From Newsday :

Yankees pitcher and registered pilot Cory Lidle was believed to be aboard the small plane that crashed into a Manhattan apartment today, Yankees officials said, in an incident that killed at least two people and trapped others on higher floors.

Lidel’s agent, Jordan Feagan, said yesterday that he feared Lidle was among the fatalities of the 2:30 p.m. crash.

It occured near the 20th floor of a 50-floor apartment building at 524 E. 72nd. St., known as the Belaire Condo.

Minutes before the crash, witnesses said the craft was flying erratically. Initial reports indicate that Lidle owns the Cirrus SR20, which took off from New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport at about 2:30 p.m., and that he was the only person aboard the plane. His passport was found on the street.

Harold Vine, a witness to the crash said he saw a plane lose power and strike the building. “The man was going down and he tried to pull up but he didn’t have enough power,” said Vine an employee at Gracy Square Hospital nearby. “And then I heard a boom.”

SNY and WFAN have both confirmed that Lidle was aboard the plane. Mike & The Mad Dog have invoked the deaths of Thurman Munson and JFK Jr., and were it not for a commercial break, I’m pretty sure they’d have mentioned Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper, too.

In all fairness, eulogizing the same guy they spent the last two days ripping to shreds is probably beyond the duo’s normal capabilities.

Lidle was 34 years old and leaves behind a wife and son. A 9 year big league vet and high school teammate of Jason Giambi, Lidle had a career record of 82-72 (4.57) through tours of duty with the Mets, Devil Rays, A’s, Blue Jays, Reds, Phillies and Yankees. In 1995, Lidle was amongst the replacement players who participated during the work stoppage.

(Addendum : New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg refused to confirm that Lidle was aboard the plane during a press conference that is still taking place, while the New York Times is reporting that Lidle’s body was identified.)