New York Yankees legend David Wells, 60, has put the blame squarely on the players.
Speaking to MLB.com and other local media ahead of the Old Timers Game at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, Wells shared his thoughts on the 2023 Yankees, who will miss the postseason.
“We often see general managers and managers get blamed and fired in these situations. But the players are the problem,” he said, noting that the biggest problem with the slump is the players.
“If I were the manager, I would send a clear message to the players. If a player wasn’t doing his job on the field, I wouldn’t care how much he was making, I would send him to Triple-A or Double-A.”
Describing the demotion as a “wake-up call,” he said, “I don’t care how much he’s getting paid. I would send him down to the minors and give him some time to think about it.”
Contrary to Wells’ idea, in professional sports, the general manager is often held accountable for poor performance. Sending high-paid players down to the minors is no easy task.
“You have to send players down if they’re not performing, but there’s a tendency these days to baby them,” he says, noting that players are overprotected.
He also recounted the time he was punched in the face by Jorge Posada, the Yankees’ starting catcher, after giving up a big run.
“Posada got really angry and punched me in the face. I got hit in the face, but I respected him, it wasn’t personal. We are players who are here to win. I don’t think that happens anymore,” he lamented.카지노
It’s a common “meh” moment, but Wells is a legend in his own right.
In 21 seasons in the Major Leagues, he played 660 games, was a three-time All-Star, and won two World Series titles.
Most notably, in the 1998 Championship Series, he made two starts, winning both games, earning Series MVP honors, and helping the Yankees win the World Series. On May 17 of that year, he pitched a perfect game against the Minnesota Twins.