Normally I don’t take much interest in what happens in the Yankee universe being a reformed Yankee fan but, this year has been the exception. First, one of my all time favorite ballplayers returned to the fold and became hitting coach. While I don’t pay more attention to the Yankees than I did before, I can quietly root for the success of Donnie Baseball (could he be Joe Torre’s heir apparent?).

Now, Johnny Baseball has returned to New York. One of Steve Phillips biggest mistakes was letting John Olerud come up for free agency and return to his hometown environs of Seattle. As a Mets fan, the only thing sadder than the day Olerud left was the day the Mets let Edgardo Alfonzo walk out the door.

Basically, it comes down to a situation where the Yankees have scored big in getting Olerud. After watching Jason Giambi butcher the position with his hands of stone over the last several years, Yankee fans will be pleased with the soft target Olerud will provide at first. Not only that, I can’t help but think Olerud will rediscover his hot bat after working with another former Yankee first baseman. And to top it off, the Yankees only pay Olerud the minimum! If the Yankees are smart, they’ll look to trade Giambi (a failed experiment) and keep Olerud around until they can groom themselves a new first baseman.

In the meantime, baseball fans of both teams should enjoy watching Olerud play in this town once again.