Brian "Shut the bleep up, A-Rod" Cashman gives lecture on civility. Yes, really.

So Brian Cashman is doing his annual “look at me” winter tour (for one thing, the guy who broke his leg skydiving will will be rappelling down a 22-story building this weekend again with Bobby Valentine). Even more odd than that, Bri recently gave a lecture as part of a “Civility in America” series, according to the New York Daily News. He spoke on “Civility in Baseball.” Yes, really.

You would think that somebody whose most memorable utterance this year was telling Alex Rodriguez to “shut the (bleep) up” would be the last person to lecture anybody on civility. Not to mention all the times Cashman has threatened reporters who dare to write the truth about him, like when Cashman read Wally Matthews the riot act for writing that Cashman opposed the Alfonso Soriano trade, after Soriano was a smashing success in pinstripes.

It would be like Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, head of the federal agency responsible for the Obamacare website debacle, lecturing us on how to run a successful website. If that is too esoteric an analogy for you, it would be like Chris Brown lecturing on how to control your temper!

Yet, for some reason, Cashman — hardly the person who comes to mind when thinking about civility in America, baseball, or in any context — spoke on the subject. And guess what, kids, he gave steroid use as an example of lack of civility in sport, according to the New York Post, which begs the question as to why he himself has signed or traded for so many known or suspected steroid users. (And don’t forget him reportedly screaming at a TV screen to tell Jason Giambi to get back on the juice!)

In the lecture, Cashman also talked about bullying and hazing in baseball, saying in reference to the Richie Incognito debacle in Miami: “It all goes on, unfortunately, in our world. Every aspect they’re experiencing, we’ve experienced. I can’t sit there and represent that that’s not occurring in our sport.” Cashman also talked about how Orlando Hernandez did not want to dress up as part of the rookie hazing. From the Daily News:

“He’s coming from Cuba and a whole different culture and life experience that no one could even comprehend. The rookies all get dressed up. It’s a rookie-hazing situation and it’s kind of an indoctrination, whether it’s right or wrong. I went back (to talk to Hernandez) and said, ‘This is what they do. Even though you’re older, you’re still a rookie. It’s just kind of a welcome to the team. They dress them up in funny outfits, different themes each year.’

Cashman said that El Duque responded, “‘I was a clown for (Fidel) Castro for 31 years; I’m not going to be a clown for anyone else, ever again.’ He was very upset. So it happens.” The News wrote that “Cashman said he did not recall whether Hernandez dressed up or not.” And the rookie hazing tradition still goes on today.

First of all, I find it hard to believe that Cashman could not recall whether El Duque participated in this. Isn’t that kind of the point of the story — that way back in 1998, a proud Yankee did not want to do the rookie hazing?

Second, Cashman has been GM of the Yankees since that year. And he learned in his very first season how the rookie hazing could not sit well with some people. Yet the tradition still continues today. Wow, he’s a really slow learner. Perfect speaker to talk on civility, eh? Not a single example of how he has lifted a finger to make baseball a better place. Good grief.

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Brian “Shut the bleep up, A-Rod” Cashman gives lecture on civility. Yes, really.

Alan Draper

Alan Draper

Alan Draper