Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Mattingly: O'Neill Needed Love,
Pagliarulo Needed Bobby Knight

The YES Network will present a new program entitled Captain's Corner in which current and former captains in professional sports recall anecdotes from their playing days. The show, which debuts tonight, includes former Giants linebacker Harry Carson, 1980 Olympic Hockey hero Mike Eruzione, current Yankees captain Derek Jeter and the Hitman himself, Don Mattingly.

During his contribution, Mattingly discussed which players needed a hug and which needed to be screamed at:

Mattingly discusses who on his teams needed some extra TLC, a “hug.”

Mattingly: (Paul) O’Neill needed to be loved all the time. Definitely, he needs the love. Yeah, if… Paulie was the kind of guy who was dead serious. If he went 0-for-4 like two days in a row, he’d say (to Mattingly) “Cap, I swear, I’m going home, I’m leaving,” and he was dead serious too. There was no question about it in my mind, he was ready to quit that day, so he was the one who needed a little hug.

Mattingly discusses who liked to be yelled at while he was playing for the Yankees.

Mattingly: You know who liked to be yelled at? Wickman, Bob Wickman (Yankees 1992-96)… and, like, Pags (Mike Pagliarulo) and I would be on the corners and, like, he’d be out there and be in a little trouble, and every once and a while, you’d go out there and kind of scream at him a little bit. He’d tell you after the game, “I like that. Do that to me (yell at him).”

During his appearance on the show, Jeter will most likely file Chuck Knoblauch under the category of needing psychoanalysis.

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