Mike Lupica--Brian Cashman's in charge, & his guys are Torre, Mattingly, Mussina
"But at least the Yankees are addressing their problems in a bold manner:
Since the Tigers, a team that lost to the Cardinals in five games, beat them, the Yankees have fired their P.R. man and bench coach, Lee Mazzilli." Lupica forgets the letting go of 2 longtime scouts with no replacements named. This is a very important area, one that needed attention so a noteworthy personnel change.
- It wasn't Mazzilli's fault, of course. But with the massive coordination that must go on with all facets of the Yankee business, and in what I've documented as acute neglect in important aspects of the YES Network/Yankee link, the PR/Media guy would be 1 of several changes that might help.
"This is Cashman's show now. Why isn't Lou Piniella the Yankee manager right now? Because Cashman didn't want him, that's why. He didn't want Piniella now because he wants his guy, Mattingly, later. Torre didn't save his job by calling Steinbrenner. Derek Jeter didn't do it. Cashman did.
Cashman never saw Willie Randolph as Torre's successor, and that was after Randolph was Torre's bench coach. But the G.M. is clearly sweet on Mattingly. He gets the (hot) seat next to Torre, after three seasons as a batting coach.
But Brian Cashman wanted the manager to stay on another year. Jeter - duh - wanted the only manager he's ever had to stay on another year. We see again how much power Cashman has in the new world order of the Yankees. Randy Levine, team president and stadium-getter, doesn't like it, but can't do anything about it, at least for the time being."