Donnie Baseball moves up the Ladder

Donnie Baseball is now one step closer to being hte Yankee manager when Joe Torre resigns. Although "The Hitman" (a nickname I never really loved - it implies violence and Donnie is such a nice guy) is my favorite baseball player - or athlete for that matter - of all time, the Yanks never have won a championship when he has been in uniform (1983 - 1995 / 2004 - 2006) so I'm not sure this is a good thing... Read more after the jump.

Major League Notebook: Mattingly Moves Up Yankee Ladder by Tyler Kepner

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 26 — The line of succession for the Yankees’ managing job might have become clearer Thursday.

Don Mattingly has been promoted to bench coach for Manager Joe Torre, with Kevin Long replacing Mattingly as the hitting coach. The moves leave Lee Mazzilli without a job on the major league staff for 2007.

Mattingly has spent the past three seasons as the Yankees’ hitting coach and has long been viewed as a possible successor to Torre, 66, who is entering the final year of his contract. Torre has often said that Mattingly will be a successful manager, even though Mattingly has no managerial experience.

Long has spent the last three years as the hitting coach for the Yankees’ Class AAA affiliate after previously working in the Kansas City Royals’ organization.

Mattingly will be Torre’s fifth bench coach in five years. Don Zimmer left after the 2003 World Series, giving way to Willie Randolph, who became the Mets’ manager after the 2004 season.

Joe Girardi was the bench coach in 2005 before leaving to manage the Florida Marlins, who fired him after one season. (Girardi is likely to return to the Yankees as a broadcaster for YES.)

Mazzilli took the bench-coach job last year after a season and a half managing the Baltimore Orioles, and he may be offered another position in the Yankees’ organization.