Blunt Brian

[Bernie] Williams had a “terrible season” in 2005

“I thought our guys weren’t mentally tough enough to get through it,” Cashman [said about the midge incident]

Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein appeared together on Friday, and the above quotes are some of the choicest from the Yankees' GM. If only we had this kind of candor more often, and in more timely fashion. We know there is a lot of politics in being a GM, but it's refreshing to hear Cash speak this way about the players and not sugarcoat everything for ego's sake.

Comments

[Nick-YF]

that was a fun article. Theo comes across as particularly funny. I like this moment:

"He received the loudest applause when he reiterated that he preferred keeping the Yankees’ young pitchers instead of making a deal for Minnesota’s Johan Santana. Epstein turned toward Cashman and applauded those words, too, which then elicited more laughter than clapping. Epstein declined to discuss Santana."

Actually, the honesty of Cashman's remarks isn't surprising. I've heard him in several interviews and he's pretty straight forward (when he can be). For instance, last off-season he had some pretty pointed words for Mariano when the closer started negotiating through the press.

I wish I could have been there to hear and understand the full context of his statements about Torre's over-use of Bernie. In themselves they're pretty critical of his former manager and ally.

[SF]

Yeah, Nick, the comments about not using Melky were pretty strong. I think it also shows just how much influence the GM has once the seasons starts. We all may like to think Cash and Theo (or Bill James via Theo) can dial down to the manager's office after a game, tell Torre and Tito what the heck to do and that they should follow suit to some extent, but really the manager maintains a much larger degree of autonomy.

[Nick-YF]

Joe Torre especially had a lot of power for a manager. He gained it from the fine work he did in being part of those championship seasons. But I know he had a lot more input in personnel acquisition decisions than a lot of managers (he actually had a veto vote in the process). I wonder if Tito has that as well.

[Paul SF]

Not surprisingly, Epstein said the two don't ever talk trade. Looks like Stanley for Armas might remain the last Sox-Yanks trade for a long time, if not ever...

[sam-YF]

The sox and the yankees have no business in trading with each other. The risks are too great and if one team clearly "won" a trade the public blow-back would be huge...

[AndrewYF]

"The sox and the yankees have no business in trading with each other. The risks are too great and if one team clearly "won" a trade the public blow-back would be huge..."

What if one team falls by the wayside for a decade? I'm too young to remember any sort of rivalry before the mid-90s. When was the last extended period of time one team was great and the other an afterthought?

[sam-YF]

Andrew, I think even in that unlikely situation its still next to impossible for these teams to trade with each other. The risks of trading your prospects to the rival and having it come back to bit you in the ass in a big way are too great. Teams within the AL east rarely trade for this reason and its even more magnified with the yanks/sox.

[Pocono Sox]

The virtual waitng room for Sox tickets is like dying a slow death. I patiently watch the dates of the games I'm intersted in being added to the "limited availability" section. Great system guys. Looks like I'm paying twice face value from the on-line broker pimps this year.

[Atheose]

Twice face value, Pocono? Try 4x. I'm buying tickets to either the Opening Day game against the Tigers, or the Beckett start against the Yankees the next weekend. The Opening Day tickets are already $250+.

[Hudson]

Man, just imagine if a SoxFan had made those midges comments.

Cashman is such a Yankee hater. He has got to stop with these personal attacks.

[CT ball fan -SF]

Some of us are old enough to remember Sparky Lyle for Danny Cater. Which made no sense to me, then or now. The FOs are better matched now, so I don't think the decades of fleecing would be repeated, but if Theo & Cash want to stick to golf & bowling and never talk trade, that's just ducky with me. Bad trades with other teams are "s@*t that happens", bad trades between the Yanks and Sox are head-on-a-pole worthy.

[AndrewYF]

"Man, just imagine if a SoxFan had made those midges comments."

Many have, and I don't see anyone taking issue with it. Don't you ever get tired of baiting, Hudson? It's all you really do around here at this point.

[mattymatty]

Pocono Sox - I've been in the virtual waiting room for 10 hours and so far have got nothing for it. Very frustrating. Whats more, I'm going to see the Sox for spring training and all their home games are sold out (probably to scalpers who know Sox fans will pay outrageous prices). I'm going to the Sox game in Bradenton, home of the Pirates and that game sold out in under a half hour this morning. Just ridiculous...

[Paul SF]

Never mind the almost-made Williams for DiMaggio trade by a drunken Yawkey. Ugh. I'm perfectly happy with the current de facto policy.

[Atheose]

Just ignore Hudson... I think we've all acknowledged that he's one giant flamer. In the "baiting" sense, not the "sexual preference" sense.

By the way, Williams for DiMaggio would have been horrible. I respect DiMaggio a great deal (he was married to Monroe, after all) but he's no Ted Williams.

[sf rod]

try scoring tickets to the dodgers sox exhibition game at the LA Coliseum in march. the place holds 90,000 + seats and some how the tickets never made it past the dodger season ticket holders. i will pay through the nose, and the scalpers are well aware. it'll be amazing though, the last game held there was when the dodgers moved from brooklyn and chavez ravine wasn't ready yet. left field there makes fenway look spacious.

a great piece of baseball history. can't wait.

[DAW]

"By the way, Williams for DiMaggio would have been horrible"

From the yf side of things, I too am glad that didn't happen.