Hey, what's the deal with all these NYC criminals wearing New York Yankees hats? Could it be the ubiquitous and overwhelming popularity of the Yankees in NYC, where they're based? That's a boring theory. Can't we blame Jay-Z somehow?

[New York Yankee Derek Jeter wore a solid blue suit to the White House today where he attended an event celebrating the team's World Series victory. Image via Getty]

An Iraq War vet saved a Rabbi's wife from choking. Not patriotic enough for you? They were at Yankee Stadium, and she was choking... on a cheesesteak. I feel like saluting something. [NYDN]

The New York Civil Liberties Union is suing the NYPD on behalf of a Queens man who was kicked out of a Yankees game when he tried to go potty during "God Bless America."

Sometimes, even in polite society, the topic of baseball comes up. So here are some fun facts about the brand-new Yankees manager that you can use when talking to "straight" men! (Straight men are the guys on Craigslist M4M who are out of shape.)

Attaway, Joe. Yankees manager Joe Torre dropped into Tampa for an hour today to turn down the team's offer of a $5 million one-year extension to his contract. During this year's playoffs, the best boss in town among those bosses who aren't actually, shall we say, "present," George Steinbrenner, publicly held Torre's job over his head, threatening to fire him if he didn't turn in another series win.

"As they prep for a 13th straight playoff appearance, the New York Yankees have signed with CAA to help them pursue opportunities such as long-term corporate sponsorships for the team's new stadium...." In a related move, the Mets blew a seven game lead with seventeen games to play and made this little boy cry. [NYP]

"By our count, [Rudy] Giuliani spent about 58 hours at Yankees games or flying to them in the 40 days between Sept. 25 and Nov. 4, roughly twice as long as he spent at ground zero in the 60 days between Sept. 17 and Dec. 16. By his own standard, Giuliani was one of the Yankees more than he was one of the rescue workers." Yeah, but c'mon, they were in the Series! Priorities! [Salon]

Today's Post notes that the New York Yankess are 9-2 since the stunning revelation that Alex Rodriguez was getting some on the side. The paper semi-facetiously suggests that they deserve some of the credit, seeing as it was their fine organ of journalism that exposed A-Rod's a-dultery. It's an interesting theory and one that, if true, offers up some tantalizing possibilities for metro-area sports fans. We're certainly not endorsing the idea, mind you, but maybe Giants quarterback Eli Manning should get married and start cheating on his wife as soon as possible before the season starts. The SuperBowl may be just one errant screw away!

Poor Alex Rodriguez: You're the highest-paid baseball player in the history of the game and you can't get a little action on the side without the papers making a federal case out of it? Mickey Mantle must be spinning in his grave like a chunk of lamb on a gyro machine. Anyway, the Associated Press notes yesterday's Post headline on the story ("Stray-Rod") and ranks it up there with some of the all-time classics (e.g., "Headless Body in Topless Bar") of the genre. Fortunately, the A.P. tells us that A-Rod's teammates and coaches are fully behind him.

Just two days after his teammate Cory Lidle's plane hit a Manhattan high-rise, New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez had a plane scare of his own when his Gulfstream Jet overshot the runway, and TMZ has the video of the clearly shaken Rodriguez. No one was hurt, however, as A-Rod can't hit anything in October.

Our relations at Deadspin are collecting reports that the plane which crashed into the Upper East Side building was registered to — and probably piloted by — New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle. ("This is totally what happens when Detroit wins," says one person on the street. Please, no hate mail.) Pretty much every news outlet you can think of is all over this one, so go forth and soak up the tragedy.

If you're scoring at home, the Post has come out on top of the News in two tabs' contest over whether or not Yankees skipper Joe Torre will remain at the helm: Torre is currently holding a press conference where he says he's staying on. Still, we can't be too hard on the News, which just two days ago was telling us that Torre was toast: Photo placement like this is pretty goddamn genius.

There was a time when the Yankees represented all that was beautiful about the world of sports. All the nice buzzwords were appropriate: professionals, leadership, young, hungry, and most importantly, successful. From 1996-2000, the Yankees dominated baseball to the tune of four World Series victories in five years. They were undisputed baseball royalty.

One of the sadder parts of Alex Rodriguez signing with the Yankees instead of the Boston Red Sox was the loss of the inevitable New York Post giant-type headline "A-HOL." Fortunately, the Yanks also picked up pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, and his recent heroics on the field have allowed the Post to come up with gems like the following: