Comments on: How I spent my summer vacation

By: Yanks

Yanks — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:34:21 +0000

Shelley Duncan + Jason Giambi + VODKA, BEAM AND JACK DANIELS + 2AM = Them playing hide and seek in the bushes with me and my friends. Good times.

By: Other Pete

Other Pete — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:11:14 +0000

Giambi goes back, back, waaaay back…

By: bigjf

bigjf — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:31:49 +0000

The best part about that stache is you can wake up the next morning and clear up that hangover simply by licking the leftover whiskey stuck in it.

By: sox rule

sox rule — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:27:38 +0000

No wonder Big G doesn’t have any rings

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:39:37 +0000

second half? What second half?

I hear too much of that “ice water” can give you “food poisoning” on game night.

By: Ron

Ron — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:49:22 +0000

I still think that trading the decaying remains of Robin Ventura for Bubba Crosby and Scott Proctor is one of his more underrated deals. Sure Crosby wasn’t all that useful, but we got plenty of worth from Proctor, and then shipped him out just in time for the arm problems.

By: The Fallen Phoenix

The Fallen Phoenix — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 02:35:38 +0000

I say Cashman isn’t responsible for the relative dearth of minor league talent between the late 90s and the mid-2000s. That’s a relatively big deal; farm systems are (generally) rather important towards improving a team, since there’s only so much you can do with an infinite payroll.

Nonetheless, if you look at Cashman’s trade history (or, the trade history while Cashman was GM, how much power he had over any of those trades is legitimately debatable), he never gets fleeced. He might not do any fleecing, either, but sometimes that comes down to luck more than skill.

For example, when AJ was traded for the Liriano/Nathan/Boof combo, AJ was one of the brightest young catchers in the game, Nathan hadn’t been converted to a full-time reliever yet (or had just been), Boof was considered a jewel of the Giants’ farm system, and Liriano was a young kid in A-ball. (If I recall correctly, off the top of my head.)

It was arguably a rather even trade at the time, but hindsight is 20/20.

Also recall that GMs don’t do all the player evaluations single-handedly; a lot of that comes down to scouting staffs and assistants, too. Another mulligan I’m willing to give Cashman is that he had little control over the size of the scouting department in the same period the Yankees had a terrible farm system, with Steinbrenner (infamously) ordering several large cuts in that department.

randy, you and I have had discussions about the state of scouting (and overall, decision-making) in the Yankee organization now, and I certainly agree the Yankees need to do better in that area. So the question becomes, is Cashman capable of turning the Yankees into a first-class player scouting, developing, and evaluating machine? Or not? I’m inclined to think he is, because I think the Yankees are precisely in that direction.

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:50:33 +0000

Clenched fist, raised in air? Tone down your exuberance Joba, or risk the wrath of the Loose Goose!

By: thunderfangabe

thunderfangabe — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:53:23 +0000

matt kennard = JEFF kennard

By: randy l

randy l — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:19:50 +0000

tk in dc-

if cashman only got control three years ago and isn’t responsible for anything that happened before that, i would think that means he has no rings either under his leadership.

the difference is of course that beane works with 1/4 the payroll that cashman does.

you can’t have it both ways on cashman. either he’s responsible for the years before he took over completely or he’s not. most of you say he’s the victim of bloated long term contracts he inherited. well if that’s true than he didn’t earn any of those rings.