tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

Cashman Goes At Torre. Why???

I read with amazement a story in the NY Daily News about Brian Cashman trying to protect relievers when Joe Torre was manager of the Yankees.  What does this revelation have to do with the 2011 Yankees???  About as much as the price of tea in China.

Cashman is obviously a little sensitive as a result of the news that Pedro Feliciano, a lefty specialist, is done for the year and one has to wonder about his career as the injury is similar to the one sustained by Chien Ming-Wang.  The Yankees are now left with Boone Logan as their only left-hander in the bullpen while they have two high priced lefties on the injured list: Feliciano and Damaso Marte.  In my mind, Cashman has a lot to be sensitive about these days.

Fortunately for the Yankees, the Red Sox have their own problems right now and the Yanks find themselves on top of the East Division this morning.  But it's April 15th and there is plenty of season left.  The Red Sox will right their ship and the heat will be raised up a few notches and the problem is that the Yankees pitching staff is in a weak state.  Phil Hughes is a mess.  It may make some sense to send him to Scranton and let him try to work things out there.  The jury is still out on Ivan Nova and you hold your breathe everytime AJ Burnett is on the mound though so far he has been good.  The question is: Can the Yankees right their pitching ship??

Cashman's broadside at Torre tells me that he's feeling the heat of blowing this past off season.  In fact, a recent story by Joel Sherman of the NY Post should be another reason why the Yankee GM needs to feel the heat.  Sherman, correctly, questioned Cashman's infatuation with Cliff Lee last summer and the smugness that since they didn't get Lee from Seattle in July that they would just buy him in December.  How did you make out Brian??

But the other point Sherman makes is that two other pitchers were moved last summer:  Dan Haren and Roy Oswalt.  How would the Yankees be right now if they had either one of those guys??  For me, I'd have preferred Haren but either would be better than what they have now.  And who knows with either one of them on the team maybe Andy Pettite comes back.

Going after Torre four years after he's left the organization is a cheap shot that was an attempt to mask the terrible off season that Brian Cashman had in trying to rebuild the Yankee pitching staff.  Brian needs to look in the mirror.  There's no Tampa mafia to blame.  There's no Joe Torre, Mel Stottlemyer and Ron Guidry to blame.  It's on you Brian and right now you are not wearing it well.