DAVID AARDSMA GOT SIGNED

It's been announced by the New York Mets that they just signed David Aardsma to a minor league deal. According to the Mets press release HERE, "The New York Mets today announced the club signed righthanded pitcher David Aardsma to a minor league contract and assigned him to Las Vegas (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League."

We wish Aardsma well here at BYB. We are always rooting for him.

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BRATS IN BASEBALL

Earlier this week I read an article published in Psychology Today (HERE) that touts today’s youth as fragile and too protected from life’s tests, obstacles and overarching challenges that make one stronger, more able to face the day-to-day grind of living.  “Whether we want to or not, we're on our way to creating a nation of wimps,” states the author of the article.  I have to say, we are seeing the after effects of this kind baby attitudes in our players today and it is frankly, really annoying.

I was so sick to my stomach when I heard about the Joba-Mo shushing incident last week.  I was taught to not speak over people, that there is a time and a place, and that when people are working, don’t interrupt them.  Mo was working, giving an interview.  His work ethic is tireless, surreal.  They don’t make people like that anymore, instead, we have a bunch of brats stepping onto the infield these days and it is wrecking the game where there was honesty, respect and real, hard core competition between teams to win not between immature players who want some attention. “Chamberlain denied that he had apologized to Rivera -- "There's no need to apologize. For what?” reported ESPN last week.  This is what I mean, you are fooling around with your family, acting like a clown while Mo is working and he couldn’t concentrate.  He had to step up and correct Joba, because he was being loud, and obnoxious.  He didn’t shush him, he politely asked him to lower his voice.  "Joba, yo, bro, bro,'' Rivera could be heard saying to Chamberlain on a tape of the interview played for ESPNNewYork.com (HERE.) "Suave,'' Rivera said, using the Spanish word for soft, while making a palms-down gesture with his hands, according to eyewitnesses.  Completely legitimate and professional, just as I would expect from a veteran player who didn’t get shielded from every little challenge that came his way from a helicopter parent.

And it is not just Joba.  It’s Bryce Harper who threw his helmet a couple of weeks ago like a little leaguer when he was called out on strikes.  The clown question Harper is truthfully a clown of a person- he is cocky and he needs to settle down.  Perhaps he needed a “Suave” warning from a veteran player like Mo.  And Jason Werth’s influence on the young Harper is not what he needs.

Mike Trout came into spring training weighing just about fifteen pounds heavier than last season.  He seems to have let his fame go to his head.  His attitude in promotional commercials for ESPN and other endorsement opportunities make him look and sound like the fat head that adorns many young little leaguers’ walls.  Maybe it is just me, but I fear that he will be the next one to try and outshine a veteran like Albert Pujols.

Joe Girardi said (HERE) it best the other evening following another Yankee win with our new team.  “Every superstar was a young player at one time, and when they came up they may have done some good things, but you really didn't know how good they're going to be until they get there," Girardi said. "We've had some young kids that I believe have a chance to be really good players and come up and do some special things."  And I believe there is a rite of passage, a grooming period for these players- Joba must have missed that memo while he was out on the DL; perhaps that is our fault for always wrapping him in bubble wrap every time he scraped his knee.

Maybe it’s us, as a society, that enables these young players to act this way.  We throw money at them; give them nothing but the best equipment; the all star treatment- top shelf all the way.  We can’t wrap today’s youth in caution tape to protect them from life.  They are going to get hurt, they have to make tough choices, they have to fall and even fail.  And I am afraid that as more rookies enter the scene, feeling entitled, the more brats we will continue to see in baseball today.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof




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GUESS WHAT MARK TEIXEIRA'S STILL NOT DOING?

Remember when Brett Gardner kept having setbacks last season because he had wrist problems? I almost feel like Mark Teixieira is going the same route.  And look, I'm no doctor, I'm a fan, but I see the way the Yankees operate and they always leak out a positive with their injured before a negative comes out.  This morning, there seems to be another negative with Teixeira.

MLB.com's Spencer Fordin reports HERE that: "Teixeira is eligible to be reinstated from the 60-day disabled list at the beginning of June, but the Yankees still aren't sure of his trajectory. Teixeira has been able to take tee-and-toss batting practice, but he's still waiting to ramp up to a rehab assignment in the Minor Leagues... 'He has not taken live BP. He's going to have to get some swings,' said Girardi. 'And the tricky part for him is left-handed, right-handed, having to do both.'"

(In Photo: Lyle Overbay)
Trust me, this isn't good.  I don't like what I'm hearing and reading lately about Mark Teixeira's injury. Couple that with Brian Cashman being both "Worried" and "Concerned" HERE about Tex.

Luckily we have Lyle Overbay.  Do we need Mark now? No, but eventually we will need him.

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MARIANO RIVERA: THE G.O.A.T.

On May 3rd, 2012 Mariano Rivera tore his ACL while shagging fly balls in Kansas City. It was possibly the most heart breaking moment for Yankees fans, watching the closer get carried off of the field on the back of a John Deere truck. Mo made it very clear he was coming back. "Write it in big letters. I'm not going out like this," he said.

And come back he did. But not before announcing his retirement on March 9th, 2013. "It's time," he said. It brought up a sense of nostalgia. I began to think about all his most memorable games. Games that would not have been nearly the same, if he were not out on the field.  Here are eight of my most memorable Mariano Rivera moments.

#8- May 25, 1995: I cannot properly make a list of Mo's most memorable games without discussing his Major League debut. The then 25-year old, played 3 1/2 innings, gave up 8 hits and 5 runs. Yankees lost to the Angels 10-0 that game. After 10 very similar starts, the Yankees demoted him to the bullpen. And that was possibly the greatest thing they have ever done.

#7- May 17, 1996: Mo notches his first career save, while standing in for John Wetteland. And thus the legend began.

#6- Oct. 25 & 26, 2000: Games 4 and 5 of the Subway Series World Series. With these two saves, Mo past Rollie Fingers for most World Series saves. He also earned the Yankees major bragging rights, proving that New York City really was Yankeeland after all.

#5- Oct. 16, 2003: This was not a save at all. It was Game 7 of the ALCS. We tied the Red Sox in the eighth. Mo comes into the ninth and blanks them out. And then repeats the feat for the tenth and eleventh. Aaron Boone became our unlikely hero, when he hits a walk-off homer to win the AL pennant.

#4- Sept. 21, 2008: Mo throws out the final pitch at old Yankee stadium. The Captain, Derek Jeter makes an incredibly moving speech, and Mo grabs some dirt off of the mound where legends before him stood.

#3- June 28, 2009: Mo gets his 500th save. He becomes the second player ever to reach the milestone. Trevor Hoffman being the other. The idea that Mo could become the All-time Saves leader becomes more realistic. But that was not his biggest milestone that night. Mo also got his career first RBI, when he drew a walk on a bases-loaded.

#2- Sept. 19, 2011: Save #602 makes Mo the indisputable greatest closer of all time. As modest Mo tries to walk off, Jorge Posada pushed Mo to the mound, HIS mound, for a proper curtain call. It was powerful to me, because it was with Jorge that he got the majority of those saves. Yea, I got choked up. And now you may ask why this is at #2. Well...

#1- After Mo's injury there were a lot of questions over whether or not the all time saves leader would return to the game. "I will be back," Mo said time and again. April 4, 2013: Mariano's  first regular season game after his injury. Mo has 16 straight saves since then, and is posting a 1.56 ERA. He was not kidding when he said to write it in big letters. Mo has returned, and has his sights sent on one thing. World Series Win.

This farewell tour that Mo has been on this season is really bitter sweet to watch. He has earned enough respect that we, the fans, understand that he is ready to hang up his cleats. He is a guy that has given 110% to this team and has never taken on any of the glory for himself. It has always been about the team. I look back at Mo's career and I feel infinitely grateful to be able to say that I have witnessed it from the beginning, to the very end. I'm grateful that my children have been able to see him play, and that one day they will be able to tell their children that they heard "Enter the Sandman" at Yankee stadium.

We'll have a new closer. As crazy as it sounds, life will go on after Mo, the way it did after Jorge left. But like Jorge, there is no replacing Mo. Not really. Players like Mo leave an imprint in the hearts and minds of fans, that lives on and is passed down, and helps mold future generations of fans.

Mariano Rivera, if you read BYB, and you happen to come across this, thank you. From every Yankee fan. Words cannot express our love and gratitude for you. You are an icon. A living legend. And we are the fortunate few to play witness to your career.

--Erica Morales, BYB Writer
Twitter: @e_morales1804

 

 

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RUNYON 5K RUN AT YANKEE STADIUM

This is just an important cause and something that we have helped promote every year since Bleeding Yankee Blue has began.  It's the Runyon 5K run and if you aren't familiar with it, you will be after reading this.

Since the inaugural event back in 2009, the 5K run has raised more than $2 million for the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation's effort to strike out cancer.

On August 18th, there will be thousands of people at Yankee Stadium. They will be runners, cancer survivors, Yankee fans, and people! People that want to make a difference.  They will gather and they will run to raise money.

Do you want to be one of those who takes a moment out of their busy schedule to make a difference? Well, Registration has opened! Go to www.damonrunyon.org/yankeestadium. (Participants are responsible for a $40 registration fee and a $60 fundraising minimum. On July 1, the registration fee increases to $50.)

We've talked to plenty of people who have given their time for this important cause over the past few years.  I asked my friend Kathi Sheehan, who ran in 2011, why people should jump in: (Read WHY THE RUNYON 5K RUN BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER)

Kathi: It is for a good cause! Remember the reason you are there. Having been fairly athletic growing up, I was a little nervous knowing that I wasn't in the shape I could have been for this event. But then I remembered that my ultimate goal was to raise money and awareness for this cause.

And how about my Twitter friend Rodney Zayas (HERE) who just registered for the run.  I got this Tweet from his yesterday:

Of course, I am happy to re-tweet that any time and I'll do it for anyone who signs up and gets the word out about the 5k run! Send me a tweet like this and I'm happy to.

Take a moment, go to the website today, think about committing and think about making a difference.  Here it is again: www.damonrunyon.org/yankeestadium

And if you need more convincing, remember the Yankee heroes that have come out, volunteered their time at the 5k run and have talked to Bleeding Yankee Blue about it.  Roy White, Mickey Rivers, Ron Blomberg.  3 great guys, 3 great Yankees and as Ron Blomberg told us HERE: "Anytime you’ve been out of baseball for many years and they ask you to do something like this, it makes you feel very wanted.  I’ve been very lucky in my life that I have two doctors as kids that I understand what cancer is all about.  I travel all around doing charity events like this across the country.  Just to be part of this at Yankee stadium and to do something with the ribbon (ceremony) it means an awful lot to me."

You gotta know how important this is now. Take a moment, register and make a difference.

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FUNNY THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH BALLS

OK. Calm down perv. I'm referring to baseballs... get your mind out of the gutter.

It's Sunday.  The week was long, we all busted ass at work, with the kids, I needed to make it light right about now.  I have found some pretty fun pictures of some baseball stars... and balls.  Baseballs and the weird things they have been caught doing with them.

 

This our Captain Derek Jeter in what I believe was an old GQ photo shoot.  Whatever the case, I actually don't ever remember seeing it, until I put together this piece.  

This is Carlos Beltran with what appears to be him actually eating a baseball.  Not sure where it came from, who snapped the shot and why he did it but it's funny and I appreciate the lighter side of baseball. 

I took this picture last season while Bobby Valentine was making a pitching change against the Yankees.  I noticed he kept smelling the ball while waiting for the new pitcher. I remember thinking "What the hell is this dude doing?" Now, players have said that sometimes when the ball is hit hard, if you smell the ball, you can sometimes smell a faint burn of wood off the ball. I'm not sure if that's true and I'm not sure what Uncle Rico is doing here but maybe that was it.

 This is Jimmy Rollins in what appears him getting clocked. Baseballs to the head scare the hell out of me. I can't believe the photographer was able to capture this moment. It's nuts.

This is Joba Chamberlain in Spring Training. I remember seeing this and just snagged it for a future post.... like this. I hope he didn't fracture anything doing this... I kid, I kid.

Hope you enjoyed this. If you liked it, share it. If not, just politely click to another page... preferably on BYB.  Have a good Sunday everyone.

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