“Disappointed” Mattingly leaves Yankees
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- October
- 29
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Don Mattingly’s agent, Ray Schulte, just released this statement:
“Don was extremely disappointed to learn today that he wasn’t the organizations choice to fill the managerial vacancy. Instead, he was informed the organization offered the position to Joe Giradi.
Don feels both Joe and Tony Pena represent true professionalism both on and off the field and he was honored to be among them as candidates for the managerial position. Don extends congratulations to Joe and wishes him and the organization good luck next year!
Today is a very difficult day because managing the Yankees was Don’s aspiration and goal since becoming the hitting coach four years ago. Even though this opportunity has passed him by he wants to thank Mr. Steinbrenner for his initial faith, inspiration and support throughout his playing and coaching career.
Don will use this time to reflect on this experience while considering future family and career options. In the meantime, he did inform the Yankee’s that given the circumstances he won’t accept a coaching position within the organization during 2008.”
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on Monday, October 29th, 2007 at 2:51 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
Not surprised, but still sad indeed.
Donnie is opting out, too!
Damn you Steve Boras!!
At least it sounds like he isn’t angry with the Yankees. I really hope he is given an opportunity at some point, whether as a manager or as a special advisor along the lines of Reggie Jackson. All I know is that it will be a lonely Old Timers Day without Mattingly.
Sniff. I do think Girardi was the better option but still kinda hard to see Don leaving the Yankees for a second time.
Understandable he is disappointed.
Life is about making tough decisions and the Yankees made a tough decision.
Hopefully as time passes, things work out with Donnie and the Yankees vis a vie, keeping a good relationship going.
However, choosing a manager is not about winning a PR contest. Its about choosing the guy you feel is the best fit your team and its goals.
If you wrote the managing/coaching accomplishments of these two men on a piece of paper, removed their names, and just listed them as, “Candidate A” (Girardi) and “Candidate B” (Mattingly), there are very few people here who would have chosen “Candidate B”.
Its a tough call but, the Yankees chose the right guy, for the right reasons, for the job.
I agree with you, rbj. I imagine this was a tough decision for the Yankees, too.
Speaking of Ole’ Timers day, I hear ARod will be playing for Blackwater’s new team of “contractors”
Further down in the statement is a bit that says “in a manner respectful to the forthcoming Yankee announcements..Don will announce his future plans” or something to that effect…He’s probably not, but I’d love it if Donnie was tweaking A-Rod.
Girardi was the right choice,but we’ll miss you Donnie
Don really needs to get over himself. He isn’t yet qualified to manage.
Yeah Steve Boras is a wanker.
We’ll miss Donnie Baseball. I hope he’ll come back to us a few years down the road though.
While I am happy that Joe Girardi got the job, I am deeply saddened to see Don Mattingly hurting. In a perfect world, they both would have had an opportunity to manage, but baseball is a BUSINESS and the Yankees cannot worry about hurting feelings. I learned that this spring when they thumbed their nose at Bernie Williams. While I understand what they do, it still hurts.
I wish Don Mattingly only the best. He is a great guy and a true Yankee hero. He will be missed.
“Donnie Baseball” wll be just fine; the Yanks needed to make some important changes to get this team in the right place. Let’s remember what got us to the World Series and Champs. We had great front line pitching and a solid bullpen with studs in the 8th and ninth innings. We had hitters not sluggers, with only a couple of big home run threats and maybe a Tino at best. We had a national league type manager who knew how to hit and run, pick spots to bunt, etc. Now the Yanks don’t have the problem of hiring Mattngly and then firing him later. Girardi gives us a new way of going about all this with a much younger team and likely much more aggressive. I see A-rod’s departure as a good versus bad thing…and yes we may lose an extra 30-40 RBI’s in the line up but if we get a few players here and there , even some better pitching we can make up the difference. And thankfully we now have the resources to make it happen.
He very well should be dissapointed – they brought him back pretty much under the expectation that he would one day manage. To him, this whole un-retirement thing must have been such a waste.
Dont fall to far away from the team Donnie!
We still want you around!
Just because it “appears” that Girardi will be a better manager than Mattingly does not make it so. You just don’t know.
The Yankees made the right choice. I feel confident that Donnie will be back in the fold somewhere down the line.
Good Luck, DB.
I’m sad.
“Get over himself”??
Excuse me?
Notice that he says that he will not accept a coaching position with the Yanks in 2008.
Leaves open the possibility of coaching elsewhere, or…the sentimental heart thinks, a possible front office position, much like the one Randolph took assisting Stick Michael (I guess that was in 1993.)
“Just because it “appearsâ€? that Girardi will be a better manager than Mattingly does not make it so. You just don’t know.”
Of course, you don’t *know*, but Girardi is a much safer bet and easier to project.
Donnie Baseball = class
Being that Reggie Jackson is Frauds biggest supporter. Will he be the next to opt. out? Will fraud hire him(with his nice big contract)so that he can have his ego petted? Will fraud try to go to the Tigers, so the othe fraud so he could have multiple people petting his ego(sheff)/
ditto, Count of Montefusco (great name).
Makes me think.. whether he has a handshake deal with Joe Torre to follow him with the next job offer..
And if you do buy into curses.. Donnie B joined us in 04..
This just shows that the decision was truely Cashman’s. He didnt let feelings get in the way. He strongly felt that Girardi was the right person for the job, because I think if it was even close that Mattingly would of got the job. If this happened a couple of years ago with Cash not running the show Mattingly definitely 100% would of got the job just because of who he is and not experience. This is why it is not always good to bring key organizational players back as coaches because it is hard to fire or get rid of them.
Well either way, its just sad to see Donny have to walk away from the team..
I hope he does come back in a couple years as something.. Scout, or Spring Training coach or something..
this is the second time that yankees have done this to Mattingly. If he ends up coaching somewhere else (cubs?!) he will look odd in another uniform, unlike arod, torre and girardi, Mattingly has been a yankee for life. This is the second time he was left at the alter.
Migames:
When was the first?
Proctor watch out Torre is coming to get you!!! Hes probably thinking ohh no, I thought I got away from him. You will be throwing with your left arm next year…
Radio Boston: Waaaaaaaaah!!
They’re complaining ARod and Girardi is crowding them off Page One.
Po’ Boston – an inferiority complex must be a hard thing to shake.
Yeah, it’s going to be more than a little odd seeing Mattingly in a Dodgers uniform (or wherever he ends up). Seeing Mattingly leave is infinitely more depressing than Torre leaving. I can’t imagine he’ll have anything to do with this team for a while — I’m sure this stings very much. They begged him out of retirement with the promise of the manager’s position, and now they had a chance to give it to him and they passed.
I truly hope Donnie gets a job elsewhere. Maybe the Dodgers will bypass Torre and go straight to Donnie. I like that young Dodgers team as it is — if they hire Donnie, I may have to become a full-fledged fan.
Of course, you don’t know, but Girardi is a much safer bet and easier to project.
That’s true, but it’s not set in stone that he’ll be a better manager than Mattingly like people around here are making it out to be. Mattingly is getting criticized by people for no reson and he doesn’t deserve it.
I think I’m in the minority here, but I still think Mattingly would have been the better choice. Baseball managing isnt engineering. You dont need a degree from Northwestern to manage a baseball team. As a matter of fact, being too analytical can be a detriment over a 162 game season. Sometimes you have to go with your gut, sometimes you have to know when to stroke someone. Not every decision is best made by the clipboard. If it were, Buck Showalter would be the hottest managerial property in baseball instead of being unemployed.
I think Mattingly would have given the Yankees a seamless transition from the Torre era. He’s highly respected by both players and coaches. He may not have ever made a pitching change but he has more coaching experience than Girardi. He certainly knows the drill with the media.
I think a part of PayRod’s decision was he didnt want to play for another Showalter. I wouldnt be a bit surprised if Mo and Posada follow suit now that the Yankees have put the boots to another family member. If that proves truu, Joe Girardi had better make a difference in at least 40 games this year.
I’m a die hard season ticket holding Yankee fan and I wish him luck. After this year’s 1st round elimination, I thought it was time for a managerial change. But I think the Levinebrenners made a big mistake in kicking Mattingly out and hiring Girardi.
1996. Don didnt want to retire, yankees got Tino and told him that he was going to be their 1st baseman
When Grady Little went to the Dodgers, they became Boston West- Nomar, Derek Lowe, Bill Mueller. When Torre goes to LA, he already has Proctor waiting for him and he’s bringing a few more stripes with him. In the same way that the Dodgers left NY for LA, so will Torre and Co.
“this is the second time that yankees have done this to Mattingly.”
you mean the first time in 1996 when they replaced him and won 4 of the next 5 World Series??
that seemed to work out ok.
migames:
that’s not what happened. Mattingly told the team that he wasn’t going to play in 1996, but wasn’t ready to retire necessarily.
So, they went out and made the deal that brought in Jeff Nelson and Tino Martinez.
That’s not being left at the altar.
This time, well that’s a different story.
If we dont go after Crede, how about a proposed trade of Giambi(we eat most of his contract)or maybe Matsui for Chone Figgins. Anaheim needs more pop in the lineup.We would get a third baseman with great speed and someone Joe could use in playing small bal. Thoughts?
“Mattingly is getting criticized by people for no reson and he doesn’t deserve it.”
I’m criticizing Mattingly for expecting this job without managing in the minors first. That is what he should have done.
Classy statement by Mattingly and makes me proud that he didn’t leave with a grenade in his locker like overpaid Torre and A-Rod.
“They begged him out of retirement with the promise of the manager’s position, and now they had a chance to give it to him and they passed.”
maybe George made this promise. but George isn’t in charge anymore.
you have to think about it this way:
if any of the other 29 teams interviewed both mattingly and girardi for their manager job, i doubt any of them would have gone with mattingly.
he shouldn’t get the job simply b/c it’s the yankees.
giradi is the safe bet? whatever? 90% is the players and the GM that puts the team together…ie stick michael and theo epstein…guess what the nation has a rotation of beckett, matsuzaka, lester and buckholz…it starts with pitching! lets hope joba, wang, hughes and kennedy are ready to ascend…in any event the fan (more like corporations) will have to pony up to pay for all the overpaid bums like giambi, pavano, mussina and igawa that cashman has saddled us with
“Matsui for Chone Figgins.” I don’t want you anywhere near the Yankees of 2008.
he’ll be missed but they’ll be fine without him. i would have liked to see him stay on or take a job in the minors, but his leaving is no surprise.
I feel the Yankees need Figgins… They will not find a 50 HR hitter and they need to make it up elswhere and speed is a huge factor. Getting Figgy would be a Major upgrade to what the Yanks havent had in years past. How about a Abreu for Figgy and Kendry Morales deal?
“1996. Don didnt want to retire, yankees got Tino and told him that he was going to be their 1st baseman”
are people really questioning this move?
do people really think “favorite son” type players should just be allowed to play or manage for as long as they want?
“overpaid bums like giambi, pavano, mussina and igawa.” Like Torre said, you get pay raises for what you have accomplished, not what you are going to accomplish. Each of those guys (with the exception of Igawa) earned the pay they were getting at the time. Though I don’t agree any human being is worth $30m/year to get… please let the door hit you from behind on your way out A-Rod.
The reason I mentioned Matsui is that we have too many dh’s and Damon plays better in left. Matsui is on the decline and is owed 2 more years of 12 or 13 mil. I say use the money for the 09 free agent pitchers.
I’m sick of hearing how Girardi is a safe bet because of his experience. The guy managed one year in a small market (and like Don, had no minor league experience) and people get blinded by the fact that he won manager of the year. He also was the manager when the team collapsed at the end of the year. he also got fired for not being able to deal with upper managemet. And he also pushed their young pitchers very hard…the same young pitchers who were hurt this year. Do i think Girardi will be a good manager for the Yanks? Yes, i do. But if all we care about is experience, why didnt we hire Pena? He managed much longer than Girardi did and he also won a Manager of the Year award. Not too many other people feel the way that i do, but I’ll say it anyway. In my opinion, and none of us really know anything, Don would have been a very good manager and was the right man for this job. But I guess we’ll never know now.
I love Donnie Baseball as much as anyone, but I still think they made the right choice. Time will most certainly tell.
I don’t think the Yankees will trade for an “older” player to play at 3rd. I think they’ll go young instead of spending money, even though they have it. Personally, I’d like for the Yankees to go after Yunel Escobar, Edwin Encarnacion, or Jeff Keppinger.
hmmmmmmm
Im not saying it wasnt the right decision. All im saying is that the yankees seem to keep doing this to don mattingly
I hope Girardi wants Bowa and talks him into staying. Why would Bowa prefer Seattle?
Can someone remind me who the free agents are this offseason?
C’mon. All this luv for Donnie is admirable but misplaced. How could the Steinbrenners and Cash not picked Girardi? D-baseball originally sed he wasn’t interested in the job when the first Torre-boot rumours were circulating. He didn’t sound like he was ready, either. And lets face it, if that lineup can’t get out of the first round, there are more issues than just the manager. Time to do a little spring cleaning – g’bye A-rod and Rivera!
Girardi is the right guy. And Pena will slot in as a nice #2 guy. Donnie Baseball should wake up, the Yankee organization doesn’t owe him a thing.
I knew when they chose one over the other two, I was going to be happy for the one, and sad for the two. More sad for Mattingly, perhaps, than the others, because, well, he’s Donnie Baseball, and because Girardi would have been scooped up by someone else, and Pena was either going to coach for the Yankees or bounce back somewhere else. This was Mattingly’s first go ’round. He should talk to Willie Randolph — how many interviews did he go on before the Mets finally hired him? Mattingly’s situation is more in line with the way things typically go. And this does not rule Mattingly out for a managerial job either here or somewhere else down the road. Hopefully he will do some thinking, but then go to work somewhere else and not only get the experience he needs, but keep his name out there, his presence out there.
I hope if Torre is hired by LA, that Mattingly does go with him. If he is indeed serious about managing, and not just managing the Yankees, he needs to keep out there.
He’ll be back at the Stadium. Maybe not in 2008, but hopefully not too long thereafter. I surely hope if they have a closing ceremony for the stadium that he shows up.
I’m starting to feel a little melancholy and I’m starting to get a little uncomfortable. This is a lot of change all of a sudden. George is pretty much out and his sons in; Torre; Girardi; coaching staff; ARod; and Mo, Posada and Pettitte up in the air. I almost want to go to sleep (well, on an extended vacation, anyway) and wake up in March when all the air has cleared.
Steve–
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/.....ree_a.html
whoa…I think the way Mattingly reacted was fine. He was given a lot of reasons to believe he had a chance to get the job, which he in fact did, and you can’t fault him for believing in himself.
If we could trade giambi for chone figgins, that would be awesome. Then Matsui DH’s and Damon plays left. That is still a very very good offensive lineup. We can then take the Arod and Clemens money and spend it to keep Jorge and Mo, and go get one of the Japanese relievers and maybe someone else to bolster the bullpen, in addition to farnsowrth, viz, veras, ohlendorf, and Mussina. If Pettite comes back I think our rotation of Wang, Pettite, Joba, Hughes, Kennedy/Mussina would be one of the best in the majors. I would be definitely take a team with a worse (but still very good offense) and an improved rotation and bullpen.
Douglas,
You gave me another idea. If not Figgins,lets give up a good minor league pitcher plus one of the guys mentioned for Howie Kendrick. Put Cano at third Kendrick at second.
Figgins is insanely overrated. I have no interest in him playing 3B and we’d probably need to overpay to get him.
Drive 4-5 and Beck, I agree. I have said that it should be Mattingly with Bowa as bench coach. The experience factor is way overrated for the reasons you mention. But now that they have pulled the trigger on JG, let’s hope that he softens the edges a bit with Pena at his side.
Peter,
Please comment as to whether the Joe Girardi decision wil make it easier or harder to sign up Mo and Jorge…unless I’m mistaken, these guys knew each other very well; hopefully for the best!
Why would the Angels trade Howie Kendrick? I hate when people just throw out players that aren’t available and act like it would be simple to throw together a trade to get them.
Yeah, whoa. Just like how Randolph and Girardi managed in the minors first?
I agree with B, he is not an everyday player by any stretch. I am seeing some insane suggestions for trades to pick him up from the Angels. Kendrick isn’t a bad idea.
lol B… how about a trade for Soriano, and move Cano to 3rd… jk
And Giambi is not tradeable. We would have to eat a ridiculous amount of the $27 million he’s owed and that’s just not going to happen. Unless you hear differently from the organization there is no reason to keep mentioning him in your fictional trade scenarios.
Ok so
Manager? Check
Arod situation? Check
Posada?
Rivera?
Abreu?
Pettitte?
Third Base?
First base?
NO GREAT LOSS
possible non-candidates:
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/.....ender.html
Guys,
What do you think about a trading Giambi, Matusi, and Wang for Miguel Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez??!?!?!
Buster said having Girardi around probably makes signing Jorge harder. He didn’t want to call it tension, but he said there was only a professional relationship there. If I was Jorge, I would have been pissed too – he was passed over for regular playing time in 1998 for a crappy catcher. Besides, it doesn’t look like Jorge took any catcher cues from Girardi either. He got better when Joe G left.
Meanwhile, I’m beginning to wonder if Jorge may be the biggest loss this post-season. They could manage without Mo and Pettitte. And the step down to a Crede or Betemit is bad. But the drop off with Molina full-time is even worse.
B-
Florida would have to be crazy I think.
B -
You forgot about Dontrelle Willis in that package.
By the way, I am a Cash fan, but he has made some dumb moves. At the top of the list was trading Sori for Rodriguez. Not that I was against getting the latter (though in retrospect…), but Texas was so desparate to move Rodriguez that offering Sori was unnecessary. And Sori was the first player they offered. Why didn’t they start with a lesser player rather than a 40 plus HR hitter? Made no sense. Still does not. Now we have neither.
Yes, the Yankees should go get Howie Kendrick and while they’re at it lthey should call up the Braves and see if they want to give us Jeff Franceour for a couple of minor leaguers and he can play left and hopefully they’ll be willing to throw in Texiera as well. Then after that they should get Minnesota to just give them Joe Nathan and Johan and throw in Liriano while they’re at it.
Why wouldnt they eat most of Giambi’s contract being that he is going to get limited playing time. Knowing it might bring you something in return that could help the team more.
As for Kendrick. Yes,its more of a dream trade, but they need more pop in their lineup and they supposidly are deep in the minors with position players. Who thought we would get A rod when we did?
Molina and Castro would work, but they aren’t going to duplicate Posada’s production. Just like nobody will be able to duplicate A-Rod’s production.
“If I was Jorge, I would have been pissed too – he was passed over for regular playing time in 1998 for a crappy catcher.”
That was Joe Torre’s decision.
“Im not saying it wasnt the right decision. All im saying is that the yankees seem to keep doing this to don mattingly”
i agree in that it is hard to know what he was promised by George. in that respect it seems unfair.
but were he given the job, it would have not been a merit-based decision, and i am glad that the yankees didn’t kowtow to what would have been the easier sell from a PR perspective.
in a lot of ways, A-Rod has given them some cover to make some hard choices over the next year.
they can really do a lot to set things up over the long haul if the are smart, and while 2008 might be a long season, A-Rod will probably get blamed for a lot of it.
or not. what do i know?
hmmmmm, good point on arod being blamed for things. The yankees might use that alot next season. The best thing that could have happened to Stiens is this, from a p.r. point of view. But again, who the hell cares about p.r.
I’m criticizing Mattingly for expecting this job without managing in the minors first. That is what he should have done.
Who said Donnie expected the job? Where did you hear him say that? That’s just it, people jump to their own conclusions with nothing to base it on. That’s why I said he doesn’t deserve the criticism he gets because its all based on nothing.
And why does Mattingly have to go to the minors and manage first? There are plenty of guys who turned out to be great managers that never managed a minor league game. Girardi had one season as a bench coach before his first gig. No minor league job for Girardi. Who cares right?
Girardi better win a World Series and soon with the “god-like” status most fans are giving him. If not, it’ll be Donnie’s turn.
THE CURSE OF DONNIE BASEBALL HAS FINALY BEEN LIFTED, NOT A GREAT LOSS. MUCH LIKE RANDOLPH HE FEELS HE DIDN’T HAVE TO PAY HIS MANAGERIAL DUES IN THE MINORS.
“Not that I was against getting the latter (though in retrospect…), but Texas was so desparate to move Rodriguez that offering Sori was unnecessary.”
holy crap, are you serious?
who did you think the yankees were going to trade for Alex Rodriguez, Scott Proctor?
come on, the Rangers HAVE to get a good player back to sell it to their fans.
Who is this Steve Boras? i know a Scott Boras…a bigtime D-bag agent who would demand money before saving someone’s life hahah…but he isnt half as big of a D-bag as the yankees owner…but the right manager choice would have been keeping torre, although girardi was manager of the year in ‘06 with the marlins so a better choice over donnie bball…
“If I was Jorge, I would have been pissed too – he was passed over for regular playing time in 1998 for a crappy catcher.”
wait, but he loved the guy who was actually filling out the lineup card?
How many games did Girardi manage in the minors?
It doesnt matter what the Boss promised Mattingly years ago. The best person for the job was going to get it..and Cash thought that person was Girardi. This is not like the Boss offering Mattingly to manage a pretzel stand this is the Yanks. There is a reason why Girardi was offered 4 manager jobs in the last 2 years and if the Yanks didnt want him he would of been picked up very quickly. Can he handle the egos and media without snapping…we will find out. Torre was great in the club house but his in game managing I dont think was that good. Just because Mattingly is donnie baseball that doesnt make him qualified, obviously Girardi blew them away in the interviews.
Congrats to Joe G.. He is most definitely the rightful man of the hour. Donnie came aboard at the urging of an old man already showing signs of dementia. He had to know statements made in `04 were not airtight. He threw the dice and lost… If he really does have a deep wish to manage, he should accept a AA or AAA position and see how the Yanks do over the next 3 seasons. But he should stay open to managing some other MLB team because by 2010 Girardi will, I’m confident, have the Yanks in the Series in that year and most years thereafter.
Only an idiot would say that Jorge didn’t learn anything from Girardi. He could have learned a lot more, too, if he had wanted to. Don’t you remember what a horrible defensive catcher he was at the start? He would NEVER block the plate.
I don’t think Jorge will have any problem at all with Joe. They both want to win and unless you really think Jorge is such a baby, he will do fine!
“If I was Jorge, I would have been pissed too – he was passed over for regular playing time in 1998 for a crappy catcher.�
Huh? Jorge caught 99 games in 1998. not bad for a 2nd year catcher.
Ok had to give in… listening to Michael Kay. If you can listen in. The justification from Alex and Boras is just laughable. Lord Sith Boras will be on later in the show.
But, in short, NY media and fans have hurt Alex’s feelings. However, Alex WANTS to play for the Yankees… Am I missing something…
Here’s the kicker: if Jorge says with us, it’s more than likely he’ll go to the Hall Of Fame. If he goes to a mediocre team like the white sox or St. Louis, for example, he becomes a borderline choice.
Stay Jorge, Cooperstown is beckoning you.
The only reason Jorge played more than Joe when they were both playing together is because Jorge was/is a better HITTER. Joe Girardi was vastly superior as a catcher. He was smart and he knew how to talk to a pitcher and settle him down when he had trouble. Don’t you remember that he was Andy’s personal catcher? I was very angry when Jorge replaced Joe so soon because I felt he needed more time to become a better catcher. It took him until Tony Pena came to learn some of the things that he could have learned earlier.
Joe Girardi deserves this shot because of what he has already accomplished. Anyone who doesn’t think so is just talking out of emotion and not real baseball knnowledge.
Give him a chance! And btw, Donnie never he said he wouldn’t return to the stadium, he said he wouldn’t return to COACH! I fully expect to see him back for special things, the O.T. game and other times.
Did somebody say that Girardi will have the Yanks in the 2010 World Series and most of them after that? Talk about pressure. You’ll be disappointed if you expect that, its not happening.
Rob-
LOL!
B- since you are part of the Yankees why not include your self in that deal to the Marlins?
No Arod to Tigers… unless they get rid of Brandon Inge…
MLBRumors.com
Big news! The Tigers made an early strike to improve the shortstop position by acquiring Edgar Renteria for youngsters Jair Jurrjens and Gorkys Hernandez.
The Tigers will owe Renteria roughly $6.3MM in ‘08 and have a good chance of exercising his $11MM option for ‘09. They’ve added a five-win shortstop in Renteria.
PDL,
I can criticize Mattingly because I think he is ridiculously naive.
Joe Girardi belongs in LA if not managing then in a remake of planet of the Apes
Whats all the hate for Donnie? He was the only reason for watching the pitiful mess of a team when he was playing and setting all the the Yankee records. He never has thought he was owed anything by the team that he gave everything to.
He has said congrats to Joe, who is a good choice, and who also NEVER coached in the minors.
Donnie will alway be a Yankee because he is CLASSY and appreciates how good the Yankees have been to him. He will also always bee loved by us Yankee fans who so appreciated his talent and drive to win.
By the way, thats his picture up on the wall with Babe and Joe and the other Legends…not JG!
Donnie Baseball 4-ever!!!!