Spring Training has barely gotten underway, but that’s not stopping the Yankees and Mariners small rivalry from boiling over.
A day following Cano’s former hitting coach Kevin Long’s criticism on Cano’s ‘lack of hustle’, Cano’s new manager Lloyd McClendon has come to his star player’s side, via ESPN:
“Last time I checked, I didn’t know that Kevin Long was the spokesman for the New York Yankees, …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. I’m a little surprised that Kevin Long is the spokesman for the New York Yankees. I wonder if he had any problems with Robbie when he wrote that book (“Cage Rat”) proclaiming himself as the guru of hitting.”
Harsh words from McClendon to Lloyd, but one has to wonder what even provoked Long to speak on Cano in the first place.
McClendon is sticking by his words nonetheless, offering this gem:
McClendon just now: "anytime someone attacks one of my players, I'm going to defend him. And if you don't like it, tough shit."
— Andy Martino (@MartinoNYDN) February 18, 2014