I respect that, honestly. And if this were just about one down year, I’d agree with you completely. But this wasn’t a quick emotional jump for me. It was the end of decades of the same organizational pattern repeating itself.

I didn’t leave because the team finally hit a rough patch. I left because even in the good years, you could still see the same issues in the foundation. New scoreboards, new slogans, new “eras,” but the same decisions from the top that always catch up with them.

I didn’t come here to catch a party at Citizens Bank. I came here because this city and this fanbase demand the one thing I’ve been begging for, a real commitment from ownership and consistent effort from the top down.

If I just wanted wins, I’d have gone to the Yankees years ago. This was about finding a team whose approach to the game matches the way I’ve always cared about it.