Brian Cashman, the General Manager of the New York Yankees, recently faced criticism for his profane outburst and defensive behavior during an interview.
This incident has drawn the attention of Michael Kay, a prominent Yankees play-by-play voice and radio host, who voiced his disapproval of Cashman’s actions.
During a recent interview at the General Manager Meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona, Cashman became defensive and used offensive language to address questions about the underperforming Yankees roster.
Despite their 14-year World Series drought and a lackluster performance last season, Cashman’s response was not well-received.
Brian Cashman pushes back on the notion that the Yankees are an "analytically-driven" organization:
"No one is doing their deep dives, they're just throwing bulls— and accusing us of being run analytically. To be said we're guided by analytics as a driver is a lie." pic.twitter.com/ru6gAYc0Cf
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) November 7, 2023
"I think we're pretty f—ing good, personally, and I'm proud of our people"
Brian Cashman on the Yankees' staff and their organizational process: pic.twitter.com/241maLqf6Z
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) November 7, 2023
His use of profanity and dismissal of certain narratives did not effectively convey his intended message.
“I do not think that an executive of a team, especially a vice president, longtime GM, respected guy in the business, should have comported himself in that way,” Kay said. “You can call me the old man on the lawn, shouting at clouds. It’s taken me a long time to digest that every word out of a player’s mouth is an f-bomb, they can’t control themselves.”
“But as an executive, you are representing one of the biggest brands all over the world, and you’re dropping f-bombs and BS and stuff like that? It’s not a good look for Brian. Forget about what he said — the angry contentious way that he went at it, I think is very, very questionable.”
Michael Kay, a well-respected figure in the Yankees community, did not shy away from criticizing Cashman for his tirade.
Acknowledging his love for the Yankees and strict opposition to profanity, Kay did not let his fandom cloud his judgment.
Rather than simply stating his disapproval of the profanity, Kay offered a candid evaluation of Cashman’s conduct and how it poorly represented the Yankees organization.
“Have you ever in your life ever heard an executive of a team speak like that? Ever? With that kind of anger, that kind of vitriol, with that kind of profanity? Ever?” Kay later asked. “He crossed lines that have never been crossed before.”
“Yesterday was not an honorable way to go about criticizing the media or the fans or your critics,” Kay continued. “A Yankee executive does not talk like that publicly, does not use expletives like that, does not have that kind of mouth when the camera’s rolling. It’s not a good look for the New York Yankees. Believe me, I’ve been around this forever. The Yankee brand is very important to the people around the Yankees. You cannot tell me that what Brian did yesterday is good for the Yankee brand.”
Beyond the issue of profanity, what was perhaps most disconcerting about Cashman’s outburst was his apparent lack of composure.
It seemed that the constant criticism surrounding the roster he built may have taken its toll, leaving him seeming unhinged and burned out.
