It's getting ugly in the Bronx. For what it's worth, Cashman is right that Bernie was "terrible" in 2005 and that Torre shouldn't have played him as much as he did in 2006, when he was awesome against lefties but should never have faced a RHP.
But just because something is true doesn't mean someone in Cashman's position should be saying it. Just odd, really, because Cashman has never been a guy to call players out like that, let alone one two years removed from the team.
A friend of mine, who is a Yankees fan, was saying that he doesn't care that Hank Steinbrenner has been running his mouth as much as he has this offseason because, in the end, the cool heads are making the right decisions. Loose lips in any organization have a funny effect on the behavior of others, though, and Cashman's comments make it look as though Hank's verbal diarrhea is contagious.
That may be fine if it ends here, but what happens -- other than unrestrained glee in non-Yankee quarters -- if Cashman starts trashing Jeter or someone?
UPDATE: Jason at IIATMS holds forth more generally about Hank's issues with discretion.
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3 comments:
Craig, as a Yankee fan, I can't stand what Hank is doing. I feel it undermines Cashman's work. Cashman should have kept his mouth shut, no question. However, Hank has a long way to go with regards to zipping the lips.
That was uncharacteristic and inappropriate. Even if Cashman's comments were 100% true he should have taken a pass at bashing someone who suited up for 16 years and left it all out there for the boys in the Bronx. I was very disappointed to see him bash Bernie like that.
Well, it must be said that, for the last 6 years as a Yankee, Bernie was remarkably inconsistent (not to say he didn't perform well over the seasons, he certainly did). There were times that his concentration was absent and he seemed to have little will to play (perhaps he was daydreaming about playing guitar with Carlos Santana or something). He would loaf after batted balls and amble down to first base.
However, those were motivational issues and, as such, Joe's responsibility to resolve. I mean, isn't that the whole purpose of the manager? If guys would play 100%, 100% of the time, they wouldn't need a manager (they'd also be named Derek Jeter or Paul O'Neill, but even they need guidance on occasion).
So I can see talking about Bernie's performance (hell, my friends and I certainly bemoaned the occasions when he seemed 'not all there')...but the *blame* for it rests squarely on the shoulders of management.
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