Via the Daily News -
“He’s not the villain he’s cast as,” Cashman, who signed Pavano to the contract, said Monday. “Carl Pavano has worked his butt off. He’s always tried. He just hasn’t stayed healthy. No one is trying to avoid him. When he’s healthy, he can pitch. He’s one of the hardest workers we’ve got. People don’t want to realize it or look at it, but that’s true.
“He hasn’t laid down on us, he just hasn’t been healthy. People lose their objectivity and make it things it’s not. The bottom line is, he’s had every intention of helping us, but between all the injuries, we’ve had a lot of stuff that hasn’t worked physically. When he’s healthy, he can do what few can do.”
Yeah, that’s Carl – he’s all about helping the team.
Great quote here Cash. It’s an insult to the intelligence of Yankees fans around the world. But, it’s an instant classic in the making.
32 Responses to “Cashman: Pavano ‘One Of The Hardest Workers We’ve Got’”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
August 19th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Does it pay to trash him?
Who knows, if he’s healthy, maybe the Yanks sign him to a low-cost, incentive-laden contract and we finally get some value from the guy?
Stranger things have happened.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Who knows, if he’s healthy, maybe the Yanks sign him to a low-cost, incentive-laden contract and we finally get some value from the guy?
————
Given what Carlos Silva got from the M’s, and the dearth of pitching around the leagues, I doubt that Pavano’ll sign a deal like that.
But you’re right, stranger things have happened.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:04 am
i dont think anyone here really thinks Cashman was saying this without a smirk, or probably more likely a grimace, on his face.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Does it pay to trash him?
—————————
Bingo.
Steve, your dislike of Cashman borders on mania. He’s playing a PR game; you should take his words with a grain of salt.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:30 am
If Cashman wants to say things like:
“He’s proven in the majors”
“He’s pitched big games for championship teams”
“He determined to prove himself capable of pitching again”
That’s fine, and I can accept that as PR- stuff. But, he didn’t say those things.
And, to say things like:
“He’s always tried”
“He’s one of the hardest workers we’ve got”
“He hasn’t laid down on us”
“He’s had every intention of helping us”
That’s just flat-out lying. It’s a pile of BS. And, I find it insulting, as a Yankees fan.
Others, out of their blind love for Cashman, may want to ignore this. That’s fine. But, I can’t go there with you.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Others, out of their blind love for Cashman, may want to ignore this. That’s fine. But, I can’t go there with you.
———————————–
Are you for real? It’s got nothing to do with blind love for Cashman.
If you’re so insulted, my suggestion is that you call Cashman and ask for an apology.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:43 am
I’ve seen Cashman basically trash Bernie publicly, suggesting that he was too focused on his music career at the end of his time with the Yanks. That might have been true, but it seemed to me something that should have been kept internally. And the only reason why he put it out there was because he needed to justify the Yanks side of the Bernie-management fight. It was self-serving of Cashman. It seems that something to this effect is also taking place here, but in the other direction. Cashman brought Pavano on, and he’s now overcompensating to make himself feel better. Really, I’m not asking him to trash him, but his quotes here counter reality and are embarrassing.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:53 am
So no one here remembers Brett Fischer, the trainer Pavano supposedly hired that aligned his hip, or something like that?
What’s the point of hiring him if he’s just a lazy bum? What’s the point of going to post surgery rehab, making starts and whatnot if he doesn’t want to help the team?
A search on this site will show that I’m not a Pavano fan, but c’mon…
August 19th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Dead, solid, perfect Nick-YF!
Well said.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:06 am
It seems that something to this effect is also taking place here, but in the other direction. Cashman brought Pavano on, and he’s now overcompensating to make himself feel better.
—————————————–
Again, I reiterate that people should take Cashman’s words with a grain of salt.
Given how well-publicized Pavano’s estrangement from his teammates was last year, I don’t see why trying to create a better atmosphere for his potential arrival would be construed as a bad thing or even as a pro-Cashman partisan position.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Again, I reiterate that people should take Cashman’s words with a grain of salt.
————
You mean he had no intention of making Bubba Crosby the starting CF in 2006?
August 19th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I had heard Tommy John defend Pavano on the radio last year and he seemed pretty convincing. Is Pavano like Prior, Wood, Clement and Mulder who are just injury prone or is it a matter of heart? In my opinion, I can’t measure heart BUT Pavano hasn’t earned this contact. He will pitch his heart out because of the AJ Burnett syndrome. AJ Burnett has been on and off the DL for the Jays since the day he signed except for this year. Burnett is playing for a contract. So is Pavano. and Carlie will get signed by some NL team like the Cardinals have no doubt.
Cashman? Pure spin on his part. What can he say , he screwed up again? Yeah, the Yankees can absorb costs like Igawa and Pavano BUT other teams are making wiser choices the first time out. I think that it is time for Cash to be gone. Cash speaks in GM speak all the time and quite frankly has made decisions that are not that wise. It’s time for a new voice…….
August 19th, 2008 at 11:14 am
“Again, I reiterate that people should take Cashman’s words with a grain of salt.”
people who want to read into things like this will always find some hidden message they think he’s trying to convey.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:26 am
The problem isn’t that Cashman is spinning—every GM does that, to a certain extent. It’s that he spins to cover his own ass rather than in the service of the organization’s best interest. There’s just no explanation for such effusive, Bizarro World praise of Carl Pavano, unless you’re trying to justify your decision to sign him to your superiors. It’s like when he told us Kei Igawa’s stuff was “dominant” in the two starts where he wasn’t driven from the game in the third inning. In his deluded mind, his personal interests and the team’s are somehow aligned.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:26 am
“When he’s healthy, he can do what few can do.”
-
Few can be a league average pitcher?
August 19th, 2008 at 11:28 am
“It’s that he spins to cover his own ass rather than in the service of the organization’s best interest.”
in this case, whats the difference between the bests interests of Cashman and those of the organzation?
August 19th, 2008 at 11:34 am
I can’t measure heart BUT Pavano hasn’t earned this contact.
—————
Actually, he has, based on his service with the Expos & Marlins. His next contract will probably be based on the work he’s done with the Yanks.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:34 am
It’s that he spins to cover his own ass rather than in the service of the organization’s best interest.
——————————–
You mean to tell me that when the Steinbrenners sit Cashman down at the end of the season, they’ll decide to keep him in part because he spoke highly of Carl Pavano? That he was able to spin Pavano’s tenure into one of a hard-working but unfortunate soul? After 3.5 wasted years in Pinstripes, you think a few words from Cashman will make Pavano’s Yankee legacy stink less? You’re joking.
This has very little to do with Cashman covering his own ass. When it comes to Pavano, there’s not much to cover anyway. This is simply trying to pave the way for one of the most hated Yankees of recent times to make it back here in an atmosphere that won’t impede any contributions he might be able to make.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:41 am
This is simply trying to pave the way for one of the most hated Yankees of recent times to make it back here in an atmosphere that won’t impede any contributions he might be able to make.
——–
Not to mention the possibility that, you know, he’s actually working. As butchie mentioned earlier, he’s pitching for a contract…
August 19th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Actually, he has, based on his service with the Expos & Marlins. His next contract will probably be based on the work he’s done with the Yanks.
—————————————-
True. More to the point is that it’s not about “earning” your contract as much as it’s about finding buyers willing to pay the price you ask for.
The Yankees were one of many teams deluded into thinking Pavano was a wise investment. And, given the pitching marketplace, such delusion was running at $10M a year. Now we’re at $13M or so for the same delusion.
August 19th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Raf, you know what I mean about Pavano. Forget about about past service, can you imagine if Cashman said that to the general public? People would certainly jump on him. My comment on Pavano stands, he is a bust and was not worth 40 mill. Carlie wasn’t worth this 40 mill and has taken a 4 year vacation up until now. Remember when he had bruised buttocks? That was a bit much…. He in no way has given the Yankees value for money. In essence he is the American Idle. What does that make Igawa then? He makes Pavano look good!
August 19th, 2008 at 11:54 am
~And, to say things like:
“He’s always tried”
“He’s one of the hardest workers we’ve got”
“He hasn’t laid down on us”
“He’s had every intention of helping us”
That’s just flat-out lying. It’s a pile of BS. And, I find it insulting, as a Yankees fan.~
It’s a plant quote, Steve. And not to defend the front office, but it’s a pretty good media strategy.
You’ve got a guy who plays a position notorious for being fragile and/or self-centered (pitchers generally).
You’ve also got a guy with a supposed motivation problem and a health problem.
And now when you may have to count on him for some important starts, you’re asked about him.
Your answer can go one of two ways:
A) Slag him. Rip him up one side and down the other. He’s a bum. He’s stolen money. He’s useless. He’s brittle. He’s the biggest mistake we ever made.
or
B) Coddle him. He’s worked hard. He’s not the bad guy people make him out to be. He can help us. He wants to help us.
The first option potentially loses you the psyche of the player. It makes fans feel better, but it doesn’t really do anything for the team.
The second may be offputting to some fans, but it may bolster the psyche of the player.
I’d rather have the player thinks *someone* has some faith in him as he toes the rubber in a pennant race, wouldn’t you?
August 19th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I can’t measure heart BUT Pavano hasn’t earned this contact.
—————
Actually, he has, based on his service with the Expos & Marlins.
-
Actually, his contract was given to him based on his service for one season with the Marlins (2004) and pretending the six previous seasons of -31 RSAA never happened.
August 19th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Actually, his contract was given to him based on his service for one season with the Marlins (2004) and pretending the six previous seasons of -31 RSAA never happened.
———
You may want to add 2003 as well; being on a WS winner shows that “he knows what it takes to be a winner.”
August 19th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
The second may be offputting to some fans, but it may bolster the psyche of the player.
——–
The guy’s tagging supermodels and wrecking porsches, I don’t think his psyche needs any bolstering
August 19th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Your answer can go one of two ways: …
-
Or a third way, which would be the truth :
Carl’s work ethic and devotion to the team and pitching in general have come into question in the past 4 years, but now that he’s healthy, he has the opportunity to prove his doubters wrong by providing stability to the rotation with consistent outings.
August 19th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Pavano was a terrible deal not just because of the injuries, but that they signed him on the basis of one very good year. There have been a steady stream of bonehead decisions since the glory days of the late 90’s – not coincidentally they haven’t won. Remember letting Mike Stanton go for that bumb changeup artist when Stanton still had something left? How about Pettite going to Houston? I think all those years without good lefties cost them a couple of championships – and let Boston through the door. And then, of course, they brought steroids into the clubhouse w/ Giambi & Clemens – don’t tell me they didn’t have inklings about that. Putting a team together ain’t like a rotisserie league. At times the gm seems to have an ameteurish attachment to stats. Harken back to the days when Bob Watson was here – he knew how to put together a team.
August 19th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Whelp, so much for that…
http://tinyurl.com/67leu8
PAVANO SKIPS BULLPEN SESSION
STIFF NECK PUTS SATURDAY START IN DOUBT
August 20th, 2008 at 7:15 am
Remember letting Mike Stanton go for that bumb changeup artist when Stanton still had something left? How about Pettite going to Houston?
——————-
Bumb changeup artist? Chris Hammond? That was 2003; Yanks made it to the WS that year. Andy Pettitte left to Houston after that season, where he blew out his elbow; he would not have helped in 2004, no guarantees he would’ve been of any help in 05 or 06.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Cashman needs to go.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:05 am
“no guarantees he would’ve been of any help in 05 or 06.”
Pettitte or any of the retreads that Cashman brought in???
Is that even a thought? Andy was so bad they went back to him 4 years later.
August 20th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Pettitte or any of the retreads that Cashman brought in???
——————-
I would’ve been (and was) happy with a top 3 of Johnson-Mussina-Wang.
And no one said Pettitte was bad, but there was a reason he was allowed to leave, be it fear of injury, or him wanting to pitch closer to home.
Anyway, Pettitte’s loss was to be absorbed by Vazquez, who was younger, Brown, coming off an exceptional season with the Dodgers and Duque & Lieber, who were to show up sometime down the stretch.