For many, many years the biggest gripe among Yankees fans
was the constant meddling in the player acquisition and trades aspect of the
game. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was known for “getting his man” at
whatever cost and at whatever risk and damage it did to the team in the long
term. Just win and just win now. This caused many of the current Brian Cashman
supporters to use this notion as a means of defending the GM and for a while it
was true. Cashman was held down by bulky contracts he fought against giving and
aging veteran players past their primes that he wanted no part in acquiring.
That is still the case to an extent these days with current owner Hal
Steinbrenner but Cashman has seemingly been given more power than ever over the
Yankees and yet the team is still in a pickle, a pickle that Cashman refuses to
acknowledge and refuses to fix.
No longer can one say, in my opinion anyway, that this is a
Hal Steinbrenner led and assembled team. Sure he has had his hands in acquiring
the likes of Ichiro Suzuki and Rafael Soriano and sure the Alex Rodriguez
contract that is set to run out was against Cashman’s wishes but for the most
part Cashman handed out most of these deals and made most of these trades. This
is finally Brian Cashman’s team for better or worse and as a Brian Cashman
apologist I find it hard to stick up for the man these days. Especially when he
has basically told the team and the media that this is the team we are running
with for now until he is “forced to” change and improve the team and that we
basically have to deal with it. Say what?
Cashman told the media after the Yankees sweep in Boston
this past weekend that he is not willing to bench Chase Headley much like the
Red Sox have done with Pablo Sandoval. He’s just not going to do but don’t
worry he finished the topic with this little nugget. “If anybody wants to earn
opportunities in the future they have to earn it.” So let me get this straight,
anyone who wants to replace Headley has to “earn” it but until then we’re going
to sit on our hands and watch the guy set a new low in batting average, defense
and slugging.
I’m done. I’m done defending Cashman and I’m done defending
this team. I’m not giving up on this team, that’s a whole other story and a
huge difference, but I am done spraying hope all over the blog and Twitter for
better days and for the team to turn things around. Attitude reflects
leadership and if Brian Cashman doesn’t care then I don’t either.
When has Cashman ever tipped his hand about his plans? And why should he say anything to the effect of, "Headley is about to be benched or possible cut"?
ReplyDeleteThe only person in the Yankees organization that was open about their feelings and/or intentions was George. Everybody else tells us a whole lot of nothing about their plans. Which can certainly be frustrating, but I for one understand it.
And now, even if they wanted to make any moves, the stock on any tradable asset has severely plummeted. I believe that this all began when Cashman was unable/unwilling to fork out the necessary dough to get Johan Moncado... I wonder if there would be any takers on the Jacoby Elsbury Contract.
ReplyDeleteBurch I don't know if you are going to flip flop again on this but you know what I have been saying for a long time? Let's see where Mr. Reed stands on your comments? He is in mourning over Ted dropping out of the race
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