As we'll attempt to do every series, today we grace you with a Q&A from a blogger of the opponent. Today's guest is Anaconda from Pinstripe Alley, his words are after the jump.
Your take on the Cervelli/Duncan incidents?
I don’t think the collision was a "dirty play," but I can see both sides of this issue. Maddon wants his young team to be enthusiastic and play hard all the time and the kid Johnson wanted to make an impression. I don’t have a problem with that.
Girardi responded the way he did because it was ST and one of his guys got hurt. I do think Maddon inadvertently escalated the situation a bit because he seemed to show a lack of concern for Cervelli when it was clear that the injury was a serious one. He could have said something like "You hate to see that happen to anyone….blah, blah, blah" and that probably would have been the end of it. I think that might’ve rubbed Duncan the wrong way and he responded accordingly with his stupid slide. Hopefully, these teams can get back to baseball now that the regular season is upon us.
Is there any concern that Hank Steinbrenner will run Brian Cashman out of town?
Yes, especially if the Yankees don’t make the postseason. That would be bad and there’s no telling what Hank might do if it happens. The good thing is that his little brother, Hal Steinbrenner, is an equal partner and the most sensible one of the three Steinbrenners (including George). My gut feeling is that Cashman will return as GM next season whether they make the playoffs or not.
Along those same lines, can you see Hank forcing Cashman to deal a young arm if the Yankees get off to another slow start?
There’s always a chance that could happen when a Steinbrenner is in charge, but Cashman has been vehemently against trading the young arms all along - specifically Ian Kennedy, Joba Chamberlain, and Phil Hughes. The front office could have traded Kennedy/Joba last season for Teixeira or Gagne at the trade deadline and decided to keep the young arms instead. Cashman was vindicated by those non-moves because Joba was spectacular upon his arrival to the big and Gagne was a total disaster for Boston.
Also, they could’ve had Johan Santana during the offseason by dealing these young arms and still didn’t do it. The organization as a whole has put a lot of faith into the "holy trinity" and I don’t think there’s a chance any member of that trio is going to be dealt.
Assuming the Yankees don't go all conservative on us, is it a lock to consider Mark Teixeira a Yankee next season?
I don’t think it’s a "lock" Teixeira will be wearing pinstripes next season, but I do think they will go hard after him. They have a ton of money coming off the books (roughly $70M) and I fully expect them to spend like mad next offseason with a much better crop of free agents than in 2007. They will go hard after C.C. Sabathia as well.
Is the general Yankee fan consensus one of sadness or excitement moving from the current version of Yankee Stadium to the new one?
It’s definitely a mixed bag. While no yard could possibly replace the tradition, history, ghosts, nostalgia, mystique, etc, etc, of the current Yankee Stadium - most fans are really excited about the new one. The focus on tradition and architectural look of the original Yankee Stadium built in the 1920s is phenomenal and no expense has been spared on this project ($1.3 Billion and counting). No doubt about it - the day the wrecking ball meets the old Stadium - many tears will be shed. But the new yard is just going to be spectacular in every sense of the word.
Who do you consider the most underrated Yankee of all-time?
Of all-time? Wow, that’s tough. This may sound strange, but I’m going to say Don Mattingly. I say that because he was one of the only truly great Yankees who never won a ring because he played most of his career during one of the few stretches of futility in the team’s history. He was also well on his way to a Hall Of Fame career before recurring back problems really slowed him down and shortened his career. As great as he was, he retired fairly young at 34.
What word pops to mind when you think of:
Derek Jeter Captain
Mariano Rivera Savior
Alex Rodriguez Misunderstood
Joe Torre Green Tea (sorry, that’s two words)
Roger Clemens 354 * (his career win total)
Thank you Anaconda, and for my responses check out Pinstripe Alley throughout the day.