現金人：吉拉迪與洋基球員缺少連結 - 美國職棒

原文網址：https://tinyurl.com/y99wmfqm

New York Times

Joe Girardi Didn’t Sufficiently Connect With Yankees Players, Cashman Says
現金人：吉拉迪與洋基球員缺少連結

By BILLY WITZNOV. 6, 2017


新聞大意：

從兩個禮拜前吉拉迪離開洋基隊後，一直保持沉默的洋基總管現金人，在星期一接受訪問
時表示：吉拉迪與年輕化的洋基選手間無法良好互動，是導致吉拉迪去職的主因。

從上個球季以來，洋基正成功地將原本充斥老將的隊形轉型成聚集許多明日之星的球隊
，因此隊上需要新的聲音（來領導球隊）。現金人說他主要的考量是：「能全神灌注、與
年輕選手完全溝通與連結的能力。」「因此，對於已在教練位置上坐十年的某人來說，可
能會力有未逮」。現金人也澄清，他並不是因為吉拉迪與分析師間關係不佳、或是季後賽
時沒有要求重播挑戰而輸球，而讓吉拉迪去職。

雖然現金人並沒有舉出溝通不良的具體例子，但這仍有跡可循。例如八月時，吉拉迪曾因
捕手 Sanchez 在防守時不專注，而將他短暫放在冷板凳上並公開指責他。還有季後賽期
間，火球人 Chapman 在一篇要求洋基不要讓吉拉迪續任教頭的IG貼文上按讚，雖然事後
他說只是一場意外。

不過就在現金人發表看法後，吉拉迪在接受隨後訪問時，駁斥了任何關於溝通不良的看法
，並強調他與 Sanchez 間的關係是互相支持的。「我想現金人是想找些不同的元素，而
顯然我不符合他的期待。」

現金人對可能接任教頭的人選依然緊守口風，「目前仍沒有面面俱到的完美人選」。但他
承諾遴選的過程將會公開透明，每個候選人在面試後會安排與地方新聞媒體見面。雖然吉
拉迪本身治軍嚴厲且往往讓人感覺拒人千里之外，似乎與長袖善舞的前教頭托瑞成對比，
「但這並不代表洋基將找一位溝通大師來帶隊」。「新教頭要熟悉數字分析、理解運動科
學的角色、且願意挑戰傳統思維。」


新聞原文：

When the Yankees filmed an advertisement for a web development company this
summer, it humorously played off Manager Joe Girardi’s image as a square,
fatherly figure puzzled by the priorities of his younger players.

As it turned out, art was not imitating life — it was forecasting it.

Girardi’s inability to communicate well with an increasingly young clubhouse
was the primary factor that led to his dismissal, General Manager Brian
Cashman said Monday.

Cashman, speaking for the first time since Girardi’s departure from the team
nearly two weeks ago, praised him in a nearly hourlong conference call with
reporters. He described Girardi, whose contract expired after this season, as
an exceptional manager with a tireless work ethic who served the Yankees well
on and off the field during his decade in charge.

But with the Yankees having successfully transitioned over the last year and
a half from a team laden with veterans to one with an abundance of emerging
stars — right fielder Aaron Judge, catcher Gary Sanchez, first baseman Greg
Bird, shortstop Didi Gregorius and pitcher Luis Severino — Cashman said it
was time for a new voice.

The main area of concern was “the ability to fully engage, communicate and
connect with the playing personnel,” Cashman said. “And in saying that,
there might be a tough hurdle for someone that’s been in that particular
position as a manager for 10 years.”

Cashman would not address any specific instances of poor communication, but
some examples were evident this year. Girardi — a former catcher — was so
frustrated by Sanchez’s inattentiveness on defense that he briefly benched
him and publicly criticized him in August.

And during the playoffs, closer Aroldis Chapman liked an Instagram post that
urged the Yankees not to bring back Girardi, though he later said it was an
accident.

In an interview on the WFAN radio station that ran concurrently with Cashman’
s conference call, Girardi disputed the idea that there were any
communication problems and described his relationship with Sanchez as
supportive.

“I think Brian was looking for something different, and evidently I didn’t
fit the mold,” said Girardi, who nonetheless did not give an alternative
reason for his dismissal.

Cashman, who dismissed reports that hinted at increasing friction between him
and Girardi this season or that Girardi did not work well with the analytics
staff, also said that Girardi’s managerial gaffe in the postseason —
neglecting to call for a replay challenge that may have prevented a loss to
the Cleveland Indians in Game 2 of an American League division series — had
nothing to do with his ouster.

Asked if Girardi would have been back had the Yankees reached the World
Series instead of losing in a seven-game American League Championship Series
to the Houston Astros, Cashman said: “It’s tough to put a hypothetical in
there. We went where we went.”

After the Yankees lost Game 7 on Oct. 21, they returned home the next day.
Cashman gave his recommendation to Hal Steinbrenner, the team’s principal
owner, the next day, and Girardi was informed the following day, a Tuesday.
The decision was announced two days later, on Thursday morning — an off day
during the World Series.

Though Cashman, whose contract has expired as well, said he had not yet
reached an agreement on a new deal with Steinbrenner, he made clear that he
would like to return. He said there were other priorities: the move of Kevin
Reese from pro scouting director to director of player development, scouting
meetings that wrapped up Friday, next week’s general manager meetings and
the hiring of a new manager.

That last task is certain to garner a great deal of attention. Of the six
teams that parted ways with their managers at the end of this season, only
the Yankees have yet to name a replacement, and Cashman indicated that the
search was just getting underway.

He is winnowing a list of prospective candidates to bring in for interviews.
He declined to say how many people would be interviewed but said that a
previous relationship with the Yankees or managerial experience was not a
prerequisite.

“There’s no perfect person that checks every box,” Cashman said. “I don’
t care whether they’re Hall of Famer categories.”

Asked if Alex Rodriguez, who served this season as an adviser to Steinbrenner
while being paid $21 million for the final year of his contract, was a
candidate, Cashman said, “I definitely do not want to go through who may or
may not be a candidate.”

But he promised a transparent process, one in which — as with the club’s
last managerial opening, which occurred after Joe Torre was pushed out 10
years ago — each candidate will meet with the local news media after being
interviewed.

While Girardi — acutely prepared but with a stilted personality — seemed
the antithesis of the avuncular Torre, Cashman said it would be a mistake to
think the Yankees would be turning toward somebody who was solely a master
communicator.

The best candidate will also have to also be well versed in analytics,
understand the role of sports science and be willing to challenge
conventional thinking.

“It’s an easy narrative to run to the opposite of what you already had,”
Cashman said. “If somebody was too, for instance, structured and demanding,
then you want to go from an old-school, heavy-handed personality to a
new-school players’ manager — that’s not a narrative I’m falling into. We
’re looking for the best person possible.”





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