Fastballs at GM
And Cashman’s response? “He didn’t answer,” according to Gossage, who said Steinbrenner would be “rolling over in his grave” if the late owner knew what was going on. “He didn’t say a word.”
Last year during spring training, Gossage said he didn’t want to be compared to Rivera, since Gossage pitched multiple innings while Rivera usually pitched the ninth.
“I’m not taking anything away from what Mo did, but don’t compare me to him,” Gossage said at the time. “It’s insulting. It really is.”
In 2016, Gossage referred to Bautista as a “f---ing disgrace to the game” for “throwing his bat and acting like a fool” during a home run in the playoffs the previous season. “(Yoenis) Cespedes, same thing.”
The always opinionated ninetime All-Star also bashed sabermetrics and analytics.
“It is a joke. The game is becoming a freaking joke because of the nerds who are running it,” Gossage had said. “A bunch of f--ing nerds running the game.”
Afterward, Gossage had to have a meeting with Cashman and then-manager Joe Girardi, whom Gossage called a “good manager” on Monday. Aaron Boone has since replaced Girardi at the helm. “(Cashman) had a good manager in Girardi. They wouldn’t let him manage,” Gossage explained to The News. “They want you to manage the way they want to manage. And he can get one of his nerds in the front office and put him into the dugout. If he had any balls, that’s what he’d want to do, but he doesn’t have any balls.”
After these zings, Gossage may — or may not — hear from Cashman again.
“You’d have to ask Cash what the deal is with him. I spoke my mind. But you can’t do that anymore,” Gossage said. ANDREW SAVULICH/DAILY NEWS