Breaking news: Meacham fired
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Oct 14, 2008 
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The Yankees have decided not to renew the contract of 3B coach Bobby Meacham. Brian Cashman just handed down word via media relations director Jason Zillo.
Cashman is in a meeting with his pro scouts at the moment. The hope is to speak to him later.
The Yankees have not named a replacement. There are several ways they could go here:
1. Name a new 3B coach
2. Move Rob Thomson or Tony Pena to 3B and name a new bench coach or first base coach. Moving Thomson to third and making Pena the bench coach would make a lot of sense. Pena is a former manager, after all.
Single-A Tampa manager Luis Sojo would appear to be a candidate but he was not particularly good at coaching third when he had the job a few years ago.
The other interesting aspect to this move is that Meacham was one of the two choices Joe Girardi made for his staff, the other being bullpen coach Mike Harkey. Firing Meacham takes away an ally of the manager. Girardi, you may recall, was stunned at questions about whether his staff would he changed, saying he saw no reason. Obviously Brian Cashman felt differently.
No word yet on whether the other coaches are returning. But presumably that is the case.
Two candidates you should not expect:
Larry Bowa: Bowa is a Joe Torre loyalist and has been outspoken in his defense of Joe and how he feels he was treated by the Yankees. It’s hard to imagine Bowa now returning to the Yankees. The players would love to have Bowa back, but his personality would not mesh with Girardi.
Willie Randolph: The former Yankees coach and Mets manager still has a year left on his deal and can collect checks while playing golf. The organization would be doing Girardi no favors by having an ambitious former manager on his staff, either. If Randolph gets the job, it starts the countdown to Girardi getting fired.
UPDATE, 11:54 p.m.: Mark Feinsand of the News reports that pitching instructor Rich Monteleone got the boot as well. He was not a coach in terms of being in uniform but had pre-game duties and charted pitches during games.
The other aspect of this news is whether the Yankees feel that whoever they hire needs to be able to kick Robbie Cano in the pants once in a while. For many reasons, it’ll be interesting to see who gets hired.
After a long season of bad decisions… things are finally looking up…
Not unexpected. Best of luck to Bobby Meachem.
Hoping for an early exit for Bowa? lol.
Good news!
Looks like Luis Sojo will be back, player coach would be nice. Betemit needs to go to.
i think the only thing that surprises me is how soon this happened…
After the disappointing season, it was a cinch that at least one coach would be fired. Meacham was the obvious choice.
*too*
“Looks like Luis Sojo will be back, player coach would be nice. Betemit needs to go to.”
Jeez I hope not, Sojo was a LOT worse than Meacham as a 3rd base coach.
Not sure if anyone could be worse than Meacham.
THANK GOD!! His stupid actions cost us the season. Sending Wang on that play was the dumbest thing a 3rd base coach could have done. Sit here and defend this guy, but he was horrible. Absolutely Horrible.
LAR-REY BO-WA! Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap!!!!!!!!!
“Not sure if anyone could be worse than Meacham.”
Dale Sveum and Luis Sojo are easily worse than Meacham
Yeah, that ought to do it. That should bring No.27. I’m printing my 27 in ’09 t-shirt now.
seriously though 3rd base coaches have very little impact on how many games a team wins. Even the best managers are only worth something like 4 extra wins or losses during the year.
I wonder what Robbie Thompson is thinking about now?
Meacham was the worst 3rd base coach I can remember seeing on the Yankees. He was responsible for so many guys getting thrown out at home that it was sickening. that being said, we probably scored a few runs that we shouldnt have because of his windmill right arm. The play that Wang was hurt on wasnt a bad send though. The guy got hurt…nobody’s fault.
I vote for Girardi as new 3b coach a la Tommy LaSorda.
ray,
Obviously replacing Meacham won’t bring us a world series but how can you argue with the decision? He was a bad 3rd base coach, period.
This was kind of expected, wasn’t it?
I hope that what results from this is that Girardi learns to use his other coaches as well–they’re there for a reason!
I’m available to coach third next season.
Patrick s bad as many of you think he was Larry Bowa got 3 less runners thrown out. 3! and most people here think he’s a 3b coaching genius. Doesn’t bother me a bit that he got fired. I just think it’s silly for people to get so excited over it when the Yankees have far greater problems than Meachum.
This was a no-brainer.
Yeah I don’t know about this being an “exciting” move. It had to be done and that’s it.
abcd
October 14th, 2008 at 11:13 am
“all that lester hype for nothing…”
Kind of reminds you of the Phil Franchise hype……for nothing.
Bowa doesn’t want to come back. Willie is Windmill Willie at 3B and that would be a demotion, what they should do is take a look at thier AAA 3B coach or Luis Sojo in A ball because he learned more about the game down there and he was an enforcer w/ Robi Cano.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10.....133499.htm
Finally some off season news.
“Willie is Windmill Willie at 3B”
Wille: The Pete Townsend of 3B coaches
Who coaches third base isn’t going to make anything more than a marginal difference in a teams success or failure.
I don’t think it was primarily his decision making as third base coach that got Meacham fired.
For whatever reason, Girardi loved Meacham and trusted him a great deal. Meacham was one of Girardi’s closest advisers on how to run the team as well as on strategy issues.
After the season several stories were leaked about Girardi not utilizing his coaching staff well, sidelining some guys (e.g. Pena) and preferentially relying on Meacham.
From the front office perspective, I’m sure they felt that Tony Pena has more to offer Girardi in terms of advice than a guy like meacham does. Girardi saw it differently – and now meacham is gone.
When you see all of these stories coming out after a season is over about players being unhappy with the manager – those are very bad signs. People leak those stories to send a message – could be the veteran players who did it or it could be management.
Meacham didn’t get fired for sending/ holding runners at third.
It’s more likely that he got fired largely because the yankee’s front office was not happy with the coaching staff and how Girardi was using it to make his decisions. I don’t think they were happy with how Girardi was dealing with the players on the team and with how he was utilizing his coaches to run the team.
The big tell tale sign with Girardi and the coaching staff is what they’ll do with the bench coach. I could see them moving Rob Thompson to another spot on the staff, perhaps even back to the front office. If they do that and hire another bench coach then that will say a lot about their feeling on Girardi. If they feel that Girardi needs an older, more experienced presence on the bench that will speak volumes about where Girardi stands in the organization.
“Breaking news: Meacham fired”
Well – at least this time Steinbrenner waited until off season to get rid of Meacham and not during the middle of a game.
I’d be in favor of getting Gillick aslong as they also fire Jene Afterman, she’s been the sidekick in some of these horrible deals and is like that gum on your shoe how the heck is she still here there has been no legit picks ups other than Wang eversince Kim Ng left. BTW some people also have to realize Gillick might be resigned by the Phillies they are 1 game away from the World Series how do they let him walk ?
Looking back at gameday, you can’t really fault Torre for his bullpen management.
Lowe had given you 5 innings of 2 run-ball, and you might have to save him for a game 7. So I guess I’m okay with that move especially since Lowe gave up the lead in Philly in the later innings.
My big gripe would be putting a 20 year old kid in to protect a 1-run lead. Yes he’s dominant, but he walked the first guy up. Then gave up the single. And stayed in for the sac bunt by Victorino.
Of course he couldn’t know that Park was going to uncork a wild pitch tie the game.
Biemel gets out of the inning tie game.
Biemel replaced by a PH in the bottom of the 6th.
Kuo dominates in the 7th to keep the score at 5-3 LA.
He stays with Kuo because he had an easy 7th, but gives up the leadoff single to Howard.
Pitching change, go to Wade. Who gives up the HR and a single.
Pitching change, go to Broxton, who’s unhittable. No one could imagine that he’d give up a homerun.
So the two questionable moves are the 20 year old kid in a high-leverage situation and bringing in Broxton too late.
I don’t know how many times Broxton’s gotten 6 outs, so the move to Wade was the correct one.
Ignoring matchups (this is where you can outsmart yourself) I would’ve gone straight to Broxton after Victorino’s homerun and 1 out.
But this is with the benefit of hindsight.
All kinds of things went wrong, but Torre didn’t really mess up. It’s not his fault Park choked up the lead, Wade and Broxton served up meatballs, or if you prefer that the baseball gods decided to let Victorino and Stairs have the fairy tale finish.
Obviously I’m not on the inside, but I don’t see this as a move intended to hurt the manager so much as a man getting fired because he was terrible at his job. I don’t want Sojo back there because he was bad too, but Meacham was about the worst I’ve ever seen. If they wanted to save face, they could let Girardi select the new 3B coach, just to prove that Meacham being let go was his own doing.
Gillick is ready to retire as a GM to return to the Seattle area. Therefore, you hire him as a consultant for Cashman where he can do some scouting and advise Cashman on players.
Meacham, Monteleone… today we settle some business..
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.co.....father.jpg
Well, that’s good news.
If not Willie or Bowa, then I do think the kind of guy that’s best for the team is an experienced, strong, ambitious manager that works well with the players. That’s exactly what this team has missed this year.
That’s exactly what Torre got with Bowa.
A good manager puts the best people in place for the job. Meacham was an obvious mistake in Spring Training.
Getting Willie could mean a play-off berth if he can motivate the players better than Girardi (probably not too difficult). If it all goes well, that reflects well on Girardi. If it all goes badly, then Girardi’s job is not any less secure, since he’s almost certainly going anyway if he fails two years in a row and the grumblings in the clubhouse aren’t fixed.
They got rid of Monteleone?
Didn’t realize that there was a way you could ineffectively chart pitches.
Lets bring back Bowa because he single handedly won the yankees multiple world series titles when he was here. Oh wait,,,
“Lowe had given you 5 innings of 2 run-ball, and you might have to save him for a game 7. So I guess I’m okay with that move especially since Lowe gave up the lead in Philly in the later innings.”
When you’re down 2 games to 1 in the playoffs you never “save” a guy for game 7, plus, he would pitch on regular rest in game 7 because of today and Thursday’s off days. Now you’re second point is better, but he got rattled at Philly in game 1, it wasn’t because he was tired.
If I recall Rich Monteleon has been around for a long time. Can someone explain why they would fire him was he charting pitches wrong?? I mean what kind of impact does he really have what were his other duties??
The Bobby firing anyone could see that coming was he the worst 3rd base coach as some have said absolutely not and if you think so you have not been watching past 3rd base coaches for the Yankees. He had the unfortunate problem of replacing one of the BEST 3rd base coaches in the majors.
Mel that’s an interesting take listen to this Dodger fan that watched his team all season.
Torre single handedly lost that game for us. Lowe, other than the first inning, looked really good. Why take him out? He is rockin on, let him stay in there. I was blown away that he brought in Kershaw after that. Are you kidding me? Then back him up with Park? The guy who has been horrible since the middle of August? Wow. Then you have the choice of Wade (who pitched yesterday for 2 innings) and Broxton. God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sooooooo pissed right now.
We should be 2-2 now, but we lost because of awful decisions. Don’t want to blame Joe for the pitching choices? Fine blame him for putting Martin in the clean-up spot over a group of others that could and should be there. How about playing Blake when he hits .091 against Blanton? He could’ve easily moved DeWitt to third and Kent to second for 5 innings and then brought in Blake when Blanton goes out.
This is completely unacceptable. Let the tangents go off now of saying without Torre we wouldn’t be here, that he’s done a good job, that I am seeing things in retrospect, etc… But I was pulling my hair out when he was doing this at the time. I would’ve started the thread then, but then people would jump all over me for b-tching even when we win. I don’t whine or start lame threads, but this is a joke.
Phillies 2, Dodgers 1, Torre -1
It’s not just that, the Dodgers most clutch hitter isn’t really Manny it’s James Loney and he refuses to bat him cleanup. Those are a couple of things that Dodger fans are pissed off about.
3B coach is not the job for Willie Randolph right now, in my opinion. I agree with Pete there. Bowa’s a “maverick” – I wouldn’t count him out, BUT the question would be why would he leave LA? Unless he hates the west coast, I really don’t see it happening.
It will be interesting to see the way the Yankees handle this.
I never like to hear that someone was fired, unless they were so negligent in their position it was deserved. I think Meacham didn’t tip the scales in a positive direction, and because the season didn’t go well, something had to be addressed. Probably more so than waving or not waving runners home was the least of it. It probably does have more to do with nudging Girardi in a different direction with regard to utilizing his coaching staff more fully.
Brandon supposedly she was behind the Kei Igawa signing. She scouted him in Japan.
Her name is rarely mentioned when Igawa’s name is brought up. People act as if it was all Cashman’s fault.
“Bowa’s a “maverick—
Doreen, please no political talk.
Trevor don’t even get me started w/ Afterman what’s the difference between her an Scott Layden really. Cashman stepped back to listen to her to create a good work enviorment some people advised him not to listen to her supposively and BANG ! KEI IGAWA !
Bowa? “Thats not change. Thats more of the same”
I would not count out Bowa. It would also be a message to Girardi. Willie?…not only unlikely but probably not a good choice as much as I like him.
Pete any ideas what the deal is with Monteleon?
I would add…if Michael Kay reported his conversation with Bowa accurately (I miss New York, would like to return, LA is too quiet etc), he could well be interested. Don’t forget, he is not really a Torre guy. He works well with him, but Bowa is his own man, stands on his own two feet, etc.
If he does not get job back in Milwaukee, how about Dale Sveum as 3B coach – he’s a former Yankee and team mate of Girardi.
Tony Franklin, the Trenton manager, would be a good coach at 3B. Also, Pete, your idea to get a Don Baylor as bench coach/enforcer would give them someone who played the game right and could give Cano (and anyone else) a kick in the seat when needed. Kick Rob Thompson back upstairs!
SoCalYankeeFan 8)
Wade worked 2 innings yesterday and has worked in 5 of the 7 playoff games they have played. He was running on fumes.
Kuo has been lights out. A 2.14 ERA in 80 innings with 96 Ks. Can pitch to both lefties and righties.
I would have not even gone to Wade. He was abused all series. I either stay with Kuo, who is their best reliever numbers-wise, or gone straight to Broxton for 2. You can’t use a guy like Kuo as a mere specialist. Thats what Kershaw/Beimel are for.
“Don Baylor as bench coach/enforcer”
But isn’t Baylor sick or have some illness – at least that’s what I’ve heard somewhere.
It will be very telling to see who Meacham’s replacement will be vis-vis Girardi, especially if the 1st half of 09 does not go well, and Girardi’s response is “more of the same”.
Being a native of Florida, Monteleone could have really helped out in that crucual swing state.
Why fire Monteleone? What did he do wrong?
Montelone = This season’s version of the fitness instructor!
I bet you it was the “classiest” termination he ever got!
i would like to see the yankees get away from having all generic coaches. they have too may star players to not have some former star players who are now coaches. bowa had some player cred he could use with cano.
when mattingy, torre, bowa, randolph, guidry, stottlemyre mazzilli were there players had coaches who knew what being a star player was all about. i’m not sure girardi, harkey,long,eiland,etc get it.
they were supporting players at best and they may have trouble relating to the players they are trying to coach. maybe they don’t have the respect of the players. on the other hand, without looking at the tampa rays coaches, they are probably similar to the present yankee coaches so maybe having coaches who were good players doesn’t matter.
but i think the yankees are different in that they will always have lots of star players and they need at least one coach they can relate to who was an equal as a player.
As just a 3rd base coach, it doesnt matter. But in our case, they need someone who will work with Cano. Or Just move Thompson, and get us a real bench coach, someone with experience, like… Don Baylor. Someone the players will actually listen to.
1. I’m sure Bobby Meacham is a good person, but one needs to do their job coompetently; and I’m not just referring to 3B coach. Whatever advice he gave to Joe during the year clearly was not felt to be good advice by Cash.
2. Why was the thinking behind Monteleone being canned?
3. Joel Sherman’s piece in the Post about Pat Gillick is certainly interesting. Gillick has surely accomplished a lot in his career. (He also demonstrates that very bright and highly respected GMs can make a mistake in judging future athletic performance.) Would he conflict with Gene Michael, or is Stick backing out even more in what he does in the organization?
Sojo is more equiped to do so since he literally kicked Cano’s ass back in the day and Robi grew to respect him. Tony Franklin benched Tabata who was then traded. No offense but w/ that as evidence I’d rather he coach the AA and if GI Joe doesn’t pan out think of him as the coach in waiting plus I wouldn’t want him coaching Robi something rubbed me wrong w/ how he handled Tabata.
Pete is probably right: unless Bowa wants to come back to the east coast, he’s not leaving Torre, and Randolph probably has too much pride to come back.
Too bad for Meacham, but this is rather insignificant in the big picture. Personally, I think moving Thomson to 3rd base and making Pena the bench coach would be a good idea.
As for Cano, I think we hire Bowa to do an hour long tirade that can be burned on to a CD. Whenever Cano slumps, you lock him in a room and play “Bowa gone” wild to counter his slump.
yogi at 3B
Hank probably just forgot Bobby’s last name and ordered any coach with a last name starting with “M” immediately terminated.
“2. Why was the thinking behind Monteleone being canned?”
Not sure but the Yankee’s Batboys better update their resumes.
Don’t get me wrong, guys I’m not defending Torre’s management, just saying it wasn’t horrendous.
But someone made a good point, play for today, not for tomorrow.
And I didn’t know Wade pitched 2 innings in game 3. Is he their 7th inning guy? Who’s the setup guy for Broxton assuming he’s closing in Saito’s absence. Who else could they have gone to in the 8th with a 2 run lead?
Still a whole lot of things had to go wrong and they did. I’m rooting for the Phillies, so I’m happy with the final score.
“Tony Franklin benched Tabata who was then traded. No offense but w/ that as evidence I’d rather he coach the AA ”
Tony Franklin in all likelihood had close to nothing to do with Tabata being benched.
The yankees don’t give their minor league managers that kind of latitude with regards to the development of their blue chip prospects. Ask Bill Masse.
That decision was made by people in the front office. Much more likely it was Mark Newman talking things over with Cashman than it was Franklin. Franklin probably provided information on what was going on – but that’s not going to be his call.
If it was I’d guess he would have benched Tabata far earlier in the season. Few managers would have put up with Tabata’s nonsense for that long unless the front office wanted to protect that player.
I met Bobby Meacham at Yankees Fantasy Camp and he is a super nice guy. Probably the friendliest guy there all week. That being said, it sure seemed like he made a lot of bad decisions at 3rd. I would like to see him retain a role in the organization, maybe with a minor league team.
I don’t think that it is a shot at Girardi by firing him, it is attempt by Cash to make the team a bit better, nothing more, nothing less.
I would like to see the Yanks move Tony Pena to 3B Coach and bring in Tino Martinez as 1B Coach. I remember him saying a few years back how he wanted to get more involved in coaching. I know he is an advisor for Cashman now but he might like a switch back to the field. Plus, he is a person the players would immediately respect due to his personality and the fact that he succeeded in NY.
My vote is for Herzog…(if he’s still alive!)
Brandon,
Why does anybody have to kick Robi’s ass to get his respect? That’s a pathetic reason.
Robi should respect his elders and teachers.
mel contrary to belief Robi’s not the only player in the ML that gets BTS lashings. It’s just that he’s the magnified one. There are plenty of players in baseball who do what Robi does.
How would you have handled Tabata?
Rob Thomson is a good organizational guy but not an “impact” bench coach. Don Baylor if available, is a better fit.
Willie Randolph is still getting paid by the Mets and wouldn’t want the cut in salary as a 3rd base coach.
Put Tony Pena at 3rd base and Tino as 1st base coach.
Brandon,
That’s fine. But I don’t hire someone specifically for that reason. What’s BTS? Or do I not want to know?
i wouldn’t object to Sojo because he didn’t do so well here a few years ago. he’s been getting a lot of experience and most likely would handle himself better up here with that experience. i don’t know him, but i would also guess he’d be more of a ‘kick in the pants’ type guy…
You know every time I see the Chambliss walk off it amazes me the amount of people that stormed onto the field. How times have changed.
I want to know why Torre and Donnie weren’t scrappy with us? Why did they behave like plantation owners with their genteel manners.
Can’t even let the kiddies watch the game with all the cussing going on.
Giradi is the next to get the boot.
wow, so the first movements by the yankees this offseason
on another note why are people wanting the yanks to sign AJ burnett
PEOPLE LOOK AT HIS STATS VS THE YANKEES, AND VS EVERYONE ELSE
he would be the greatest pitcher in mlb history if he started against the yanks every time, vs. everyone else he is average at best, with many strikeouts
That’s fine. But I don’t hire someone specifically for that reason. What’s BTS? Or do I not want to know?
BTS = Behind the scenes. Mel the coaches in the ML need to be those types because the vet player gets an ego that rubs off on the young players, Demarlo Hale in Boston is known for his enforcing technique, Madden in TB same thing, Bowa we’ve known that, they need guys that get up in your face when you mess up.
How would you have handled Tabata?
I would have demoted him to GCL have him work on the basics and show him as quick as you are that close to the ML you can be that far too. People forget this is a guy that didn’t want to quit, but was frustrated, they kept him up in a level too advanced for his age hoping he’d pick it up quickly and the opposite happened, it took him awhile to regain a power stroke and as soon as that happened it was too late he was traded.
Pete,
Is it part of job description that the 3B coach has to kick Cano in the pants (I am using your words, but I think it is vulgar by your standards fro the blog, just brecuase Bowa did that?
Why is Jeter not doing it as the captain, instead of moaning to you guys in the media?
LOL. The NYT blog has a blurb about Rob Reiner ranting out his luxury box last night. Complaining loudly about Torre’s game management last night.
Giradi is the next to get the boot.
I’m betting the Yankees in 2009 are going to be a more disciplined locker room, GI Joe isn’t going anywhere his next coaching staff might be stronger than this one.
John,
IIRC better numbers against the Sox than the Yanks and decent numbers against the Rays.
“Rob Reiner ranting out his luxury box last night.”
What a Meathead.
Why is Jeter not doing it as the captain, instead of moaning to you guys in the media?
I said it for some time he’s not that type of captain, you can respect someone but you don’t have to listen and Jetes is kind of that guy. See it’s almost like a sorority or you see when your in H.S. as a freshman, sophmore, Jr., Snr. Jeter acquired the captaincy that way. Eversince that the Yankees will even tell you he’s not rah rah he’s like a follow me type guy. Picture someone studying for a test and a deliquent looking at that someone studying that’s Jeter.
don’t want Peavy.
sign/trade
CC Sabathia
2 of (Mussina, Pettitte, Lowe)
Hank Blalock (1st base)
Mark Loretta (utility)
and a big bat for RF
delinquent*
Meacham didn’t get let go because of how he waved or didn’t wave people in. He got let go because as the coach in charge of the infielders, he didn’t get an optimal performance out of Cano.
I wouldn’t mind a good cop/bad cop tandem with Girardi and the bench coach.
Vinny B
CC (agree)
Moose is going to retire, Pettitte is done, Lowe does not belong in the AL
Hank Blalock god I pray Tex doesn’t pick up his option.
Loretta is he a FA if not he’ll be tough to get
I want a bat that can field, Hermida type, Ryan Sweeney type
The team is being shaken up. We don’t know if Meacham was a problem other than his 3rd base duties. Too often I hear the stuff that he ONLY sent 3 more runners into outs than Bowa.
He also held up runners that would have been safe. Remember that stupid play with Giambi being held up after he passed 3rd? Giambi would have been to the plate faster than he could apply the brakes and get back to 3rd.
Meacham didn’t judge plays well. He didn’t have the instinct for when to press.
His being a nice guy may be part of it as well. He might be too nice for the job that was needed. Bowa was well liked, but he could be hard nosed when it was called for. Meacham might have been a little too “yes mannish” with Girardi and the players.
Monteleone’s firing is a puzzle. It might be that he didn’t recognize pitches well enough. This is a minor move in any event. One that won’t matter much in the grand scheme of things.
I certainly hope that the next 3rd base coach has some of the qualities needed to make good judgements based on the individual runners and the arm of the fielder who has the ball. Bringing Bowa back would be nice, but I tend to doubt he is coming. He might have burned some bridges with his comments, but while he seems to enjoy working with Torre, I don’t think that is the whole reason he is with the Dodgers.
Hopefully Thompson is re-assigned and we get a real bench coach
No offense to Evan Roberts but how does he get a WFAN day gig over Tony Paige ?
I hope that we can some players that can actually run, so that there’s no question if a player should be sent or not. Run, Forrest, run.
Vinny B -
still no words yet from Sherman?
TINO TINO TINO TINO!!!!!!
“Hank Blalock god I pray Tex doesn’t pick up his option.”
you really do make some really off the wall personnel requests.
Hermida wouldnt be a bad gamble, depending on what he’d cost to get.
but Hank Blalock? Ryan Sweeney? really?
Mac Nut,
What did Bowa say? I’ve only heard from Donnie and Frank Torre. And that’s only after they made it out of the first round.
i’ll second the Tino Martinez suggestions. great clubhouse presence, no-nonsense kind of guy.
Hermida wouldnt be a bad gamble, depending on what he’d cost to get.
Hermida would be cheap and last time I checked is controlled w/ high upside.
“No offense to Evan Roberts but how does he get a WFAN day gig over Tony Paige ?”
Cause Tony Paige’s voice can put you to sleep better than warm milk and he has no opinion on most things.
I also second the Tino suggestion. Seems like the right time.
“How would you have handled Tabata?
I would have demoted him to GCL have him work on the basics and show him as quick as you are that close to the ML you can be that far too. People forget this is a guy that didn’t want to quit, but was frustrated, they kept him up in a level too advanced for his age hoping he’d pick it up quickly and the opposite happened, it took him awhile to regain a power stroke and as soon as that happened it was too late he was traded”
Brabdon, I see. I still think he should have been suspended. You can’t use his age as an excuse for throwing a temper tantrum, cleaning out his locker and leaving. Frustrated or not, his first insticts was to leave? That’s a problem. It makes Kennedy’s comments seem small in comparrison. If he would have done that in rookie ball at 17 he still should have been suspended.
After the trade he had 90abs with the Pirate’s farm teams. Lets not go over board. He still has a bright future and I hope for his sake he reaches his potential.
i’ll second the Tino Martinez suggestions. great clubhouse presence, no-nonsense kind of guy.
I’d want him in A ball working his way up teaching the young players to come up correct.
“No offense to Evan Roberts but how does he get a WFAN day gig over Tony Paige ?”
I don’t want to go there, because I hope it’s not true, but that might be an easy one Brandon, if you think hard. Of course, just look at the rest of the lineup on WFAN, except Tony, and the people brought in to work with Fatcessa, they all have that same quality. Again, I just think it’s coincidence, but you never know.
brandon–
I didnt even realize that Francesa was giving Roberts a try out. I can tell you I would rather hear Roberts any day of the week over Beningo.I still vote for Kim and Carlin.
You can’t use his age as an excuse for throwing a temper tantrum, cleaning out his locker and leaving. Frustrated or not, his first insticts was to leave? That’s a problem.
He’s a different type of player, he’s a hardworker but he’s a Manny type hard worker. Tabata never was overmatched in any setting and the Yankees knew he wasn’t ready for AA but then chose to deal him for a quick fix. This IMO has Hanley Ramirez/Brandon Phillips written all over it.
Joe I , I know.
“i’ll second the Tino Martinez suggestions. great clubhouse presence, no-nonsense kind of guy.”
IMO, hiring someone who is best friends with Jeter and Posada while they are still playing is not a smart move.
Good-bye Mr. Meacham
SoCalYankeeFan October 14th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Tony Franklin, the Trenton manager, would be a good coach at 3B. Also, Pete, your idea to get a Don Baylor as bench coach/enforcer would give them someone who played the game right and could give Cano (and anyone else) a kick in the seat when needed. Kick Rob Thompson back upstairs!
SoCalYankeeFan
I have always loved Baylor. He’s not just fiery, but a highly evolved person, and extremely bright. Does anyone remember his clubhouse kangaroo court? He’d manage to keep people in line in an entertaining way.
Someone here said he’s ill? I sure hope not.
Tony Paige wouldn’t mesh well with Francessa. I don’t think he would allow himself to be tweaked like Beningo or Carlin did.
It would be good to showcase him though, not many people listen to him at 1 AM.
“Hermida would be cheap and last time I checked is controlled w/ high upside.”
what makes you think he’s cheap? you just said yourself, he’s controlled with high upside. there isnt a demand for young OFers who have high ceilings and are controllable?
“IMO, hiring someone who is best friends with Jeter and Posada while they are still playing is not a smart move.”
i dont think you are giving Tino enough professional credit.
there are a lot of people who can separate personal and professional responsibilities without a problem. Tino strikes me as one of those types of people.
Ed: no email.
Brandon: yes. Loretta is a FA. As far as Blalock. Even if Texas does pick-up his option, i expect they will offer him on trade market.
I like Tino where he is, as an adviser in the front office and spring training coach.
I don’t really care who they get as the third base coach but I think randy l had a good point about coaches that bring credibility. Its really a shame that the Yankees never tried to get Bowa back prior to this season. He said he was open to returning but that the Yankees never asked. Now its probably too late.
what makes you think he’s cheap? you just said yourself, he’s controlled with high upside. there isnt a demand for young OFers who have high ceilings and are controllable?
Bad season and the Marlins aren’t looking for much.
Brandon: yes. Loretta is a FA. As far as Blalock. Even if Texas does pick-up his option, i expect they will offer him on trade market.
Bet pack your sh** !
Meachem was dreadful. Awful decision by Girardi bringing him aboard.
If Willie wants the role, get him in here. So what if Girardi will have more pressure put on him if that happens, Pete. Girardi is gone if we don’t make the playoffs next season anyway and isn’t exactly off to the greatest start on and off the field the first year anyways.
Bring in a new bench coach while you’re doing shaking things up.
Tabata was an organizational thing. Franklin could only do what he could. Cashman should have sent him to the GCL like the Pirates did to clear his head and get his confidence back. After an incident like that, you don’t just stay status-quo.
Players love Franklin. He reminds me of Jerry Manual, tough love, but he bonds well with guys and they play hard for him.
Throw a truck load of money at Paul O’Neil.
Tell him he only has to work 130 games as 3B coach.
Vinny B -
I don’t think Sherman is the type of journalist likes to answer back e-mails. lol
Mel,
“Joe will deny it, but what he’s done this year meant the world to him,” says Dodgers third-base coach Larry Bowa, who was with Torre in New York the past two seasons. “For all he did in New York, there were a lot of behind-the-scenes jabs. We’d come to the park last year, and all we heard was, ‘If you don’t get past this round, you’re all gone.’
“Joe was hurt by that. Now, he gets the last laugh.”
From USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/sports.....over_N.htm
Just as an example.
Brandon,
You are underestimating Hermida’s value. During the trade deadline he was the main piece in the Manny Ramirez, Jason Bay deal before it fell apart. The deal was basically Marlins get Manny, Pirates get Hermida, Sox get Bay. That basically shows how much Hermida is valued around the league (a lot).
Also you have to remember the Marlins never let anyone go unless they are getting a great deal.
Turn Two
Has nothing to do with giving Tino credit. It just sends a teachers pet vibe to me and that’s usually not good for uniting a group.
Tabata was a headcase. Cashman doesn’t trade our most talented young position player mid-season for a role player (in a year where it was not even likely that we made the playoffs to begin with) for no reason. There were clearly more underlying issues that were not disclosed to the media.
Franklin disciplined 2-3 more times after that incident anyway. He probably did more behind the scenes that caused them to sour on him so much in a 1 month span from untouchable to traded for a 6th place hitter.
Z, The pirates sent Tabata to GCL because he was coming off a long injury. I’m sure the Yankees would have done the same if they kept him.
So is this official warning shot fired across the nose of G.I. Joe?
bench coach = chili davis
Before the Manny deal Hermida was a center piece for Craig Hansen it’s not under estimating, but they need to investigate what the Marlins would want.
Why would they get rid of Monteleon???
Mac Nut,
Thanks. Certainly eye-opening. Can’t blame the Yankees for being frustrated that they’ve been unable to get out of the first round for years. But kind of harsh to hear it like that.
Can’t help but think if Donnie and Torre had been coaching with the fire they are now we’d have made it out of the first round in any one of those years.
“Ed – looking forward to 2009
October 14th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
I don’t think Sherman is the type of journalist likes to answer back e-mails. lol”
with exception of Pete, first time have emailed a sports writer. Didn’t know whether to expect an email back.
“Before the Manny deal Hermida was a center piece for Craig Hansen it’s not under estimating, but they need to investigate what the Marlins would want.”
What are you talking about, no he wasn’t. Hermida was mentioned in rumors for Manny, not Hansen.
Hermida is okay but the Yankees don’t need a RF. I wouldn’t pay much to get him and he will cost a lot to trade for.
I’mnot sure why you get rid of Monteleone. Makes no sense to me.
“but they need to investigate what the Marlins would want.”
of course… and thats not going to be cheap.
the only reason the Marlins would even think of getting rid of him is because he’s up for arbitration, and thus a raise.
but certainly not a big enough raise where they are going to give him up for spare parts as you are suggesting they would.
Patrick you telling me that never happened ? In the Manny deal he had nothing really to do other than the 3rd team he was going to would have been Pittsburgh, Boston wasn’t giving Manny for him and Pitt wasn’t giving Bay for him, it would have landed Breslow/Hansen according to the past rumors look it up, his value dropped.
There was a funny point in last night’s game. I had a real good laugh.
Remember when Chase Utley struck out looking? And the ump was miked up. He said, “So you think that didn’t tail back enough?” And Utley says, “All I’m saying is I’ve got a couple more at bats. Okay?” And sure enough pitch-trax showed it was nowhere near the zone.
These batters really do have a good eye and are right more times than not.
But I can’t help but wonder what the ump would’ve said if he wasn’t miked up. I don’t think he would’ve been as pleasant, even though he knows he blew the call.
And Utley lobbying for payback was the real lol.
Bring Back Bowa!!!!!
I don’t get the point of this move.
All it will do is make Girardi closer with Harky instead of Harky and Meachum.
He will still ignore the rest of his coaches like he did all year, he just has one less coach to talk to now. And if we fire Harky, then he will talk to himself. A Tiger won’t change his stripes. He will not communicate with anyone that he did not select as coach.
THANK GOD!! His stupid actions cost us the season. Sending Wang on that play was the dumbest thing a 3rd base coach could have done. Sit here and defend this guy, but he was horrible. Absolutely Horrible.
His stupid actions cost us the season? Get over yourself and stop trying to blame terrible play by the Yankees on a lowly 3rd base coach. I can think of 10 reasons why the Yankees didn’t make it to the playoffs, and Bobby Meachem’s coaching wasn’t one of them.
It’s not like he sent Wang on a close play that would concluded in a collision at the plate or anything.
He will not communicate with anyone that he did not select as coach.
Says who? You really have no evidence to support that besides the “I want to bounce things off my coaches” quote from spring training. Who’s to say that Girardi won’t talk to anyone else this upcoming season?
Brandon,
The trade was essentially Manny to the Marlins, Bay to the Sox and Hermida to the Pirates. There were a few prospects thrown in here and there to even it out. This basically tells you that Hermida is approaching the value of Jason Bay. Thats pretty high value if you ask me.
To get Hermida it would probably cost Austin Jackson and another few prospects. Thats a price I don’t want to pay for a RF when the Yankees have a better RF than Hermida already on the roster.
THANK GOD!! His stupid actions cost us the season. Sending Wang on that play was the dumbest thing a 3rd base coach could have done. Sit here and defend this guy, but he was horrible. Absolutely Horrible.
IDK want him fired but I know that they do ! heck one of my friends told me he was the one that sent Wang and then Wang got injured so he should be fired, I can’t defend my point so I’m just going to shoot off and ramble and hope people skim my post then ignore it, but it being here will look like a legit opinion. Heck wasn’t Meachem that guy that got thrown out at home for the 2 out play at home I mean he’s horrible I just don’t know why he injured Wang he literally took a bat and swung at his legs I think anyway that from what I heard, go ahead defend him you’ll stupider than me atleast I think !
To get Hermida it would probably cost Austin Jackson and another few prospects. Thats a price I don’t want to pay for a RF when the Yankees have a better RF than Hermida already on the roster.
I’m betting Kennedy/Whelan
“I can’t defend my point so I’m just going to shoot off and ramble and hope people skim my post then ignore it”
No offense but that’s the essence of all your posts on this blog.
Bring in some guys with personality like Tino, Luis Sojo, Bowa, etc.
Get Joe a bench coach that is aggressive and knows the game inside out. Someone who will be in his ear and who can communicate with the players. Rob Thompson was a pro-scout, he never had any coach/managing credentials to be a bench coach for an inexperienced manager. Go find another Zimmer.
Pena is the best coach on the staff, give him a bigger role.
“And Utley lobbying for payback was the real lol.”
I saw that replay too mel. It was hysterical. Utley went up in my book last night.
Patrick you said that about Meach ? No offense but your better than that. I didn’t even look to see who it was. Back to your point on Hermida he was needed only so Pittsburgh would get back rqual value, he was almost the fourth guy in the deal. If you think his value is that high I suggest you check what else was on the table for him.
“Get over yourself”
Brent, that’s not even an argument. It doesn’t even make sense.
People, please stop saying “get over yourself.”
It’s retarded.
harwood,
That swing is gorgeous isn’t it? Here’s an interesting read on him and the Dodger pitcher McDonald (why not use him last night?).
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10.....f=baseball
My predictions for tonight:
Being one of the best big-game pitchers of his generation, T*m Wakef*eld, unfortunately, will pitch a gem.
Fatso Ort*z will have a big game, too. And so will f*cking Jas*n B*y.
End result — S*x 10, Rays 1
ER,
Do you do this to jinx the Sox? And has it been working? Stop talking about Jas*n B*y. He’s obviously feeding off your voodoo magic.
And what’s with your ER obsession? That show’s time has come and gone. When they killed off Dr. Green, sent Dr. Carter to Africa, and gave that witch Cary Weaver a large role it killed it for me.
Still try to catch the shows, though, and will miss it. But it’s been drawn out for years. RIP ER.
mel,
I’m pretty sure ER is actually a red sox troll.
Brandon,
You are still vastly underrating Hermida’s value. He was the centerpiece in that trade, not the third or fourth add-on. Perhaps YOU should go look at the old reports.
From rotoworld on July 31:
The proposed trade had Ramirez going to Florida, Jeremy Hermida going to Pittsburgh and Jason Bay going to Boston, with prospects and John Grabow also likely in the mix.
Just throwing this out there: What about Bernie Williams at 3rd Base? He was solid base runner, a beloved figure, a player that would mesh well with younger and older players and as an outfielder has a solid understanding of arm strengths, cuts, gaps, etc. I would love to see Bernie in that position… Now convincing him might be another story…
“I’m pretty sure ER is actually a red sox troll.”
not to encourage him/her, but probably one of the more entertaining, as far as trolls go…
PAtrick the Marlins balked when Willingham was asked for in the final deal.
I’m sorry personally for Meachem, who I’m sure is a nice guy, but this was a long time coming. That is not to say that he was the reason for the Yankees missing the playoffs – not by a long shot – but that doesn’t mean that he did a good job. If you can improve the position, you do it. Also, this is a slap in the face to Girardi, but it’s a good slap. I love Joe – he’s a really good guy – but leaning on your own personal guys instead of picking the brains of our other very well respected coaches is unacceptable. I think Brian needs to have a major sit down with Joe, and soon. Normally I do not like it when teams try and pick the staffs for a coach/manager, but incompetence is incompetence. Joe should have a say in the next 3rd base coach, of course.
Just like the Yankees to show up the Red Sox several hours before an important Game 4 of the ALCS and announce Meacham’s firing. Last year with A-Rod, now with B-Me.
I bet the seismic shift we will feel during the World Series will be that Rob Thomson is named third base coach, leaving a new bench coach vacancy. This business of doing important business, dropping Bronx bombs of this magnitude at such an important time of year, is really, really, sickeningly inconsiderate.
heh. and go Rays.
“What about Bernie Williams at 3rd Base?”
do we let him hold his actual guitar as he’s waving people home
Is there such a thing as a great 3B coach? Just curious.
Anyway, Brandon I will address this to you since I think you will get it. I’ve been thinking about Joe Torre, great manager, and it hits me that his “greatness” for the Yankees occurred at the beginning of his tenure rather than at the end. Could it be that at the beginning he was less rigid in his managing? I know that he was the reason that Jeff Nelson got the axe; the Yankees never seemed to recover from that.
I no longer believe that he was ever a great manager. I think he had all the pieces to make it work at the beginning but managed to kill the goose that laid the golden egg by the end with his horrendous bullpen management and his laid back approach to life and the game – send two of our guys to the hospital at once? Not a problem Terry. We’re just here to play the game. Watching his continual pitching screw ups makes me think that he’ll never get it right.
Anyway, GO PHILS! GO RAYS!
I don’t know if PAT M. is around, and I don’t know if it’s his knowledge of the Dodgers since he lives in Cali that made him make a statement he did last night, but PAT M, you were chastising people for not appreciating Torre and said that we’d all see (paraphrasing) since Torre was on his way to taking another team to the world series. Uh, I know that anything is possible in this world, but do you REALLY think the Dodgers are going to the world series? Just curious. I didn’t think so before the games started, and I’m sure not any more convinced with them down 3 games to 1!
GO RAYS!!!!!
if girardi doesn’t open up and include everyone he is next to get fired.
he has to make it feel like you work with him and not for him.
he has to get rid of the i know everything attitude.it will hurt the team going forward.looking people in the eye as he walks through the dugout wouldn’t hurt also.
everytime i saw a game i watched him and he always walked in the dugout and just looked straight forward.he thinks too much and has to learn that sometimes he doesn’t have to follow the script to a T.
Brian,
Just about this time last year, a little birdie leaked the news about Paul Byrd’s HGH use. Just hours before Game 4 of the ALCS.
Who cares about the Red Sox.
Brian, not for nothing but the Yankees had nothing to do with Arod’s message last season. That was all Arod and Boras. And it was in the last game of the world series. I don’t see this announcement having quite the earth-shaking proportions, nor seeing it supplanting the games since certainly the game wasn’t being played when the announcement was made.
I really think the Yankees have the right to announce their decision as soon as its made. It’s only right for Meachem to have the opportunity to find another job, and its the Yankees right to put that information out at a time when other coaching jobs may also become available and the people attached to the jobs released.
Patrick
I mistakenly took ER for being a Mets fan, and he angrily responded that he was more of a Yankee fan than I was.
I gotta admit, he’s got me stumped.
“PAtrick the Marlins balked when Willingham was asked for in the final deal.”
I’m fairly sure you are now making things up. The deal was for either Hermida or Willingham.
From July 30,
ESPN’s Peter Gammons says the Red Sox and Marlins are engaged in serious talks regarding Manny Ramirez.
Josh Willingham or Jeremy Hermida would be the primary return. Willingham, a right-handed hitter, would be the better replacement for Ramirez this season. However, Hermida is the far more intriguing long-term property, and the Newark Star-Ledger’s Dan Graziano reports that talks are focused on him. The Marlins would also send a prospect Boston’s way, perhaps Jeff Allison.
We never found out why the 3 team deal fell apart except for rumors that the Marlins wanted more money and the Pirates wanted more prospects.
Regardless, Hermida is worth way more than Kennedy and Whelan.
i would much rather them spend the 209 million dollars on building a winning team instead of blaming meachum who makes no difference whatsoever.
i wonder if girardi will get mad because he picked meachum and said there wouldn’t be any coaching changes.
i see some rough times for girardi coming.just a gut feeling.
he is the type that does not like you going against him.
pretty much sounded like he was joking. maybe im wrong tho
mel, actually I think he’s a Sux fan and all of what he does is phoney baloney to make everything think he’s trying to jinx the Sux and that he secretly hates them.
If it isn’t that, I’d have to say he might be a certifiable nutcase.
Maybe AJ Burnett will opt out of his contract during this years WS.
Now I’m wondering if Meachem’s firing has been in the bank for a while and if Willie might actually be the replacement. I’d love him back. I disagree that Willie and Joe would have a problem working together and that Willie would be taking Girardi’s job. One reason, and perhaps it’s not the best way to manage life, is that Willie had two seasons where the Mets weren’t in the mix – the second being this season, where Willie wasn’t given the chance to finish it out. So there might be a taste that Willie isn’t the best manager but certainly can handle 3rd base.
Of course the other question is whether or not Willie would even want to return. He might want to manage or do nothing, and that would mean his looking for other managing jobs.
Just a thought.
“Maybe AJ Burnett will opt out of his contract during this years WS.
”
Isn’t he an upcoming FA?
I am not surprised that Meacham was let go. In the past the Yanks have always fired coaches to send a message to the manager (ie. Stottlemyre).
“Isn’t he an upcoming FA?”
only if he opts out of his contract, or doesnt agree to an extention with the Jays.
Fran, yes. It was a matter of time. The only unknown at the end of the season was who would be taking the hit.
hmmm, I wonder why Trisha and ER tend to show up on the posts together…
trisha – AJ has an opt out clause, not a standard FA.
Per the request of the Commissioner’s Office, no major announcements should be made by major league teams until the conclusion of the World Series.
Coaching changes hardly qualify as major moves.
Thanks gang for the AJ info.
Either “George” is a troll, a newbie, someone who comes here seldom, or ER himself, since nobody with a working brain cell would think to equate me with ER!
Tim Wakefield is a big game pitcher?
2007 – 9.64 ERA (1 start – loss)
2005 – 6.75 ERA (1 start – loss)
2004 – 9.72 ERA (4 appearances – 1 win, 3 NDs, did not make it out of the 4th inning in any start)
2003 was his only good postseason.
I don’t know if Tino Martinez would be a good base coach or not. I’ve seen/heard no info either way on him actually being able to do that particular job. I imagine he’d be a good bench coach or hitting coach though, and he could work on defense with whoever plays 1B. Perhaps he’d eventually a good manager someday too.
Come to think of it … even though he retired several years ago and probably hasn’t worked out in the field or at the plate for a while, Tino might have been an upgrade at 1B if he’d played this year. I’m sure he could still hit .250 (the Giambi line) even with all that rust, and he when he’s 50 he’ll still be able to play defense better than Big G showed the last couple years.
OK I admit I’ve been pretty harsh on Big G for a while. He’s probably a great guy. He can definitely play 1B and hit better than me, so I shouldn’t be so critical of him. I’m just a fan in my mid-40′s and nobody would ever pay to see a guy like me play. I sure wouldn’t pay to see me play. But the bar should be a little higher than that for a big bucks pro.
I see the announcement of the firing of the Yankee’s third base coach and the announcement of Arod as entirely different in terms of impact.
It would be difficult to make a case to argue that this announcement is disruptive or taking attention away from the playoffs.
I saw Arod’s and Scott Boras’ announcement right in the middle of a WWS game as self centered and self serving.
AZ, someone accused Wakefield of being a big game pitcher???
Wakefield is always the X factor because there’s no way to know whether his knuckler will be working. It’s always a delight to watch the Sux catchers attempt to catch Wakefield also!
Trisha is right about Wakefield. No one knows how effective his knuckleball will be in any given game.
He can be almost unhittable or it can be home run derby time!
Ray – Agreed, they were different.
On one level the A-Rod thing was made out to be more dramatic than it really was (primarily in Boston) but still it’s different than a team just announcing they let someone go.
If Manny had pulled the same thing as Boras did when the Yanks were in the series, it wouldn’t have bugged me that much. I’d be like ‘Yeah, whatever … ‘ and move on.
Still … yes it’s a little different.
Don’t rule out Willie taking that 3B job. Gibbons got canned by TOR this season, but still accepted a position with KC.
I would love to see Bowa back, but I doubt it will happen. I don’t think Bowa likes LA, but I don’t see him and Girardi getting along too well. I’d move Pena to 3B and get someone else to handle 1B.
Another variable with the kncukleball is the effect on the bullpen for the next game.
If it’s in unhittable mode, knuckleballers can go deep into a game and the pen is rested for the next game. If it’s batting practice mode, the bullpen is in trouble.
Considering the difference between a 2-2 series with a rested ‘pen and being down 1-3 with a tired ‘pen, how it goes this time is somewhat pivotal for the Sox.
“Per the request of the Commissioner’s Office, no major announcements should be made by major league teams until the conclusion of the World Series.
Coaching changes hardly qualify as major moves.”
Exactly. No one is going to interrupt the WS to mention that Meacham got canned. When the highest paid baseball player in the game (who happens to play for the most successful sports franchise in the world) opts out of his contract, well….. that’s news!!!
Glad to see a little shakeup in the coaching staff. Let’s hope it’s enough.
Maybe CB is right and Meacham didnt get fired for getting runners thrown out, But Meacham certainly was indecisive and 3rd base coach isnt a place for indecisiveness.
Better yet if it’s a shot across the bow at Joe Girardi. For whatever reason, the players didnt respond to him and at times looked like they were going through the motions. Shame on the players, but it was a bad reflection on the manager as well.
Brandon (TEIX IS NOT WORTH IT, GET CC !)…”Don’t trade Robi !”
October 14th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Giradi is the next to get the boot.
I’m betting the Yankees in 2009 are going to be a more disciplined locker room, GI Joe isn’t going anywhere his next coaching staff might be stronger than this one.
if girardi has a bad year in 09 you better believe that he will be fired.more likely than not.
“Considering the difference between a 2-2 series with a rested ‘pen and being down 1-3 with a tired ‘pen,”
With a day off tomorrow before Game 5 on Thursday and none of Boston’s key bullpen guys pitching since Saturday night, the tired pen thing shouldn’t really be an issue no matter what happens this evening.
“I’m betting the Yankees in 2009 are going to be a more disciplined locker room”
Disciplined? In what way were they not a disciplined locker room in ’08???
I thought what Boras did last year was classless and fueled the notion that his client doesn’t give a crap about anything but the $$$$$ and the attention that goes with it.
ARod could not have begun to rehab his image if he had not done what he did by cutting ties with Satan, so I give him creit for that. But he’s still a man in his thirties who allowed himself to be used by the puppet master. I’m very curious to see how Teixiera handles his FA status.
Isn’t there a difference between “firing” someone (as your headline states), and “not renewing his contract” (as your lead sentence reads). We all know that the author of this blog has been campaigning for some time now for the head of Meacham, but let’s not be misleading here. It seems clear that Cashman didn’t want to renew Meacham’s contract, but that doesn’t translate to “he fired him.” After all, how many players’ contracts does Cashman decline to renew each year? Are we to say that they have all been “fired” by the Yankees?
our prayers have been answered.
Technically it is different, but having had both happen to me, it feels EXACTLY the same.
“I’m very curious to see how Teixiera handles his FA status.”
He’ll handle it exactly the way Boras tells him to. According some pieces I’ve read, the Boras kool aid has taken with Teixeira in a big way.
Of course his image isn’t at issue the way Arod’s was as he’s not opting out of a contract, nevermind the biggest contract in the sport.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned Joe Maddon as possibility for Yankee’s third base coach.
“Tino might have been an upgrade at 1B if he’d played this year.”
ANSKY, come on man. People seriously undervalue the offensive value Giambi contributed to the team this year. His bat added WAAAAAAAAAAY more runs then his glove gave up.
Good point Fredo … I didn’t catch that tomorrow’s an off day. Still, 2-2 and 1-3 is a pretty big difference.
And, as we know, they’ve been in bigger holes and squirmed out. But the odds of that lightning bolt striking twice are very slim.
I like Don Baylor for the bench coach. Girardi played for him in Colorado & Chicago, and there’s probably a level of trust there. Plus Baylor’s an old baseball guy, and that’s what this team needs.
Brian
October 14th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Just like the Yankees to show up the Red Sox several hours before an important Game 4 of the ALCS and announce Meacham’s firing. Last year with A-Rod, now with B-Me.
I bet the seismic shift we will feel during the World Series will be that Rob Thomson is named third base coach, leaving a new bench coach vacancy. This business of doing important business, dropping Bronx bombs of this magnitude at such an important time of year, is really, really, sickeningly inconsiderate.
heh. and go Rays.
please tell me you are not serious.
“And, as we know, they’ve been in bigger holes and squirmed out. But the odds of that lightning bolt striking twice are very slim.”
Agreed. Down 3-0 in the ’04 ALCS and 1-3 in the ’07 ALCS. Don’t see it happening a 3rd time, especially with Beckett not at 100%. 7-0 in their last 7 ALCS elimination games, but it’s no way to live.
Drive 4-5
October 14th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Glad to see a little shakeup in the coaching staff. Let’s hope it’s enough.
Maybe CB is right and Meacham didnt get fired for getting runners thrown out, But Meacham certainly was indecisive and 3rd base coach isnt a place for indecisiveness.
Better yet if it’s a shot across the bow at Joe Girardi. For whatever reason, the players didnt respond to him and at times looked like they were going through the motions. Shame on the players, but it was a bad reflection on the manager as well.
yeah,firing meachum should put us over the hump.
What about moving Tony Pena to coach Third Base, and getting Lee Mazilli back at first base? Maz would give Cano a kick in the pants…when he needed it.
I was shocked when I heard Bobby Meacham was joining the MLB team as a coach. Any longtime Yankee fan can surely remember Meachams time on the field in pinstripes. I clearly remember him from my childhood as being above and beyond the worst player in the majors. How he ever made the roster, I dont know. There HAD to be a better option! After watching him send everybody home this year, no matter where the ball was or who had it, its clear that hes not quite the baseball man that Joe Girardi is making him out to be. He really has no business near the MLB team, atleast not pertaining to whats going on on the field.
Yes, I was kidding above. Some need to turn up the sarcas-ometer.
I agree with CB and whoever else said that this was likely to shake up the dynamics of the coaching staff and possibly to improve the infield coaching rather than improve the 3B coaching. Baseball Prospectus ran a story yesterday which showed that NYY had 17 men thrown out at the plate this year. 9 AL teams had more men thrown out at home including Boston and Tampa Bay. You look at that and the fact that the Yankees scored so much less than in 2007 and hit so poorly (.260 or 10th in the AL) with runners in scoring position and it really doesn’t look like he was that aggressive in sending guys.
He’s clearly not as good as Bowa but all the complaints about Meacham are misplaced. He didn’t make that much of a difference either way. Cano’s poor play is on Cano not Meacham. I’m not criticizing the decision. The coaching staff might well have needed a shakeup (how would any of us know) but I don’t think Meacham did the awful job that everyone seems to think here. It will be interesting to see who they replace him with. I don’t think it will be Tino or Mazzilli, they need someone who can replace him as IF coach not just 3b coach.