Robinson Cano says he played with guys that didn’t want to play
By Mike Dyce
On Tuesday June 3, FOX Sports 1 airs the second episode of the show “Back of the Shop.” The premise is athletes from and celebrities hanging out in the back of a barber shop and discuss various things, like their careers and share stories. On this upcoming episode, rapper Snoop Dogg chats with Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners, Dez Bryant of the Dallas Cowboys, and Jason Pierre-Paul of the New York Giants.
In it, Cano makes an interesting revelation a relatively routine conversation. Here is how the conversation went according to a transcript provided by FOX Sports:
Snoop Dogg: “Is it hard getting everybody to get that dog mentality in the NFL locker room knowing that money’s involved, as opposed to when you were a kid, when you played, everybody just naturally wanted to win?”
Dez Bryant: “Everybody’s mind is different. Everybody’s got a different way of expressing themselves to the game. Like me, I love the game. I don’t even think about the money until it’s time. A lot of guys aren’t like that. All they care about is the check that will keep them moving. Like I tell a lot of guys in that locker room, [expletive] the talent – confidence and effort, that’s all you really need. You’ve got to believe.”
Snoop Dogg: “I needed to hear that because I’ve got of kids that follow you or follow football, and they need to know that. So you believe in yourself and you put forth that effort…”
Robinson Cano: “I don’t want to say names, but I’ve played with guys that have been like, you know what, I don’t want to play today. They come in and I don’t feel good or I don’t want to come in. You need to have respect for your teammates. If you don’t want to play, just go home.”
So basically Cano is saying that he had some teammates who didn’t care about playing. Some times they didn’t want to come in, and if they did they said they didn’t feel good. He also says he won’t name any player specifically, but since Cano has played for the New York Yankees for every season up until this one, because he signed that huge contract with the Mariners in the offseason, he was probably talking about a Yankee.
Now the season is ridiculously long at 162 games, so it is understandable to a certain degree and there certainly is a grind, but come on, you’re a professional athlete.
It probably is safe to assume it wasn’t Derek Jeter or Mariano Rivera. But who was it? Was it Alex Rodriguez? During Cano’s career with the Yankees they finished first in their division five out of the nine seasons. They finished in third place just twice, still managing to stay over .500 both times. Was it one of those campaigns when players didn’t want to come in and play?
You can watch the show Tuesday, June 3, at 8:30 PM ET on FOX Sports 1.