A normally reserved Don Mattingly unexpectedly wore his heart on his Yankees sleeve yesterday and pitched with passion and emotion why he was the best man for the job during an intense sit-down with the Steinbrenner clan.
A surprised Hank Steinbrenner who has known the low-key bench coach throughout his stellar career, was clearly impressed with Mattingly’s unguarded fervor to become the next team manager.
“As a player he was very quiet. He was the hardest working guy in the game as a player. The greatest clutch hitter I’ve ever seen and a great defensive first baseman and a quiet leader,” Steinbrenner said today.
When asked if one of Mattingly’s drawbacks was his inexperience managing a team at any level, Steinbrenner answered, “He has been in the dugout. He has been a coach and obviously Joe [Girardi] has experience, on the other hand Donnie has experience in the dugout as a bench coach.
The third contender, first base coach Tony Pena, has experience as a manager. Pena was meeting today with Yankees’s brass in Tampa.
Steinbrenner hedged if a decision to replace Joe Torre would be made by Friday. “Anything is possible, we’ll see,” he said.
Mattingly, 46, was the second candidate to be interviewed. Girardi led off Monday, and Pena followed Mattingly today. Those are the only three candidates to follow Torre, who declined a one-year deal worth $5 million and $3 million in incentives last week.
Mattingly met with GM Brian Cashman and his bevy of personnel in the morning at the complex. That was followed by an hour meeting with George, Hank and Hal Steinbrenner at Legends Field. A quick conference call with the media proceeded two more hours at the minor league complex.
In the first two sessions, Mattingly said his lack of experience — he has never managed at any level — didn’t surface.
“For me it’s not an issue,” Mattingly said. “In my mind I have been managing for four years and you do it as a player, too.”
Out of respect for Torre, Mattingly stayed out of the spotlight. Yet, when Torre’s situation was resolved, Mattingly knew what was ahead.