Robinson Cano wouldn't hustle to first base after hitting ground balls. That is a fact. So why is it a big story that Yankees' hitting coach Kevin Long pointed it out?
"If somebody told me I was a dog,'' Long said on Sunday, "I'd have to fix that. When you choose not to, you leave yourself open to taking heat, and that's your fault. For whatever reason, Robbie chose not to.''
Fans who watched Cano's career blossom over the last nine seasons know he didn't always hustle to first base. He dogged it on ground balls. Cano didn't hustle on every play and that is a fact. There is no denying Cano is a great player. Long did not question Cano's skill, nor should anyone. Cano hit .309 and slugged 222 home runs in nine seasons with the Yankees.
Fans are confused as to why Long would compare Cano's lack of hustle to that of a dog. First to be clear, Long did not call Cano a dog. He compared Cano's effort on the base paths to that of someone "dogging it." He did not call Cano a dog. Fans who think that are out of their minds. Long and Cano spent years together as player and coach and by Long's admission were close.
"I was probably closer to Robbie than any player I've worked with,'' Long said. "So on a personal level it stings a little. But I'll be rooting for him - except when he's playing against us. And I think he'll do well in Seattle, as long as he doesn't try to be The Man and think he has to carry the ballclub. He's a happy guy in general, so I think he'll be fine there. But is he going to miss being a Yankee? I'd say 100% yes."
Who wouldn't miss the type of production Cano brought to the Bronx? There is no controversy between Long and Cano. He was simply stating a fact. Cano did not always hustle to first, something Mariners' manager Lloyd McClendon should realize. McClendon responded to Long's comments and created a controversy.
"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."
McClendon should be defending Cano if Cano needed defending. Long didn't go after Cano. He didn't insult the man. Long was asked an honest question and he gave an answer. Why is it we as members of the media criticize players and coaches for giving honest, thought provoking answers? These are the answers we want in the first place. It's like the players and coaches can't win, a catch-22 one might say.
"That's too bad," Long said. after McClendon responded "I don't consider myself the spokesman for the Yankees. If you look at all the good things that were written about Robinson you would understand there was no malicious meaning behind any of it. If he wants to speak publicly like that, that is up to him. That is the way he interpreted it. I'm not going to get in a media war with Lloyd McClendon; he'd probably win that anyway.
Long was not asked by the Yankees to state the obvious. Cano does not run to first base. That's not an insult. It's the truth. Mariners' fans will see it soon enough.
Robinson Cano is a great player. He doesn't run to first base. Kevin Long is a good man. This is not a story. End of discussion.
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