 Hey everybody welcome to another edition of yes we're here and we certainly are I'm Mike okay and I'm joined by my colleague former Yankee manager Buck show Walter Buck how you holding up my friend good Mike all things considered I'm lucky to be married to somebody I like and you know being very cautious and doing the things that all of us need to do as I'm sure you and Jody are to now I don't take you as a big movie guy do you you watch movies to pass the tank is no sports to watch yes I am Mike right behind me I got a list I'm going down the list 1917 Midway not much into the tiger thing that makes me feel bad about human beings a little bit let's see got Ozark back on isn't that a little dark yeah so it's like for me but I only take it criminal minds let's see the crown I love the crown anything historical there was another one I watched the other day I don't know they're all running together all the Olympics is falling London is falling something else well London Washington anyway what else what are you watching so I actually I'm trying to catch up on movies I've never seen so I saw one flew over the coupe business the other day which was really good you never saw that for yeah talented mr. is depressing Mike what a one of the best baseball movies under the radar bang the drum slowly you see my uncle was my uncle was in fact that's right that's right yeah it was the first basement Danny I oh now we know now you know all right so if and when this baseball season starts but it's gonna be hurry up and hurry it's not gonna be hurry up and wait so you kind of did that 95 you you manage the replacement players boom the the lockout was settled and all of a sudden you have your players back and they want to start the season quickly how difficult was it to get everybody ready that fast well one of the biggest mistakes you will make is if you hurry hurry you're asking for a recipe for failure you know we played I believe the first game ever played the course stadium we took a replacement team up there G Michael had been told by the leaders without naming names that we were gonna play the season don't worry about the team you put together then about three days before look like we were going to G Michael took off down the Mexican League to sign some players like we're gonna start then in the seventh inning of that game became word in the dugout to me that we were at sell the strike and we were headed back to Fort Lauderdale and looking back at that my biggest advice would be to slow down if you think you can pick up where you left off you're making a mistake I might basically you got to start over you can't assume anything what you if much you know the communication lines are so much better in today's game with the cell phones and email and stuff about your players but it's just not the same as being there in that environment of spring training and youth you know these are very precious commodities I think I saw more Tommy John injuries in spring training I'm not sure if that's something they're doing because of the off-time let's get ahead of it it's coming anyway or I've just never seen so many Tommy John's during spring training as a result of something you did spring training and I think so many people are chasing velocity and chasing spin rate their price to pay for that sometimes and a lot of truth wear and tear I would tell and I have given I've been asked a couple times it's just slowed down you think you know I think they're going to expand the roster to keep a lot of pitching from being physically abused now it's it's weird though because I remember 95 you guys made a great run at the end to get the first wild card but you started off slowly did you start off slowly deficit at three weeks spring training I believe Mike we were very cautious with our pitching almost to a fault early on it was the one thing that that stick and I and the pitching coaches felt like that you know we had a we didn't have the depth that the Yankees have now and we couldn't afford these precious commodities go down it's one of the reason why we got stronger and stronger since season went on while a lot of people guys were going down by the wayside so to speak our guys were getting stronger as we got into and it's tough because you want to win every game but you've got to see the finish line and understand the wisdom that's involved in playing for the long haul in our sport which is unlike any other you know I'm sorry Mike there's gonna be a different sense of urgency now because if we do play it's gonna be a shortened season so in a lot of ways you can't afford to get off to that shoot that that slow start because it could be the season in the first month one thing that scares me and everybody's just saying well we want to play as many games as possible and they're talking about both two double headers a week maybe I don't see how that's possible I know they're gonna expand rosters but people are gonna get hurt in this day and age of baseball there's no more Cal Ripken people don't play every day how are you gonna have two double headers a week like I said you're gonna have to expand the roster you're gonna have to have you know 16-17 man pitching staff which are gonna affect your minor leagues too that's gonna trickle down you know how are you even what happens to the half-season clubs you know the draft is so much unknown it's like the colleges and everybody's talking about giving these guys another year of eligibility but what happens to the incoming freshmen you know you've got now you've got five classes instead of four class someone made a great point the other day that I kind of agree with they should probably look at the having freshmen team like they used to years ago a freshman football team a freshman baseball basketball team somewhere because someone's got to pay for these extra scholarships all these seniors are being granted another year of eligibility what happens to your son or daughter coming out of high school now you've always loved college sports and I've always looked at you obviously you were great major league manager I thought you'd be an unbelievable college coach and baseball or maybe even football which I know you love did you ever think about going that route when you were younger yeah you know we all you know growing up in the south it was a little more glamorous with football and the southeast in conference and I thought I was gonna play football and luckily I had a little knee injury that kind of set me on a different path and or I probably would have but I'm fascinated by it it's a I enjoy it you know anytime you go to southeast and conference school like I did at Mississippi State you have a real feel for the competition and the passion and now it's been it's been a part of my offseason so to speak to get away from it now you went to Mississippi State but you love Alabama did you ever think about going to Alabama yeah you know I was offered a half-half scholarship Hayden Riley was a freshman football coach he was also the baseball coach and that was one of my claims of meeting coach Bryant there and they told me I wouldn't have to play one of the other you know my it was a big thing my dad was a big Bear Bryant fan and maybe once a month we would get in his truck and drive up the test for about three hours park crack of dawn you do a friend with Pinkerton security would let us in we would sit in the faculty section because I was the only place that people weren't sitting and I got to see them all come through Alabama great players in Stabler all of them and but my dad made me watch the sidelines watch the coaches watch what was going on the way coach Bryant worked with the coaches and players between series pretty impressive now do you ever regret not playing football and what position did you play before the knee injury well Mike you understand we graduated 30 or 40 people my senior year everybody played I mean I was starting left guard as a freshman 160 pound and I played quarterback in safety you played both ways I would have been a defensive safety I got offered a scholarship to play quarterback at a junior college but I made the right decision I made the right decision book I'm telling you what I hear your stories and you know you a quarterback in high school a great baseball player you must have been the big man on campus you must have been the big deal in your high school well I played basketball that's what we did Mike it's how we stay out of trouble you went from one sport to another sport to another sport you know so my great I learned how to go around my back between my legs going and playing at the different neighborhoods around I never you know some of my best friends lived across the track so to speak and I go there and play with them on every every chance I got I learned a lot about you know how to play basketball and that was that was something I really enjoyed I wasn't as good at as I was other thing but I was the little point guard that dished the ball out there everybody didn't shoot all right let's let's get it I want to get to the my we're stretching going to my high school no not at all people love this if you have a high school football tapes over here you know you remember you thought you were good until you watch them and then you go oh my god I was careful you another day we'll plug those football tapes in and break it down no we won't learn a little when you were managing what was the one batter in a big moment you didn't want to chase uh you know Mike I've always asked advanced scout how is so and so there are about three guys in the league at that time that you say are they swinging the bat well because a guy like Paul Molitor if if he was not just in one of those kind of timings a little off you could not get him out you attack the whole lineup trying to keep him from hitting in a big spot acre Martinez was like that but I think a lot of people I I kept looking for weaknesses with Molitor he had no real stride he's had a foot that he inverted uh inside outside up down after we just said pitching down away and letting you do this thing we're right you know if you try to get him out and try to embarrass him you know there's not one set way to pitch him I mean I know Tony Gwynne we had a thing before a game one time we said listen guys we're going to all go somewhere this is before the shift so to speak we're all going to go play somewhere we never played on this guy wait you know whoever's there Matt Williams who was playing once you stand on third baseline you do whatever you want to shortstop you want to play it up the middle of the plate where people don't normally play because conventionally he's sitting 400 so let's try something different Mike I'm telling you he was 0 for 4 0 for 5 and we thought we figured out the holy grail the next day the next day he had five hits he looked over at me after every hit no no no Tony Gwynne could steer the baseball where he wanted to steer and he could hit for home run well you saw Wade Boggs nobody had more power than Wade Boggs some people but only you know but monitors a guy that jumps at me Edgar was another guy that really had no glaring weakness all right so when you're in the dugout and you had a bottom of the ninth inning and needed a rally what was the one picture you didn't want to see out there the picture that worried you the most that it was hard to hit this guy um well you tell me a starter or closer or period well whoever's on the mound in a big spot who did you not want to see I gotta tell a lot of people miss with when Harvey was pitching with the angels he was uh Brian Harvey his fastball split he could pitch with just one of them if he wanted to I don't like I'll leave a lot of guys out there were so many if you got to the point where the closer was on the mound with a lead shame on you you know there's something that always happens during the first seven eight innings that you could have made that not happen of course this is back when guys would pitch two innings of the relief picture but uh I think Brian Harvey is very underrated and he went to appear there he was just filthy was tough split plus fastball and a strike throw the great relievers are strike throwers they keep the ball in a ballpark and they have two pitches that they both of them you have to defend you know mo is like that you know mo is like a great defender held runners was quick to the plate kept the ball in a ballpark had two pitches you know so I think that's what people miss about him you had to get three hits off him for a run I I always remember you telling me buck that it it wasn't the joy of winning that drove you but how miserable it was to lose so let's piggyback on that what's what's the most joyous you ever felt as a baseball manager the most joyous moment you ever had like I hope it's still to happen who knows maybe in this uh this thing today uh what would be great joyous let's country start getting better but I uh oh Mike that's tough one I got a lot of them uh probably I don't know I tell you uh beating the Rangers here in 2012 kind of uh that was special because my family was there and it meant a lot to them um I think one thing believe it or not Mike I was behind the cage on the workout day with the 95 playoffs at home right after the season ended nobody's there we're just taking back practice you know some of the media is there Mr Steinbender walked by the cage said uh hey nice going and just kept on walking I went what did he just say why that was that was about you know that was a moment you didn't get many of those but he also you know when he did give praise he knew it was special because he uh you know it was your basically your accolade was getting a chance to do it again you know I'd be in there there's been some great moments Mike being around for jim have it's no hitter uh you know just some great moments at Yankee Stadium I could it take hours to do it you know when you when you cover team sports like I have and you've managed and played in it it always seems that the team is playing you know for the team but I thought the 95 team to me they were playing for one guy I felt maybe I'm wrong I felt that they were playing to get Don Mattingly to the postseason did you sense that oh yeah it was a driving force it was one of those things Mike until you've been in a locker room wasn't spoken it was a given you know and it's like you know we'd be in advance meeting talking about stuff and all of a sudden E.F. Hutton would say something and everybody would jerk around but you know so many times leaders don't realize the weight their words carry and have to be careful Donny knew that not in a cocky way but he knew he had to choose his words and reflection it would have on his teammate and believe me he could he could get tough you know there's a lot of guys I'm not sure guys like Jim Layritz Paul Neil I can go all along they impacted they were impacted so much by Donny's guidance and and example that he set but it was if you didn't believe me uh you know the pregame introductions and the home run that he hit there and he went two weeks he told me he walked in one day he said listen I can't hit 260 with this I'm going to go ahead and try to be the first base with the Yankee this was about three weeks ago in the season that many was going to torque his back he was going to do all the work and if it blows it blows and little did I know at that time that he was going to retire at the end of the year anyway so Mike he went for it and I saw the 11 o'clock whirlpools and back treatments for a 7 o'clock game all the things that he was doing and I saw him on the plane back in Seattle he couldn't even sit down it was so bad but uh to this day he did a great favor to the Yankee organization and letting us know early on that plane so that we could go out and get you know Martinez before everybody knew that we needed a first base but this has been great uh obviously we should tell all of our our fans and listeners to continue with the social distancing I know I'm washing my hands a lot how about you Mike I think all the you know we're all gathering information I think that's the one common denominator that almost 90 percent of this is transmitted through your hands so stay ahead of it stay diligent for all our sake now for all those that are listening we're going to start taking questions via mail so if you have question for any of us tweak them to at yes network and please use the hashtag yes mailbag and your question might be used in a future edition of yes we're here but it's been great talking with you I hope you stay safe and Angela as well and the kids as well and thank you for spending some minutes with us thanks to you and Jody Mike take care of yourself God bless all y'all