WHEN IT COMES TO CANO, REPUTATION COMES TO MIND

Sure, it’s all in the perception of an incident and how the individual handles it, but I gotta tell you, years ago I learned a valuable lesson from my old man and it stuck with me.  It has to do with reputation.

A while back I lost a friend of mine who died in a tragic accident.  I wrote ONE OF THE GREATEST GUYS I'LL EVER MISS , and with  that, I proceeded to tell you a story about me and that buddy in our college years and the antics we pulled one night that eventually laid out a short phrase that would forever be engraved in my mind:

"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." 

I’m 44 now and I explain the same life lesson to my kids.  Let’s keep it real… Jose Cano has never said that to Robinson Cano.

That’s quite evident to me because he left in 2013. He left for the money for a new life in Seattle and hey, good for him… I don’t fault him for that.  I do fault him for not thinking it through.  I do fault him for not realizing what a move that big would do to his reputation. There's that word again...REPUTATION.  It just looks really, really bad.

Hey, it looked bad when Alex Rodriguez did it when he signed with Texas.  It almost seemed worse when Cano did it, leaving New York behind.

Reputation is a valuable thing.  Cano destroyed his.  Sure, he may be generous, a sweet guy who does a lot for the kids and his family and all of that.  It doesn’t matter.  People view him differently now. To many, he’s selfish, self centered, arrogant, an ego-maniac… and yes, greedy.

Andy Van Slyke, a former coach for the Mariners blasted Cano last week.  Let's face it, he didn’t blast Cano as a person, as a player. He actually blasted him for his contract.  That contract, as Van Slyke tried to lay out “cost people their jobs.”  His wording to the press echoed all over baseball.

Now look, the ball players aren’t phased by any of this.  They're all trying to get their next nut.  But this is more about the perception of all of this from a former coach to the fans.  Baseball fans.  Now Cano looks bad.  Don’t be foolish… Van Slyke chose his phrasing wisely.  It was a warning shot. It’s a “You screwed a lot of guys over there in Seattle, this ones for you”, and yes, he couched it, suggesting that Cano’s a good guy.  Doesn’t matter… too late… fans already think he’s not.

I don’t see Cano coming to New York.  I don’t see the Yankees wanting him back.  I see the Yankees taking a stance of working with what they have and eventually building new franchise players, merely because the next anointed one was too stupid to realize it was him.  Cano wanted to be the king of the mountain, and he was too dumb to understand that waiting for Jeter and signing a fair contract in the Bronx would have brought him that.  Jay-Z got paid in that deal, and Cano’s standing in Seattle wondering if he got swindled by his agent.  Guess what Robbie… you did.  Sure you’re rich, but you’ll never be a leader in Seattle, you’ll never hit .300 again.  I hope it was worth it.

Don’t get me wrong… I don’t hate.  I think Cano’s one of the best. But role models need to be exactly that.  I don’t want my kid coming to me telling me he loves a player because “That dude’s getting paid.”  I want my son to come to me and tell me he loves a player because “He leads by example, works hard, provides integrity and heart on the field every day.”  Cano’s not that guy.  Sure, maybe it’s my perception. Maybe I’m disappointed in the guy.  But let me tell you something, reputation starts at home.  I often wonder if my dad was there when Cano was a kid if he would have made a dash to Seattle 2 years ago.  I would bet not. I think alittle loyalty would have played a part.

Bottom line, in my upbringing, I got the better part of the deal.  My reputation’s intact.  I wake up every day making an honest living, supporting my family and walking out there leading my example, working hard, providing integrity and heart in what I do every day.  I’m not so sure that can be said of Robinson Cano.

Hey, thanks Dad.




You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store! Follow me on Twitter@BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook! Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

BOOING BILLY BUTLER

It’s still fresh in Yankee fans’ heads, the booing of Robinson Cano at last year’s All Star Weekend. Angry with Captain Cano for not choosing Billy Butler for the Home Run Derby, KC fans showered him with boos throughout the display.

They did not leave out Robbie’s father, either. Jose Cano was pitching to his son for the Derby, and KC fans got on him as well. All in all it was an excessive display of boorishness, far outstripping the slight to which Royals fans had taken offense.

Robbie denying that the booing had any effect was putting a positive spin on the situation. Watching the Derby last year, the KC fans made so much noise they drew my wife out from another room to see what was going on. She is not a baseball aficionado, but she could tell something far out of the ordinary was happening.

Now Butler and the Royals are in New York for a series. Yankee fans are sure to get on Butler. Watching the Derby last year was an enraging thing for Pinstripers. Our Yankee Blue Blood boiled with bile.

But should we boo Butler? After all, he may have been the reason the KC faithful rained vitriol upon Cano, but he didn’t actually commit any offense. It was the Royals’ fans not Butler himself.

 

Perhaps we should consider being the better fan base. What if we didn’t boo Butler? He was not selected for the Derby in 2013 either, so it could be argued that he is already paying for the KC debacle.

I have many years of experience cheering for the Yankees abroad. I have worn Pinstripes in many enemy ballparks. I have taken more than my fair share of abuse. At first, I would give just as good as I got. But soon enough, the game would be forgotten as I spent the whole time going back and forth with other fans. Even when I gained the upper hand in the heckling battle (I am very good at it, if I do say so myself), all it would do was encourage more enemy fans to gang up on me.

The best route was to rise above it. The lightest acknowledgement, humor, or a smile and a wave, was all it took.  Yankee Pinstripes emanate classiness anyway, so it was easy to come off as the better man.

What if this was tried on a larger scale? Everyone is expecting Yankee Stadium to unleash Hell on Butler. What if they didn’t? Can you imagine the headlines? It would be a statement and a half.

It would be similar to a mouthy guy hauling off and pasting a big strong dude in the face. Instead of crushing the little jerk, the big guy smiles, pats him on the head, and then turns and walks away. Sure he could crush the loudmouth easily. But he doesn’t need to. He looks stronger for walking away. There is more honor in that.

Yankee fans don’t need to boo Butler. We are better than that. We should just smile and walk away. We will look bigger, stronger, more honorable, and classier than Kansas City if we do.

I cannot help but anticipate the pride that would come if Yankee fans acted like nothing had happened at all. It’s as if saying, “Your abuse meant nothing, Royals. Bring it to the field. Play ball.”

 
  
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

JOSE CANO: "THE YANKEES WILL SIGN ROBINSON"

According to the Associated Press, HERE, Robinson Cano's dad thinks that Robinson Cano will in fact resign with the New York Yankees.

Jose Cano also said that he hopes that his son will spend his entire career in the Bronx and much like I believe, Cano should sign for a 6 or 7 year contract. I almost feel like 10 years is alittle ridiculous. Maybe I'm wrong about that.

According to the Associated Press, "Jose Cano made his comments at the Yankees' Spring Training complex, where the Dominican Republic's World Baseball Classic team is training. Robinson is a member of the squad and his dad is a coach."

If anything more develops, we'll let you know about it. Keep checking back here on Bleeding Yankee Blue.

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

KING KURODA

That alone sounds like a creature from the Godzilla series, but the truth of the matter is, Hiroki Kuroda was amazing today, there is no other way of putting it. He pitched 8 innings, allowed only 5 hits and no runs and struck out 6. If this is what Brian Cashman had in mind, then Cashman’s a genius because Kuroda looked terrific, and give some credit to Russell Martin behind the plate. Don’t forget, Martin and Kuroda were former battery mates in Los Angeles with the Dodgers… they're back together now and I believe that had something to do with today's performance. But let me back up a moment…

The day started with Jorge Posada throwing out the first pitch to his father who caught it. Now, I get broken up every time I read about father and son relationships that have a bond stronger than steel. I found it refreshing to see Robinson Cano win the Home Run derby with his father Jose throwing to him and I found today's first pitch touching as well. You can’t help but love Jorge Posada and everything this family stands for. A strong bond and I tip my cap. So, in essence, that began the perfect day in the Bronx.

While Kuroda pitched his gem, the offense was terrific as well. Nick Swisher cleared the bases in the first inning with a double and trust me, this will be Nick Swisher’s biggest season in pinstripes. He’ll have such a big season, the Yankees will question whether or not they should try and re-sign him at the end of the year.

Alex Rodriguez and Curtis Granderson both hit homers today. Alex homered and tied Ken Griffey Jr on the all time Home Run list with 630. Only 70 more until 700 and believe me, if he’s healthy this and next season, he’ll do it. Let’s predict August 21^st 2013... that's a special day for me, but it's just a guess. Alex was 3-4 and scored 2 runs today.

David Robertson came in today and struck out 1 in 1 inning of work. He’s up to 7 strikeouts this season which means Bleeding Yankee Blue will give $7 so far to High Socks for Hope. Also, buy a Bleedingyankeeblue.com shirt and we will give $1 of that purchase to High Socks for Hope as well. You really can’t go wrong and you feel good inside, I swear.

Over all today, the Yankees blanked the Angels at Yankee Stadium today on one of the most gorgeous days in the Bronx in a while. It was great to be home today, it all worked out. Way to go New York.

Final Score: Yankees 5 – Angels 0.

ORDER A BYB SHIRT NOW, DROB WEARS ONE! Also, Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY CANO KNOWS MVP

ESPN did an interview with Robinson Cano and asked him about the MVP award. Sure, he could have sat there and named names and took the spotlight off himself, but he didn’t. He instead, talked about himself. Check it out:

“MVP is tough right now, you have a lot of good guys, but I would give my vote to myself. You can see the numbers. I’m batting 5^th in the lineup and I’ve been there the whole year and why not me? “

Read the full interview HERE. Now, after that, he came out with another statement and wanted to "clarify". Cano said:

“I never said that I am, or that I want to be... It’s like if you ask my mom, ‘Who is the prettiest man in the world?’ She’s going to say me.”

Read his backtrack HERE. I guess he felt as though he came off as arrogant. There was some suggestion after he made the MVP statement that he got some backlash from it. I didn't really think about it to tell you the truth. In fact, his quote was out there for the world to see and no one really hammered him, not that I could tell.

Cano's having a terrific season and each year he continues to get better, at the plate and in the field. When Robinson Cano entered the Home run derby with his biggest fan, his father Jose Cano pitching to him, I didn’t really think he’d pull it off and win the Home Run crown, but he did. While the Home Run Derby is just a glorified contest for TV ratings, it was significant, the guys developing into a damn good hitter, and power hitter at that.

But back to that quote, "... I would give my vote to myself..." I sat there and thought about it and I thought about Robinson Cano and I compared him to someone like Alex Rodriguez.

(Photo: New York Times / Alex Rodriguez)

Why is it, that if Alex Rodriguez said that quote, it would be top headline news? Robinson Cano gave that quote to ESPN and it was in print from Matt Ehalt on September 22^nd. I didn’t see it until September 23rd. If Alex Rodriguez said it, it would probably overtake the Russell Martin headlines about him hating the Red Sox. People see Alex Rodriguez as arrogant, but Robinson Cano, who’s equally talented as confident. It’s interesting, isn’t it?

I’m in no way taking a swipe at Alex Rodriguez. Alex is a terrific ballplayer and maybe because it comes easier to him, maybe his appreciation for awards seems different. Maybe it’s perceived like it’s no big deal to Alex and he comes off as a player who just expects it. Who knows. I don’t see Alex that way at all. Many do. I find the Alex talented and someone that was in the spotlight too early in his career and given too much money too early. I think he’s learning and maturing now. Robinson Cano on the other hand clearly has that focus and appreciation of everything that’s given to him. He, no doubt gets that from his father, Jose Cano who also went through the baseball system but only played 1 major league season. He knows how easy it is for baseball to disappear and how you need to work to keep it. Clearly he instilled that in Robinson and hence, Robinson doesn’t come off arrogant at all. To me, he’s just a squeaky wheel in that ESPN interview. He instead comes off as a voice to confidence, in my opinion of course.

Look, whatever it is, Robinson is deserving of the MVP. Yes, there are a lot of factors involved and last year, when he was competing against Josh Hamilton and Miguel Cabrera, we knew it would be hard to win the MVP. That’s why Bleeding Yankee Blue gave him our own award. Read WHY CANO SHOULD WIN MVP, BUT WON'T.

At the end of the day, I do hope Robinson or Curtis Granderson snag the MVP. Both have had great seasons and both deserve some credit for really helping this Yankee team get to the playoffs...and that's not arrogance telling you that, that's confidence.

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY CANO EMERGES AS YANKEE HERO

(Photo: Getty)
Years from now, when I'm an old man and my grand kids ask me about the legends of the New York Yankees, Robinson Cano's name will be among those names. I've never seen a sweeter swing in baseball and he does it with such ease, you really have to credit his father Jose Cano for some hard work with his son since he was a kid. Cano won the game for the Yankees yesterday...again. How about that?

With 2 outs in the 7th inning and Casey Janssen now on the mound in place of Ricky Romero, Cano was on a mission. What was that mission? drilling 2 runs. His double was a beautiful shot that went to the center field wall allowing Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez to score. Next came up Nick Swisher, who's been on fire would nailed a single.(Photo: Getty)
We've all stated how important the conversation of Curtis Granderson is in the MVP discussion these days, but no one should forget Robinson Cano. He's now batting .307, has 23 homers and 101 RBI's. Curtis Graderson, who's done everything right this year, is batting .273, has 38 home runs and 107 RBIs. 2 big time players, both Yankees and plenty of discussion.Bartolo Colon does not look durable any more, he looked tired. Cause for concern? I'd say so. Yesterday he allowed 4 runs on 7 hits in 6 and 1/3 innings. Boone Logan was the guy who got the win in this one, not Colon. David Robertson was in yesterday as well and did not let up a run. What can you say about DRob, he is quickly emerging as a true Yankee stopper.

Final Score: Yankees 6 - Blue Jays 4

I love my Yankees right now. how about you?

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

WHY CANO CAN DO ANYTHING

(Photo: Getty)
When Robinson Cano agreed to enter the Home Run Derby, I didn't know what to make of it. Should I be happy, should I be worried that the derby could screw up his swing like it did for players like Bobby Abreu? I decided to watch it anyway, after all, I wanted to root for the guys who represent the Yankees and Cano was in there representing.

Man oh man was I surprised. A great highlight of the night for was seeing Russell Martin, Curtis Granderson and David Robertson watching Cano in awe and then later in the final round getting the whole round involved to cheer on Cano. These are teammates of Cano and they see him every day. They looked at his homers and just were blown away. I was blown away too. Cano is the future of the Yankees and this night was just great.The final round of course featured the Yankees verses the Red Sox... Cano verses Adrian Gonzalez. Talk about a matchup, it was just brilliant. The only thing better would be if Chris Berman's mic didn't work. I didn't mind hearing the other guys, but Berman's days are over. Hang it up pal.

In the final round Adrian Gonzalez had 11 home runs. Cano came out of the tunnel looking like he was in the zone. My 8 year old stayed up tonight to see Robbie in action. He said "It's like a Yankees, Red Sox game." Wow, they start early don't they? He was right... it kind of was.

Once he tied Gonzalez at 11, Jose Cano, Robinson's father walked out from the pitcher's mound and put 1 finger up. "One more," he said. "I love you Dad" Robbie said on the opened mic. Robbie went back, took a drink of Gatorade, stood into the box and lit the next pitch up. My 8 year old quickly said "Yankees win... Thhhheeeeee Yaaaaannkkkeeees Wiiiinnnn." Cano is a superstar and yes, it's only the Home Run Derby, but for us, that was more touching than any moment in sports; A father who believed in his son, and a son who believed in himself.

Congrats Robbie, you deserve everything good that comes your way.

Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.