Baseball Notebook | No word on Torre's fate yet

The much-anticipated gathering of New York Yankees officials commenced Tuesday in Florida. But an eighth day passed without the team announcing whether it would retain Joe Torre as manager for next season.

Perhaps the Yankees are simply moving in slow motion, their once-fluid organization hampered by recent additions to the depth chart of executives.

But around baseball, speculation is growing that Torre may have once again survived the ire of George Steinbrenner.

Steinbrenner said earlier this month that the Yankees would likely not keep Torre if the team was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round. But the 77-year-old owner has yet to take action.

Torre's contract expires on Oct. 31. It is possible, given the passage of time, that the Yankees have decided to bring him back for at least another year. That also would serve to further prepare his presumed successor, bench coach Don Mattingly.

Torre, who declined comment through his representatives, made $7.5 million this season. His return could hinge on a willingness to accept a salary closer to the $3.5 million the Chicago Cubs paid Lou Piniella.

Mattingly said Tuesday that he has had no discussions with the Yankees.

The other top candidate to replace Torre, former Florida Marlins manager Joe Girardi, said the same thing.

The meetings will resume today.

Notes

• Bill Stoneman spent so much time building the Angels into a perennial contender that he knew when he didn't have enough energy to stay on as the team's general manager.

Stoneman stepped down, saying he wanted to spend more time with his wife, Diane. He was replaced by player-development director Tony Reagins.

"She didn't know when she married me that I would have a mistress," Stoneman said, alluding to the demands of his baseball career. "Right now, I'm leaving my mistress."

The 63-year-old Stoneman, who will remain with Los Angeles as a senior adviser, became the Angels GM in November 1999 and the team improved by 12 wins in his first season.

• The National League Championship Series had all the elements of a low-rated sporting event: a sweep involving two smaller-market, tradition-poor franchises. The Colorado Rockies' four-game sweep defeat of the Arizona Diamondbacks drew an average 2.8 rating for all households and a 3.3 for homes with TBS. The previous low average LCS rating was a 6.2 for the Mets' five-game victory over the Cardinals in 2000.