New York Yankees, Brian Cashman, The Most Over-hyped, Incompetent General Manager in Major League Baseball?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hicksville, New York, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) April 17, 2011 -- In February 1998, Brian Cashman was named GM, since then the Yankees have won six American League pennants and four World Series championships. The first three of these championship teams had little to do with him, since His predecessor Bob Watson, along with Stick Michael laid the seeds for the Yankees success in the 1990's.

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New York Yankees, Brian Cashman, The Most Over-hyped, Incompetent General Manager in Major League Baseball?

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True, the Yankees won the World Series in 2009, but they also lost the championship in 2003, and Cashman was the GM of the Yankees when they had one of the worst collapses in baseball history. After building a 3–0 lead in the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox, his team would go on to lose the next four games and the 2004 ALCS.

Even after the greatest collapse in baseball playoff history, Cashman was able to avoid any blame.

In 2006 George Steinbrenner was no longer "The Boss", and once Mr. Steinbrenner handed the day to day operations to his sons, Cashman was now running the Yankees his way.

Cashman's somehow convinced the media, and other baseball people that his way was to try to spend money wisely, and build a strong minor league system. Even if it seems that the Yankees were spending money as fast as they could print it, Cashman was able to keep up the appearance of being a frugal GM.

For years Cashman somehow deflected any criticism as if he was made of Teflon. Just look at the incredibly dim-witted moves he has made over the past years, and obviously it becomes apparent that Brian Cashman is neither frugal, or quick-witted when it comes to baseball decisions.

It also becomes clear that the Yankees yearly $200 million dollar payroll covers up for a lot of Cashman's mistakes, and he has done remarkably little to justify the many accolades he has received.

Over the years, Cashman has signed pitching flops, and failures such as Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, Jose Contreras, Kai Igawa, Carl Pavano, Javier Vazquez. The list is long, and the disappointments are numerous. If the Mets signed any of these players, the organization, and especially the GM would be torn to shreds, but Cashman is protected from any criticism, by his well placed media friends.

When The Mets gave free agent Oliver Perez a three-year $36 million deal to return. The baseball world knew the Mets had over paid, and from day one of this contract to his 2010 firing, the constant criticism directed at Omar Minaya never ceased.

Brian Cashman did not even received 1/10th of the criticism Minaya got, when he signed Kai Igawa to a five-year, $20 million contract. Igawa was an utter failure, and to make matters worse, the moment you saw him throw, even a baseball novice could understand, Igawa had so little talent that he would be hard pressed to make a AAA team, much less The New York Yankees.

Say what you will about Oliver Perez, at times, he had shown talent, so while he failed miserably, Minaya at least had some small amount of logic for the signing. Cashman only gave Igawa his contract, because Cashman's ego was bruised after the Boston Red Sox was able to out maneuver him, and the vaunted New York Yankees, and sign Daisuke Matsuzaka to a contract.

Brain Cashman's screw-ups are twice as long as the pitchers list, when it comes to the everyday players he signed. From ignoring the steroid use of Jason Giambi when Cashman signed him to a 7-year $120-million deal, to claiming Jose Canseco off waivers, Cashman has repeatedly made mistake, after mistake, and never taken so much as a thimble full of abuse from the New York media.

I could write a book, detailing every Brian Cashman bust, but I will leave it up to the reader to do his, or her own investigation.

Brian Cashman's 2010 Winter of Discontent.

Most baseball people fully expected Cliff Lee to sign with the Yankees. Cashman did his routine bargaining, which essentially means "Throw more money, and years at the best free agent, than any other team could offer."

So after Texas refused to roll over to the Yankees, Cashman cried to the media, "I will not add anymore money, or years to our offer" and of course the next week, Cashman ups the proposal to $150 million, and adds a 7th year, and the media's silence over Cashman's hypocrisy was deafening.

I fully expected Lee to sign, so when Cliff Lee actually left money on the table to sign with the Phillies, I of course was celebrating, not because Lee went to the Phillies, but because I knew Cashman, was a terrible GM, and the wonder kid had no plan B, and hopefully now the NY media will wake up.

Brian Cashman told the media, there was indeed a plan B, and who are we to question the grand Wizard of the Bronx. Cashman and the Yankees would never lie to us. So unless plan B was to sign any used, abused, or damaged pitcher they could get, I believe there was never a plan B, and Cashman, and the Yankees would be in need of some serious confession time at church.

Instead of reporting Cashman's folly and short sightedness, the NY media sat on their hands, and did not utter a peep.

If the Mets, did something similar, I could see see the headlines now "Mets Plan B = Hope & Pray."

Cashman's winter follies, were far from over, with his crazy glued lips freed he made considerable use of flapping his gums.

Look up the word "Class" in a baseball dictionary and you'll probably see a picture of Derek Jeter there. Ask any baseball fan to describe the Yankees, and you'll get a love em, or hate em response. Mention Derek Jeter, and even the most viscous Yankee hater will have to admit, that while he hates the Yankees more than anything in this world, Jeter is OK.

Brian Cashman took one of the classiest baseball players of our generation, and dragged him into the gutter, and spat on him. Cashman never said anything, that was not true, but negotiating through the paper was wrong, and what he said about Jeter was never required to complete the negotiations. The only reason Brian Cashman did it, was to make sure Brian Cashman ego was well fed, and to make sure the media understood that Brian Cashman was in charge.

Since day one Jeter's main goal was to never embarrass himself, his family, or the New York Yankees. You never had to worry about Jeter being feed popcorn in front of 1 billion super bowl viewers, you would never have to worry about Jeter pushing a cameraman on the first day he signed a contract, you never had to worry about Jeter sunning himself half naked in the middle of central park. Jeter made it is life's work to keep off the front page, unless he was holding up a championship trophy. Cashman could care less, he was determined to push Jeter into a corner during his contract negotiations, and he cared little about Jeter's privacy or about his class.

I found it Ironic that when Jeter signed his contract in 2001 that made him the 2nd highest paid player in baseball history, the Yankees never had a press conference, never threw a party, The Yankees never even blew up one balloon to celebrate this momentous occasion. A straightforward press release was all that was needed to announce the signing of Derek Jeter to his new $189 million, ten-year contract.

After this winters bitter, Brian Cashman ego driven negotiations, Cashman made damn sure to parade Jeter, in front of dozens of reporters at a hastily called press conference. Cashman wanted Jeter too remind the NY Media that there were no hard feelings, and Jeter still had respect for the great, and powerful Brian Cashman.

It was a sad, and pathetic news conference, and any honest reporter could see Jeter still held a lot of anger, and resentment toward his pint size, beady eyed, balding GM.

The past few weeks another Cashman fiasco unfolded, when Brian Cashman said to the media, that the Mets "abused" reliever Pedro Feliciano, who the Yankees signed to a two-year contract. It turned out Feliciano was damaged goods, and will not pitch for the Yankees this year, and in fact may never throw one pitch in a Yankee uniform.

When the Mets traded for JJ Putz in exchange for pitcher Aaron Heilman, he was diagnosed with an arm injury, and the NY media went wild, calling the Mets incompetent for not giving the often injured Putz a thorough examination.

The media were of course, correct to criticize the Mets, because they did indeed fail to exam the pitchers arm, and shoulder, but not a sound was heard from the same media when Feliciano was diagnosed with his season ending injury. Once again the medias silence was deafening, and once again Cashman took none of the blame for his incompetence.

The latest Cashman open mouth. Insert foot moment came this week when reporters finally started asking a few tough questions, Cashman quickly showed his backstabbing, throw anyone under the bus to deflect any criticism toward him, attitude.

The question arose after Cashman's "Abused" comments were published, if he felt like a hypocrite since it was pointed out that, Feliciano made 188 appearances in a two-year span for the Mets, but the Yankees, and Cashman saw no "Abuse" when they used Scott Procter 166 times in two years?

Cashman instead of taking at least partial responsibility for Procter's over use, and subsequent arm injuries, quickly pointed out that any decision to use a pitcher was the manager choice.

Cashman also reveled how he continually went behind Joe Torres back to instruct his pitchers on how not to let their manager over use their arms.

This off season has shown that Cashman mouth, may have finally talked his way into getting the media to start asking some tough, hard questions.

By Dominick Mezzapesa
Twitter @dmezz1120
Email: mezz1962@gmail.com

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