Inside the Empire
Page 22
As our final meeting ended, he said something instructive that he’d do well to take to heart. “I don’t want to be talking in some article twenty years from now about the Yankees team that broke the home run record, but . . . We play for one thing, and that’s to win in October. We had the opportunity this year, but just . . . didn’t.”
If he really means those words, then surely there’s a field on a back lot in Tampa he can designate for two-strike hitting drills. It wouldn’t take much in terms of capital outlay: a pitching machine you can dial up to 100, an assistant hitting coach to supervise the drills, and the humility to entertain a new idea—even if it came from those cursed Sawx.
Bob Klapisch
Paul Solotaroff
December 1, 2018
Acknowledgments
No book of any heft or ambition is possible without those working behind the scenes.
We are deeply indebted to Rick Wolff, who steered this book with a steady hand and craftsman’s grasp of the game; David Vigliano, who was responsible for finding a home for this book; Bruce Nichols, publisher of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; David Eber, HMH’s legal counsel; Megan Wilson, the gifted HMH publicist who kept the wraps on everything and then let the world know about the book in a big, big way; Hannah Harlow, who expertly oversaw the marketing and advertising campaign; Cindy Buck, the tireless copyeditor who, despite being a Red Sox fan, really came through in the clutch; Rosemary McGuinness, the trusty editorial assistant who kept all the moving parts in sync; the entire production crew at HMH, especially Chloe Foster, Laura Brady, Beth Burleigh Fuller, Lisa Glover, and Katie Kimmerer, who worked long hours to make sure the manuscript and photos got to the printer on time, and the entire HMH sales team for doing such a tremendous job in getting the book out to fans.
We also want to thank the Yankees’ Brian Cashman, Randy Levine, and Hal Steinbrenner, who were so generous with their time and knowledge; Yankees PR guru Jason Zillo, who made us feel like insiders; Geoff and Jina Klapisch, whose home served as our Boston headquarters, and Ken Davidoff and Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post, our resident consiglieres.
Bob Klapisch
Paul Solotaroff
Sources
Take a look at any grainy, back-in-the-day photo of batting practice at Yankee Stadium. Chances are, you’ll find a group of reporters hanging around the cage. The scene is pre-smartphones, pre–tape recorders, pre-Twitter, pre-Statcast—but the newsmen are practicing an art that technology will never replace: asking the next question, gathering panoramic intel, and reporting it to the reading public.
Much of modern sports journalism relies on data, and it’s been a boon for millions of numbers-obsessed fans. Grantland Rice and Red Smith might or might not have embraced WAR and FIP—but their writing and reporting skills would’ve translated in today’s culture. Then as now, deep reporting is king, and that’s Inside the Empire’s coin of the realm: the kind of knowledge that only comes from earned access.
In writing this book, we spoke extensively to the most senior members of the Yankees organization, including owner Hal Steinbrenner; president Randy Levine; general manager Brian Cashman; chief operating officer Lonn Trost; department directors Mike Fishman, Damon Oppenheimer, Eric Schmitt, and Kevin Reese; manager Aaron Boone; and—of course—every player on the Yankees’ active roster. We interviewed the team’s scouts, minor league coaches, managers, and officials, player development gurus, and some of the prospects on the farm. We also talked with players from other big league ball clubs to get their perceptions of the Yankees. We reached out to industry stars like Billy Beane and Omar Minaya for their perspectives, and to other executives who chose to remain anonymous.
Similarly, while all the players were queried on the record, some asked to go nameless when sensitive subjects were broached. All of our many hundreds of interviews were recorded, either electronically or in writing.
One way or another, the reporting over the last nine months has been tireless, same as it ever was. We’d like to think that those old-school beat writers would’ve been proud.
Index
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Abbott, B. B., 5–6
Abreu, José, 123
Acuña, Ronald, 70
Adams, Chance, 24, 79
Adams, David, 79
Afterman, Jean
on Cashman’s redundancy strategy, 32
on Cashman-Steinbrenner scream festivals, 7
on growth of Yankees’ operational base, 12
Stanton cost-benefit splits, 10
as Yankees’ assistant GM, 7
as Yankees’ vice president in charge of contracts, 10
Aguilera, Rick, 129
ALCS (American League Championship Series)
2003 (New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox), 39
2004 (New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox), 59, 154
2017 (New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros), 18–19, 47, 50, 120, 183–84
ALDS (American League Division Series)
1995 (New York Yankees vs. Seattle Mariners), 202
2006 (New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers), 155
2007 (New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians), 155
2017 (New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Indians), 18, 120
2018 (New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox), 187, 190–203, 207–8
Ali, Muhammad, 75, 162
All-Star Game (2018), 109–10
Almonte, Zoilo, 79
Alomar, Roberto, 67–69
Altuve, José, 67
American League. See also ALCS; ALDS; specific players and teams
Gregorius as Player of the Month (April 2018), 46
Most Valuable Player Award (2005), 154
Most Valuable Player Award (2007), 154
Andújar, Miguel “Miggy”
2018 season, 128
2018 season (fielding gaffes), 108
2018 season (late season), 111
2018 season (power production), 51, 64
2018 season (September), 183
2018 season (vs. Houston Astros), 50, 51
batsmanship, 51, 64
Boone and, 51
Cashman on, 208
Gulf Coast League, 130
Judge and, 169
personality, 66
as Rookie of the Year Award favorite, 66
star potential, 201
Tampa baseball academy, 136
in trade talks, 76
Aparicio, Luis, 67
Arizona Diamondbacks
2001 World Series, 59, 154
2015 season, 42
2018 season, 194
Drury trade, 31
pitching staff, 194
Arriba, Dominican Republic, 134–35
Atlanta Braves
1996 World Series, 56
2018 season, 77
McCann trade talks, 6
Torre as manager, 156
Austin, Tyler, 40, 122
B
Baby Bombers
2107 season, 184
drawing fans, 83, 180
Judge as, 3
Sánchez as, 3, 5
Severino as, 3
Baltimore Orioles
1996 season, 56
2018 season, 33, 39, 111
Britton trade, 111
trade talks, 125
Barnes, Matt, 195, 196
Baseball Writers’ Association dinner (2009), 157
batting
situational hitting, 48–49, 212
vanishing point, 36
Bautista, José, 137
BAVD (bicuspid aortic valve disease), 98
Beane, Billy
2018 wild-card game, 185
on Cashman, 54, 77
Fishman and, 43, 44
on Stanton, 207
Bear Stearns, 4
Beckham, Odell, Jr., 85
Beltrán, Carlos
2006 season, 35
in 201
6 trade talks, 81
as finalist for Yankees manager position, 19
signed by Yankees, 80, 105
Benintendi, Andrew, 113, 164, 192
Betances, Dellin
2018 ALDS, 187, 197
2018 season, 40, 65
height, 40
Sabathia and, 103
in Yankee redundancy strategy, 32
Betts, Mookie
2018 ALDS, 192
2018 season, 39, 114, 116
on Happ’s fastball, 165
Biagini, Joe, 114
bicuspid aortic valve disease (BAVD), 98
Bird, Greg
2018 season, 115, 118, 119, 128, 182–83
in Yankee redundancy strategy, 32
Bloomberg, Michael, 150
Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, 130–31, 135
Bogaerts, Xander, 113, 180
Boggs, Wade, 143
Bohling, Chad, 57–59
Boone, Aaron
2003 ALCS, 39
2003 season, 39
2018 ALDS, 187, 197, 199, 203
2018 season (body language), 159–60
2018 season (Cashman’s analysis), 121–22
2018 season (September), 159–61, 179
2018 season (vs. Boston Red Sox), 115–16
2018 season (vs. Houston Astros), 51
2018 season (vs. Toronto Blue Jays), 179
2018 spring training, 23–24
analytical skills, 93
Andújar and, 51
background, 19
batting order, 25, 64
on Boston Red Sox, 100–101
calm demeanor, 92, 94–95, 101, 116, 118
Cashman and, 20, 21, 93, 94
driving to Yankee Stadium, 91–92, 95, 101
ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, 19–20, 93, 94
on Happ, 166
heart surgery, 21, 98–99
hired as Yankees’ manager, 19–21, 93, 94
home in Connecticut, 91
impersonations, 92
on Judge, 111
Judge and, 169, 178, 179
kindness, 94
Klapisch’s interview, 20–21, 91–101
managerial style, 95, 101, 169
media relations, 53, 96, 98
photographic recall, 93
player relations, 21–23, 51, 95–97, 118, 169, 203
player start times, 23
playing career, 98, 99
preparation, 93, 101
on Sabathia, 101–2
Sánchez and, 22, 95–97
singing, 20–21
Torre and, 92
Torre’s advice for, 92
wife and children, 21, 92, 99
Zillo and, 20, 159
Boone, Bella, 99
Boone, Bob, 19, 21
Boone, Brandon, 99
Boone, Bret, 19, 21, 98–99
Boone, Laura, 92, 99
Borg, Björn, 162
Boston Celtics, 190
Boston Garden, 190
Boston Red Sox. See also Fenway Park
1967 season, 37
2003 season, 39
2004 ALCS, 59, 154
2013 season, 79
2016 season, 77
2017 season, 108
2018 ALDS, 187, 190–203
2018 season, 39–41, 46, 84–85, 99–101, 110, 111, 113–18, 120–21, 163, 167, 179–80, 181
acquisition of Sale, 82
as bleeding-edge team, 21
fans, 29, 39, 183, 189
hitting drills, 212
Moncada’s contract, 123
Pearce trade, 111
pitching staff, 108
Bowa, Larry, 16
Brasier, Ryan, 196
Britton, Zach
2018 ALDS, 197
2018 season, 123
acquired by Yankees, 111, 123–24
Cashman on, 208
Brown, Jim, 162
Brown, Kevin, 59, 155
Buck, Joe, 149
Buehler, Walker, 194
Bumgarner, Madison, 76, 124
Burnett, A. J., 11
Burns, Arnie, 141
Bush, Jeb, 3
C
Cablevision, 142, 143
Cabrera, Melky, 87
Cabrera, Miguel, 67
Cano, Robinson “Robby,” 62, 87
Cantona, Eric, 162
Caracas, Venezuela, 66–67
Cardinale, Gerry, 145
Carroll, Cody, 111, 124
Cashman, Brian
on 1996 World Series parade, 56–57
on 2006 playoffs, 61
2016 trade talks, 81
2018 postseason trade talks, 205–6
on 2018 season, 118–25, 168, 207–10, 213
2018 trade deals, 110–11, 122–25, 181–82, 183
2018 trade talks, 76–77, 109
on art of the trade deal, 5–6
attention to detail, 54
Boone and, 20, 21, 93, 94
business model, 10, 210–11
at Catholic University, 6
as cautious, 54, 57, 76
Christmas elf rappel, 9
college internship with Yankees, 6
control of all Yankees’ baseball decisions, 12–13, 17–18, 19, 21
credibility tree, 115
as disciplined cardsharp, 5
Drury trade, 31
General Manager Meetings (November 2017), 2–3
Girardi and, 17–18, 19, 22
Gray acquisition, 50
Gregorius acquisition, 10, 42
hired as Yankees’ general manager, 55–56
hiring Fishman, 43, 44
honesty, 58
on Jeter, 8, 9, 16–17
on Judge, 168
Judge’s vetting of Stanton trade, 13–14
Justice acquisition, 10
Klapisch’s interview, 118–25
as master of his craft, 7
on McCann trade, 5–6
McCutchen and, 179, 208
media relations, 53–55, 57, 76, 118–25
on media training for young players, 63
mental-skills department, 57–59
on Michael, 118–19
minor league program overhaul, 130–33, 136–37
motives, 154, 212–13
on Ohtani, 9–10
physical appearance, 6, 54, 168, 206
as raconteur, 54–56
redundancy strategy, 32–33, 76–77, 129, 193
on Sánchez, 207–8
selection of pitchers, 82
on Severino, 163, 208
on Stanton, 207
Stanton trade, 2–3, 10–11, 13–14, 82
on (George) Steinbrenner, 56–57
(George) Steinbrenner and, 7, 11, 55–56, 58
(Hal) Steinbrenner’s backing of, 19, 80, 133, 171
on team chemistry, 61
Torre and, 16–17, 60–61, 154–57
Torres-Chapman trade, 64
trade deals sabotaged by Stein-brenner, 7
underestimated, 7
Verlander and, 50
Yankee Stadium luxury suite, 54
Cashman, Mary, 55
Cashner, Andrew, 114
Castro, Starlin, 13, 81, 82
Catholic University, 6
CBA (collective bargaining agreement), 122–23, 139, 150
CBS: sale of Yankees to Steinbrenner, 152
Center Stage (YES Network show), 147
Céspedes, Yoenis, 210
Cessa, Luis, 130
Chamberlain, Joba, 154
Chambers, Ray, 145
Chapman, Aroldis
2016 World Series, 77
2018 season, 117, 128
perfectionism, 95