Storm clouds gathering in Bronx over Jorge Posada controversy

Among the Yankees’ Core Four, it was always Jorge Posada who battled the darker angels. Andy Pettitte was as innocent as a dove, Mariano Rivera remained a billboard of calm while his cut-fastball lasered through the American League, and Derek Jeter, even in decline, is still as regal as Joe DiMaggio.

Posada? He’s the brooder. He’s the angry one. That simmering temper finally bubbled over on Saturday, in what’ll be remembered as the lowest point of Posada’s career. The catcher asked out of the lineup after being dropped to the No. 9 spot against Josh Beckett [stats] — a snub that Posada couldn’t live with. Not against the arch-rival Red Sox [team stats], not on national television, not when it came directly from the manager he’s never liked, Joe Girardi.

Although Posada initially accepted the demotion with grace — "I put myself in this spot (with a .165 average)" he told reporters — his mood obviously soured by 6 p.m.. That’s when Posada walked into Girardi’s office and said, simply, "I need a day (off)."

Here’s where a series of mistakes unfolded on both sides. Posada, too indignant for a long conversation, chose not to explain why he was asking out. And Girardi, who avoids confrontations, didn’t push Posada for an answer.

Instead, the situation simmered, a rift about to become an open feud. By the fourth inning, the Yankees announced that GM Brian Cashman would address reporters in the press box. In-game briefings are extremely rare in the Bronx, reserved only for major news — or major trouble.

Indeed, Cashman stared into the cameras and said Posada was out of the lineup for reasons that didn’t involve an injury. It was the Yankees’ way of putting the spotlight directly on Posada. They were officially putting him on notice.

You embarrass us, we’ll do likewise, is what Cashman all but said. Within minutes, Posada’s wife Laura posted on her Twitter account that Jorge had been suffering from a bad back, which accounted for his absence.

The counter-punch enraged Yankee officials, who believed any suggestion of an injury was a cop-out. Posada never said anything about his back to Girardi, nor did he seek treatment from the trainers or team doctors. The catcher later admitted to reporters his back problems were "not significant."

So why the need for an alibi? Because Posada and his handlers under-estimated the Yankees’ wrath. Anyone following the events on Twitters would’ve known that Hal Steinbrenner had contacted the commissioner’s office early in the evening, weighing the possible responses. At the minimum, Posada was facing a two-day fine. At worst, the Yankees were asking about voiding his contract. It was a long fall for one of the most accomplished catchers in Bomber history, a personal favorite of none other than Yogi Berra. Posada was one of the last bridges to the Joe Torre golden era — back when the Yankees were a championship-winning machine.

But his slide toward sub-mediocrity this season is only part of the problem. The fact that Posada would walk away from a battle with the Red Sox would’ve been incomprehensible under Torre — or even as recently as 2009, when he was an integral part of the Yankees’ 27th World Series conquest.

That was the former Posada, tough to the point of being indestructible. But Torre never had to sheppard Posada or Derek Jeter or any of the franchise’s guardians toward the ends of their careers.

It’s Girardi who’s been left to do the heavy lifting. With Posada unable to catch any longer, with his inability to hit lefthanders (0-for-24 so far) and near helplessness against righties, something had to give.

Still, Girardi should’ve known dropping Posada to the No. 9 spot was a glove-slap across the face of his proud catcher. Just as Posada should’ve known his request for a mental health day would never go down quietly — not in the middle of a Yankee losing streak, and certainly not against Boston.

The once-great Posada will now be remembered for a cowardly act, for hiding behind a questionable injury, and, mostly, for letting his team down. Posada would’ve been smart to own up to his mistake — to say, simply, he over-reacted, he’d let his ego and anger get in the way, and that he was sorry.

A from-the-heart apology might’ve erased the incident altogether. Instead, Posada offered no remorse, insisting to reporters that his back was stiff — although not stiff enough to have ever informed Girardi.

The catcher’s relationship with the front office is now at an all-time low, as well. Posada directly questioned Cashman for his in-game announcement, saying any misunderstanding should’ve been handled after the final out.