It Seems The Yankees Organization Is Attempting To Pin Their Failures On The Fans Instead Of The Team's Poor Decisions And Play On The Field
Mary DeCicco. Getty Images.An article was published on SNY's website today by Andy Martino which basically attacks Yankee fans and pins them as a major part of the problem with the team's failure. Like I said yesterday in my Judge blog, you're going to see some wild shit written over the next few weeks that has alterior motives. This is one of those articles.
The entire thing reads like the front office is tired of the deserved heat they’re getting so they leaked some bullshit to Martino to deflect blame on the fans. Almost like they're about to announce Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman are coming back for 2023 and don't want to get killed for it.
Ah yes! There it is…
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Here's more bullshit to offset the return of those two clowns
The gap between industry and fan perceptions of Cashman and Boone is particularly striking. Rivals consider Cashman one of the greatest executives in sports, and say that Boone will immediately become a coveted free agent if the Yankees fire him. Other GMs and agents are genuinely baffled by fan hate toward those two.
I'm not even sure I can read that little blurb with a straight face. It doesn't take a genius to see there is no playoff series the Yankees enter where they have the upper hand in the managerial position. Every game against the Guardians was played with a prayer that the game would go straight forward and Boone wouldn't have to make any critical decisions. When the game does rely on him you get stuff like pulling Gerrit Cole with the bases loaded and the season on the line for your 4th best reliever in Lou Trivino.
Cashman does have more to his resume no doubt, but his moves over the last decade have been hard to look at. The recent reliance on guys like Joey Gallo, Sonny Gray, Jacoby Ellsbury, Aaron Hicks, and Josh Donaldson have crippled their potential. Teams like the Rays and Guardians being neck and neck with the Yankees despite New York's payroll being basically triple theirs is all you need to know. Don't piss on my head and tell me it's raining.
And now we're supposed to be feel bad about booing the product on the field?
More than one Yankee player has told his agent this week that playing at the Stadium last weekend was an unusually brutal experience. It was hard for many teammates to believe that fans booed Judge. Even a difficult person and underperformer like Josh Donaldson was turned into a somewhat sympathetic figure internally by the force of the jeering.
In the days that followed, many in the organization were surprised by the tone of fan and media reaction. Rivals were shocked too. One longtime exec texted to say he was struck by "the irrational opinions on Cashman and Boone. I get that it’s World Series or bust but damn they’re spoiled."
Are fans supposed to cheer as they're getting their teeth kicked in by the rival Astros for the millionth time in a row? 30 strikeouts in the first two games followed by a home shutout in Game 3 is supposed to warrant applause? Maybe it's referencing the '04 collapse to the team to try and spur a comeback? Whoever thought up the idea to live back the worst moment in franchise history to try and wake the team up should be gone. What about blaming the roof and lucky exit velos? Are fans supposed to be content watching guys like Donaldson, IKF, Hicks, and Gallo do nothing all year as the team waits way too long to do anything about them? Obviously Judge has God status amongst the fan base, but if you go 1 for 16 while the team gets the doors blown off 'em do you expect the fans to be content? Harrison Bader had a quote about the fans during the postseason and summed it up pretty good. "I think Derek Jeter said it best, fans boo because they want to cheer." That's quite literally all there is to it.
This last part of the article got me good.
Now the clubhouse itself feels crushed under the weight of that brand. More than I’ve ever seen, players don’t want to be Yankees. The team needs to find a way to change the message and tone -- though after all these years, doing so might be near impossible.
You know how you change the message and tone? You adjust your leadership! You don't bring back Boone for year 6. You don't give Brian Cashman a new contract. The answer is right in front of Hal's face and he doesn't want to read it. Nope, it's the fans' fault!