Cashman’s list: Girardi, Mattingly and Pena
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Oct 19, 2007 
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Here’s some news for you:
Just spoke to Brian Cashman. He said he reached out today to three candidates to become manager: Joe Girardi, Don Mattingly and Tony Pena.
The Yankees were interested in speaking to Trey Hillman, but by the time they had a vacancy, he had agreed to terms with the Royals. “Trey is somebody I talk to at least once a week,” Cashman said. “But the timing wasn’t right.”
Cashman said the process could be culiminated swiftly. But he also warned that it could take until after the World Series. “I’ll expand the pool of candidates if that is what I need to do,” he said.
At the same time, he said, he will be negotiating with the in-house free agents. He does not yet know whether the departure of Joe Torre will make that more difficult.
“Nobody has told me that,” he said. “We’ll find that out.”
The Yankees are moving forward and wasting no time. That much is clear.
If ya interested Torre called in to WFAN this afternoon.
you can listen to the segment “Here”:http://www.wfan.com/topic/play.....Id=1076060
Torre called in to WFAN this afternoon.
you can listen to the segment “Here”:http://www.wfan.com/topic/play.....Id=1076060
None of these names are suprising. Would hate to lose Pena if the job is NOT offered to him.
Pete,
YOU MAY HAVE MISSED THIS COMMENT IN YOUR PREVIOUS ENTRY.
I’M RESPONDING TO YOUR COMMENT THAT THE YANKS PAYROLL WILL BE NORTH OF $200MM IN 2008.
JRVJ
My one comment is that even if the Yanks end up paying more than they are currently paying to Mariano, Posada and A-Rod in 2008, they will still REDUCE their payroll.
See, they will no longer be paying $7MM to Jaret Wright (yes, Jaret Wright) and $17MM (+/-) for Clemens.
In any case, Mariano is getting $10.5MM, Posada $12MM and A-Rod about $17MM from the Yanks.
Even if you end up paying an extra $12MM in 2008 to the above 3 players, the Yanks payroll goes down about $13MM (yes, Pettitte and Abreu are also out there. Pettitte could ask for more $$$, though Abreu would be making the same as he does this year, since his option is for $16MM and he made $15.6MM in 2007 according to ESPN).
Other than a possible Johan Santana trade and signing some better relievers, I don’t see the Yanks being buyers in this FA market. Plus, they could trade away Igawa).
And as has been often pointed out, there’s a ton of money coming off the books in 2008 (Pavano, Giambi, Mussina and Farnsworth, plus possibly Pettitte and Abreu).
While Pettitte and Abreu (if they leave) would have to be replaced, the Yanks are almost certainly not going to replace Pavano, Giambi, Mussina or Farnsworth (Pavano is useless, and Farnsworth nearly is. Mussina, as great as he was in the past, can probably be replaced internally by one of the kids at a great saving. I can’t see the Yankees needing to replace Giambi, especially if they keep Damon and Mussina).
Yes, they may go nuts in a Johan Santana FA Sweepstake, but even if they pay Santana $20MM a year, they’d have lowered their payroll by about over $25MM (and that’s assuming Santana does not replace Pettitte in the rotation – if Santana essentially replaces Pettitte in the 2009 rotation, the savings would be over $40MM).
I am not a fan of savings for the sake of savings, since I think the Yankees have money, are willing to use it and stand to lose A LOT of money if they get cute and try to become the penny-pinching A’s.
What I do like is that even while paying extra $$ to Mariano, Posada and A-Rod, the Yanks will have more than enough money to spend on worthwhile FAs in the future.
Picked this up on the nomaas boards, looks like Seattle wants Bowa for the 3rd base coaching spot – apparently Mel Stottlemyre is gonna be tapped for pitching coach. Article says that John McLaren is “very close” to finalizing his coaching staff.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ru.....=mlb,49870
First Torre, now Bowa on his heels, its a good thing we don’t have to worry about retaining Robbie and Melky too, they loved working with Bowa.
Oh man, I like Larry Bowa. He’s good for the kids.
this whole escapade is a disgrace…..as a long time Yankee Fan I am offended by the treatment of Torre. I felt sick to my stomach when I had to listen to that disgrace Randy levine speak about the state and the future of the Yankees…if George has anything left can he PLEASE advise his sons to can Randy Levine’s ass. PLEASE DO NOT TURN THE YANKEES INTO A LAUGHING STOCK….although I feel that is the way they are heading
bowa dont want to manage, he said on kays show
MAZZONE NOW
Hopefully Bowa won’t leave.
He did a great job with the kids.
Pena and Mattingly will cancel each other out, so Girardi is the winner.
As I am thinking about it, one probably I see with Joe G, is he used to play with alot of these guys. Will that be a problem?
I also hope that Tony P interview isn’t just the token minority interview, that they are actually interested in possibly hiring him.
Based on this list, my money’s on Pena. They don’t want to waste Mattingly on what could be rocky season. And given Girardi’s history with the Marlins front office, Levine and the brothers will want no part of him.
Pena can be the bridge to Mattingly.
Yeah this has been a crappy day man.
I’m starting to like Buck Showalter more and more, from what i gather i doubt he would return to the organization after what they did to him after the 1995 season, but keep this in mind – the entire dynasty that won between 96-2000 was mostly built by Stick Michael and Buck Showalter in the mid-nineties. After Steinbrenner was banned from 90-93 he came back a bit humble and allowed that duo to run the operation as they were more qualified ‘baseball people’. In 1996 they signed Torre and Bob Watson as GM and usurped all the credit for the work of their predecessors.
If Buck could forge the same manager / GM relationship with Cashman and work the same franchise building magic that was there with Stick, that could be a very good thing. Of course, Tampa would have to allow that to happen, and it looks like they’re sinking their teeth further in rather than relaxing the grip…
I didn’t follow the Rangers enough to determine wether or not Buck was effective down there, but i guess they fired him for a reason.
I really would have liked Trey Hillman, but out of the possibilities presented, i’ll take Joe Girardi – upside: hard-nosed, engaging, ex-catcher, and of course a Yankee. Downside: How will the current vets take to him and can he be trusted with the young arms (i can’t imagine he would make the same mistake twice, especially if Dave Eiland is there to advise him as pitching coach.)
*problem* we need an edit button.
where’s the cashman audio pete?
joe girardi has my mother in laws demeanor and i dunno i prefer an older guy running this crew of overpaid kids.
I don’t think Girardi playing with the guys will be a problem. There’s only a few left if Pettite, Mo, Posada, and Clemens don’t come back, and I think that would only add chemistry
Ugh. Let’s see:
A guy with no experience managing an M.L.B. team (Mattingly).
A guy with one year of experience managing an M.L.B. team (Girardi).
A guy fired by K.C. (Pena).
Hillman signed on to manage K.C. cuz he’s too scared to manage the Yanks.
Valentine is a joke.
BUCK SHOWALTER A.S.A.P.
Too bad David Justice doesn’t seem like he’s interested in managing as he has a great mind for baseball.
Please let it be Girardi. Guy is smart as a whip and knows how to deal with younger players.
I think Pena definitely should get a legitimate shot. He he has more managing experience that Girardi and Mattingly combined, and he has done some great work with Posada.
Pena is a great coach but inexperienced manager. I am afraid he is the minority interviewee and that is all. As I said in previous posts, it has to be Mattingly with Bowa as his bench coach. If they let Bowa go, they are truly incompetent. They should lock him up now. He would be the perfect bench coah for Donnie.
I like Girardi he doesnt waste pitchers none of pitchers in flordia were over 200 innings and doesnt burn bullpens like joe, and sign mazzone as pitching coach to help out the big 3 and the other young pitchers in the pen.
Pete – I’m impressed that you got hold of Cash on the phone – He must be inundated right now.
Any of those three can do a very good job. They all have reputations for being very bright, good baseball people who are well respected by their peers, and all known as hardworkers. One can make a case for – or against – any of them.
But the Yanks need to move on this. As we’ve seen by the Hillman hiring in KC and the rumors from Seattle, no one is waiting on the Yankees. If there are any hopes of Bowa being bench coach for Donnie, or anything else, then a management structure has to be in place, and soon. I’d hate to lose a top-notch baseball man like Bowa, just because we’re slow.
Eric, Pena managed a year plus and quit the job.
Those of us who have been more than happy to get to the Tournament each year and take our chances will have to re-set the bar. Since Levine stated the Yankee goal as winning the WS each year, none of us should be satisfied unless that goal is achieved. Not just 2008, but EVERY year.
To that end, I want the Yankees to spend more than they should for Rivera, Posada and A-Rod. They all should get more than they deserve, because the Yankees have it and need them to meet the state goal.
Give A-Rod $40M per year, who cares. It’s not costing me a penny and the goal is to win a WS title EVERY year. Period.
Get the payroll up where it belongs … $400-$500 million per year if need be. Doesn’t matter. The important thing is to win a WS EVERY year. Period.
Any word on how much KC gave Hillman?
No disrespect to the now ex-manager, but Joe Girardi knows how to deal with younger players like Torre knows how to deal with a bullpen. Just ask Josh Johnson or any of the Marlins starting rotation.
I’d hate to see Girardi screw with Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy next year.
haha going through George Steinbrenners wikipedia entry and read this regarding his banishment in 1990:
“At Yankee Stadium, where a ballgame was being played, word of Steinbrenner’s banishment filtering over the transistor radios resulted in a standing ovation from title-starved fans.”
Must suck to know you’re so hated by your own fans. Randy. George. Hank. Hal… you paying attention? I’d already like to flush that entire Tampa FO down the toilet, i’m crossing my fingers for some improbable coup d’etat.
Yanks can do better-
C’mon, Buck Showalter and his “rule” book?
ya know “Bobby da brain Heenan”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B.....ssociation is available.
Stephen – you really think Girardi would make the same mistakes twice? Especially with the way Cashman / Nardi Contreras set ‘rules’ for pitchers with Torre – don’t you think it would be the same for Girardi? Not really good for his resume to keep killing off rookies like that, if anything he might overcompensate and be TOO careful with those kids as a result of Josh Johnson, et al.
Okay I went to check out the innings pitched for the Marlins in 2006 only 1 pitcher was over 200 innings and that was Willis. No one in the pen was over 75. So can someone explain to me where this info that he ruined all these arms came from?
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....nYear=2006
It was good for Brian Cashman to make his list public so quickly. We all need to start to move forward. Though it seems difficult right now, there can be a lot of positive looking ahead.
The truth is, unless Joe Torre woke up one morning and said to himself, I no longer want to be a manager (and based on what he’s said, this was not going to happen anytime soon), this was going to end unsatisfactorily for both sides. I suppose the Yankees miscalculated trying to save face – would you want to be the person to fire the most beloved Yankee manager in 30 or more years? Cowardly, certainly. But, they would have re-signed him on their terms. Joe wanted to come back on his terms, or a more common ground, but none was to be found at this juncture. I think the Yankees made a mistake and would have lost nothing by negotiating something more “friendly,” and keeping Torre for 2 more years, but that would only have worked if their heart was in it, and clearly, it was not. Joe saw this, and walked away. Smart man. I don’t begrudge him his taking an opportunity this once to tell his side of the story. He earned that indulgence by keeping his counsel for 12 years. And even in being blunt about his feelings, he was still cautious about using the right words. He was not spiteful or vindicative or nasty or anything negative, and he did not pretend to be happy about the way things unfolded. So sue him.
So, going forward, it could be an exciting time. Even if Mariano and Jorge decide to part ways, the organization will survive and the fan base will learn to love a new chosen few. Seems like Joba and even Melky have won over a few people already. It seems like there’s a huge number of people ready to cheer on the new young star(ter)s in the rotation. Maybe the Yankees will not get to the playoffs next season, maybe they will. But, since that’s the stated goal, oops – the stated goal is the WS, they will find a way to make adjustments. And we’ll all slowly but surely let go of the Torre era and embrace the new. It’s just how life goes on.
Doc -
Cmon man, Buck built the ‘dynasty’ team with Gene Michael. i don’t know if hes the man for the job but give credit where its due – Buck and Stick were responsible for reforming the farm system and pulling the franchise out of the basement.
Look, this is really ridiculous. Anyone with half of a brain realizes that if you look at it from a business standpoint- the fans adore Torre- torre is part of the appeal of the Yankees- win or lose.. Now that they gave him an offer short of 2.5 million, they now have an angry fan base, a huge negative Public Relations problem, lost the best manager on the open market, and will have to pay 10-15 million more at least to retain rivera and posada.. What kind of idiot do Randy Levine, Hank and Hal (who are cowards hiding behind randy) really think they are? They’ve really marginalized Cash in the process, and the franchise for that matter.. No one can make the argument that girardi, mattingly or pena are even close to as good a manager as Torre flaws and all.
jennifer: i heard a couple of the Florida arms burned out. I think they were also unpredictable arms, so they could have burned out regardless. I still want Girardi. I’d take Girardi as bench coach next year, too. I just want Girardi in pinstripes agian!
Now is Pena a serious candidate or is he because MLB has that rule about interviewing a minority for the position??
Not trying to get under anyone’s skin obviously, but I didn’t even think he was on the radar for it, and certainly not over Bowa if they wanted to promote from within outside of Donny
Can’t someone go down to tampa and buy the Yankees off of the two steinbrenners? Please- Bill Gates, Richard Branson anyone? maybe someone can win the megaball number and buy the team?
what I am taking from this:
1) Cashmans list not Levines
2) I like Pena, true he is experienced and he knows the players
3) Shut-up about experience Donnie would and could be fine
4) Girardi is good, but it could be tough with the players
5) If Mattingly gets coach, I’d like Pena at third base coach or bench
6)Well I really like Trey, I wanted him
Doreen -
An strong argument could be made that Billy Martin was the most beloved Yankee manager of the past 30 years.
Those of us that were around for all 5 of his hirings and all 5 of his firings loved him for the passion he had for game and the club.
Doreen and Michael, I could not agree more. And this coming from someone who regularly screamed at the TV over his in-game decisions. At least he admitted his bad handling of the midge-gate episode. Can you imagine doing nothing when your 22 year-old pitcher says he cannot see? But the right result was a 2 year deal. But as Doreen says, time to move on (with Donnie and Bowa).
The players that played with Girardi that could still be there in 2008 are Pettitte, Posada, Mo and Jeter. I think all of them are professional enough to get over the fact that they played with GIrardi. I don’t think it would be a problem.
JoeT Yankees,
What about Pena would disqualify him? His major league managing experience?
I think he named those three because they’re good candidates to start with. And they’re all part of the Yankee family.
They’ll gather up the usual suspects, but unless they pull someone out of a hat (i.e. minor league system) the New York Yankees manager will be one of those 3.
Pete -
Maybe I’m nuts… right now I feel a lot better about things, and I am getting the sense it’s going to be Joe Girardi
Why?
1) Cashman appears to be completely in charge of this process. This is positive in and of itself – it means that Cashman will make the free agent decisions and will continue to reshape the major league roster, while building the farm up
2) According to published reports, Bowa is leaving to join Seattle’s staff
IF either Donnie or Pena were going to get the job, don’t you think Bowa waits a week or two? I’d expect that Bowa would have been offered a spot on the coaching staff of either guy
3) Girardi has Yankee roots, but was not part of the 2007 coaching staff
And there were rumors around that Cashman preferred Girardi to Mattingly as successor to Joe (assuming Joe stayed til he retired)
I could be completely wrong
Reg-gie! Reg-gie!
Hey Dr.Acula
Buck Showalter and his “rule book” helped the Yanks achieve this:
76-86 record his first year as Yankees manager (1992). Not bad for a team that had very little talent and ZERO farm system players to rebuild with besides Bernie who got demoted. The best record since 1988 and only 5 games below .500. Take a look at the roster at baseball-reference.com.
88-74 record in 1993. The team was respectable again. Buck gave Bernie and new acquistion Paul O’Neill chances to shine and they did.
The Yanks finished the strike-shortened 1994 season leading the division by 6.5 games going into Auguest.
First postseason appearance for the Yankees since 1981/ in 14 years (1995).
Think before you post.
Pete –
With aaaaaallllll the hubbub about the Torre story and aaaaalllll the ripples it will be making, I can think of only one simple yet enlightening question:
What’s the latest on that free beer night at the stadium for us blog posters?
I’ve already said my piece on this 1,000 times, but the main idea bears repeating – Girardi all the way!!!
Peter Abraham, “Rivera? Two years and $28 million. Posada? Three years and $43. Those figures may sound outrageous….”
……….
I hope all yanks fans are as forgiving as I’m. I want to see us miss the playoffs for several years, just to change it up for a little. No way in hell would I give those salaries to a delining Todd Jone clone like Rivera and a postseason no show like Posada. Let Kyle close. Let Nieves start. Make it happen yanks braintrust..
BBB: I bet Girardi would let T. Clip and Matty pitch.
I wasn’t saying anything against Pena by any means – i was just saying it was a random drop in that no1 is really talking about. He comes out with a short 3 person list and he’s on there now….
Does anyone take into consideration that Girardi was tough on his baby fish, because they were raw, inexperienced, and perhaps not quite ready for primetime?
I almost sure he would NOT manage the exact same way. Joe Torre has instilled a culture that will continue. The team won’t cut up and go crazy just because Mr. Torre’s left the clubhouse. They’ll still shave their facial hair, keep their hair short, play hard, and be tight-lipped with the media.
Girardi will just have to be a good in-game manager and deal with the press. And manage the egos, but these guys are pros and Sheffield and Johnson are gone.
Those are the “surprise candidates” Cashman alluded to?
I hope they offer the manager a 1 year contract heavily weighted with incentives. It would be hypocritical of the team if it doesn’t. After all, without the incentives why would you expect your manager to try hard?
It’s different positions but listening to Levine yesterday it brought back memories of Steve Phillips during his Mets reign.
Bottom line, If Torre really wanted the job, he would have taken the offer. Yankees were NOT going to come out smelling like roses ANY WAY they handled this. I Love Torre. I love My Yankees more. Yankees win the world series next year by getting EVERYBODY ( including Mo, Jorge and A-Rod ) back and with a rotation that includes Joba, Andy, IPK, Hughes and SANTANA ! ( Wang for Santana….straight trade ! )
Forever until AND after I die…..GO YANKEES !!!…
Cashman did a great job with the kids this year, has done a bad good with the pitching staff over the last couple of years BUT if he leaves or when he is pushed out in 2 years just like Torre was this organization is in major trouble. He seems like the only brain that is left. Him and then the other Tampa stooges.
I think Mattingly is going to get the job because the Boss loves him. Also if they picked Girardi then what would happen to Mattingly? He would lose his job altogether, because he wouldnt be Girardis bench coach they would want an older brain on the bench, so he would just be let go??…I dont think they would do that to him.
…oh…and Pete…we all love you…you are not always right, but who is ?…but you are a hard workin’ Yankee Fan and in my book, you can do NO better..
Cashman did a great job with the kids this year, has done a bad job with the pitching staff over the last couple of years BUT if he leaves or when he is pushed out in 2 years just like Torre was this organization is in major trouble. He seems like the only brain that is left. Him and then the other Tampa stooges.
I think Mattingly is going to get the job because the Boss loves him. Also if they picked Girardi then what would happen to Mattingly? He would lose his job altogether, because he wouldnt be Girardis bench coach they would want an older brain on the bench, so he would just be let go??…I dont think they would do that to him.
Eric Young –
30 years ago, Billy Martin was manager, so I did go back to him. Yes, he was beloved. Crazy, but beloved.
Does anyone here thing that if Torre had at any point in time said to George Steinbrenner that he regretted how he mishandled the “Midge Incident” that things might have turned out differently? It seems to me that George has always had a problem, to his mind anyway, that Joe never seemed to take blame for any of the things that went wrong. I know, probably not, but I just have these free-floating thoughts every now and again…
CaptainsCorner,
That’s the problem with grooming someone for the job. They may not be the best guy for the job.
Look at Mattingly’s comments around Father’s Day at si.com. He took a very presumptive stance like it was a given that he’d be the successor.
Hopefully the best thing that ever happened to Girardi is getting fired by the Fish so that he’d be available for this job.
Any thoughts on possible “surprise” candidates? I think Al Leiter could be an interesting candidate. The press knows and likes him, he’s popular with the players, young enough to know how young pitchers need to be handled as they develop into big leaguers, and he’ll be bring fresh thinking. With a strong group of experienced bench coaches, he’ll do fine.
I think many minor league managers could bring many of the same attributes, as well.
_Buck Showalter and his “rule book� helped the Yanks achieve blah.blah.blah_
Where do the Buck Showalter groupies meet? In a phone both? LOL.
Have you ever seen his rule book, it’s ridiculous. He makes Big Stein (cira 1970s) look mellow.
In Seinfeld speak, Torre was a Bizarro Billy Martin. The latter could not handle million dollar egos but was a brilliant in-game strategist. Torre is the best cultivating the team concept among millionaires, but his in-game strategy– at least since Zim left– leaves midge– I mean much to be desired.
Can anyone here start a FIRE REANDY LEVINE website?
GOD I hate that guy!
Given a choice Girardi is the man. I’d prefer to see Mattingly back at what he does best, hitting coach. Pena and Bowa should be kept at all costs with Larry moving in as bench coach. The next wave of Yankee catchers (Francisco Cervelli & P.J. Pillitere) will need Pena’s guidance/instruction) Joe Kerrigan can be replaced easily as bullpen coach. Sorry Gator but Dave Eiland or Leo Mazzone as the pitching coach.
I think Cashman was alluding to people who may contact the Yankees with interest that could be a surprise, not necessarily someone he had in mind to begin with. But my question is, who the heck would want this job????? How do you interview someone for this job? What questions do you ask? Are you willing to take the blame for every single thing that goes wrong and only credit management for all the things that go right? Are you willing to resign if you fail to get the team to the World Series? I mean, if that’s the mandate, and if I’m only judged by the teams performance in a handful of games (post season) why on God’s Green Earth do I want that job? Unless I need to get my career starting by jumping right into the fire.
Sunny615:
Don’t know why your resentment toward Randy Levine ? He speaks highly of you…
Doreen -
I had no idea you went back to the Martin era. You sound so much younger in your posts!
Martin was truly crazy, but didn’t we love his passion?
I don’t know if this particular team is ready for a expressively passionate manager – which is why, while I love Pinella, I didn’t see him as the best fit for our club immediately following Torre.
I do think your point about Torre owning up to judgmental errors would have helped his cause. We can all identify with making human mistakes.
Somewhere else I wrote about Stengel being fired after some poor decisions in the 1960 WS.
Sometimes it’s the price that must be paid.
For me, however, it’s the statistic that managers see their greatest results in their first three years, and then, as they and their players grow accustomed to each other, the team’s performance levels off and slowly declines.
Doreen,
They give tests during the interview contest. The second most important one is vertical jump to see how high they can go when George says, “Jump”. The most crucial one is jumping through hoops.
Why would anyone want the job? Because it’s the Yankees. And you have 2 hot pitchers reporting to spring training.
Rusty,
I’ve always been a Buck Showalter fan and think he didn’t deserve to get fired after 1995. However, he and A-Rod had a rocky relationship in Texas. If Buck is brought in, it’s safe to say A-Rod opts out and leaves.
Hey dumbo
Blah blah blah is all you can come back with? You’re obviously an idiot who didn’t follow the 1992-95 Yanks like I did. Be an even bigger idiot and tell me the Yanks didn’t return to respectability and postseason competitive form when Showalter was their manager. Your “Showalter has a rulebook” garbage is just that. B.t.w. rulebook is one word.
Johnny Damon who showed up to spring training out of shape only a year into his four-year contract could use a rulebook.
Doreen – How do you compose such long, well-written essays? I’m envious of anyone who can write. You have no idea of how long it takes me to post (or write on my job). Which makes me really irritated when the LoHud server goes down and loses one of my posts.
Eric Young –
Yup – I’m ancient!
Mel -
Yeah, you’re right. We’re talking about baseball — people who have big egos (even the littlest ego in sports is bigger than most) and a very competitive nature. Plus, the money’s probably gonna be good too.
checking in from missoula, mt:
this is as bummed as i’ve been as a yankees fan in a long, long time. not necessarily because torre’s gone, but because of the way it was handled. to offer the guy who took his team to the world series 50% of his tenure in pinstripes, and won the world series 25% of his tenure in pinstripes a 33% pay decrease and “incentives” is an insult, i don’t care how you slice it. joe torre deserved more.
if mo, jorge and pettitte walk, then so be it. the organization brought it upon itself with the way they handled the torre situation. you don’t want him back? don’t offer him a contract. don’t spit in the man’s face and then pretend you were trying to “motivate” a manager who just led his team from 21-29 to 94 wins over the course of a few months.
i’m not in love with torre, never have been. if they had said, “joe’s time in new york has run its course, it’s time to go a different direction,” i’d have been fine with it. instead, they pulled this low rent move that stinks to high heaven.
girardi, mattingly, pena, whoever. it’s not going to matter that much. these guys – warranted or not – were fiercely loyal to torre and whoever steps in will be unable to fill his shoes in their eyes. period.
the last couple days have been a real drag.
Your a failure for not winning a world series every year. Using the Yankees formula every manager in baseball should be fired right.Who would want to be a manager for a corporation that sets unrealistic goals every year and sets the bar so high that if you can’t reach it YOUR FIRED.Donald Trump type thinking. Perfection or else expectations. Lets face it as
Yankee fans we are all spoiled expecting as much from our team as Owners and Management.To put it as Torre said we are human beings not machines and nobody is perfect.
Joe from LI
I usually just get carried away.
I’m very good, very fast typist, though, and that helps. But I do like to write.
And I’ve been frustrated by the server, too. But, I figure, even if it didn’t post, I got to run off at the mouth anyway.
YankeesJosh
A-Rod will opt out thus kiss his Yankee career goodbye regardless of who the next Yankee manager is. Cashman is not bluffing when he says the Yanks will not get into a bidding war to keep A-Rod cuz the Yanks don’t want A-Rod to use them to get more money/ top dollar. The Yanks will not let him use them to drive up his price and it’s a sound, common sense move. My theory as to why A-Rod and Showalter didn’t get along in Texas was out of mutual frustration over how bad the team sucked. A-Rod signed with the Rangers for the $$$ while Buck honestly thought he could turn around the Rangers like he helped turn around the Yanks and D-backs when the D-backs struggled after their solid first season.
Joe from Long Island -
I’ve gotten in the habit of pasting my post into notepad before I hit submit. Learned the hard and painful way!
If Yanks want Bowa and/or Pena as coaches, they will not lose them. They are under contract until 31st August and no team can talk to them without Yankees permission until that date.
regarding the coaches they Yankees are not going to hire coaches before they hire a manager, they will let their manager have SOME say on coaches that he wants. Also isnt Bowa under contract until the end of the series??
Why 8/31 BBFan? Sounds like a strange end date. But I hope you are right.
Kelli: If you’re read any of the million articles floating around, you’d have enough reasons of your own to hate that guy.
As a Yankee fan, Torre aside, I am *Truly* disappointed with this _new_ management and front office. It reeks of stupidity and garbage. If they had any balls at all, do one of two things…
THE NEXT DAY AFTER THE ALDS GAME 4 LOSS (*NOT* two damm weeks later)
Joe, thanks for everything, but we’re going to go in a new direction…
or
Joe, we appreciate you getting this team back from the hole in June, we’d like to give you a chance to prove yourself again – here’s a two year deal – no more years – and we’ll see how things go from there.
Not this BULLSH*T way of backdooring Torre and trying to marginalize him. This is going to be the 70′s and 80′s all over again…
Sorry, I meant 31st October.
Yeah, BBFan, that’s what I thought. So they need to lock up Bowa now.
I think the next manager should be Girardi, they don’t want to hire Donnie, because god forbid they ever have to fire him. The Bobby V rumors are going to get really strong before this whole process is over
sunny615
The 1970s and 1980s all over again? Did you even follow the Yankees back then?
I hope it is the 1970s again cuz the Yanks won two World Series and went to three that decade. The 1980s wasn’t as bad as people made it out to be. The Yanks just weren’t good enough. For what it’s worth they won 103 games in 1980 and made it to the 1981 World Series (I consider 1981 a wash cuz it was the strikeshortened season). I’d even say they were in the wrong decade cuz the 1985 team would’ve won the wildcard had it been instituted after the 1981 strike (to revive the sport).
Synopsis of the 1980s Yanks:
1980: Excellent team (103-59).
1981: Lost the World Series.
1982: Yanks tanked -The Tankees.
1983: Good team (91-71) but Baltimore was better.
1984: An also-ran but then again everyone in the A.L. East was an also-ran that year with the Detroit Tigers in their divsion. The Yanks could’ve won 103 games like they did in 1980 and still lost the then 7-team A.L. East (1984 Detroit Tigers were 104-58).
1985: As solid as ANY Torre era team (97-65), they just lost the division in the final weekend at Toronto.
1986: 1983 Part II (90-72 team but Boston was better thanks to 24-4 1986 A.L.M.V.P. & Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens in his prime. No Roger, the Yanks win the division and who knows? A Subway Series then?)
1987: An 89-73 team who finished fourth in obviously the best division in baseball. The wildcard should’ve been instituted after this season considering Minnefrigginsota won the A.L. West with an 85-77 record -what an even bigger joke than San Francisco missing the postseason by a game cuz they finished with 103 wins/ one less win than Atlanta in 1993!!!
1988: Good team (85-77). Willie Randolph’s last year as a Yankee (player) and he looked done at age 33 (he rebounded with a nice .282 BA, .366 OBP, typical prime Willie production when he was a Yankee for the 1989 L.A. Dodgers).
Guidry was finished.
1989: A year of transition for the worse: Dave Winfield was out for the year. Rickey Henderson was traded. Mattingly began his decline. Randolph, Guidry, Rhoden, and Rasmussen were gone. Righetti was near the end as a Yankee. The Yanks stupidly traded Al Leiter for Jesse Barfield after Leiter had a bad start after only 4 starts (1-2, 6.08 ERA). The 74-87 team used SIXTEEN starters and had FIVE guys close a game. An argument could be made that a healthy Winfield playing a full season could’ve added say 4 wins to the team for 78-84. Keep Rickey Henderson all year, 79-83. Keep Leiter all year, 80-82. Have a game or two go the right way,
81-81 or 82-80. It’s not farfetched. The run was over.
It will not be 1982 or 1989 all over again folks.
Torre is available…
If Don Mattingly is going to be manager, he has to grow the good old mustache back…all seriousness I hope Girardi is the next manager if not then Donny.
Joe from Long Island-
I have a couple of tips.
1. if ya gonna write a long post, do so first on your word processing application and then cut and paste the post to the blog. I learned this the hard way. For years my ISP connection cut in and out, and I would lose mult-paragraph post.
2. on writing. Imitation is more than just flattery. Mimicry is great. Find stuff you like, then break it down and try to mimic the structure, tone, delivery. Practice and feedback is essential.
The greatest hitters take batting practice and get feedback from 3rd parties (coaches, teammates), so get another pair of eyes to review your work until you get comfortable. And like anything (driving a car, making mac & cheese), repetition increases easy and efficiency (learning curve). I pick up tricks all the time, and then I slap my head and think, “dummy, why didn’t I come up with this earlier!”
There are a lot of workshops on writing, especially in NY. whether a community college or social clubs like Meetup – click “here”:http://writers.meetup.com/cities/us/ny/new_york/
There are also books and blogs on writing and research. If ya a stephen king fan then you’ll love his book “On Writing.” So he’s a Red Sox fan, nobody is perfect.
But even if you don’t like Shawshank Redemption, etc., here’s a great review of his guide:
_Though far from the definitive writer’s guideline, this book shines a unique perspective on the craft. Stephen King lays down the law and then teaches it. He shares his techniques, his pet peeves, and his own personal horrific experiences – both as child and adult – and he does it all within the cerebral classroom of the printed page._
_He wraps a juicy filling of personal tragedy, growth and experience within a tight covering of his famous story telling style._
_As a human, I was touched by his childhood anecdotes and often laughed with him about his insecurities._
_As a writer, I am grateful for a brief glimpse into his vocational world. I gained confidence from learning about things I have been doing right and have changed many bad habits (may the adverb rest in peace). I’ve read several tomes on the subject and believe his reigns as the most complete._
Lastly, you did GOOD in reaching out with your post. Nobody likes to admit/reveal/discuss deficiencies or vulnerabilities. But how ya gonna grow if you don’t extend a hand. Never be shy about contacting a writer you like. Surprisingly many people will respond.
I guess you can wrap it all up in a simple Yankee motto: “You will never become a .300 hitter unless you take the bat off your shoulder.”
Joe from Long Island-
I just posted a response to question on writing.
Unfortunately, it’s momentarily locked up in blog’s spam catcher.
Pete’s really good about releasing the legit posts. So check this post tonight or tomorrow.