Yesterday a story came out in which Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long criticized Robinson Cano for not hustling. Today Cano’s new manager Lloyd McClendon ripped back. From Jerry Crasnick’s report at ESPN.com:
“Last time I checked, I didn’t know that Kevin Long was the spokesman for the New York Yankees,” McClendon told ESPN.com. “That was a little surprising. I was a little pissed off, and I’m sure Joe [Girardi] feels the same way. He’s concerned with his team and what they’re doing, not what the Seattle Mariners players are doing. I’m a little surprised that Kevin Long is the spokesman for the New York Yankees. I wonder if he had any problems with Robbie when he wrote that book (“Cage Rat”) proclaiming himself as the guru of hitting.”
McClendon goes on to talk about the politics of running down the line hard and what he really wants to see out of Robinson Cano. I tend to agree with Mr. McClendon on this one.
UPDATE: McClendon was asked to elaborate:
McClendon just now: “anytime someone attacks one of my players, I’m going to defend him. And if you don’t like it, tough shit.”
— Andy Martino (@MartinoNYDN) February 18, 2014
Alrighty, then.
