The Times reports that Bernie has declined the Yankees minor league contract offer.

The five-time All-Star instead said he will stay in shape, spend time with his family and wait to see if the Yankees change their minds and offer him a guaranteed roster spot.

If the Yankees had no plan of picking Bernie up, I would rather they told him straight out.  The mid-year pick-up for injuries would still be possible.  The minor league offer seems more like a slap in the face.

I said that I thought the Doug Mientkiewicz pickup was a waste when it first happened (before I thought about how it would affect Bernie).  Now that non-hitting ass is going to remind me of the fact that he has Bernie’s roster spot in every game he plays.  He better pray he hits more than he has in previous seasons.