizona Cardinals playoff win against the Carolina Panthers on Jan. 10, 2009.

Rain had an impact on World Series Game 3 in Philadelphia for the second straight year, but Saturday's television audience didn't go away despite the 80-minute delay.

According to the ratings, when play got underway at 9:17 p.m., tune-in was a solid 6.9 percent audience share, and peaking at 17.2 million viewers at 10:30 PM ET. As prime time in the Eastern and Central Time zones ended, the game was in the top of the fifth inning.

Philadelphia topped all markets for Game Three in audience share, followed by the New York area.