This story has become so all encompassing today, I thought it would be best to let each of our writers weigh in with their own unique take on the topic. Part of the idea behind assembling a blog is getting a diverse group of writers, each with their own point of view and writing style. Since I already weighed in this morning, my contribution addresses a breaking news item from this afternoon. To our readers, feel free to add your own thoughts and reactions in the comment section below.
Larry Koestler-The whole thing is so ridiculous I have a hard time taking it seriously, as evidenced by my Twitter feed last night. Bottom line, Jorge’s been a black hole at the plate, and if Girardi felt Posada best served the lineup hitting 9th, then Posada should’ve sucked it up, put his head down and played some damn baseball. To paraphrase @Cephster, to say he felt ‘disrespected’ by the same organization that has payed him over $100 million in his career is insane. Derek and Jorge seem to be living in this fantasy world where they should continue to get paid like kings and occupy prime lineup slots based on past performance, which is the height of selfishness given how little they’ve contributed to the team this season.
Matt Imbrogno-I was at the game last night with my girlfriend and all the details we got were delayed and a bit jumbled, so we weren’t quite sure what to think. We listened to Jorge’s post-game comments during the drive home and were a bit puzzled by the things Jorge was saying. We thought, “Well, if he had a tight back, why didn’t he just say that to begin with? I’m sure Girardi and Cashman would’ve been fine with that.” The whole thing is just…odd. I can understand Jorge being upset, but I don’t think he handled it all that well. The quicker this can be cleaned up, in any way possible, the better.
William J.-It’s easy to see that both Girardi and Posada made some mistakes, but none were serious enough to warrant condemnation. Unfortunately, however, the same can not be said about that role played by Brian Cashman. For some reason, the Yankees’ general manager felt the need to go on live national television to extend the life of the story by implying that his catcher was insubordinate. Not only did the tone of Cashman’s comments leave that impression, but the follow-up reports about the Yankees seeking a fiscal remedy also served to further that implication. Had Cashman simply decided to keep quiet, the entire episode could have quickly been defused after the game.
Moshe Mandel-Honestly, I can’t get too worked up about any of this. Jorge is playing poorly and deserved to be dropped in the order, as did Nick Swisher. All Joe Girardi did was move Swisher and Jorge below Martin and Gardner, as a unit, but it may have been advisable to engage Jorge in a discussion about the issue before making any changes. Jorge reacted poorly, but that’s what human beings are wont to do when put in an unfamiliar position that suggests a diminishment of their skills. Brian Cashman probably should have deferred comment until after the game, but what he said was accurate and fairly innocuous, so I have a hard time totally killing him either. Basically, I think all three players in this drama need to get in a room, clear the air, and get on the same page in the media as to how they are going to address this issue. Hopefully, they can all put their egos aside for a second for the good of the club and find a way to put this little incident behind them
Steve S.-Sweeney Murti is now saying he believes Posada’s back really was hurt. He said Jorge saw a chiropractor during the game, and it was just a failure to communicate between two men in Girardi/Posada who don’t get along that well. And no, I don’t believe it for one minute. Brian spoke directly to Jorge before going to the media, and the manager reiterated the same story on the post game when there would have been time for the GM and manager to get their stories straight. Even if Jorge’s back injury was true, that doesn’t change the fact that Jorge decided not to play, which is not his call. That being said, I understand why the Yanks will try to sell this. It doesn’t serve Cashman or the Yanks to air their dirty laundry this way. If anything, it limits their options with Jorge down the road. Also, when this all went down yesterday Cashman reportedly called Jorge’s agent, who would have explained the ramifications of his actions to Jorge. Telling him to say “My back hurts” and get treatment would be the advice I’d give if I was his agent. It protects his contract, and the Yanks will play along to enhance his trade value. That’s how they would have done it had the whole thing not been thrown in their laps an hour before game time.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
My hope is that this doesn’t delay replacing him at the DH spot with either Montero or a good offensive player (not Jones.)
[Reply]
On a side note, I really love this type of piece and have to do them more often. I did something similar on Joba last year, where I solicited bloggers to weigh in and give their thoughts. Having them all in one quick, concise post is really a great read.
[Reply]
T.O. Chris Reply:
May 15th, 2011 at 6:27 pm
I agree with this. It’s nice to see all the writers opinions on an important topic, or in this case a very relevant topic in Yankee land in one piece.
[Reply]
Something I’ve been kicking around today, I’ll just put it here.
For the past 15 years Posada has been known as one of the ‘enforcers’ in that clubhouse. If a teammate didn’t run hard to first base, or a pitcher didn’t cover 1st base (cough CC cough) on an infield grounder, Jorge would be the one who would get in his face and say “This is the Yankees. That’s not how we do things here”.
With that being said, what would Jorge Posada say to someone who did what he did last night?
[Reply]
Tom Swift Reply:
May 15th, 2011 at 6:52 pm
More generally, with Posada playing poorly, who in that locker room will play the role of the guy kicking people in the pants? Posada has been the emotional leader. We need someone like that for the new generation. Maybe Slade Heathcott has the intensity to do that.
[Reply]
[...] He Retire?SB NationAdrian Gonzalez done gone crazyBoston HeraldBaltimore SportsReport.com -The Yankee Analystsall 1,184 news [...]
I tend to agree with Larry’s comments. Posada’s job is to play baseball, and when you show up to work and refuse to work… that’s just not the way to behave. That being said, I’m OK with Cashman saying whatever he wants about this – Posada refusing to play for any reason is ridiculous – he’s earning over $13 million this year! If I was Cashman, I’d be having recurring dreams about getting that liability off my books.
I must disagree with Steve S. – I don’t think Posada has any trade value at all – once the Yankees announced that he wouldn’t catch this year, that pretty much crippled trade value, and his offensive performance so far this year did the rest of the work. If I did what Posada did, I think my job would be in serious jeopardy – and I don’t make $13 million, and as of 2011, I’m WAY BETTER AT MY JOB than Posada is at his.
Going forward, I don’t really know what Posada’s best role is on this team; his splits don’t warrant a platoon situation… it’s tough, he just stinks this year
[Reply]
You are rediculous to keep expounding on basically nothing! Obviously you have nothing better to do! Get a life!
[Reply]