The Newark Star-Ledger reports that Don Mattingly has told the Yankees front office that he would have a lot of reservations about taking over as the team’s manager. This is due both to his own inexperience and the pressure that would be involved with following a legend.
Yankees bench coach Don Mattingly has told a member of the Steinbrenner family he does not feel ready for the manager’s job and is uncomfortable with replacing Joe Torre, according to a friend of Mattingly.
The friend, who requested anonymity because the situation is unresolved, said he spoke directly with the former Yankees great in recent days. Mattingly’s stance could open the door for the Yankees to bring back Torre for a 13th season because he was the leading candidate for the job.
Since hiring Mattingly was used as a rationale for getting rid of Torre, things now look a bit brighter for Joe to return. Don deserves some credit here. Being the manager of the Yankees is one of the glamor jobs in all of sports. It says a lot about his intellect to know that he is underqualified and being set up to fail. Following Torre’s act would be difficult enough for anybody. Mattingly would have to prove his own worth at the same time to skeptics since he has no track record of success in the Majors as a skipper.
