Yankees Bar ESPN From Manager Conference Calls

The Yankees have “barred ESPN from news media conference calls with their managerial candidates” this week, a “retaliation for the network violating rules covering last week’s call” on which former manager Joe Torre’s rejection of a contract offer was announced, according to Neil Best of NEWSDAY. Yankees Media Relations Dir Jason Zillo said that he told operators conducting calls with Joe Girardi Monday, Don Mattingly Tuesday and Tony Pena yesterday “not to accept ESPN as an affiliation.”  The ban “applies to ESPN’s TV and radio reporters," including ESPN Radio 1050 N.Y.  Zillo "stressed that he does not blame the reporters” themselves.  But he said, “If the only dialogue ESPN is going to give me is that, ‘We are going to do whatever we want to do,’ it leaves me with very few alternatives.” He said that he was “not sure whether the ban would last beyond yesterday” (NEWSDAY, 10/25).  ESPN declined comment.