Championship team likely to have new look in 2010

and ANDY McCULLOUGH

THE STAR-LEDGER

NEW YORK - When the Yankees took the City Hall stage yesterday, it was a significant moment in their championship season. It will likely be the last time they will ever gather as a full team.

"There's always uncertainty in this game," said manager Joe Girardi, recognizing the meaning of the moment. "You always want to hold onto the good times as long as you can."

For two mainstays - left fielder Johnny Damon and designated hitter Hideki Matsui - the team's celebration may have been their last appearance with the Yankees. Both are free agents entering this offseason, though their futures remain uncertain.

"Why wouldn't I want to come back," Damon said. "We have the best owners in baseball. We have the best team. We have the most revenue, the most payroll. So who wouldn't want to be part of the Yankee tradition? I'd like to continue mine. I feel like I could come back and do a good job again."

Damon, who just turned 36, hit .282 and tied his career high with 24 homers. His gritty at-bat and heads-up double steal in Game 4 rank as two of the more memorable moments of the World Series.

But he played through injuries for much of the season, endured a slump in the final weeks of the season and struggled at times defensively in left field.

Matsui's situation also creates a quandary for the Yankees. Matsui's knees limited him from playing the outfield this year. He is 35. But his six-RBI explosion in Game 6 underscored his value at the plate. Matsui hit 28 homers and knocked in 90 runs during the regular season.

Matsui kept mum about the future. He declined to speculate on whether he will return to the Yankees and if that is contingent on his ability to play in the field. He also declined to discuss if he would depart for Japan if the Yankees do not resign him.

He did say that "anything is possible at this point."

He plans to recuperate his knees in the offseason, which is a "challenge that I have to work on," he said. But for now, he wants to rest and relax.

"I'd like to just take a little break and give my body rest," Matsui said. "I think at some point (I'll) pick up some of these offseason topics that need to be worked out and go through them."

Mariano Rivera said yesterday that he pitched most of the postseason through a rib cage injury he suffered against the Angels in the American League Championship Series.

"Don't matter now," the closer said, when asked about the severity of the injury. "It's over. Thank God it's over."

Girardi said he was aware of Rivera's woes, though he thought he suffered the injury in Game 2 of the World Series, not earlier. Not that it impacted Rivera's effectiveness.

Leaning on team trainers to manage the injury, Rivera closed out the World Series by pitching the final two innings. Rivera, who turns 40 later this month, posted a 0.56 ERA despite an increased workload.