By: Aaron Marcus
Here in New York City, there is no such thing as a good season. You either win or lose, winning isn’t making the playoffs, or even making the championship game. In New York, winning is winning it all. If you don’t win the championship you’re a loser, end of discussion. So the problem arises every so often that a major New York sports team has the same management and consistently doesn’t win. That current problem is luckily in possession of the New York Yankees.
Brian Cashman, the Yankees General Manager has been in New York since the late 90’s. Technically Mr. Cashman has three World Series rings, 98’, 99, 2000 and hasn’t won one since. It has been nine years and yet the only exceptional deals attributed to Cashman over the glory days are those of Scott Brosius and Roger Clemens. The heart and sole of those Yankees teams, Paul O’Neil, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettite, Tino Martinez and Mariano Rivera were all Gene Michael signings. Cashman better win a championship with his own team soon, or else there may be an open GM job in the Bronx.
Critics claim that Manager Joe Girardi, and not Cashman will be under the knife this season. If the Yankees aren’t winning by mid-June, mark my words a storm will rumble in the Bronx. If the Yanks cant rid themselves of their recent losing ways, both Girardi and Cashman will be looking for new jobs. But if only one is fired during the season, it better be Cashman. It’s bad enough that the Yankees essentially fired Torre at the end of last season. Cashman should have gone. Torre has at least made the playoffs each year since 1996. Torre was never the problem, player production and personal were the problem, yet Torre took the blunt of things.
Girardi is a true Yankee, he was part of the team during the 90’s championship run, and should not be cut loose until his contract is up. Cashman on the other hand, has yet to prove that he is a formidable GM. After the Yankees binge signings this offseason, that totaled at almost half a billion dollars and include C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnet and Mark Teixeira. The Yankees will put together, one of if not the most dominant teams in all of baseball and possibly baseball history. As long as the team stays healthy they will undoubtedly be the team to beat in the American League.
To say that expectations are high doesn’t quite do the team justice. If the Yankees don’t win the championship this year, it hopefully will cost Cashman his job. Cashman is the longest serving General Manager out of all the New York major sports teams. He’s been given a golden awning for being a part of the Yankees during the late 90’s. Yet signings and trades like those of; Javier Vazquez, Carl Pavano, Randy Johnson, Kei Igawa, Ivan Rodriguez and Roger Clemens (part two) just to name a few, as well as not trading for Johan Santana may finally come back to haunt him if he doesn’t bring home the ship. This is his year and if he does get fired, it has been a long time coming.
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