THE SIDELINES : Yanks Reportedly Ax 2 Coaches

The New York Yankees have fired pitching coach Billy Connors and will dismiss batting coach Darrell Evans shortly, published reports said today.

A Yankees spokesman called the reports in the New York Post and New York Daily News “speculative.”

“We have not announced anything,” the spokesman said. “It hasn’t happened yet.”

Both newspapers said, however, that Connors was gone. The Daily News said Evans would be next, and the Post reported that Mark Connor would become the pitching coach for the third time.

Reportedly, Connors was told of his dismissal in a telephone call from Manager Stump Merrill.

Connors was upset at the way his firing was handled.

“All I get is a phone call,” Connors was quoted as saying by the Daily News. “I’m a pro, and it would have been nice to be treated in a professional way.”

Asked if he was given any explanation for the dismissal, Connors said, “None, absolutely none.”