Even seeing the Yankees trot out some of the legends from their most recent dynasty — or pulling out a late victory, a rarity of late — weren’t enough to keep the boo birds and their Bronx cheers at bay on Sunday.
Far be it from me to ever tell the paying customers in New York how or when or at whom to express their displeasure, but the pregame derision directed at team owner Hal Steinbrenner and longtime GM Brian Cashman during Paul O’Neill’s number retirement ceremony on Sunday at the Stadium certainly was not unexpected amid the first-place team’s spiral since the All-Star break (11-20 after Monday night’s 4-2 victory over the Mets), and especially since the trade deadline.
Cashman is in 25th season as general manager, a remarkable number that pushes him past Hall of Famer Ed Barrow for the longest GM tenure in franchise history. Barrow served in that role from 1921 to 1944, encompassing the first 10 of their record 27 World Series titles.
Cashman’s longevity also has bridged the disparate ownership tenures of George and Hal Steinbrenner, and his quarter century at the helm comes after The Boss employed 12 different men in that position over his first 25 years after purchasing the storied franchise from CBS in 1973.
