“Faster than a speeding bullet, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look, up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, IT’S SUPERMAN.” Wrong, it’s Brian Cashman.
That was the famous opening of the old Superman TV show. However when winter hits New York, you can usually find Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman climbing the sides of buildings or jumping out of airplanes or sleeping with the homeless. To me, that makes Cashman just like a “Superman.” Not because he does those kind of things but because of the reasons he does these things. I have come to learn that these stunts and acts of good will help raise money for organizations that need it.
Last night was another beautiful day in the neighborhood. It was another Cashman day with the exception that there was no real danger involved. Cashman didn’t need his cape. He spent the evening at the Chateau Briand Catering hall helping former Yankee bullpen catcher and head coach of Adelphi University, Dom Scala, at their annual fundraiser.
Cashman spent almost five hours signing autographs taking pictures and gave one of the best question and answer sessions ever conducted. The session was hosted by WFAN personality Ed Randall. Cashman kept the audience totally captivated.
During the session he expressed the fact that he was there for Scala because Yankees always need to look out for each other. Cashman also expressed the fact that George Steinbrenner, who was the greatest owner in sports history, found the time to help so many. He may have been very difficult to work with at times, but his benevolence can’t be questioned. His stories were captivating and really put a human element to the fabled New York Yankees.
He mentioned the fact that focusing on winning is the key to next year. There were a lot of young players there that picked up a lot from the words of Cashman. Many of those kids liked the fact that Cashman said that when he was in school, his main goal was to be a baseball player.
I have to be honest with you, I have known Cashman for many years, however just like the rest of the audience, I could’ve listened to Brian all night. His stories were fascinating.
After the event was over I mentioned to Brian that he has always been a giver. He never said no to me when ever I was doing a charity event. He has always helped needy causes. It seems as if you’re going at it even more than ever. He responded by saying that he just needs to give back as much he can. To me those are the words of a Superman!!