REPUTATION RULES: CANO WILL LEARN FAST

Sometimes when you seem like a selfish person and blurt something out that is so outrageous, everyone turns on you.  Then, you later come back and take it back... or deny it. That's what I would do at least.  What am I talking about? The "Tail between your legs" theory, brought to you by Bleeding Yankee Blue. It's a life lesson... write this down.

You can almost predict that an article like this about Cano would come out. The New York Daily News has an article out and I'm sure you saw it. It claims that Robinson Cano denied he ever asked for $300 million.  They write:

"'I’ve never asked anybody for $300 million,' the free agent second baseman told the Dominican website El Dia on Thursday, during a ceremony to honor the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic Championship earlier this year.  Cano went on to say in Spanish that “nobody has ever heard that come out of my mouth ($300 million) and you’re never going to hear it."

We nailed this mess here at Bleeding Yankee Blue before anyone.  I wrote it to Wally Matthews of ESPN  on November 19th only to be ignored.

@ESPNNYYankees didn't know if that changed for you with this silly "secret" meeting w the mets. This is about Jay-z, not cano here.
— Bleeding Yankee Blue (@BleednYankeeBlu) November 19, 2013

But the fact of the matter is, this was never about Cano. This was about Jay-Z and Cano's reps coming out guns blazing so they could look like superstars netting the biggest sports figure ever in the history of all-sports... a huge contract and with it, their name in lights.  Why else would they use the Michael Jordan reference?  The trouble is Robinson Cano is NOT Michael Jordan.  He's not even Derek Jeter and now Cano is back peddling because, he knows his reps have overshot.

Cano needs a lesson in "Reputation."  My dad told me about reputation once... ONCE and I never forgot it. He told me “You can be a champion all your life, but you miss 1 commitment, you lose trust in 1 person… and the rest of your life,you lose.”  Maybe Cano should talk to my dad, or maybe he just did, because not only did that teach me a tremendous lesson, it stayed with me almost 25 years later.  These days, I teach my children the same thing.  

Now look, Yankee fans will forgive Cano, I mean, this is a silly spat and it will be forgotten now that he's come out and said he "never" asked for $300 million, but the timing is peculiar isn't it?  I mean, Why now? I just told you guys that this story came out right around the middle of November.  We wrote OH, I GET IT. THIS IS ABOUT JAY-Z, NOT CANO November 20th. Are you going to sit there and tell me Robinson didn't crack open a newspaper or get a text for ANYONE telling him he was being alittle ridiculous with that $300 million, 10 years demand? No, he did, but the difference is this... he went back home. He went to mom and dad.  There, I said it.  Sometimes going home keeps your grounded.

Think about it.  Big time celebrities get caught up in the big life.  Big money, big living and there are away from reality and surrounded by "people."  When this story came out originally, I stated here at Bleeding Yankee Blue, "Go home Robinson and talk to mom." I was serious. It's what I would have done.  It's what anyone with common sense would have done.  Why? Because Cano's not a bad guy.  He's a young guy who now has "people" and sometimes "people" aren't looking for your best interest... they're looking for theirs.  

You have to picture it like this because I am. He went home, he saw the 'rents and mom and dad set him straight... and I'm making this up, but this is what I see:

Mom: "Robinson, what are you thinking son?"
Dad: "You want to stay in New York, you've told me that.   You're talented, you're my son and I know you are, but you need to fix this for you... for your reputation."
Robinson: "OK Pop, you're right. I will."

Family keeps you grounded.  Don't know what I mean? Ask Derek Jeter about family.  The point is parents may not be in the negotiation room, but they sure as hell know how a child is perceived by the public if you're looking "greedy" in the real world.  Parents want what's best for their kids. Sure, money's a big part of it, you want to be set in life, but Cano IS set, plus he has a great reputation attached to that.  They last thing his parents want to happen is to have Cano lose that positive reputation and instead be perceived as a greedy bastard.  That's worse than the money in my opinion.  To put it simply, I would rather my sons be loved and a team player and get paid their "worth" rather than they be a scumbag and selfish player making trillions.  To me, reputation is much more important... to the Cano family, I bet it is too.

Now I know none of what changed Cano's mind.  I do know he knew exactly what his representatives were asking for and he's lying to us all telling us he "didn't ask for $300 million." But I'm willing to call it a "white lie' all for the sake of reputation.  Let's get him back in pinstripes for 6 to 7 years, don't you think?  He's a good Yankee, not a leader, but he could be.  And let me tell you something... if he does what he's doing right now and steps back and accepts a normal, realitic deal to come back to the Bronx... he will be back in our good graces for sure.  Why you ask? Because in the end, reputation rules... that's coming from a parent that knows...

That's my take anyway.

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