Mattingly stating his case
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- October
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Don Mattingly is interviewing with the Yankees today. Based on what Joe Girardi told us yesterday, here is how the procedure works:
10 a.m.: Candidate will meet at the minor league offices with General manager Brian Cashman, assistant GM Jean Afterman, vice president Gene Michael, vice president Gordon Blakeley, Baseball Operations Assistant Billy Eppler, Director of Mental Conditioning Chad Bohling, Senior Vice President Mark Newman, Scouting Director Damon Oppenheimer and Director of Player Development Pat Roessler.
3 p.m.: Meeting with George Steinbrenner, Hank n’ Hal Steinbrenner, Felix Lopez and Randy Levine at Legends Field.
4 p.m.: More meetings with the Baseball Operations staff.
6:30 p.m.: Conference call with beat writers.
7 p.m.: Dinner with Cashman.
Girardi did very well yesterday and certainly has the advantage of having been a manager before. He’s also a very smart guy. Mattingly’s advantage is that he is Don Mattingly and Big Stein loves him.
Ultimately, George Steinbrenner is going to make the call. Cashman and Levine have said that. As long as he is lucid, which he seems to be, he will decide who manages his team.
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on Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007 at 12:25 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Great job Pete. Keep us updated on anything you hear about Donnie Baseball’s interview, like I even had to ask.
Is there a chance anyone outside of Donnie, Girardi and Pena getting an interview? Would the Yankees make a hire during the World Series just to make it a huge story and kind of stick it to Boston?
Is there ANY chance either Mattingly or Girardi are on the coaching staff if the other guy is hired?
Hank ‘n’ Hal.
My money is on Mattingly then.
Is there a chance that Bowa hasn’t yet accepted the M’s 3rd base job, because maybe he could be a bench coach for one of the 3?
According to several articles, Bowa “wants to stay” but his job is not guaranteed. He’s citing “personal reasons” as the only thing keeping him from outright accepting the Seattle job. I’m only assuming that he means he’s waiting for Mattingly to get the job so he can be his bench coach… Just my opinion of course.
Oh come on, do you really think they are going to have a man who doesn’t have it all upstairs a decision on who the manager will be. Espically if everyone thinks it should be someone else?
Is there seriously a “Director of Mental Conditioning”? Wow.
Also shouldn’t it be pointed out that he has already said (during the season) that he isn’t ready to manage, and than after the season was over was leary about replacing someone like “john wooden” (sp) a no win situation. Doesn’t that make you leary of him managing. He is already going in with a defeatest attitude.
Donnie seems like an extension of Torre. I wonder if he’s affected by Torre’s comments? I’m sure part of him is, but he’ll able to put that aside as he pursues the job.
I would support Donnie as the manager, but if I had to choose someone to go to battle with I’d go with Girardi.
If you want a change you go with Joe, if you want things to stay the same you stick with Donnie.
Either way is fine.
Pete, who do the beat writers and media guys think is the BEST man for the job?
Yeah, he is their shrink, a nice way to put it.
Who is this Director of Mental COnditioning guy. Is he like the conditioning guy we had at the beginning of last year?? never heard of this guy before not listed on the front office staff on the yankees web site. Has he been with the Yankees a long time??
If Donnie wants the gig, he better seperate himself from Torre.
If he leaves the impression that he is Torre II, I doubt he gets the job.
Usually, when teams change managers/coaches, they go in the opposite direction (attitude-wise) from the previous guy.
Donnie just has to take Torre’s advice and be himself. That’s all you can do when you get into the interview phase.
Off topic for this thread but relevant to the Times article.. listening to Michael Kay from yesterday, but he is defending Randy Levine. Does Levine have that much power now and based on his threats to the Mike and Mad Dog show that Kay feels the need to defend this guy? Don’t get it.
Ok, sorry, just a random thought.
Just heard on the radio, people are speculating that the Yankees could try to get Lou from the cubs for compensation.
What do you all think?
Michael Kay is a class A idiot! I can’t stand him. He hates Mike Mussina and doesn’t miss a chance to tell everyone so. He hated Joe T. I find him extremely phony, and I wish the Yankees would fire his ass already.
I said this last year but I don’t think Lous personality would mix well with the Vets on this team.
Rob Neyer went public today with the rumor that has been making the rounds with some scouts around the game.
A Yankees-Twins trade of Wang-Cabrera-Kennedy for Johan Santana, with the Yankees pursuing (heavily) Aaron Rowand in free agency.
If its true (no idea if it is), I’d make that trade, provided there is a long term contract in place with Santana and they can sign Rowand.
I do for three reasons:
1. The Yankees need a shutdown ace and Santana is that guy. He also is young, lefthanded, has no history of injury, and, given his stuff, would be dominant at Yankee Stadium.
2. The Yankees have “backups” for the guys dealt in the deal. Santana replaces Wang. Austin Jackson is quickly moving through the system and can eventually replace Rowand in CF. Alan Horne is as good a prospect as Kennedy. Its not like they would be leaving the prospect cupboard bare.
3. A rotation consisting of: Santana, Chamberlain, Pettitte and Hughes strikes the perfect balance of youth, experience and stuff. Precisely what you look for when developing a pitching staff.
You have to give up something to get something. If that’s a deal the Yankees can make, you gotta pull the trigger on that one.
Director of Mental Conditioning? For real?
That position must have originated post Billy.
Seriously; I don’t buy George making the final decision.
That said, i agree with the idea that Mattingly came back specifically to manage one day.
Under the assumption that the departure/transition with Torre would be smooth.
Well, that illusion was shattered.
Personally, I love Mattingly as a player, but don’t buy the whole Yankee Icon relating to the job of manager.
Many people do ,however and he seems at risk in that context.
I’d go with Girardi
Jennifer: sorry you think I’m silly!
Nice call, Jennifer!!!!
I don’t think they would go through all that to get Lou.when you could hire Girardi or Mattingly. I’ll take Derek Lee and Soriano though.
SJ44 I mentioned that in the last thread, I agree whole heartedly that you have to make that trade.
A trio of Santana, Chamberlain, and Hughes leading your starting rotation for years.
You have to sign up for that if your a Yankee fan.
SJ44,
I agree 100%.
Michael Kay is a yes-man and a puppet and unfortunately won’t get turfed as long as he continues to say what he is told to say. It’s always tricky when you give a manager’s/coach’s job to the next person in line, such as a bench coach or assistant. Former Marquette basketball coach Al McGuire called it “too much inbreeding.” Inbreeding is just what it would be if Mattingly takes over. It would be a good time to reach outside the box and get Girardi, especially since he has been away from the Yankee clubhouse for two years. He would be a fresh voice and a change of perspective.
Three quality major leaguers for Santana? I would do with Wang and Cabrera, but giving up Kennedy in addition seems too much to me. I doubt anyone would offer that much for someone a year away from free agency.
Everyone has to remember that Sanata always starts very very poorly, so I’m a bit worried about the fans getting impatient in mid-May.
Jennifer: Mussina was terrible this year and Torre has made some rather significant mistakes. Maybe Torre should have been canned in June when the team was stumbling — then there wouldn’t have been such an outcry. Michael Kay may be goofy, but he has a point on these two guys.
Too much for the best, or second best (behind Beckett) pitcher in baseball? Not in my book.
These same “impatient” fans wanted to run Arod out of town for 3 years. Now, many of them are begging him to stay. You don’t make deals to placate the fans. You make them to improve your team.
The Yankees build a farm system for two reasons. One, its to stock the big club. Two, its to develop enough depth to package prospects for players like Santana.
The guy is under 30 years old and has the kind of delivery/ stuff (mostly fastball, changeups) that keeps arm injuries at bay.
I don’t know but, to me, if that’s on the table, you gotta pull the trigger on that one. Especially, when you have other guys in the system (Sanchez, Horne, etc) who may be able to fill Kennedy’s void in a year or two.
I would be thrilled if the Yankees got Johan Santana and didn’t have to part with Hughes. I like Kennedy but Hughes is a better pitcher in the long run. Hughes has a higher ceiling and we’ve definitely seen enough glimpses of what he has to offer and he will be fully healthy this year as well. Aaron Rowand is a tough, gritty player who gives his all on every play. He’s definitely not afraid of walls. Getting Santana would really be a great Christmas present.
The new song- “Santana Claus is coming to town!!”
I have a hard time believing the Twins would trade Santana to the Yanks without Hughes or Joba in return.
For that reason, I’d wait until next year and sign him as a FA.
Chuck, He *HATES* Mike as a person, nothing to do with how he pitched this year. He has hated him since 2001 when he didn’t want to talk to him the day after he lost his perfect game. Kay is a whiny cry baby.
santana is going to get paid like a free agent if he signs an extension with the yankees, why give him free agent money plus wang, kennedy ,and cabrera. i wouldn’t do it.
yeah, and if we get Rowand to boot, it makes the deal soooo much sweeter. We need the right handed power and Rowand plays a hell of a CF, he is a lot better than Melky.
I would make that trade pening a this is obviously very important there is a long term deal in place for Santana. Unless you can get that deal signed and sealed before a trade then it is a pass.
Although I love mekly and think he adds something to the team. I am also a big Aaron Rowand fan and he is great in the field.
On Mattingly, did anyone read the story by Joel Sherman on the parallels between the dismissal of Showwalter and the dismissal of Torre. Kind of interesting.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10....._storm.htm
But like with investing, past performance does not guarantee future success. But nonetheless, interesting.
I have been listening to Michael K as well and to be honest i am shocked by his stance on Joe Torre. He keeps saying that he isn’t a god and that there are certainly other people who could do the job and Buck Showalter set everything up for Torre, blah, blah…which is fine but I thought Michael would have been a little more supportive. Kim jones was, obviously Susan Waldman was, I could only imagine Bobby Murcer and Paul O’Neil are as well.
It’s all about taking risks and going for Santana is definitely worth the risk. What happens if the Yankees are too slow in trading for him and Boston slides in and makes a trade to get Santana? That would be a disaster. If you’re the Yankees and you have a shot to get Johan Santana WHILE keeping Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, you do it. No questions asked and you don’t worry about the strain of signing him to an extension. The Yankees do have plenty of money.
Dee and Jennifer—
In the conference call yesterday, Dan Graziano of the Star Ledger asked Joe Girardi if they had discussed with Joe the possibility of his taking a coaching position if they didn’t ask him to take the managerial job. Joe responded that they did not speak to him about the possibility of coaching, it is was strictly a managerial interview.
I just wanted to clear up that he was not asked by the writers about his prospective coaching staff.
SJ44,
I dont know if I would do that trade. Santana gave up a ton of homeruns this year. Which is very uncharicteristic of him. Alot of critics are saying that Santana has too many miles on that arm.
I liked what I saw in Kennedy this year. In your oppinion, do you think Hughes will be a better pitcher than Kennedy? The reason I ask is Kennedy had just as good as numbers as Joba in the minors and if im not mistaken better than Hughes.
Cash is lumped in with the head-shrinker and the parking attendents at 10:00 A.M. but is excluded from the 3:00 sitdown with the Boss and the wonder-twins? Strange.
No way I do Wang, Cabrera, and Kennedy for the privilege of throwing $20 mil per at Santana. His ALDS stinkers aside, I’ll bet Wang wins more games over the next 4 years than Santana and at a fraction of the cost.
Melky’s a 10 year fixture and Kennedy will have the best ‘08 of the young trio. Santana’s price will come down at the deadline. If he’s dealt before then, we’ll survive.
I have to believe that Kennedy will be a better major leaguer than Horne. Kennedy flew through the system, is younger and I’ve already seen that he has that presence on the mound that you want in a pitcher. This kid is going to be a 15 game winner for a long time.
SJ – I like the idea of that Santana deal.
Until this April, I wondered why the red sox traded for Beckett two years ago. They traded away Hanley Ramirez, one of the best shortstops in the game (some have called him more than that) and Anibal Sanchez, a young pitcher who threw a no-hitter for Florida.
But look at this deal now. Beckett is turning into one of the greatest playoff pitchers of all time, and when they beat the rockies (IMO) it will probably rank as one of the best deals ever.
If you can get a true ace, you get him. I don’t see Wang getting better than he already has, and Kennedy hasn’t pitched a full season in the majors. And I agree that Melk is replacable. Although I hate Aaron Rowand.
I too am intrigued by this “mental conditioning” guy. Maybe we pin their playoff losses on this guy – he didn’t have them mentally prepared for the playoffs – they were wound up tight and seemingly weren’t able to take the pressure. Seems ot me that those are the exact reasons to have “mental conditioning” person on staff – and he didn’t do his job.
Trading Wang and Kennedy for Santana makes little logical sense. You are talking about 30-35 wins between them (at about $25K per win)… how do you replace those? Santana might win 20 (at about $1M per win) but then you need another 10-15 wins from your new 5th guy… Mussina? Pavano? Losing 2/5s of your projected rotation (for the next 5+ years) is too much to give up. Wang, Melky, and a couple of 2nd tier prospects should be all the Yankees should offer.
We should definitely go after Rowland regardless of the Santana trade potential. We need right handed bats especially if Arod leaves. Might even let Abreu walk if we could get Rowand and keep Melky.
“Everyone has to remember that Sanata always starts very very poorly, so I’m a bit worried about the fans getting impatient in mid-May.”
who cares if the fans get impatient? what are they going to do, throw batteries at him?
if the fans have any sort of brains, and that is somewhat debatable after A-Rod’s treatment, they will know with his “very very poor” starts (which means an ERA in the mid 3’s) comes a strong, strong finish.
I don’t think the Yanks can trade Wang.
MLB and the Yankees are starting to make serious inroads into the Chinese market.
I understand that Wang is from Taiwan not mainland China but he is still the 2nd highest profile Chinese athlete in the US.
Much like Matsui paid for himself, Wang pays for himself many times over in dollars and goodwill. Welcome to the 21st Century.
I would make that trade but not add Kennedy. A two time 19 game winner and a starting center fielder both of whom are inexpensive is plenty!
“Kennedy will have the best ‘08 of the young trio. ”
based on what?
I’d do an Abreu for Rowand swap in a second. Abreu’s the personification of everything that’s wrong with this team: an overpaid, overfed, overrated, passionless primadonna who’s best years are long gone. If I have to watch him tiptoe after flyballs and take cookies in the middle of the plate to end games for another year my head will explode.
Rowand’s righty pop, stellar defense and feisty attitude are just what this team needs. With Melky in right and Damon in left we’d have the best outfield, glove-wise, in the sport.
Don Mattingly may be The Boss’s favorite and may love him to death, however, if he doesn’t win ballgames, The Boss will hate him.
“Based on what?”
1. Consistency of minor league numbers.
2. Grace under pressure he showed down the stretch.
3. Number of pitches he throws for strikes.
4. Number of innings he threw last year.
5. Consistency of usage.
We don’t know that George is lucid 24/7.
I think his sons will make the call and he will go along.
btw, The mental conditioning coach should be replaced. He hasn’t been able to get the team to overcome the 2004 ALCS meltdown yet. Time for a change.
Donnie Baseball will lead the Yankees to 6 rings.
During the whole Torre firing, I favored Donnie.
Now im thinking Girardi really is the spark plug we need.
SJ44,
Did you say that Santana is behind Beckett as far as who the best pitcher in baseball is? Come again. I know Beckett singlhandedly beat us in ‘03 and has been lights out this year, but he’s not better than Johan as a whole. I guess in the playoffs he’s been better, but Beckett is not the best pitcher in baseball.
RandyHater, that would be an ideal switch. Bobby is a softie,always looking for the walk and jumps,tucks and rolls into the fetal position within 10 yards of the wall. Rowand has grit, is a righty, my only concern is his age along with wear and tear, no more than 3 years. Then again it is Bobbys last year, maybe he will throw up some contract year stats.
I like Santana, but Wang, Melky and Kennedy, thats highway robbery. Santana was getting rocked towards the end of the year, giving up 2 arms for one is crazy. I would pull the trigger on Wang and Melky, too bad Wang flushed a ton of his regular season value down the crapper in the post season.
When between the devil and the deep blue sea, Andy’s the Key.
1). Trading Kennedy and Wang is betting that Mussina and Igawa – - or the bum of the month – - will give you fifteen wins. That’s kind of what they did this past season. Maybe that’s not as crazy as it looks. But trading Kennedy and Wang also seems to suppose there is a good shot at keeping Pettitte as the 2d, 3d or 4th starter. And Andy P won’t say for sure whether he will come back for at least a month. Without Pettitte, and if you trade Wang and Kennedy (with Melky) for Santana, the rotation is Santana, Chamberlain, Hughes without a good 4th or 5th starter (Moose? Igawa?). Risky business.
2). You could hold onto Melky and Wang and Kennedy and wait until Santana is a free agent (2009) and try to sign him then. But if you wait, you are taking a big risk that Johann will still be available. If you don’t make Minny a serious deal now, someone else will and they will sign Santana to an extension and you will miss out. Will you get to the post season with Wang, Hughes Chamberlain and Kennedy (Moose, Igawa)?
Pettitte could be as important as Santana either way it goes.
“Who is this Director of Mental COnditioning guy. Is he like the conditioning guy we had at the beginning of last year??”
Gayle, I think the conditioning guy from earlier in the season you’re thinking about may be Marty Miller, the guy who put the players on his new physical conditioning program and got fired when a bunch of guys got injured.
Pete, if big Stein’s gonna make the call, is anyone gonna first remind him that he can’t fire Donnie Baseball if they don’t go to the WS? at least not in the first year?
Also, the 10am agenda sounds like the kids table to me, vs. the grown-up table at 3pm. Has Cashman been demoted? I wouldn’t have read too much into it if he was at the 10am with the rest of his baseball operation staff, and then carry over to join the 3pm meeting as well. I mean what kind of meaningful conversation is he supposed to have with the candidate at dinner if they can’t talk about the Steins/Levine meeting together?
But Pete…I thought you told us that Mattingly would consider retiring to Indiana to show his outrage over how the Yankees handled the Torre fiasco??? Now he’s down in Tampa asking those same evil people for a job?????
I really hope you look back at your blog posts after Torre left the Yankees with the proper amount of embarrasment for your over the top criticism of the team based on your personal affection for Torre.
“Mattingly’s advantage is that he is Don Mattingly and Big Stein loves him.”
If someone knows a WORSE reason to hire someone to be manager, I’d love to hear it. I loved Mattingly as a player, but there is no category that I know of in which he actually has an advantage over Girardi.