Heyman: Cash On Thin Ice With Hank
Via Jon Heyman of SI.com -
According to a person familiar with what’s going on in the upper reaches of the New York Yankees’ hierarchy, new boss Hank Steinbrenner currently “blames Brian Cashman for everything.”
And, the way things are going right now, that’s a lot of things.
Cashman said he “wouldn’t comment on our internal discussions,” but said nothing to suggest Hank is anything but dissatisfied with what’s going on so far.
“I’m OK with everything,” Cashman told SI.com. “The Steinbrenners are custodians of the greatest franchise in sports history. When things don’t go well, there’s an uncomfortableness. And it’s my job is to deal with it.”
But Hank’s most pointed behind-the-scenes complaints are directed toward the big pitching decisions, and specifically the fact that Cashman — with the backing of practically all the Yankees baseball people — successfully argued to keep Hughes and Kennedy rather than trade them for Johan Santana, who pitches tonight for the New York Mets in the opener of a Subway Series that features the two struggling big-market teams. The Yankees are 20-22 and in last place while the Mets aren’t much better at 20-19.
Of Hank and the Santana deal, one Yankees insider said: “He won’t give up on that one.”
Cashman knows this terrain. He’s been here before.
“The franchise is very fortunate to have the Steinbrenners directing it. The Steinbrenners inherited the need to win, and they commit to it financially, which is the biggest thing you could ask for,” Cashman said. “All I care about is what’s best for the franchise. If that includes me going forward, or doesn’t include me, that’s a decision to be made above me.”
It wasn’t just Cashman, though, who stumped for Hughes (who’s 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA) and Kennedy (0-3, 8.48), and Hank knows that. Of the Yankees’ expansive baseball department, only ex-GM Gene Michael favored trading the kids for Santana (who is 4-2 with a 3.10 ERA), according to people familiar with their internal votes.
And Cashman continued, “I believe in our players. And I believe in our process. In the short term, I understand why people are upset. My job is to do what needs to be done for the short term and long term, and I understand everything that goes with it.”
The subject of Cashman’s future could actually turn into a family debate for the Steinbrenners, as the quiet, younger son Hal is said to be a big supporter of Cashman. Hal sided with Cashman on the call not to surrender the farm for Santana, and is believed to generally support Cashman. Most people around the team still believe that despite the team’s dreadful beginning — and the fireworks occurring behind the scenes — Cashman and the Steinbrenners will eventually work it out, and that Cashman will stay.
“If I fit in or not is not a concern to me,” Cashman said. “I don’t worry about it. I don’t fear it. What is a concern is to make the right decisions for the club that are positive for both the short term and the long term.”
The Stick Michael thing here may be the killer. Everyone knows that Stick built the team that went on to win rings in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. So, Hank knows it too. And, if Michael thought going after Santana was the right thing to do, that probably carries a ton of weight in Hank’s mind…and it won’t go away.
If Johan Santana has one of those “Pedro” nights today, and whiffs 17 Yankees batters in the game tonight, well, I wouldn’t want to be the one answering Brian Cashman’s phone after the game.
According to the stats that WordPress provides, this is the 5,000th published post for WasWatching.com in its 1,122 day history. That’s a rate of 4.5 posts per day.
File this under: Hello, my name is Steve. And, I’m a Yankees addict.
Congrats on your milestone!
According to the stats that WordPress provides, this is the 5,000th published post for WasWatching.com in its 1,122 day history
_________________________________________________
And I think I read almost everyone of them.
Great job, Steve!
Of Hank and the Santana deal, one Yankees insider said: “He won’t give up on that one.”
==================================
And that, in a nutshell, is why Hank Steinbrenner will be a terrible owner.
Hank wants it both ways: he went on record telling us he’s the boss, how it’s his show, etc. Then, when he’s got the chance to really flex his muscle, he lets himself get talked out of the one thing he truly believed in. And when it doesn’t work, he makes sure everyone knows that it wasn’t his idea to go in a different direction. Hank wants to be able to be both actively involved and blameless at the same time.
If Hank can’t get over the non-deal with Minnesota, I can guarantee you that he’ll overcompensate in other ways. Look for the Yanks to match the Santana deal on Sabathia/Burnett this off-season and then for the next poor sap who sits in Cashman’s office takes the blame when those moves don’t work out.
Hank is a coward, a weakling, and a loser. The Yanks are going to relive the worst parts of George’s middle age once again.
Nearly 5 posts a day. Time to ease up on the coffee?
…I think the fundamental problem with the team is that they’re trying to rebuild the rotation (at least) and win a World Series at the same time and those aren’t particularly compatible goals. And that’s not really Cashman’s fault (which isn’t to say there aren’t problems you could attribute to him, but at the lowest level, you have to be looking at the Steinbrenners).
Raf, redbug, – thanks!
hop – it’s actually tea and diet coke, and, yes, I need to cut back!
Well said, MJ. And hop has it right, too.
What Hank has shown himself to be so far is basically a brat fan. He sounds like a lot of the people who bitch and moan on the message boards about the team, expecting them to never have any problems and sounds personally offended when they do.
Hank should actually watch his 20-mil-a-year wet dream pitch once in a while — he’s not doing that well. He hasn’t faced many good teams, and he’s struggling to give six good innings. He might dominate the lefty-heavy Yanks tonight, but I fully believe Cashman is going to look smart with this deal very soon.
I like Jon Heyman, and he may be right about this but……he is also a huge Scott Boras lackey, and Boras is his “source” on alot of things, so its hard to say, I’ll have to take this with a grain of salt.
Santana has a sub 1.00 ERA at the Stadium, or so I believe. With the wet noodle bats, could be ugly; tonight or tomorrow, weather having a say in when Santana pitches. Will Hankenstein be in he owners booth so they can show him explode?
BOOM!
–I fully believe Cashman is going to look smart with this deal very soon.–
Yeah right.
Hank’s dispute is with Hal (a.k.a. the smarter brother) not Cashman.
I just want to know where Hanks buys his “blames Brian Cashman for everything” bumper stickers.
–I fully believe Cashman is going to look smart with this deal very soon.–
Yeah right.
—-
“Very soon” as in a few years — not next week. I’ve seen every single Santana start this year and it’s obvious that last year’s numbers and diminished stuff had nothing to do with his crappy team and a loss in interest. Santana’s velocity is down, and he’s needed a ton of pitches to get through six innings against teams that don’t hit that well. He’s been bailed out again and again getting to face the weak bottom of NL lineups. I know he’s a second-half pitcher, but he’s simply not the same pitcher he was two years ago. I suppose he would still be an ace in the AL, but what will he look like in two years? I doubt he’ll be worth twenty million dollars a year, and if Hughes and Kennedy are simply in the rotation and pitching well (at 23 and 25, remember) then I would say Cashman will look smart.
-…if Hughes and Kennedy are simply in the rotation and pitching well…
A huge if from what I’ve seen so far. Cashman may be long gone by that point anyway. And in 2010, Jeter will be 37, A-Rod 35 and Mo 41.
I can’t wait to see how much and how long they throw at C.C. this winter, because of this. If the Yanks don’t do something soon, Cashman will be gone probably sometime after the trade deadline.
Another point, is that Melky was part of that trade too, and just who does Hank want playing center, and left this year if Melky is gone.
who does Hank want playing center, and left this year if Melky is gone.
———–
By default it would be Damon & Matsui. Gardner & Duncan would be backups, I suppose.