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From David Waldstein:

It has been six months since an emotional Jorge Posada walked out of Yankee Stadium, unable to express himself publicly except through his tears. Posada knew that night, after the Yankees’ season-ending loss to the Detroit Tigers, that he had played his final game as a Yankee.

...

But on Friday, Posada will have his chance to see how much the fans appreciated him. The Yankees announced on Wednesday that Posada would throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Friday’s home opener against the Los Angeles Angels. While Derek Jeter, Posada’s closest friend on the team, said he would not catch the pitch, another one of Posada’s longtime teammates volunteered for the duty.

“Definitely, I would like to,” said Mariano Rivera, who played almost all of his career with Posada.

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“I think it’s great,” Girardi said. “I’m happy to see him and I know all the guys will be happy to see him as well. It adds to the excitement. I’m sure the fans are going to show their appreciation for him, as well they should. He was a great Yankee.”

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“It will be a special moment for him,” Jeter said. “I don’t want to speak for him, but I can only imagine what it will be like.”

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“I think he’s going to be very emotional, knowing Jorge,” Rivera said. “But at the same time, he’s going to be very happy. We’ll be happy. I’ll be happy to see him. I haven’t seen him since he retired.”

It'll be great to see Jorge back in the Bronx, and with a "worried" Kuroda going up against Albert Pujols and the Angels, it will probably be the highlight of the day.

Here's some videos of today's tearful press conference:

Jorge officially announces his retirement


Jorge answers questions from the media


The fans thank Jorge

More videos can be found here.

We have all been privileged to watch you play and fight for this team for the last 17 years. You did it the right way and most importantly, you were a winner. Thanks you, Jorge!

From Wallace Matthews:

The YES Network will televise Jorge Posada's retirement press conference live from Yankee Stadium beginning at 11 a.m.

Should be a pretty sad day in Yankeeland, though it would have been sadder to see him in a Rays uniform.

From Anthony McCarron:

With Jorge Posada set to announce his retirement in the coming weeks, another terrific Yankee backstop - Yogi Berra - appreciates that Posada is keeping his career pinstripes-only.

"Jorge is a good, caring man and a real good ballplayer for a long time," Berra said Monday. "It's nice he spent his whole career with one team, he's been a very proud and important Yankee. I wish him and Laura and their family only the best."

Here's one of the last great moments in Posada's great Yankee career:

Also, here is a link to his Prime 9 moments (for some reason the damn embed code won't work).

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Jorge Posada will announce his retirement "within the next two weeks".

Smart move by Jorge to retire a Yankee, and walk away after a solid postseason performance. I couldn't imagine him in any other uniform.

Hats off to ya Jorgie, thanks for being one of the greatest offensive catchers of our generation.

Hip Hip, Jorge!

From MLB.com:

The Tampa Bay Rays appear to have interest in signing free-agent catcher/designated hitter Jorge Posada, according to a report from ESPN Deportes.

Posada could serve as a backup at first base, DH and catcher, the story states, which potentially would give the Rays a 36-year-old starting catcher in Jose Molina and a 40-year-old reserve in Posada. During the 2011 season, the final year of a four-year, $52.4 million deal with the Yankees, Posada played just six innings behind the plate.

There is still a decision to be made by Posada, who is drawing interest from the Orioles and Phillies according to the same report, as to whether he will return for the 2012 campaign or retire. Posada has a .273 average with 275 home runs and 1,065 RBIs in 1,829 career games played over 17 years. He was a major contributor to four Yankees World Series championship teams, producing 11 postseason homers and 42 RBIs in total.

I'd hate to see Jorge sign with another team, especially one the Yanks would have to play 18 times, but who am I to tell the guy what to do, right?

That said, I do believe signing on somewhere else for one or two more sub-par years wouldn't do much for his legacy in this game.

From Mike Mazzeo:

Jorge Posada remains undecided on his future but believes it won't be with the New York Yankees.

"It's not gonna happen," Posada said Wednesday night at a Manhattan function for The Jorge Posada Foundation. "I don't think there is even a percentage of a chance that I can come back."

The free agent says he's not bitter with the organization he has played for his entire career. He said five or six teams have shown interest in his services.

"I will always be a Yankee. The New York Yankees, for me, is my second family," Posada said. "It'd be tough to put on another uniform for real and learn a new set of rules. But it's one of those things where I have to see if I wanna keep playing."

"At the end of the day, it's a business," he added. "You look back and you wish there were some things that could've gone differently, but they didn't. Everything happened for a reason. I'm not bitter at the Yankees. I'm not bitter at (manager) Joe Girardi. I'm not bitter at (general manager) Brian Cashman. It just happens."

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"I started working out again Nov. 1 like I always do, but I have no idea what's gonna happen," Posada said. "A lot of teams called after the season was over. I'm undecided. I don't know if I wanna play or stay home. I'm having fun with the kids and my family, but I don't know what I wanna do. I don't wanna make the mistake of telling you that I'm not gonna play or telling you that I am gonna play when I don't know what I wanna do."

This comes as no surprise to me and I'm sure to many other Yankees fans out there. I just hope he hangs it up. He had a great career with one team and that's the legacy he should maintain. It's a rare thing these days, and there's no reason to ruin it by hanging on for one more year.