KEVIN LONG WASN'T OUT OF LINE, JUST LATE TO THE PARTY

I don't really care about Robinson Cano's non-hustle anymore. It's no longer our problem.  In fact, I thought it was over, but it's not.  Kevin Long now has something to say, and with it, writers and bloggers and fans alike all have something to say about Long's comments.  Now... I'm going to say something about this whole "Hustle" debate, even though I didn't want to. Really? Here it goes; I agree with Kevin Long. What he said about Cano is NOT out of line.  It is however, spineless after the fact.  He's also late to the party.  Don't know what I mean? I'll tell you...

John Harper's New York Daily News piece is good and in it, Long was asked about Cano.  He said this:

“If somebody told me I was a dog... I’d have to fix that. When you choose not to, you leave yourself open to taking heat, and that’s your fault. For whatever reason, Robbie chose not to.’’

Is it accurate? Yes it is. Is it out of line? No...no it's not.  Did Kevin Long sit down with Cano while he was a Yankee and tell him what he's now telling John Harper? Probably not.  Would that be considered spineless and "alittle late" to talk about it now after Cano has left the Bronx? Hell Yes!

Let's break this down; Robinson Cano was the best player for the Yankees in 2013. That's a fact. I liked him a lot, we even thought one day he'd be Captain at BYB.  But like I've stated here recently, the perception, even if it wasn't this way, was that in this off-season, Cano appeared greedy and his reputation in the Bronx was tarnished when he darted for all that money in Seattle. Let me also state that it does NOT make him a bad guy! After all, when you hit free agency, that's the game.  Sure, Cano could have stayed in New York, but it was clear that being a Yankee for life wasn't important to him. He wanted to be a baseball hero, not a Yankee hero.  He's allowed... this is America.

But I, along with many other fans hated to see him not running hard down the line.  You can tell me I'm wrong and we are allowed to disagree. But I didn't invent that opinion. That opinion from me and others is simply, "If you're paid millions, earn it." From a parent's perspective, I don't want to see my sons jogging on a close play. The goal is to win. You teach your children to work hard toward a  common goal and from my perspective, it's hard to explain to that same kid when Cano jogs. You know what I mean?

I was slammed by Peter Keating of ESPN in his magazine because his argument was "Cano's longevity." In other words, Keating felt like hustling only disrupts a person's long career. "Pace yourself" I guess he'd yell to his kids in the field.  I don't hate the guy, I'm a fan of Keating... we just disagree. My only complaint was his comparing me to the "cranky uncle". (Read HUSTLE TO BE NUMBER 1... NOT 2.)

(A portion of Peter Keating's ESPN Piece)
It makes no sense. Why? Because he equated me to not pushing myself in life, yet yelling at others for not doing it. He's flat wrong and I took him to task.  For the record, he's never returned an email or tweet from me, so whatever, I guess he's too big for little me.  My point however was simple and crystal clear; Hustle does matter! If it didn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation... people notice.

Kevin Long should have handled his business when Cano was in New York and not now.  He didn't and that's spineless in my estimation.  But the message still resonates and Long was right to say it... Cano didn't hustle. Fact.

Does Long have the right to say what he wants about Cano? YES, of course he does. Should Long just shut up about it now though? Absolutely.... it's not our problem anymore... it's Seattle's.

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