Cashman: Posada removed himself from lineup

May 14, 2011 by Mike Axisa 348 Comments

Update (11:27pm): Now that Posada’s mini-presser has been aired on YES, I can say the “That’s the way he worked now” comment wasn’t nearly as vicious as it came across on Twitter. Jorge did talk in circles quite a bit though. Bottom line, everyone is in the wrong here. Well, everyone except Girardi, but Posada and Cashman definitely could have handled this better. No doubt about it.

Update (11:01pm): Posada said after the game that he told Girardi that he needed time to clear his head and that his back stiffened up after taking grounders at first, but Girardi said he was never made aware of any physical problem. As for as Cashman saying it wasn’t an injury issue during the in-game interview, Jorge said “[Cashman] made a mis-statement … That’s the way he works now.” Wow, shots fired.

Update (9:14pm): Via Ken Rosenthal, Posada actually sat out with back stiffness tonight. That sounds like a big ol’ cover story, but they can’t turn this into a big mess that divides the clubhouse or something crazy like that.

Original Post (8:00pm): Brian Cashman just told Ken Rosenthal during tonight’s broadcast that Jorge Posada removed himself from the lineup tonight and that it’s “not an injury situation.” Posada is expected to speak to the media after the game, but when asked what tonight meant for Posada’s future for with the team, he said he “didn’t want to speak for Jorge.”

For what it’s worth, Joel Sherman hears that Posada is not retiring. Jack Curry hears that Jorge was “insulted” by people penciled into the ninth spot of the lineup, and that he threw a “hissy fit.” Stay tuned…

General Tsao

His announcement after the game will be that he’s retiring from the game of baseball. He’s done. He wasn’t helping us anyway so this is the right move for both parties.
- john
  
  posadas time is up. Hitless in too many clutch situations. Tim mccarver and joe buck are a couple of jabronies.
  - Mykey
    
    Nice, we need to bring “jabronies” back.
Ben D

If this is it, Jorge, thanks for so many fantastic memories.
mike c

I checked and jesus montero is in the lineup for scranton tonight (and 2/2)
Mike

Alot of respect for Posada. thanks for all the big hits and memories.

Montero. get ready kid . its time
JobaWockeeZ

This guy better fucking get in the Hall of Fame.
- Pat D
  
  Just don’t see it happening. Not enough on the counting stats, OBP not valued enough by HOF voters, not good enough defensively, never thought to be the best at his position during his career (Piazza, IRod, Mauer).
  - Andrew 518
    
    Piazza steroids
    IRod steroids
    
    Mauer came along as Posada was on his decline, but I will give that Mauer at his prime is/was better than Posada in his prime.
    - Pat D
      
      Piazza steroids? Where’s your evidence?
      - mike c
        
        we’ll see how he does on the HOF ballot in ’13… I wonder if his name will leak out of any of the “anonymous” lists MLB has
      - http://www.twitter.com/deanezag Zack
        
        No evidence for Bagwell either, that doesn’t stop voters.
        
        Andrew 518
        
        It’s been pretty widley talked about by former teammates, real bad back acne etc.
        
        I guess I’m just the result of a cynical generation who find it strange that some one from the early-mid nineties gets drafted only as a favor and then miraculously goes on to be the best hitting catcher ever.
        
        Is this fair? Probably not, but people that played with him seem to find his numbers suspect.
        
        Plank
        
        YOU’RE cynical and sharing what you think. You don’t speak for a generation of people as you claim. Why not just share your opinion and say it’s your opinion?
  - Dalelama
    
    Doubtful, very good hitter, poor fielder, horrible base runner, and dumb as a stump.
    - Rookie
      
      All true. And you left out the inability to keep his emotions from distorting his judgement in the heat of battle.
    - 42yankee
      
      agree
- mike c
  
  #7 all time career OPS for MLB catchers (.852)
Manny

TEH JESUS is on the way
V

Honestly, if he retired tomorrow, I’d rather call up Vazquez and give him a shot at the DH role first. If he pulls a Shelley Duncan and can’t hit ML pitching, :shrug: no loss.
- Plank
  
  Why? Montero is much, much better than Vazquez.
Uke

He’s retiring tonight. Montero Time.
Dr. O

This must be REALLY hard on Jorge, because retirement seems so drastic a step for a guy is struggling, but has crushed the ball at points in the year and has shown flashes. I really hope not, I don’t want Jorge’s last game as a Yankee to be sadly watching from the dugout.
- Joe
  
  Yeah, it wouldn’t be ideal in any way. I would blame it mostly on the rest of the offense. If they weren’t struggling then it would be an entirely different situation.
Robert

JESUS IS COMING!
Dr. O

You know what Joel Sherman, go to Hell.
Countryclub

If he really is walking away from the rest of his 13 mil contract that is pretty unreal. You can count on one hand the number of players in any sport (IMO) that would do such a thing
Robert

@Joelsherman1: I hear Posada is not retiring and also that #Yankees were not on board with him pulling self from lineup, clear clash here
Robert

@JackCurryYES: According to [source], Posada told mgr he was “insulted” about hitting 9th and “threw a hissy fit.”
- Pat D
  
  Uh oh. That’s not good.
- Dr. O
  
  I’m sorry, but that screams of at least someone with the Yankees being pissy. I really don’t see why they would be that furious about a guy they dropped to 9th asking out of the lineup. Also the phrase “hissy fit” sounds very vindictive and Randy Levine-esque.
  - Joe
    
    I also think that was a terrible choice of words for Jack who is generally good with his tweets.. Hissy fit doesn’t tell you anything objective even if he quoted it directly from someone else. He is tarnishing the reputation of a borderline HOFer, best yankee catcher since Berra.
    - YanksFan77
      
      Since Thurman Munson
      - Mykey
        
        Nope, Berra.
        
        YanksFan77
        
        Nope, since Munson. Unless Posada somehow wins the MVP this year.
        
        Mykey
        
        Posada has been an elite offensive catcher his entire career. Compare his and Munson’s numbers. I get it that he had some defensive follies, but seeing as he was drafted as a second baseman, I don’t think you could ask for anything more from him. There’s a reason he has five championships.
        
        No knock on Munson, of course.
        
        YanksFan77
        
        If you’re comparing career numbers at the plate, Posada’s SLG numbers are the only significant difference between the two, and that’s only because Munson played in a dead ball era.
        
        If you project Munson’s stats out to age 39, he’d have comparable if not better numbers than Posada.
        
        Mykey
        
        Munson: 5344 At Bats, 696 Runs, 1558 Hits, 113 HR, 701 RBI’s
        
        Posada: 5857 At Bats, 878 Runs, 1601 Hits, 267 HR, 1036 RBI’s
        
        Stop it.
        
        YanksFan77
        
        You stop it.
        
        You don’t see something wrong with your argument? Munson did that at age 32, Posada compiled those numbers up to age 39? That’s 7 season’s difference.
        
        Munson: ROY, MVP
        Posada: Won championships since he had the best team around him money can buy.
        
        You do understand that HR’s in the 70’s came fewer and further between than they do now right?
        
        For example, in 2003, when Posada finished 3rd in the MVP, 4 players in the AL hit over 40 HR’s, and many, many others hit 30 or more.
        
        In 1976, when Munson actually WON the MVP, exactly 1 AL player hit over 30 HR’s (Graig Nettles)
        
        Mykey
        
        In reality, I should keep this argument as polite as possible, so I apologize for the snappy, “stop it” nonsense. But, don’t you see that Posada only has 500 more at bats than Munson? That’s one year’s worth of at bats. Regardless of when their age came in, they had a very similar number of at bats, but Posada obviously has the more impressive numbers. This is made even more obvious, when you take into account, as you point out, that much of Posada’s best work was done at an age older than Munson. 500 more at bats 150 home runs and 300 RBI’s does not make.
mbonzo

I think he might be retiring, but wouldn’t Montero have been pulled from the Scranton game if he was.
Ron

Wow…could he really retire like this? It would be a shame to go out on such a down turn…but of he feels like he can’t get or done kudos for him admitting it. Just would have been nice to see a Hip Hip Jorge chant as he goes to the plate one last time.
special kid

POOR BABY POSADA!!!…. BOOHOOO BIG BABY!!! WAAAAAAAAA
- BigTimeBartolo
  
  seriously dude? show some respect
  - http://www.twitter.com/deanezag Zack
    
    Posada deserves to be mocked if he pulled himself because of where he’s hitting.
  - King George
    
    Respect? You’re an idiot. He disrespected his team by letting them down and not thinking about the team. He is the anti-team player.
    - Kevin
      
      It is quite childish to call somebody an idiot just because they do not see eye to eye with your opinion. Learn some respect.
      - King George
        
        Sorry, I don’t respond well to people who don’t have any mature outlook at a very vanilla, plain-to-see situation.
        
        Dr. O
        
        yes please feel free to think of calling a guy an idiot for not agreeing with you as a “mature outlook”
- Rich B
  
  no respect needed agreed this is a classless move
V

Wow, if Posada is really pulling this hissy fit, wow.

Welcome to the bench, asshole. I was on your side until you started acting like a 2 year old.

Hope you get hurt so we can DL you and actually use the roster spot for someone usedful.
- Joey B
  
  Really bro, you are going to wish jorge hurt one of the best yankees over the last decade. You would dump him to the curb after all the great moments he gave the yankees. You are why people think the yankees fan are stupid
Mike

wheres Billy Martin when you need him.. Billy wouldn’t put up with Posadas bullshit . .. thats for sure
- fire levine
  
  no need for martin. we got cashman
Joe

I think we should give the guy a break and wait until we hear what he has to say. He’s built up more than enough credit and respect for us to be throwing him out of the bus like this.
Grandy

If it turns out he is retiring its a real shame this is the way Montero will be promoted, but ah well. The day cometh, I guess those billboards were right.

Coincidently how mental would this place go if they called Pena up instead.
pat

Zero leverage considering our best prospect is basically a DH/fake catcher too.
- themgmt
  
  Leverage for what?
  - pat
    
    Being a baby and sitting out. He can’t try to get his old spot in the order.
Chris

Before the game, Suzyn said reporters were talking to Jorge and he seemed ok with (or at least resigned to) being dropped in the lineup.
Dr. O

If Cashman/Girardi were upset they would have stated so. With these quotes and “behind closed doors” accounts coming from someone that is obviously not Cashman it sounds like someone else within The Yankees feels like he needs to be smeared for asking out of the lineup for whatever reason. The fact that Jack Curry on a YES twitter would actually use the phrase “hissy fit” in regards to Posada is where I get that from. Even if its true, which in all likelihood it is, it doesn’t make sense why they would say so unless someone has decided that Jorge needs to be humiliated for this for whatever reason.
BigTimeBartolo

Wow, some of these comments are ridiculous. Regardless if Posada actually threw a hissy fit, he’s an all time yankee great and he needs to be shown some respect, especially if he does retire
- V
  
  39 year old men should not be pulling “hissy fits” because they suck.
- pat
  
  How about some respect for his teammates, his manager and the sport itself?
- Joe
  
  Again terrible choice of words from Jack Curry caused that reaction.
  - http://www.twitter.com/deanezag Zack
    
    What should he have said? “Posada politefully disagreed and requested he have the night off”?
- Mykey
  
  BigTimeBartolo: You’re totally right. I’m sick of these comments. Has Jorge really wronged the team the way people seem to think he has? He’s not playing well. I would imagine that bothers him more than it does any of us, and when he gets pulled from the lineup (or whatever happened) it takes away a chance for him to redeem himself. I’m sure he’s upset.
  
  The man has five rings. Five! He has brought us so many memories. We’re a month into the season, he’s played poorly, we get it. But we’re acting like the rest of his career never happened. Settle down, please. In a year or two, we’ll have nothing but fond memories of Jorge.
Dan

He threw a hissy fit. Jack curry said. True yankee baby bitch. A true winner or winer. Hof my asd
Dan

He threw a hissy fit. Jack curry said. True yankee baby bitch. A true winner or winer. Hof my ass
special kid

trade him to the mets!!!
Pat D

Sounding more and more like Posada needs to be taught a lesson in humility.

So I’ll leave it to The Man in Black.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IStlBOX9F4o
Robert

@Buster_ESPN

The Yankees are looking at their options,with the Commissioner’s Off.,on course of action re: Posada’s refusal to play. $11m at risk for him

The Yankees have been given no indication that Posada might retire. He refused to play simply because he was dropped in the lineup.
rek4gehrig

Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself at all. ~William Temple
Will

Man, and to think I was gonna put on Friday Night Lights for a good sports soap opera…
General Tsao

Just as I suspected Jorge threw a fit. You’re hitting .160!!!! Dump his ass. Nobody tells the manager where he bats in the order, nobody.
Dr. O

Well the good news for most of you is you can go back to being Mets fans with your Posada disgust.
- Slugger27
  
  im not sure this comment makes a whole lot of sense. whats the correlation between upset with posada for whining about hitting 9th and being a mets fan?
  - Dr. O
    
    the majority of the people trashing Jorge also immediately jumped to Piazza’s defense? The influx of fans to RAB since 2009 that seem to have very little attachment to the remaining players from the dynasty team? The guy commenting on here who’s name links to his Mets blog?
    - Cuso
      
      this just doesn’t make much sense.
General Tsao

Cashman needs to ship his ass someplace where they tolerate those antics. LA Dodgers maybe. Posada’s refusal to play is disgusting and no better than Manny’s antics to get out of Boston.
- Dr. O
  
  no better than faking an injury and shoving an elderly man to the ground for not getting you enough free tickets? Really?
Robert

I hate all this. Hey Jorge just start hitting and everything will be okay!
Dr. O

did Ben, Mike or Joe murder the child of someone that works at their webhosting provider?
JobaWockeeZ

What the fuck is Girardi doing.
- JobaWockeeZ
  
  Wrong thread.
mike c

I really don’t like the idea of IBB’ing pedroia to load the bases for gonzalez…. and as I’m typing this he GIDP’s. awesome
- mike c
  
  wrong thread, d’oh!
wilcymoore27

Jorge is entitled to respect, and I think he’s entitled to a pass on this by the Yankees, because of what he has meant to the team for all these years. Nevertheless, it was wrong if Jorge did indeed pull himself out of the lineup because of his position in the batting order.

Even Jorge has to respect his manager. Frankly, moving him down to 9th is a perfectly reasonable decision by Girardi in these circumstances. The Yankees have to back their manager – and I expect them to do that – but I think they should go light on the disciplinary action, at least this one time.
- smurfy
  
  I agree with each point you made. Jorge is very team-minded, and I can’t understand his upset. Probably rooted in insecurity, due to his severe slump. Here’s hoping this blows over. That’s a sweet bat Jorge swings, long may he crush the ball.
- Cuso
  
  Meh, I understand your rationale but think Posada needs to realize he’s making $13M this year while batting .160.
  
  Nobody is above the team; it doesn’t matter how much goodwill you have built up.
  
  If Jorge feels disrespected, he should feel free to quit. The Yanks showed him enough respect when they gave a 36-year old catcher a 4-year contract.
  
  If the Yankees wanted Jorge to be a pinch-hitter and mentor young players, Jorge needs to do that with a big smile on his face. They actually allowed him to be a hole in the lineup for the first 36 game – more than he was “entitled” to.
  - smurfy
    
    Yeah, $13 mm is a lot of reasons to submit, and that would seem to be Cashman’s position.
    
    And, yeah, it has to be the manager’s call. With the Yanks’ recent risp performance, I think he should tinker with the order, so the slump doesn’t turn into a ditch. I’d love to see Tex and Cano switch.
emac2

Posada better think this through and retire.

Otherwise he is just a beyatch.

How is it possible to have so little shame as to insist you hit above a team mate who is hitting better then you are?

It’s really a little gross.
- Slugger27
  
  while i dont want him to retire, its pretty tough to disagree with any of this…
  
  nobody owes you anything, jorge. take it like a man and hit your way out of it.
aj

First he punches Burnett and now this!
- Feim
  
  What do you mean?
  - http://riveravenueblues.com joe D(emaestri)
    
    AJs shiner last year was courtesy of “Horhey”. #20 blew it this time. sad end to a good career.
    - jackstrawelf
      
      That was ajs wife
      - Mister Delaware
        
        Jorge is married to AJ???
Monteroisdinero

Varitek also sucks and is a legendary player (and Captain) for the Sox and bats…..9th

He deserves to but he didn’t always.
stos51

Jorge has been a great Yankee but has grown increasingly cranky over the past few years. Lets get some fresh blood in here to jump start this team.Thanks for the great career , but we will hardly miss you.
- A Gritty Dude’s Gritty Dude
  
  Not saying you’re wrong but please refresh my memory; before this when else was he cranky?
YanksFan77

That had to be the most telling “No Comment” from Cashman, ever. And on national tv.

Posada’s put on a game uniform for the last time.
Feim

I think that Posada has to accept what he is. He’s just too old and not producing. Hey it’s good for a team like Pirates, Mariners, Houston, but not for the Yanks. It is New York. We are playing against Boston and there is no mercy for some one who can’t single against Bard in the eight inning. And this is for you too Swisher!
Andrew 518

I don’t see this as a plain vanilla situation considering that there are no hard facts yet, we’ll all wildly speculating on the internet. Call me old-school but tweets don’t count as fact in my book.
- Andrew 518
  
  egregious reply fail sorry
Matt

Not exactly how I think Jeter would have handled it.

He now has time to go have dinner with Ozzie Guillen.
YanksFan77

I say, let’s drop some other underperforming, highly paid stars to the 9th, and see if we can’t clear some additional payroll.
- Pastadivingposada
  
  In a shocking move today girardi moved soriano into the dh role and batted him 9 th.
Pastadivingposada

Now its back stiffness???
Whats next a slip in the shower and a trip to the dl?
King George

That Jorge has now played the “back stiffness” card when EVERYONE, including his own father acknowledged that he was in the wrong for asking out of the lineup, is PATHETIC. What a classless prick. Jorge was dropped to 9th, he threw a “hissy fit” and is now going to have to deal with the negative press. What a poor cop-out. At least make it a believable story, Jorge.
AC

Now a source is telling Ken Rosenthal that he asked out of lineup due to back stiffness. Sounds as if someone is trying to spin this big time
- http://www.twitter.com/deanezag Zack
  
  His source is Posada’s wife facebook page.
  
  Just remember that next time you see writers with “inside” knowledge
Grandy

I had an argument with my dad earlier, I’m gonna put it down to back stiffness.
Pastadivingposada

A pavano injury is next 60 day dl and vasquez call up coming
Monteroisdinero

His wife is a lawyer. Here comes the lawsuit!

History will be made again by the New York Yankees!
Pastadivingposada

What has this new woman done to the old swisher we knew and liked
celerino sanchez

Rosenthal is now reporting that he collided with his wife’s giant fake knockers, fell down the stairs and tweaked his back.
swishers fauxhawk

Kim Jones reporting there is no back issue.
http://www.theyankeeanalysts.com Steve S.

Wow, what a classless way to go out.

Since he’s not hitting, his days were numbered. Now this? How can the Yanks run a team with players pulling shit like this? They HAVE to suspend him, and if he doesn’t want to accept that he can just retire or demand a trade. But Jorge (surprise, surprise) really pulled a bonehead move here.

But there’s no way to smooth this over with Cash being on the record about no injury involved here. You can’t just say “ah, that silly Jorge. He’s an emotional guy”. Sorry, refusing to play goes beyond personality traits, it’s insubordination. You can’t run a team with players deciding for themselves when they will play and when they wont.
Monteroisdinero

It must suck to make 13M a year to bat 9th at .160 instead of 7th.

What a blow to the ego!

Guy’s a total jerk.
fred

Posada has to be released now or Cashman and Girardi will lose the team.

Posada was done 5 years ago but Cashman gave him a $52M gift that he did not deserve.

The rebuilding needs to start now.
- Mister Delaware
  
  You suck at making sense.
- swishers fauxhawk
  
  When was Posada ever done from 2006-2010?
Babe’s Ghost

and we’re now officially a Lo-Hud blog…

yay!
- Dr. O
  
  at least it’s not a newspaper comment section with people tying this into the 9/11 “conspiracy”…yet.
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
  
  Could be worse, we could be NoMaas.
Monteroisdinero

The only solution is for Posada to say:

“Yes-I did have sex with that woman-Monica Lewinsky”

Just apologize for being a selfish, prima donna. We got a season to play here!
hornblower

As I recall he pushed hard for the 4th yr. and even used the Mets as a catspaw. He has been a terrific player and is entitled to respect but when it is time to go you should walk away with dignity and not try to suck every dollar out of the system. After all the fans pay the freight.
- Mister Delaware
  
  Yeah … don’t go spending your share of the prorated $13.1MM refund just yet.
Monteroisdinero

The house in Tampa and apt in Trump Towers are pretty expensive.

No-he doe$n’t retire.
Slappy White

Attention Jorge, .165 hitters bat NINTH
- YanksFan77
  
  …they usually don’t get to bat at all…not in MLB, and definitely not on a contending team.
  - Mister Delaware
    
    I think Slappy meant in the NL.
Andrew 518

Not really sure what happens next, theories abound here, I don’t see him calling it quits, but then, what? He calls a news conference to say his back hurts, he doesn’t like batting 9th? Seems strange for a news confernce.
Monteroisdinero

Jorge Vasquez gets called up in Sept after hitting 45 HR’s. He hit 2 tonight and is up to 14.

A little sooner now I think.

Yanks lose 2 to Sox but Scranton wins 2 in a row over Pawtucket.
http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder

Commence the most interesting postgame presser in recent history.
IRF

Holy crap. Maybe Jorge will now start hitting like Reggie Jackson too
jon

Jorge said “[Cashman] made a mis-statement. That’s the way he works now.”

wow bench him for this comment
Dr. O

Odds on a Pettitte quote in the near future saying team’s treatment of Jeter was a factor in retirement? I get the feeling the Core 3/4 vs. Cashman feud is just beginning. I’m not including Mo because I don’t see him ever getting involved in something like that.
Ivan

Well this isn’t good.
http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder

As for as Cashman saying it wasn’t an injury issue during the in-game interview, Jorge said “[Cashman] made a mis-statement. That’s the way he works now.” Wow, shots fired.

Clemens: “I think Andy mis-remembered.”
- Adam
  
  “This was a fun game to watch.”
  
  I made a mis-statement.
aRX

So, Cashman said it was non-injury related, Girardi says he didn’t know anything about any back problems, but Jorge says he had back stiffness all along…this is either a very lame attempt at damage control, or the clusterfuck of the year. Or both. Whatever.
wow

this is the last thing a team needs during a “slump”
http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder

If Posada told Girardi he needed a mental health day, then what’s he doing taking pregame drills and having his back tighten up?

Shouldn’t he have been doing nothing and thus, not had a chance for his back to tighten up?
- Dr. O
  
  I’m purely speculating, but I’m wondering if there was a Yankees front office member/Posada confrontation prior to the meeting with Girardi. It is way too odd that Jorge was giving statements about putting himself into that spot and then scratching himself minutes before the game.
  - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
    
    Yeah, this “back tightness” stuff from his wife is the big thorn here. It seems like a lame spin attempt, and it’s hard to put that genie back in the bottle.
    
    If Jorge was seriously upset, he should have just asked for a mental health day and left it at that.
    - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
      
      And the back tightness comment was conspicuously absent from Jorge’s postgame comments.
      
      He said “I wasn’t able to play today” but didn’t mention specific physical reasons why he wasn’t able to play.
      - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
        
        Nevermind, he said it.
Dr. O

I’m guessing Jorge has identified without question Cashman made the “hissy fit” comment.
Adam

I have to say, Girardi is handling this well…
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
  
  I think so, but he’s clearly agitated. He’s ready to rip his shirt off Hulk Hogan style and throw a table.
  - Adam
    
    I did think he walked a tight balance between pissed off and understanding of the rigors of a season. Human in his understanding but also a manager in his reaction.
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
  
  I think so too. Not knowing what the future will hold, Girardi is purposely framing the pregame conversation in a way to give both Posada and Cashman ways to safe face and make nice.
  
  He’s walking the line well, IMO.
- IRF
  
  What did he say? (roughly)
  - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
    
    Basically that Jorge told him he needed a mental health day and wasn’t fully able to play because of it, and Joe took that and decided he didn’t want Jorge in the lineup if his head wasn’t 100% right.
    - IRF
      
      Thanks. That seems reasonable considering what else has been said
  - Adam
    
    Didn’t have an indication of an injury, Jorgie asked for a day off to clear his mind and that he understands the mental difficulties that Posada is going through. With the caveat that a lot of players are currently frustrated.
Mister Delaware

This guarantees a Yankees win tomorrow after non-stop “THE YANKEES ARE IN TURMOIL!!!” stories leading up. Always works that way.
Real Talk

These media types are so disappointed they could cry.
JobaWockeeZ

Shit is going down.
Zooboy

This is much Sado about nothing me thinks.

Now cut the shit and beat the Sox.
fred

Jorge, don’t just take a mental day, take the rest of the year off and get the hell out of here your ungrateful punk.

Too bad you have so much money or you would find out what the real world is about and believe me you spoiled punk, it is a grind every day.

Loser, liar and punk.
- JobaWockeeZ
  
  5 rings.
  - in the know
    
    4
    - Mister Delaware
      
      Eh, he probably did get one from ’96. Doesn’t pretty much everyone who appears during the regular season?
    - JobaWockeeZ
      
      5 he still got it in 96.
      - in the know
        
        15 plate appearances
        
        JobaWockeeZ
        
        Dude it’s a fact he got a ring. Nady and CMW got a ring in 2009, I really don’t know what you are arguing.
        
        http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
        
        Steven Jackson, people.
- Mister Delaware
  
  Oh shit I can only imagine how Jorge will react when he reads this biting post!!!
- swishers fauxhawk
  
  Damn, I forgot baseball players aren’t real people with real feelings, and don’t train an incredible amount to get themselves into game shape.
- tom
  
  congratulations. It wasn’t easy winning Dumbest Overall Comment tonight, but you pulled it off.
  - Dr. O
    
    Take it easy on Fred, if you’ve only followed the team since they won in 2009 Jorge Posada is a completely different player to you as a fan.
Pat D

Methinks this is going to get a whole lot worse.
emac2

Give him his money and show him the door. There is no way he helps the team this year or in the future. It isn’t like he is going out gracefully so what is the point of showing him the respect of a roster spot when he is just going to spit in the teams face?
pat

“[Cashman] made a mis-statement. That’s the way he works now

I assume he’s referring to Cash’s comments during the Jeter negotiations. These guys don’t like anyone pointing out that they’re not supermen anymore.
- Real Talk
  
  they probably also don’t like it when their statements are intentionally mischaracterized to make them look bad.
  - pat
    
    When did that happen?
    - pat
      
      *EDIT*- Apparently it happened with this particular quote.
  - JobaWockeeZ
    
    Like what? They had to do it so Jeter doesn’t get a RAISE. It’s negotiating. If someone’s ego has to be hurt so that the team isn’t crippled then so be it.
  - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
    
    It seems like he’s mostly pissed that Cashman is commenting at all, especially mid-game. Jorge’s a bit of an old-school guy, IMO, who thinks only he or Girardi should be addressing the press about who is or isn’t playing or capable of playing any given night and might be upset that Cashman is talking to the press about a conversation between him and Girardi.
    - Adam
      
      And that is kind of legit. Isn’t this situation less dramatized if Cashman doesn’t go on Fox in the middle of the game? By doing so clearly Cash (who I normally defend) was sending a message.
      - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
        
        Yeah, I’m a little upset at Posada for conveniently deciding that he needed a breather the same night he’s dropped to ninth, but I’m also starting to get upset at Cashman for his comments midgame. He’s putting Girardi in a bit of a bind here by giving the press information in a way that prevents Girardi from massaging the situation in a way that lets Jorge save face.
        
        Cashman’s kind of forcing the issue, which might not be the best thing to do here.
        
        Jericho Spade
        
        Cashman may also be forcing the issue for another reason and pulling a bit of a Theo to make things easier next month. Even though he has been a bit outspoken, it seems like he says things for a reason and is not a loose cannon. The one thing he said, which was suspect was about Feliciano, but he was obviously just pissed that he will essentially be a zero for the duration of his contract.
        
        24fan
        
        I don’t see anything too wrong with Jorge wanting a mental health day today. Do I wish he would have sucked it up? Sure. But I’m not going to hold it against him that he wants a day to get his head straight after hitting .165 and then getting dropped to 9th.
- JobaWockeeZ
  
  Good point, it may have not been a shot but who knows.
- tom
  
  actually, having just heard the comment on tape, there were a few sentences inbetween, which makes it seem far less nasty.
  
  I love creating editing in journalism.
  - pat
    
    That would explain a lot. Makes it a little less blunt, but I think the intention is still there.
- Dr. O
  
  there is more to that quote too. The part where Posada asked why Cashman is commenting on that during the game is important,
Crime Dog

Is it bad that I still love Jorgie and want him to start hitting 265/340/430 and be a decent player and be able to end his career in a decent way?
- swishers fauxhawk
  
  +27
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
  
  No.
- Adam
  
  No because you know what, no matter how dicky this kind of is, it is driven by the personality that made him a valuable player and member of the team for a long time. Misplaced for sure, and when it comes down to it he needs to suck it up, but…
  - jackstrawelf
    
    Agree completely, can’t put out competitive fire
mike c

cash vs. posada, reeeeer
Ori

Jorge is the man, now play ball
fred

Look at him in this post game interview. He is so friggen arrogant saying that the front office should not say anything during a game. Who make him Managing Partner.

Somoene should tell him that with Martin catching over him the staff is so much better with less talent than last year.
- David, Jr.
  
  Agree completely. He shouldn’t even be on the team.
  
  Benefits of cutting him and bringing up Montero to DH: Jolt to the team, which they need. Lineup gets markedly better. Team begins to get younger, which they need to do.
Adam

Any bets on the Post’s headline tomorrow? Jip Jip Jorge?
- Mister Delaware
  
  PoSADa
  
  ?
  - Adam
    
    No-Sada
    - pat
      
      +1. Definitely.
fred

Breaking news, “Posada just said he has a yeast infection and did not want it to come out.”

Yes, he is a big pussy.

How do you disrespect a .160 hitter?

He should be cutting the lawn in the stadium not making $13M for being a horrible player.
- swishers fauxhawk
  
  Oh yay, let’s resort to racial stereotypes.
  - Mister Delaware
    
    Easy there. You don’t want Everyday Grinder Fred to take aim at you once he’s done with Posada, do you?
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
  
  Fred, do us all a favor:
  
  Shut the fuck up.
  - Pat D
    
    I have to start making a list of those to ignore. Responses like this from tsjc make it easier to do this.
  - Dr. O
    
    at least all the trolls agree with each other so the list of comments to ignore is easier to decide
- jackstrawelf
  
  No they should get rid of shitty Kevin longno
dc1874

….we need The Boss to rise from the dead to sort this mess out!!!!
http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder

Yeah, Jorge’s pissed because he thinks Cashman is throwing him under the bus. He’s thinking he told Girardi he can’t go tonight because he’s not 100% (both mentally and physically) and Cash then went to the press and made a point of saying that Jorge asked out of the game but was physically 100% okay to play and that that characterization was a cheap shot.

Which it might have been.
- Adam
  
  During the game, no less. Entirely superfluous and only had the potential to make a mountain out of a molehill.
- Reggie C.
  
  Cashman apparently does not believe in mental health days.
  - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
    
    Or he’s intentionally trying to embarrass Jorge to piss him off and force him into retiring. It’s a dicey strategy, but it’s a possible one Cash could have decided to take.
    
    He seems to have espoused the “I’m going to be brutally honest at all times, even if it potentially embarrasses my players under contract” philosophy this year. I don’t know if I agree with it.
    - fire levine
      
      I love it. It’s real refreshing.
- IRF
  
  I don’t think it was a cheap shot. Part of it was mental, we’ll never know how much. I’m willing to assume that it was largely a mental thing, and the back stiffness validated Jorge asking for a day off. If he was hitting .320, is there any doubt he would have played through it?
  
  That being said, Cash doesn’t understand what its like to play an entire season, nor does he understand what its like to watch your own career fall apart.
  
  Both guys are to blame here.
  - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
    
    My theory is, Sado probably got pissed that he was dropped to ninth and begged out of the game with a “My back hurts and I’m not mentally into this game” excuse (both of which are probably true but not the real issue he wanted to sit), which pissed Girardi off and made him (rightly) bench Posada, and Girardi then went to Cashman and told him he’d benched Posada (as he was supposed to do).
    
    Cashman probably asked “Is he injured/hurt/etc.? Or just pissed about being dropped in the order?” Girardi told him no, he’s not injured, per se, and yes, my gut is he’s probably pissed about being dropped and that’s the lion’s share of why he asked out of the lineup.
    
    Cashman then told the press he was out of the lineup and when Cashman was asked “was he removed because of a physical problem” he refused to massage or nuance the situation and said “No, Jorge isn’t injured”. Which is technically correct but also paints Jorge into a corner.
    
    JMHO.
    - themgmt
      
      cash talked to posada before the game, wasn’t a relayed message
ultimate913

If hitting .165 is “giving it your all”, then I’d hate to see you when you slump.

I love you, Jorge. I really do. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for this organization throughout your 15 years here. But, you have to either play like a ML player or retire respectfully.
- Mister Delaware
  
  Signed,
  
  Everyone who booed Teix and Granderson in their first Aprils with the team
- jackstrawelf
  
  Get rid of hitting coach who cant help a designated hitter, a rightfielder, a thirdbaseman, or anyone who he works with
  - Pat D
    
    Because you know exactly what he does at all times with all hitters, right?
    
    Jesus, just stop with the trolling already.
    - TSJC Troll Doppleganger
      
      Pat D – Jesus, just stop whining about the trolling. Are you a communist that hates free speech?
      - Pat D
        
        Nope. Just free speech with which I disagree.
        
        Like Fox News.
        
        It’s not that I whine about the trolling, but when some people always repeat the same thing over and over again and it’s totally irrational, I’ll say something.
  - Mister Delaware
    
    If I were responding to you in the form of a 7th grade essay, I’d start like this:
    
    Myopic. Webster’s Dictionary defines this as “a lack of foresight or discernment : a narrow view of something” …
    
    Then I’d talk about how a lack of proper context and a reactionary nature are always always detriments to a person’s decision making process. I’d be looking at a B+, minimum.
    - Mister Delaware
      
      (The B+ rather than an A because, obviously, I was a poor proofreader in 7th grade and still am today.)
  - Adam
    
    Except for all those people he has helped.
- 24fan
  
  Why does he have to do one of those two things? Because you want him to? Maybe he loves playing the game even when he can’t do it at a high level. People tried to give Ricky Henderson crap for playing way way way past his prime but he loved the game. If he keeps playing poorly the Yankees will respond accordingly, but if he wants to keep sucking out there why should any of us care? (Yes we should care that he is hurting the team, but benching him solves that)
- Real Talk
  
  His BB, K, ISO and contact rates are all pretty much in line with what you’d expect, maybe a tiny (and perhaps insignificant) bit down, but hey, he’s old as hell. His BABIP is .164. His LD rate is quite low as well, but with of luck his numbers would be drastically better than they are. Unless he’s intentionally hitting the ball at people, I find it hard to believe he’s mailing it in. He’s just not hitting the ball hard, and he’s been spectacularly unlucky on top of it. Dasit.
emac2

I sure hope Cash gets the complete support of ownership on this one. If nothing else the yanks have paid top dollar to their declining stars. It’s one thing to let them ruin a payroll structure but demanding lineup spots and playing time is just going too far.

BTW – I’m more then a little amazed some of you guys are giving a pass to a Yankee player who needs time off to think about how respected he is during a red sox series when the team is struggling?

Are you fin kidding me?
- Adam
  
  I’m not defending him per se, I do think he should have been in the lineup as long as he could go. That said, if he needed a day off for whatever reason I don’t think that is the end of the world (though perhaps would have been better to inform the club of earlier on). I bet this happens more than we ever find out, which in the end is probably why it rubs Posada the wrong way.
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
  
  Nobody’s giving a pass to Posada, we just understand how hard it can be to deal with the pride of accepting that your great career might be over.
  
  He probably made a bad decision, but I get why he did it. That’s all.
- Reggie C.
  
  Well … to be fair, Posada is in the LAST year of a contract that has seen him turn in 2009 and 2010 seasons that the majority of ML catchers would love to have.
  
  We’re still sorting through conflicting information here. This “back stiffness” thing may be a poor excuse by Posada’s camp to deflect his reaction to hitting 9th, but at the end of the day, Posada wasnt in any position to help this team out tonight.
  
  I’m not gonna kill a guy for getting caught up emotionally in one night in a season of futility. Posada just didnt seem to be in right headspace to help this team.
Crime Dog

I think Cashman made this situation much worse by going on-air mid game. He only complicated the issue which appeared to be between Girardi-Posada and made it an organization-Posada thing.
- Jericho Spade
  
  Obviously, there was much more to the issue then either Girardi or Posada said. Did you see both of their faces during the interviews. Neither was happy at all. Cashman did what a GM does and stood up for Girardi, by making it about him and not Joe.
  - Crime Dog
    
    I agree on everything except for how cashman went about it. He didn’t give Girardi or Posada much of a chance to settle whatever the problem is by going out there and saying it wasn’t injury related. If he had never said that, the “back stiffness/ mind clearing” would have gone over more smoothly. Now it seems even more obvious that the hissy-fit that Curry referred to earlier happened. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Posada retire, DFA’d, or flat out released in a couple weeks (unless he hits). Basically, the June 1st arbitrary date that Mike keeps talking about.
    - Jericho Spade
      
      You are right, but some things may be too egregious to cover up. Cashman looked pretty taken aback when speaking before. Additionally, as I said earlier Cashman may be pulling a Theo to make it easier in a few months when Posada is forced to retire (just my speculation). Jorge is still feeling “disrespected” for one reason or another.
  - Dr. O
    
    make no mistake, Cashman put Girardi in a tough spot by giving that interview.
    - Jericho Spade
      
      There is just more to the story than was spoken about tonight by Girardi or Jorge. There is a good chance when Cashman spoke, he had just finished speaking with Jorge and thought it was necessary.
    - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
      
      And he probably did it to put Posada in a tough spot, intentionally.
      - Jericho Spade
        
        That is what I am saying, I think there was a specific reason for it. There have been whispers for the last week or so now that the Yankees don’t know what to do about Jorge. We all knew this wasn’t going to end well. Whether he had a great year, he would want to come back for more, even with Montero waiting in the wings. If he didn’t have a great year, well we are seeing it.
        
        I sympathize with the guy, it sucks! However, time waits for no man, unfortunately.
        
        The BIG 3
        
        Montero waiting in the wings…
        
        If I were jorge I’d be pissed off too. Based on what scouts have concluded about Jesus and how jorge performed last year, why isn’t he the backup catcher? Why can’t he go 2 games a week like Varitek in Boston. Because of Cervelli? because he’d be worse than Tek?? really??. He caught 83 games last year but he can’t be relied upon to catch 50 this year, his last in baseball?
        
        Ridiculous. Give em hell, Po
http://twitter.com/Paddock9652 Stratman9652

This would have probably been a complete non issue if he had asked for a day any other day. The only reason its a big deal is because it happens to be the day he was dropped to the 9 hole.
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
  
  Indeed. But it’s still a big deal.
  - Coolerking101
    
    Or if he didn’t ask for a day while the team is slumping and playing its biggest rival.
    - tom
      
      And being broadcast by a network that loves Bad Yankee News.
    - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
      
      Counterargument of that:
      
      Perhaps Girardi should have moved Posada down to ninth earlier during the KC series or later during the TB series to avoid this potential clusterfuck from happening during national TV where Buck/McCarver/Rosenthal would latch onto it like starving dogs and milk the story for all they can. Perhaps you’d rather have Kay, Flaherty, Kim Jones, and Nancy Newman trying to milk the story regionally rather than the FOX boys trying to milk it nationally and trying to track down Cashman midgame for an on-camera soundbyte.
Simon

Look, this is a messy situation and no matter how bad things may look. No matter how bad the Yankees play in ONE GAME IN MAY and how much we get mad and frustrated, we gotta keep telling ourselves that there are always plenty of games to come and plenty of opportunities. We also need to remember that this is also a business and what needs to be done is to do what gives you the best chance of winning. There’s always the next game to go out and play your best. just my 2-cents.
Zooboy

Hm….I wonder how Slade Heathcott would handle this situation?
tom

I’d like to take a moment to praise Joe Girardi here. The press guys were just begging him to pour some gasoline on the fire, and he flat refused. I especially loved when someone asked him to respond to a Jorge comment (actually, a paraphrase of a Jorge comment), and he said essentially he wouldn’t react to hearsay, would need to hear it himself before commenting. So many in the press never left the schoolyard (“Hey, did you hear what Richie said about you?”).

This is the sort of stuff Joe Torre was always praised for — not letting crises build. I don’t know that Girardi would have handled it as well in his first year, but he did about as well as possible tonight.
dkidd

what possible good could come from cashman commenting during the game? bad decision on his part, imho

i love jorge and still believe he can be a good dh
- Zooboy
  
  Agreed. I find Cashman going to the press mid-game baffling. Better to have kept it “in the family.”
swishers fauxhawk

Picture putting in thousands of hours of your life trying to establish a career in what you love to do.

Now, after all those hours of grinding (Yes Fred, grinding) and trying to get better at your dream job, you’re told that it’s in the best interests of the company to give you a diminished role, because your performance is on the decline. It isn’t exactly the easiest situation to mentally cope with. Oh I forgot, professional athletes aren’t allowed to have emotions.

I think this entire issue has been overblown by the media. No one will know the true story of what went on in Girardi’s office, except Posada and Girardi.

Right now, the entire situation’s a mess, and fingers can be pointed everywhere. However, it’s foolish to blame only one man for this situation.
- V
  
  I could certainly handle it pretty well if I made more than $100M in my career, and could retire to a life of comfort for me, my children, their children, their children, etc.
  - Big Juan
    
    It’s incredibly easy to say that from our shoes. I’m not saying that Jorge was right in what he did, but those guys go to where they did because they’re wired differently than us.
http://Facebook.com/andrewjcalagna Drew

Shit has officially hit the fan.
- dkidd
  
  i picked the wrong week to quit peeing on my hands
Pat D

You know what? I blame Fox for all of this. If they weren’t broadcasting this game, there never would have been an in-game interview with Cashman.

So, that’s right, I blame Fox television in all its forms for all of the problems in this country.
- jackstrawelf
  
  I agree fox sucks on every level
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
  
  I blame Javy Vazquez for all of this shit.
  
  All of it.
  - Pat D
    
    Dammit! Why do I always forget Javy?
    
    WHY?!?!?!?!?!
    - fire levine
      
      Because you’re too busy mixing your politics with your sports.
  - Adam
    
    Ronan Tynan has a different scapegoat for this situation…
ultimate913

KenDavidoff
Cashman: “It’s a situation created by Jorgie, and it can be explained only by Jorgie.” #Yankees

KenDavidoff
Brian Cashman, on Posada’s post-game comments: “It’s disappointing. Jorgie knew what I was going to say, as did his agents.” #Yankees

Kevin Hart voice: It’s about. To go. Down.
- Dr. O
  
  I would certainly argue with pretty good evidence that neither Posada or Girardi had any idea that Cashman was giving a statement mid-game let alone what he was saying in it.
- Reggie C.
  
  I hate to be that guy but … links please?
  
  Cashman is talking a whole lot tonight and appears to be going on the defense when he didnt create the situation. Cash merely answered a question from that runt Fox reporter.
  - Reggie C.
    
    Nevermind. http://twitter.com/#!/kendavidoff
BigBlueAL

With Cashman basically authoring his own “Torre Years” book but just doing it through the press this year I have a feeling he knows he is out of here after the season and doesnt give a shit what bridges he burns in the process.

Cant say I necessarily blame him because he has put up with alot of shit during his time with the Yankees but it sure seems like he aint going out quietly thats for sure.

P.S. Im pretty sure he is in his final year of his contract correct??
- JobaWockeeZ
  
  If he goes we’re in deep shit. Randy Levine might start running things and THAT’S when we’ll turn into the Mets.
  - Pat D
    
    http://www.nooooooooooooooo.com/
    
    Times infinity.
    - JobaWockeeZ
      
      Exactly that.
  - Crime Dog
    
    If Oppenheimer were to take over, I don’t thing the organization would be screwed. If Levine did, however, look out.
    - Crime Dog
      
      Think*
      /RISPFAIL(SPELLFAIL)
  - BigBlueAL
    
    I like Cashman alot and hope he stays but this year he really has opened his mouth and been a bit too vocal on alot of issues. He has always been candid but this has gotten a bit out of hand I think which is why I think maybe he has changed his tune somewhat because he doesnt want/care if he comes back next year.
    - JobaWockeeZ
      
      Well if he really didn’t care Montero would be gone for Joe Blanton by now.
      
      And he was right to be pissed for the Soriano signing.
      - BigBlueAL
        
        Cashman aint going to sabotage the team either now lol.
- Pat D
  
  Yes, he is, but I’m pretty sure he’ll be back as long as the Steinbrothers want him back.
  
  And I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t want him back.
- Pasqua
  
  Cashman has most definitely been taking a new and different tact in the last year, but when it comes down to it, I think it’s unfair to assume that he’s laying the groundwork for leaving. He’s still got a huge job to do, and is still collecting a generous paycheck, so to just dismiss his actions as the work of a disgruntled employee sells him short.
  
  Cashman likes to talk a big game about the allure of a small market team, but in the end, the dollars usually talk. And the dollars are here.
Crime Dog

I’m actually glad that Posada didn’t retire tonight in retrospect.

Can you guys imagine the pressure Jesus would have had on him if they called him up to replace Posada? Its not even close to the ideal situation they appear to want to bring him into.
David

Jorge’s comment is as fake as his wife’s breasts, not only that but… mmmmmm breastssssss
King George

You guys backing Jorge on here are pathetic. 95% of you were all on the Yankee side of the fence during the game. Go back and look at all the comments. Now, after watching Jorge’s pathetic press conference, you back Jorge? Give me a break. It’s called spin…a very basic public relations concept. Notice how his wife went on Twitter and all of a sudden said his back was “stiff.” It’s very easy to understand how everything went down. Jorge tells the media he deserves to hit 9th, then blasts Girardi and throws a temper tantrum, then the media tears into him, and finally he puts together a weak excuse for his behavior and then goes on the offensive regarding Cash. Come on, Jorge. Have some flippin’ class. He complains about his job when he makes $13.4m this year? Let’s bring up Vasquez, someone who might actually appreciate the 9th spot in the lineup of one of the best franchises in baseball…
- Pat D
  
  Seems to be another one of those situations where both sides were right, and both sides were wrong.
  
  As it is with most situations in life.
  - King George
    
    I can respect that. But, I hope people don’t start a “Rally for Jorge” just because of his sob story. It just seems that he is putting together a half-assed PR spin where he talks in circles. Cash may have been wrong in opening his mouth on national TV, but this can’t turn into a clubhouse distraction either.
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
  
  We’re not backing Jorge.
  
  We’re just saying that Cashman seems to have intentionally painted Jorge into a corner, making it harder for Jorge to quietly apologize to his team and try to fix what he messed up and save face.
  
  Jorge fucked up, and Cashman seems to have decided that that fuckup is unforgivable. That’s a dangerous way to run a franchise.
  
  People all night long (myself included) compared Jorge’s cop-out to Pippen’s famous refusal to re-enter the game. Well, in that scenario, Phil Jackson benched Pippen and didn’t stand in the way of the team ripping him for it, but he also left an opening for Pippen to remain a part of the team going forward.
  
  An organization deciding that certain mistakes are unforgivable can set a dangerous precedent, and while we’re all pissed at Jorge for what he did, several of us are also very concerned with how the organization (namely Cashman) has responded to Jorge’s actions.
  - King George
    
    I can certainly understand that. For whatever reason, I tend to agree with your perspective on most management issues from what I’ve seen. I’m also curious to see if there is a divide within the clubhouse. Are players going to see how management reacts/calls them out a la Jeter and now Jorge? It seems Cash is opening his mouth a little bit too much (not to take away from what Jorge did). Slightly concerning, no?
    - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
      
      Yes, it is becoming concerning to me. I’ve generally backed Cash because he generally makes more good decisions than bad ones, but this Cash of the past offseason to the present seems to have zero problems airing dirty laundry, and that’s a really, really dangerous way of doing business.
      
      I don’t really get his endgame in all of this.
      - Pasqua
        
        I sense a “There’s a new sheriff in town” kind of vibe from Cashman, especially regarding the veteran guys; almost like he’s trying to establish that just because guys like Jeter and Posada have been around forever, they are not bigger than the team…or the front office.
        
        If we have to choose a narrative, I’ll go with that one. Just spittin’.
        
        http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
        
        Perhaps, perhaps.
      - fire levine
        
        “I don’t really get his endgame in all of this.”
        
        With Cashman you never do.
        
        http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
        
        No, with Cashman you usually do. I’ve been able to grasp his endgame for about 11 of the 13 years in charge. Lately, with his treatment of Joba and this whole Winter/Spring of Speaking Dangerously, I don’t know anymore.
  - Pat D
    
    I’m not backing Jorge.
    
    But I am backing Britain.
    
    And because of the “I’m Backing Britain” campaign, I think I’ll write this little ditty.
    
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn3YqoRDTQo
iloveyoubartolo

I find this moral equivalence people are trying to establish baffling. I love him but this is on Posada.
- Adam
  
  It’s not about moral equivalence. Both Jorgie and Cash are wrong in this situation, for different reasons and for different actions. Even if I find Jorgie’s decision to be wrong I also do understand it and don’t think it was the end of the world. I am somewhat baffled by Cash, because any of the possible explanations are kind of back-handed.
  - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
    
    That.
    
    Jorge is wrong for what Jorge did.
    
    But Cashman might have been wrong for what he did, too.
  - iloveyoubartolo
    
    Even if I find Jorgie’s decision to be wrong I also do understand it
    
    Sorry but i can’t even begin to understand it.
    - Adam
      
      Fair enough…I just mean that I understand his frustration, his mindset and perhaps even his desire to take a day off if he thought he wasn’t ready to play tonight (mentally or otherwise).
    - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
      
      You can’t understand a guy being overly prideful and being the last one to admit that he’s not the same player anymore?
      
      You can’t understand a guy being offended that he’s being told “We don’t think you are as good as you used to be”? And doing something petulant because he’s offended?
      
      It’s not right or acceptable, but it’s eminently understandable.
- King George
  
  EXACTLY.
hornblower

If Posada retired tonite there is no reason why Montero would be brought up. Jorge is not a catcher anymore so the Yanks would need to replace him with a batter not a catcher.
- TSJC Troll Doppleganger
  
  IMO, not happening. Cashman doesn’t want to expose his one trade chip against MLB pitching. Yanks have given me the impression there not that high on Montero, either. I see Vazquez being called up before Montero.
  - TSJC Troll Doppleganger
    
    * they’re
    
    I hate those spelling errors, too!
  - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
    
    Yanks have given me the impression there not that high on Montero, either.
    
    That doesn’t make sense.
    - TSJC Troll Doppleganger
      
      I think if they were high on Montero, he would have started the season on the roster and not Gus Molina.
      - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
        
        Teams hold talented prospects that they’re high on back in the minors to start the season all the time. All the time.
        
        Not starting the year with the big club doesn’t mean they’ve soured on him. It means they want him playing every day and getting better as opposed to rotting on the bench behind Martin and Posada, who were playing everyday.
  - Pat D
    
    Only if they still honestly think that Montero can catch and they want him to get more “seasoning.”
Optomist

We will all look back and laugh about this after beating in the phillies in 5 in the WS!
- King George
  
  Love it. +1000
BigBlueAL

Cashman turned this into a bigger situation by talking during the game.

If he doesnt say anything this doesnt become 1/100th as big of a story as it became imo.

It still wouldve been a story and Posada wouldve had to answer questions after the game but there wouldnt have been all the silly speculation that went on for the entire game due to Cashman speaking.
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
  
  Eh, it’s still a big story, it’s just an easier big story to turn back into a small story.
  
  Posada benching himself after being slotted 9th in the order is a big story. Girardi would have had the option to keep it largely in-house, though, but Cashman went public. He didn’t really make it bigger, he just prevented the chance that it remained a nebulous big story where we didn’t have a good handle on what really happened.
  - BigBlueAL
    
    But Cashman specifically said it had nothing to do with an injury and put it all on Posada.
    
    If Cashman doesnt say anything they couldve maybe announced later during the game Posada had a stiff back or whatever.
    
    Cashman saying what he said put it entirely on Posad and made him look bad. It made it impossible for Posada to save face. Now that may not matter and Posada probably doesnt deserve to be protected in this case but still as you mentioned above its not a good way to do things.
    - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
      
      We’re saying the same thing in different ways.
      - BigBlueAL
        
        Great minds think alike. Sort of.
Simon

Ya know what would make this situation better?!? DUH, WINNING!!!
- Pat D
  
  +Sheen
Simon

You know what would make this situation better?!? DUH, WINNING!!!
C-Mac

There’s more to this. Andrew Marchand is saying cashman told posada and his agent what he was going to say ahead of time. Cashman wouldnt just do this to be spiteful, I don’t think. I imagine this has been going on for a while.
Pasqua

Free advice for both Cash and Jorge: shut the fuck up and sleep on it.
Simon

You know what would make tis situation better?!?!? DUH, WINNING!!!!
- Pasqua
  
  Dude…we get it.
  - Simon
    
    My bad didn’t mean to post that more than once, sorry.
    - Pasqua
      
      No worries.
- King George
  
  You know what would make this situation better? Acting mature and not posting this same post 15 times. Shut up.
BigBlueAL

Now apparently Cashman is saying more stuff to the media after Posada’s interview.
TSJC Troll Doppleganger

Jorge – we’ll miss your pathetic non-blocks of the plate and cavalier, reckless way of running (did I type running?) the bases.

Please bow out gracefully like Bobby Murcer did.
emac2

How does Cashmen explain away the last minute line up change?

Why should Cashmen have to create some big coverup and lie to the media anyway?

None of this is on cash. He isn’t hired to take the blame or run around and make up stories for guys who decide they don’t really feel like playing at the last minute.

You get paid 13 million dollars. The very least you can do is live with your decisions not to play instead of blaming the GM for answering questions about where you are.
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
  
  Who is Cashmen?
  - C-Mac
    
    Why does this matter? (The mistake in spelling.)
    - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
      
      He’s been GM for 13 years. His name has seven letters. Is it that hard to spell his name right?
  - billbybob
    
    Multiple Cashmans obviously.
  - http://twitter.com/marcos_aguirre Marcos
    
    Oh you didn’t hear? Cash cloned himself… something about two minds being better than one.
    Now our GM is Brians Chasmen!
King George

Curious to see what happens to the Cashman-Posada relationship. It seems both Cashman and Posada are spinning a very different story…I’m not sure what to think about the end result here.
General Tsao

Posada’s gotta go. They either need to release him or pay most of his salary and trade him away. He’s become a cancer in the locker room. If he gets away with quitting on his club and bashing the GM then others will do the same. Nobody tells the manager where he hits in the lineup, especially a guy hitting .160
http://www.bigdaddytickets.com Jeff Moreau

Well, Here we go again. Another controversy.
What’s new?
It seems like it’s an every day thing.
Just go to the stadium and play ball, end of issue!
Thanks Cinco

This is a good thing since now the yanks will have some cover when they make the Montero move in the coming weeks.
Al

Hate to say it but I’d eat the contract and release him tonight. Good bye and don’t let the door hit you on your way out.

Absolutely unbelievable. If the Yankees let Posada get away with this the patients are running the asylum.

I’d bring up Vazquez (who is mashing the ball in AAA) and Montero both.
- forensic
  
  Impressive, two call-ups for one release.
noseeum

I love the hyperbole on both sides. Totally uncool of Posada to bow out of a game an hour before it starts. Especially a Sox game.

At a minimum he deserves the embarrassment he got. And Cashman has every right to be pissed. And every right to purposely escalate it with that interview, which is definitely what he did.

Posada should get his ass handed to him by jeter tomorrow and then apologize to the team. And then everyone should forget about it.

A guy like this shouldn’t be thrown off the team for one mistake. That’s just dumb.
- forensic
  
  Yeah, right. Jeter would take Posada’s side a thousand times before he would take the side of the team/franchise. He’d love to have the chance to make little back-handed comments about Cashman and the organization again after the offseason.
KyleLitke

To correct something here, Posada did not say he told Girardi and Cashman (well, initially). In his rambling talk to the media he said 3 or 4 times that he did not tell them he was hurt (when asked why, he said because it wasn’t serious…then said it was enough to keep him out of the lineup). At the end he suddenly said he told them that, but I’m guessing he just got flustered and misspoke since all 3 said he did not tell them.
Phil C

The best way to solve this problem is to sit Posada out of Sunday night’s game and have Jeter bat 9th. If Jeter leads the way and bats 9th, then Posada can’t complain. This is a chance for Jeter to lead by example! Giradi and Cashman can address the problem without saying another word and Posada either accepts batting 9th or has absolutely no grounds for complaints of any kind.
- http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
  
  I laughed.
JohnC

A Big Yankees controversy. Just what the national and NY media was looking for. Here come the vultures. Hello Mike Lupica, Bill Madded, Joel Sherman, NESPN???
celerino sanchez

HIP! HIP! JESUS! Too bad it is going down this way, but Jorge’s behavior is unacceptable. It’s about the team, not about Jorge.
Tom Merritt

Jorge is being disrespectful to HIMSELF and to the YANKEES!! He has been a poor fielding and throwing catcher for his entire career and now he’s a .160 BA DH??? No team can afford that much less the Yankees.

Why can’t he have the self respect to admit to himself that he is done and retire gracefully. Jeter is going down the same path. No one plays forever and those that insist on hanging on like this diminish their legacies and reputations.

This is all on Jorge! He has already gotten the kid glove treatment by Joe. Time to pack up and retire TODAY, Jorge!!
Rookie

What did Matthews get wrong?:

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-.....id=6551248
LarryM.,Fl.

My thoughts on the Posada situation is quite clear. Jorge did not think of the team when he was placed ninth in the order. We can indicate that he has pride, always played hard, did not beg out of games, one of the core four. Well, this is Jorge’s mistake. He has to fix it. Its not Cashman’s fault nor Girardi’s.

Jorge reacted poorly and without regard for the team. He should have looked at the lineup card, shut his mouth and drive in some runs. The Yankees are paying him 13 million dollars a year. This is an outrageous amount of money for a guy who’s hitting .165. They paid him on past performances which is graceous on the Yankees part.

I’m a long time Yankee fan from the 50’s era. I seen enough real stars move through the Yankee universe to know one very good ballplayer who acted selfish when his team needed his example to accept the manager’s decision until he could fix his hitting issues.
Kulish

Cashman did nothing wrong, he handled it just fine. He was doing his job. It’s not his fault his player threw a bitch fit and quit on the team.