In today's NY Post, Amato's pal Joel Sherman pens a very eerie but interesting piece on the parallels between the Yankee organization back in 1995 after Buck Showalter's departure and the state of uncertainty the organization is facing now with the task of replacing Joe Torre and beginning a new era of Yankees Baseball.
If you haven't read it, check it out. It's uncanny how some things really haven't changed a whole lot since 1995. The major difference is that we now have different actors playing very similar roles.
Here's an excerpt:
The Yankees made the playoffs in 1995 for the first time in 14 years, but were knocked out in the first round (wink, wink). Cashman, then an assistant GM, actually voted for Showalter to stay. But Steinbrenner wanted Showalter out. Showalter was coming off of a three-year, $1 million pact. Steinbrenner crafted a deal that seemed designed to have Showalter turn it down and look like the bad guy - it was for less security (two years) and slightly more money ($1.05 million).
Showalter rejected it. You know who was floated as a replacement? Tony La Russa. But Torre was chosen despite the fact he was viewed as a loser, having combined to play and manage in the second-most games ever without reaching the World Series. His playing career had much in common with the man now most likely to replace him, Don Mattingly: borderline Hall of Famer who never won.