GRANDERSON & TEIXEIRA EXCHANGE TEXTS

Granderson: bro, ur on fire

Tex: finally lol

Granderson: the buzz on BYB is u drinking the Grandy juice

Tex: nice, u should market that

Granderson: so glad ur rolling now. Swish needs some haha

Tex: he’ll get there. he loves the spotlight, trust me lol. cant be out of it long

Granderson: he cant fall out of favor :)

Tex: u know the dude wants to be a movie star right?

Granderson: friggin hilarious bro.

Tex: SNL needs to call the dude, that will make him happy

Granderson: maybe then he’ll start hitting lol

Tex: hilarious

Granderson: what do u think of jeet

Tex: 3000 is huge. That guy is a stud :)

Granderson: totally

Tex: what about u, u gonna hit 62 homers this year lol

Granderson: hilarious right? Not sure why but im humming

Tex: its awesome

Granderson: I hope it lasts

Tex: just keep staying positive

Granderson: yeah

Tex: ur Curtis granderson

Granderson: yup

Tex: the greatest yankee ever lol

Granderson: ok calm down dude haha

Tex: messing around

Granderson: blushing bro, I just love baseball

Tex: no doubt

Granderson: yea. No doubt

(NOTE: THESE ARE FAKE TEXT EXCHANGES. THIS IS ME USING HUMOR AND MAKING A GUESS OF HOW THE PEOPLE INVOLVED WOULD SPEAK TO EACH OTHER VIA TEXT. THERE IS NOTHING REAL ABOUT THIS. IT IS DONE STRICTLY FOR LAUGHS. ENJOY) --------------------------------------------------------------------

Be sure to check out the latest comedy from Bronx Goblin HERE.

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WHY THERE’S A HUGHES FACTOR

(photo: Getty)
With all the hype surrounding Bartolo Colon, everyone and I mean everyone of us haven’t thought about Phil Hughes at all. But Phil Hughes is on the road back from his mysterious "dead arm" injury and it’s only a matter of time before he’s back. Many are suggesting though, Hughes will be back after the All-Star break. This makes sense. Meanwhile, his fill-in Colon is kicking ass and taking names and there’s no rush, plus Phil’s young and if they get him right now, they have plenty of good years with Mr. Hughes.

This past weekend it was reported that he threw about 30 pitches in a bullpen session and he “felt fine”. Still no word on what the velocity is like. I suspect it’s not where they want it to be, but it’s just a process and if he “feels fine” then eventually, the velocity will get up, the confidence will get there and the Pyramid of Pitching Dominance will eventually take hold. Remember, the Pyramid; With mechanic analysis comes confidence, when the confidence comes, any doubt leaves and focus takes over. The plan is to pitch in another bullpen session on Wednesday and he’ll face live batters over the weekend.

But there is no doubt that question marks are going to come hard right around that All-Star break when teams resume play. Does Phil Hughes jump right into the starting rotation or do they do what they did in 2009 and throw him in the bullpen as that long man or put him in as part of the bridge to Mo. There’s no question he could handle it, plus, if the brass is concerned about innings and Hughes, it would make sense. Slowly ease him back. Why move Colon out of the starting role if he’s literally the Yankee ace, that's not exactly fair.

(Photo: Getty)

Now, There is one question mark in the rotation, and that's Ivan Nova. He is learning as he goes right now and his last outing was not too good at all. It would make sense that if he continues on this terrible track, Hughes could snag his spot. Or what about Garcia? So far he’s not showing any signs of breaking down, but what if he does by the All-Star break, then, Phil Hughes would fit into his spot. Any way you slice it, there are options.

(Photo: Getty)

One thing is for sure, Brian Cashman looks like a genius and that’s fine with me. 2 things need to happen though… The Yankees need to start printing up Bartolo Colon t-shirts... I need one ASAP. The second thing? Colon needs his own fragrance and start cashing in on his suddenly popularity. Colon’s Cologne. It smells like sweat and grit. I’d buy that.

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WHY DICKERSON'S THE REAL DEAL

There’s no one scrappier than Chris Dickerson. Yes, this guy was a no-name to Yankees fans 4 months ago, but as an extra outfielder, the kid’s got speed, grit and athleticism in the field that is more than any fourth or fifth outfielder... He could actually be a starter too.

The best thing right now is we an above average player in Dickerson on our bench to fill in for a slow starting Swisher and a guy that can mirror a Gardner in left if needed.

So, how did it happen? How and why did we get Chris Dickerson? It was simple, Brain Cashman reads Bleeding Yankee Blue and he saw the abuse Sergio Mitre was taking. Cashman thought to himself, “Self…What would make the Mighty Casey happy?
Sergio Mitre is on his shit list, maybe I’ll unload him. But for who?" Then Cashman did something amazing. He went through the BYB archives. (If you haven’t, you should do it too, there are some gems in there.) Cashman knows I like speed, he knows I like dirty uniforms and he knows I like when the Yankees win. Brian Cashman did this trade for me. Well, not exactly, but he did know that Dickerson would better the team and Mitre was going nowhere.

Once Cashman convinced Girardi he needed to let go of his Mitre obsession, he made the call and got a player on no one’s radar. That’s what Cashman does best; getting the diamond in the ruff that no one is looking at. Yes, Cash gets the big fish, but it’s those little fish that sometimes make the difference. In my mind, Dickerson will be a huge help to the Bronx Bombers.

(photo: Getty)

And speaking of Bronx Bombers, don’t underestimate the other outfielder the Yankees collected over the off season in Andruw Jones. Jones may be older since those glory days of the Atlanta Braves, but he has something to prove too and will do it, every chance he gets. Look for a terrific piece by Grant Cederquist titled WHY CASHMAN IS THE SMARTEST GM IN BASEBALL. It maps out Cashman’s cheap and yet smart moves wonderfully.

For me, I look forward to Dickerson playing more. I like him in the late innings and I like him when he fills in. Do you know the feeling you get when a sub comes in for a starter? You will usually cringe right? I don’t cringe when Dickerson comes in. Yes, it’s a gut thing for me and if my guts not hurting, like it does when Eduardo Nunez takes over in the field, then I know that sub is about to have a good game. Dickerson doesn’t make me worry, that’s all I need.

Give Cashman some credit; he’s got his eye on the prize. Yes, they aren’t all All-Stars, but they are talented ballplayers and I am happy to add Chris Dickerson to that list, no doubt.

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WHY IT'S COLON'S REJUVENATION TOUR

(Photo: Getty)
Bartolo Colon is the biggest pickup of 2011, hands down. Bartolo Colon is going to the All-Star game, no doubt. Bartolo Colon is a New York Yankees ace and he's here to stay. Today in Oakland, Bartolo Colon pitched a complete game, gave up 4 hits and allowed no runs. That's a shutout bitches. For a guy the Yanks literally grabbed as a cheap alternative to Cliff Lee this past winter, I'd say they're doing OK, don't you?. The best nugget about Colon comes from the Wall Street Journal's wrap up of today's game. Check out this great stat:

"Lee has a 4-4 record and a 3.50 ERA for the Phillies. Colon, after pitching a complete game, four-hit, no-walk masterpiece against the Oakland A's Monday, has a 3-3 record and a 3.26 ERA." (Photo: AP)
Colon's the story of the day, although you need to give some credit to Mark Teixeira who drank the Granderson potion because now he's hot as hell. Two run homer in the first inning and it clearly relaxed Colon and let him settle in for the long hall. I'm digging it.(Photo: Getty)
By the way, I haven't talked about this much because everyone is, but it's worth mentioning. Don't look now but Derek Jeter is 19 hits away from 3000 hits. That's an incredible feat and you have to tip your hat to the Captain. I wrote about how important this achievement is for Jeter and he really needs to enjoy the moment when it happens. Read WHY 3000 COMES BEFORE 28. Anyway, Jeet had a nice hit in the first inning before Tex's homer, and he's batting .259. Not a Jeter average but I see that going up to about .285 this season. Don't worry, the Cap may be slowing, but he's still hitting.
(Photo: Getty)
Other notes from today's game are that Russell Martin was scratched because of a bruised foot. Cervelli filled in and had a hit. He also stole 2 bases. Nice job Francisco.

Brett Gardner was all about speed today, stealing second and third after walking and then scored on Jeter's sacrifice fly. He literally manufactured the fourth run of the game. Got to love that.

Final Score: Yankees 5 - Athletics 0. Great game today. 2 in a row now and the Yankees can really make a run for a winning streak with a positive, confident win like today. Let's hope we can keep going.

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WHY WE CELEBRATE MEMORIAL DAY

Many of us woke up today and realized that we're off from work. I bet a smile came to your face because it's Memorial Day, a company holiday. It's a holiday to hang with the kids and family. You'll get to kick back, eat, tan, drink a beer and many of us Yankees fans will be able to hopefully watch the Yankees clobber the Athletics at 4pm. But why are we off? Do you know?

It's not just a holiday today, it's a special holiday. Today we have to and must take a moment and realize that America is free because of the heroic US men and women who died while in the military serving this great country. Memorial day is a day that we take a second to stop and remember and honor all the people who have served and are serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. We are honoring veterans, surviving soldiers living and deceased in all of the wars the United States is and was involved in.

So today, take a moment...when you see a soldier, tell them "Thank you for your service". Without them, we wouldn't be able to do what we do every day, live in a free society, drink a beer, kick back and enjoy life.
And by the way, don't just honor our soldiers on Memorial Day, you should honor our soldiers every day. Don't ever feel weird or silly to tell a veteran soldier that you appreciate them. They come back to the real world and people don't ever approach them. It's sad really and it doesn't have to be that way. These are our heroes and those heroes are somebodys father or sister or husband or daughter.

The organizations that Bleeding Yankee Blue supports are below. Take a moment, check out the Wounded Warrior Project and the Fisher House, they are terrific and they help our troops. Maybe you even want to donate.

The Wounded Warrior Project

The Fisher House

So, from all of us here at Bleeding Yankee Blue, a very special thank you to the United States Military, young and old, We salute you. Semper Fi.

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PROSPECT ROUNDUP: DELLIN BETANCES & ANDREW BRACKMAN

Manny Banuelos' co-Killer B, Dellin Betances had struggled with blisters early on this season, but that being said, these are his numbers currently this year. In 7 games, Dellin has a 1.30 ERA in Trenton. In 34.2 innings pitched, he has 39 strikeouts. He's also only given up 9 runs, 5 of which were earned. Now, for me, I think this kid is something and will be in the majors before you know it.

Those numbers prove that Betances has the ability. Is Dellin the best? No, but he has the stuff to be one day, whether it’s with the Yankees or another team if he is, for instance, trade bait for a Felix Hernandez. He’s still progressing and his performances thus far has not been a fluke. If two pitching prospects have managed to do what Banuelos and Dellin have done to start this season off, then I’d think we have all the reason in the world to resume salivating over their arms.

Andrew Brackman has struggled both early and now at Scranton-Wilkes Barre. In his first 10 innings, Brackman had an ERA of 6.30. I was convinced that would improve, but now in May, Brackman's numbers haven't been much better. In 9 games, he has a 6.35 ERA. In 45 innings, he's struck out 36 but his runs are a problem. He allowed 32 earned runs.

Should we be concerned? I say no, things can change. You have to realize that he’s adjusting to a new league, just like Jesus Montero had to. The difference however is Montero plays every day where Brackman plays every 5 days. Brackman’s numbers will improve and hopefully that will lead him into the majors by 2012.

--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer

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WHY WE NEVER SAY DIE

"We've got our big boy on the mound. You feel like you give him more than two runs you're going to win the ball game." --Nick Swisher

(Photo: AP)
No doubt about it, CC Monster is our man, a true ace and when he's on, he's on. 8 innings of 5 hit 1 run ball. He showed no signs of fatigue today, he just went out there and chucked it. The best part was he was able to rest the bullpen by going 8 innings, plus, the offense was there today, refusing to be swept in Seattle. That's not a Series win, but it's a win non the less and I'll take it.

For CC, it was a win for the sixth straight time against Seattle. That makes him 8-1 in 11 starts at Safeco Field. Nice bro, nice.(Photo: Reuters)
Calling all Yankee fans, maybe, just maybe, Nick Swisher is working out of his slump...I'm not kidding. Swish cranked a homer today (his 3rd of the season) and we are all crossing our fingers that this is it, the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, just hopefully, Nick Swisher is back. Swisher hit the only homer today, the 79th for the Yankees this season, but more importantly, they kicked the crap out of Jason Vargas, who only lasted 3 innings. They scored 6 runs off of him today.
I know what your thinking..."What was your favorite hit today Casey?" Funny you should ask. For me, it has to be Andruw Jones in the 3rd inning. When he doubled to right field and A-Rod, Cano and Swisher scored, I knew we had the game in the bag. Say what you will about "over the hill" Andruw Jones, but I say he's just what the doctor ordered. You can see it in his eyes, he loves playing on the New York Yankees and he loves baseball. Jones is happy, and another player we picked up this winter is same way... that's Eric Chavez. Pickups like Jones and Chavez will prove to be brilliant moves by Brian Cashman. You wait and see.

Eduardo Nunez redeemed himself today hitting a triple and knocking in Jones in that same 3rd inning. It was good to see that happen because I've been riding him pretty hard. At this moment, he's in the back of my mind but that triple today was nice, no doubt.

Final Score today: Yankees 7 - Mariners 1. I liked today BYB freaks... my Yankees won. I'm drinking a Corona and writing this right now...damn, nothing's better.

Next stop, Oakland, 4:05pm game on Memorial Day... Nothing better than celebrating our Soldiers and America with family, friends and baseball.


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