The New York Yankees' news conference on October 2nd was about Mark Teixeira’s reflections on the final game of his baseball career. His news conference was very positive and upbeat. Teixeira noted that he had announced his retirement in August and he had 2 months to deal with the reality that his baseball career was over. Teixeira asserted that the last few games were special. During his last road game in Toronto’s Rogers Centre, he hit a game-tying solo home run, and two nights later, he hit a walk-off grand slam against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Teixeira emphasized that he is “at peace” with his retirement decision because he can spend more time with his family.
Mark Teixeira's Walk-Off Grand Slam Against
the Boston Red Sox
Image obtained from www.northjersey.com
Given
that it was the final game of his career, Mark Teixeira’s news conference purposely
was scheduled to occur after the game.
The
goals of the news conference were for Mark Teixeira to share his thoughts about
his career and his retirement, and stress that he wants people to remember him
as a Yankee.
The groups
targeted for the news conference were the Yankees’ fans and the media. Teixeira
discussed how important it was for him “to say goodbye and thank you one last
time” to the fans. He concluded his press conference by thanking the media and
stated: “Thanks guys, it has been fun!”
Mark Teixeira Waves Goodbye to the Fans
Image obtained from www.nydailynews.com
A Yankee Fan Thanks #25
Image obtained from www.nj.com
Mark
Teixeira adhered to best practices in the “Do’s”
and “Don’ts” outlined by Sports Public Relations author, G.
Clayton Stoldt. Particularly, Teixeira was “himself and showed his personality”.
(Stoldt, 177) He was very comfortable discussing his retirement, career, and
his future plans. Teixeira spoke in a “friendly”, “conversational”, and genuine
manner. (Stoldt, 177) He was very “modest (in citing his) victories” (Stoldt,
177) and honest when he described the low point of his career.
Mark Teixeira's Final Yankees' News Conference
Image obtained from www.thefanaticsview.com
Mark
Teixeira employed “bridging” when
asked if his decision to retire was influenced by his pending free agency and
the possibility that no team was offering him a contract. Teixeira “. . . deal(t) with
the question honestly . . .” by responding affirmatively. (Stoldt, 175) He went on to
explain that because it “. . . was his last year with the Yankees, it was so
much easier”. He maintained “. . . if I played my last game somewhere else, it
would not have been as special”.
Mark Teixeira Yankees Jersey
Image obtained from www.fansedge.com
A
reporter inquired how he will feel when spring training comes along in
February. In response, Teixeira made use of “flagging” when he accentuated that he: “. . . is not going to miss
spring training because the last spring trainings have been sad, because he
missed his family”. When asked what his plans are for his first day of
retirement, Teixeira stated he: “. . . was going to stay home and if the
weather was nice, he would play with his kids”. Clearly, the “. . . one piece of
information . . .” that Teixeira “. . . wanted the media to print or broadcast . . .” was that spending
more time with his family greatly influenced his decision to retire. (Stoldt,
175)
The
atmospherics played a significant role not only in scheduling a farewell news conference
for Mark Teixeira, but also during the pre-game ceremonies. The backdrop for the
news conference included: the NYY logo, the Yankees website and twitter, as
well as advertising for Toyota. Consequently, the atmospherics promoted the
Yankees goals as “. . . a positive promotional tool . . .” of the Yankee brand, tradition
of honoring players, and recognizing “. . . a corporate sponsor(s)”. (Stoldt, 187) Teixeira
was honored and presented with a framed replica of his jersey and a base autographed
by his teammates. The ceremony allowed the fans to be a part of Teixeira’s
farewell.
Mark Teixeira Receiving his Framed
Replica Jersey
Image obtained from www.nydailynews.com
Brett Gardner and CC Sabathia Present Mark
Teixeira with a Base Autographed by All of
his Teammates
Image obtained from www.newsday.com
The
news conference for Mark Teixeira was very effective in helping the Yankees’ organization
achieve their goals. In conjunction with the pre-game ceremonies, it
accentuated the Yankees' tradition of honoring individual players and World
Series winning teams. These traditions not only celebrate Yankees’ history, but
strengthen fan loyalty and brand awareness.
News Conference #2: Brian Cashman Reflecting on the Yankees Up and Down 2016 Season
During the October 5th New York Yankees' news conference, Brian Cashman discussed the ups and downs of the Yankees’ 2016 season. It was largely a negative occurrence because the Yankees failed to make the playoffs. However, Cashman used the news conference to stress why rebuilding is the best path to future championships.
The news conference was purposely scheduled two days after the end of the Yankees’ regular season.
Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman's State
of the Yankees' News Conference
Image obtained from www.newsday.com
The
goals of the news conference were to acknowledge some of the negatives of the
2016 season, but also justify the Yankees’ decision to trade some high value
players for prospects. Essentially, Brian Cashman continued to spin the idea that
the Yankees were committed to winning and that their future chances for a World
Series Championship are enhanced by the current youth infusion. Cashman also
noted that during the 2016 season, the Yankees’ goal was to get to the playoffs,
but his statement lacked credibility. His trade deadline moves decimated the
bullpen and replaced their best hitter, Carlos Beltran, with an unproven
Single-A pitching prospect, Dillon Tate, who had an unimpressive 4.86 ERA.
Carlos Beltran was Traded to the Texas Rangers
Image obtained from www.nydailynews.com
The
targeted audiences for the news conference were the media and Yankees’ fans. Cashman
has the obligation to meet with the media at the end of the season. Despite the
disappointing season, Brian Cashman wanted to justify that his decision to have
a youth movement was the direction the team should take. In addition, Cashman
complimented the fans when he asserted: “. . . we have very educated fans . . .
they support this franchise strong(ly) on a yearly basis. I think in most cases
(the youth movement) is something they want to transpire. They want us to press
that reset button and in many cases, (they are) tired of seeing what was
transpiring in the first 3 months of the season”.
Yankee Stadium's Press Box
Image obtained from www.panoramio.com
Cashman
compared the current team’s situation with those of the ’80s and the early ’90s,
when the Yankee teams were subpar and the stadium attendance was poor. He made
an analogy to the present situation by noting that during those lean years, the
Yankees built up the farm system, which developed the stars of the dynasty
years. His message was that by rebuilding, the Yankees can emulate the glory
days.
Yankees Winning the 1996 World Series Against
the Atlanta Braves
Image obtained from www.newsday.com
Cashman’s
news conference provided a textbook case of news conference “Don’ts”. Firstly, Cashman was not “credible”.
(Stoldt, 177) When asked if the Yankees would look outside the organization for
starting pitching, Cashman stated that he probably would stay inside the
organization. He referred to sabermetrics, in particular, K/9 (Strikeouts per 9
innings pitched) and QERA (QuikERA) to suggest that the Yankees were better
than the media perceived. However, many of the strikeouts occurred during the
games the Yankees lost or when they still had Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman,
who protected leads. When asked “. . . hypothetical questions . . .” (Stoldt, 177) about
possible off-season moves, Cashman speculated that the Yankees might consider
getting a starting pitcher or offensive player. However, he backtracked and
suggested that they most likely will use in house talent. Cashman seemed “. . . compelled
to say more than he needed to”. (Stoldt, 177) Several times he referenced his
decision to rely on the younger players.
Aroldis Chapman was Traded to the Chicago Cubs
Image obtained from www.nydailynews.com
In
my opinion, one of the strongest “Don’ts”
was Brian Cashman’s demeanor/body language. When the conference started,
Cashman was disengaged and he appeared more focused on fiddling with his IPad
than addressing the media. In addition, he spent a significant amount of the
press conference with his arms folded and hands covering his mouth. Body language
experts consider having your arms folded across your chest a very
defensive position or barrier, which suggests a lack of openness to other
people’s opinions.
When
asked to evaluate the season of transition, Cashman employed “bridging” in his responses by saying: “.
. . it was a season of twists and turns”. Cashman viewed the first 3 months as
negative because player performances were disappointing, despite the fact he
made improvements to the team. He went on to justify the summer trades that he
made as significant, because he was building a better team for the future.
However, his argument is flawed because he traded high performing players,
namely: Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman, and Carlos Beltran, while retaining the
underperforming players: Chase Headley, Brett Gardner, Michael Pineda, Chasen
Sherve, and Anthony Swarzak. Consequently, many fans probably scratched their
heads. The Yankees promoted the 2016 season by showcasing their three-headed
monster in the bullpen, which they nicknamed “No Runs DMC”. After the trading
deadline, only D (Dellin Betances) remained. I consider that D is an
appropriate grade for Brian Cashman’s actions.
Chase Headley Showing his Disappointment
Image obtained from www.nydailynews.com
Brett Gardner Frustrated After Striking Out
Image obtained from www.nypost.com
Michael Pineda Not Happy After
Giving Up a Home Run
Image obtained from www.nytimes.com
No Runs DMC T-Shirt
Image obtained from www.cocoatee.com
Throughout
his news conference, Brian Cashman made use of “flagging” because he wanted the reporters to highlight that his
decision to go younger would result in greater chances for future
championships. In the words of Yogi Berra, “It was déjà vu all over again.” In
2008, Cashman touted a youth movement. He sang the praises of a pantheon of “outstanding”
pitching prospects, which included the following immortals: Darrell Rasner, Ross
Ohlendorf, and Jonathan Albaladejo. Rumor has it, that currently the
aforementioned pitchers are in the “Witness Protection Program”.
One of Yogi Berra's Classic Quotes
Image obtained from www.quotesology.com
Darrell Rasner was One of the Yankees'
Over-Hyped Prospects
Image obtained from www.nydailynews.com
Witness Protection Program Logo
Image obtained from
Despite
the fact Cashman’s news conference setting was identical to that used during
Mark Teixeira’s news conference, the atmospherics were non factors. Brian
Cashman seemed uncomfortable and would have preferred root canal surgery,
than sit through the news conference.
I do not consider Brian Cashman’s news conference successful in helping the Yankees achieve their goals because: it was largely spin, designed to justify his decisions, and to promote his legacy.
Background Image from http://unsa.dvrlists.com
