Mattingly happy finally to see new Stadium

Unlike Joe Torre, Don Mattingly was not kept away from Yankee Stadium because of bad feelings. He just hadn't had the chance to visit until last night's ceremony to unveil the George Steinbrenner monument.

"I walked out thinking I'd always come back," said Mattingly, the former Yankees first baseman and coach who will replace Torre as Dodgers manager next season.

Mattingly hadn't been back in the Bronx since the end of the 2007 season. He was a candidate to replace Torre as Yankees manager, but the job went to Joe Girardi. Mattingly followed Torre to the Dodgers and now will follow him in the manager's office at Dodgers Stadium.

"When [Brian Cashman] called me and told me he picked [Girardi] and he wanted me to kind of stay on, I think at that point there was no bitterness at all for me," Mattingly said. "I always expected to come back."

Mattingly, Torre and the other former Yankees were not introduced to the crowd last night during the Steinbrenner ceremony. The group, which included Yogi Berra, Reggie Jackson and Tino Martinez, walked or was driven with the Steinbrenner family from the first-base dugout to Monument Park in centerfield.

Mattingly received hearty cheers when he was shown on the centerfield scoreboard, as did Torre. Later, a video was shown of Mattingly's greatest hits as a Yankee.

"To be able to come see the stadium, it's exciting," he said. "I've wanted to come back. I love the Yankees. They've been a part of me my whole life. They helped me grow up and taught me about playing this game. I love coming back to New York, no question about it."

The Dodgers had a day off Monday, so Torre and Mattingly were able to attend. Mattingly said he planned to visit new Yankee Stadium over the last two seasons when the Dodgers played the Mets at Citi Field, but for some reason it didn't happen.

When he got the opportunity to come back to honor Steinbrenner, he jumped at it.

"It's really a good feeling to be able to get back for this," he said. "Things he did for me, over the years. When I messed up my back, it was getting bad and he sent his plane to Indiana, picked me up, brought me to New York, sent me to the hospital, got his hotel, and nobody's probably ever heard a word about that."