Posada signals passage of time in Bronx

NEW YORK

Jorge Posada’s eyelids kept fluttering, as if they alone could hold back the monsoon of tears. One of the greatest catchers in Yankee history was saying goodbye — a farewell ceremony that was thick with nostalgia, and maybe a touch of regret. But in the end, as he embarked on that wide open space called retirement, Posada was at peace.

PRIDE OF THE YANKEES

Which pinstripe greats made the list of the best Bronx Bombers ever?

“I knew it was time for me to go,” Posada said after addressing a standing room-only crowd at Tuesday’s press conference. There were a million memories to accompany Posada on his way out the door, but none so poignant as the final moments at his locker after the Division Series loss to the Tigers.

The catcher knew the end had come: the Yankees didn’t want him back in 2012, and there was no point extending his career for one more season in another uniform. A choked-up Posada had already begun looking for closure — he instructed his agent not to initiate contact with others teams this winter.

In that sense, the final act of Posada’s career, announcing his retirement in front of family, friends and teammates, was easy. But doing so irrevocably changed the Yankee landscape, as the Core Four — Posada, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte — has been whittled down to two.

“You look around and you begin to realize your time will come, too,” is what Rivera was saying. He and Jeter are all that remain from the last remaining link to the Bombers’ golden era of the late '90s. And while everyone spoke about moving on, turning the page, finding new and different ways to succeed in the Bronx, it’s hard to imagine the Yankees ever replacing Posada’s passion and honesty.

THE BACKSTOP BOYS

These players wore the Tools of Ignorance with honor. Who are the all-time best catchers?

Those are rare commodities in an age of synthetic excellence (Think: Alex Rodriguez). Posada came from an era of raw, politically incorrect behavior, fueled by an intense desire to win (Think: Paul O’Neill). It’s a combustible mix, especially when it was accelerated by the catcher’s famous temper. Posada will never quite live down his refusal to bat ninth in a nationally televised game against the Red Sox last summer, a blow-up that escalated all the way up to his offer to quit.

The catcher ultimately apologized for what everyone agreed was an indefensible act. And Joe Girardi, whose relationship with Posada was never warm, finally forgave him.

Still, when it was time for a reckoning on his career, the Yankees all agreed that Posada would be treated kindly by historians. Whether or not he’s Cooperstown-worthy is another conversation, but it’s worth remembering that Posada retired with a OPS-plus of 121. Only seven catchers finished with a better metric with more than 5,000 at-bats: Mike Piazza, Mickey Cochrane, Bill Dickey, Johnny Bench, Ernie Lombardi, Gabby Hartnett and Yogi Berra.

Posada fell 25 home runs short of his goal of 300 for his career — too many, he said, to warrant another season of plane rides, road trips and, mostly, being away from his family.

“I’m tired,” Posada said of the game’s psychological surcharge. Had he summoned the energy to work out this winter, Posada might’ve found another team, another season, even in a part-time capacity. But his loyalty to the Yankees was unbreakable, and when it became clear the front office didn’t want him back, Posada decided not to push them to change their mind.

Yet, Posada made sure to leave a few reminders upon his exit — specifically that he was unhappy about being demoted to DH last year — “without having a chance to fight for my job.” That’s what really stung him, the evaporation of good will that, he thought, should’ve accrued after 17 years in Pinstripes.

“That was difficult for me,” Posada said, as he watched Jesus Montero emerge as the franchise’s new gem. Ironically, Montero never got a chance to wear the crown, as he was traded to the Mariners two weeks ago for Michael Pineda. Wouldn’t you know, the Yankees are looking for a DH again.

Posada swears he didn’t reconsider his retirement, “even for one second” despite the job opening. That might’ve been a fib. Had Girardi and GM Brian Cashman called with the promise of, say, 300-400 at-bats, sharing a DH-platoon with Andruw Jones, it’s hard to imagine Posada saying no.

Then again, there’s something to be said for going out on a high note. And talk about a crescendo: Posada batted .429 in the Division Series against Detroit, exhibiting all the bat-speed and big-moment genes that made him so valuable for so many years.

You don’t need to be a Yankee archivist to remember Posada’s greatest moment in the playoffs; it’s practically imprinted in the franchise’s storyline. In Game Seven of the 2003 ALCS against Boston, Posada’s two-strike, bloop-double off Pedro Martinez tied the game in the bottom of the eighth, paving the way to the Yankees’ 11th-inning victory that sent them to the World Series.

Posada’s reaction to beating Pedro was barely a rung above primal: He stood on second base, fists clenched, screaming at the top of his lungs. It was precisely the kind of outburst you’d expect from a ballplayer who didn’t believe in stoicism.

Posada was, ironically, the anti-Jeter, even as their friendship blossomed in the two decades. Passionate to Jeter’s cool. Blunt to Jeter’s skill for nuance. The shortstop was in the room when Posada was giving his farewell speech, not altogether surprised his buddy broke down and cried. “I hide my emotions better than him,” Jeter said, even if they shared the same intensity.

It won’t be the same Yankee experience for Jeter — or Rivera, for that matter — in 2012. The old guard has practically vanished, replaced by newer, younger faces. That’s the first hurdle Posada will have to overcome when he turns on the TV set this summer, realizing the life he knew in the Bronx has finally ended.

“That will be very, very tough for me,” he said, smiling sadly as he gazed upon that wide-open, post-baseball future.