Hank: "If I want somebody, I’m going to go after him,”

Hank sat down with The Record for an interview, and made it loud and clear that he will be more involved in the decision making from now on.... great.

From Pete Caldera:

The Yankees only have a bittersweet 16 games remaining in their lost 2008 season, but their course for ’09 is about to begin. And when it does, the co-chairman plans to be at the wheel.

“Suffice to say, there’s not going to be any more, on my part, of trying to keep everybody happy. If I want somebody, I’m going to go after him,” Steinbrenner told The Record by phone this afternoon.

Immediately after the season, Steinbrenner plans to review the entire organization. “Just as my dad would have,” he said, adding that George Steinbrenner has equally been dismayed by the Yankees’ fourth-place standing. “It’s been a very disappointing year for both of us.

“Other people might tend to look at [the Yankees] more like a business, and as long as business-wise [the club is profitable] everybody’s happy. But we don’t see it like that.”

To restore the Yankees into a World Series contender, “We’ve got major work to do, there’s no question,” Hank Steinbrenner said.

“The biggest mission, for myself, is making sure the farm system is stronger than it’s been the last few years,” Steinbrenner said. When it comes to prospects, “I want more.”

You might want to give the youngsters more than a portion of one season before doing anything stupid, especially Phil Hughes, OK Hank?

Also he's beginning to sound like he's ready to make some of the same mistakes his father made; George thought he knew more about baseball than his baseball people, and that he was better fit to make certain personnel decision, and that led to the horrors of the mid to late 80's and early 90's. Now it seems Hank is starting to believe the same thing. This is where Hal needs to step in a control his brother, or else the next few years might get ugly.

Hank also told the AP that he plans to set up an advisory group, like the one his father established before the Yankees' four World Series titles from 1996-2000.

“If Brian stays on as GM, that doesn’t mean he won’t be the No. 1 guy,” Steinbrenner said. “But the fact is, the more opinions the better. I think that’s probably the best way. It worked in the 90’s, and it can work again.”

That should make Cashman happy. This may be a move that pushes him out the door, which will certainly make some fans very happy, but not this one.

Let's just hope that Gene Michael is the guy running the advisory group.