CASHMAN: THE CHECKBOOK KID

I have never been all that impressed with Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman. I find his overall demeanor to be sort of “dead fish”. Now granted front offices types don’t need bubbly personalities as a requirement for their jobs, but Cash still has always left me flat.

I remember when he burst on the scene as a kind of young “Whiz Kid”. He was many years behind most of the long in the tooth GMs around baseball…but was he really a whiz kid? I have always felt that the “Doug Collins Effect” applied to Cashman and his situation with the Yankees. Doug Collins was the coach that preceded current New York Knicks’ Team President Phil Jackson in Chicago.

Many, including myself, feel that Collins did the heavy lifting in helping the Bulls rise to contender status, only to have Jackson come in and oversee the Championship years with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Now, I know The Zen Master was instrumental in winning those titles, but so was Collins. Cashman?

Well, not so much. Stick Michael, and to a certain degree Buck Showalter, built the Yankee Dynasty teams. Cashman was the caddie. When Stick moved on and Cash took the reigns the team was secure in all aspects. They had a core, great role players, veteran leadership and a solid farm system. Cashman’s only job would be not to get in the way. He did that expertly. In fact job one was to not upset the Boss and tell Mr. Steinbrenner what the next free agent would cost. Not a bad gig huh?

That formula lasted a long time. The Core 4 was together for a good chunk of Cashman’s run as GM and the Yankees had enough of Stick’s work in place to do a retool here and there…now, Cashman is in trouble. The Core 4 is all but gone. He is now riding the big boy bike and the training wheels are off…and he looks like he is way out of his league. Where is the Whiz Kid now?

This is not a “The Ship is sinking! Blame the GM” post. I have long felt this way. What has Cashman done? He spends the Steinbrenner’s money and occasionally does idiotic things like tell ARod to “Shut the F*** up” over the phone in mixed company. That is conduct unbecoming by the way. Tough talking ARod? Please.

No, Cashman is not a good GM. He never has been. Yeah, it’s got to be rough hearing it for demanding New York fans and media, but image if he didn’t have the money to buy himself out of trouble. If he were the GM in Kansas City they’d have bagged him long ago. This year’s signings are underachieving and that IS NOT Cashman’s fault. But he has done nothing to rebuild the model that Stick put in place. It was there like a “How To” manual and instead he fell asleep on the job. WAKE UP, BRIAN! It’s time to show you know what you’re doing, Sport! I don’t believe you do. I think you will find that the Farm is fresh out of tradable Big League talent and that your aging sluggers will continue to be an anchor that will hold the Yankees down. Who will you blame? ARod? Yeah, his contract is awful…but Al ain’t here.

Joe? I think you know better than that. Girardi is doing another solid job at the helm and personally I wouldn’t mess with that guy. Maybe you want to hang K Long or Larry out to dry…well, neither is very good, but Larry’s rotation was blown up and K Long doesn’t actually play. He can only try to fix these guys. Nope, Cash…it might be time for you to hang up the spurs. Recently we heard that our assistant GM was given permission to talk to the Padres about the opening there…WAIT! Stop that man from going west! We might need him…unless he feels his boss is doing a super job…then let him walk.

I don’t want to say that the Yankees are struggling because of Brian Cashman and only Brian Cashman. That is simply not true. Cash is one of the reasons in my opinion, but he isn’t why McCann isn’t hitting or why CC’s knee is shot…but a diligent GM would KNOW that he is in big trouble with this club going forward. He wouldn’t say things like; “We feel that the solution is already on our roster.” I know he is now trying to make a deal, but that’s like predicting the rain when it’s already raining.

 (In Photo: Gene Michael, bottom left)
As the Yankees start to take on a new look in the years to come I think it’s time to part company with Cashman. We don’t need a young kid with his hand on the checkbook; we need a young Stick Michael with his finger on the pulse of baseball and what it takes to build a winner.


**All the best, Cash. This is for you.**






--Mike O'Hara, MLB Fan Cave Host, Season 1
   Twitter: @mikeyoh21    
"Paulie was always my favorite player."
 


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