2013 was a major year for Bleeding Yankee Blue. We did things the others only thought about doing. But we did it because we believed we could. There has never been a doubt in our minds here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. We have ideas, we execute those ideas and we make people open their eyes alittle wider. We’ve become a big family here in the process, because you have the same ideals and the same goals in your own lives. Of course, there are haters out there, and that’s expected, but what the haters don’t seem to understand is, we’re not out to destroy the reputations of the other bloggers out there. We don’t have time for the hate. No. All we wanted to do was work our way through the busy crowd and be noticed by the readers who want something new and different. We love, we don’t hate. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re going to continually hammer us without merit, I'll bitch slap you... I protect my family, but we’re not in the “hate” business. We just want to be one of the gang… and I’m damn proud to say, we are ladies and gentlemen, and it's because of you... the readers.
Family is big here. We’ve met some pretty incredible people over the years. The Posadas and the Sabathias share the same values as I personally do with my own family. I know that because I can see the love. Laura and Jorge always fill us in on their lives, their children and it’s wonderful to see. Think about it, if Jorge played much earlier, before the social network boom and retired in the early 90’s, we’d see the guy once a year on Old-Timers Day. But the timing was perfect and Jorge and Laura share a wonderful thing, they’re crazy about their family and want everyone in Yankeeland to know it. So, in this social networking world, Laura let's us all know just how they're doing... so we can catch up with their "family." You gotta love that.
I genuinely appreciate them. Read THE FULL POSADA INTERVIEW. It’s terrific.
"Amber Sabathia is a doll!" That’s a quote from my wife as we left our meeting with her and CC back in November. She is and CC is a big bear. We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue could not be happier to have made a friendship with them. It's very special to my wife and I. I asked my son that day, “How was it like to meet CC?” He said, "It was terrifying, but in a good way.” I got that.
This is a guy that he’s worshiped for as least 3 years, and he stood right next to him, shook his hand and got an autograph. He was in heaven, even if that "heaven" was making his heart pound for 30 seconds. My son was happy that day. Me, in turn, was gushing. The Sabathias are in love and it’s evident in their mannerisms together. I love watching them interact with their family and I know they appreciate their fans. Read CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR: INTERVIEW WITH THE SABATHIAS. You will fall in love, like family.
I like food and so does Clay Rapada. So, we’ve managed to tweet each other over the past year and become “friends” in the Twitter world. He’s a good dude and I’ve always been a fan. When we tweet our food, I call it #RapadaFoodWars. He doesn’t call it anything, he just screws with me, like a brother would.
On Christmas, he tweeted me this:
@BleednYankeeBlu pic.twitter.com/aPrAhIqLnd
— Clay Rapada (@pada5something) December 26, 2013
It's all good. But there is no question that he gets us here at Bleeding Yankee Blue and I appreciate that. Remember, our bond started with alittle ball busting and Hello Kitty.
Now he’s signed with the Los Angeles Angels and no doubt he’ll be up pitching heat again soon. What’s my point? Root for him, he deserves good things, positive vibes. Why? Because he’s respectful, to himself, to others, to BYB. I get behind that any time. Thanks Clay.
To my pal Pete Caldera. I’m proud to say that these days. I’ve admired Pete Caldera for many years. His writing is top notch and there’s always a nugget. He’s not like the others. He’s talented and he’s a crooner as well, and being there to witness it first hand makes me root even harder for this guy. If you don’t know who Pete is, or never read him, do it. We interviewed him. Read NO ONE DOES THE YANKEES BETTER THAN PETE CALDERA. He’s the most underrated writer in the business. Pete, Happy New Year and thanks for being great.
The Hensley Family are one of my favorites and over the past few years we communicate regularly. It's no secret that we here at BYB want Ty to succeed in the Bronx, he's earned a spot and will never stop fighting until he gets to the Bigs. I am fond of Marci, his mother because we share the same values raising our children. It doesn't matter that my kids are much smaller than Ty and Jake, our family values mirror each others.
Work hard and never give up. I applaud them and I wish them a Happy and Healthy New Year. I promise to check in with Ty and give our BYB readers an update on his recovery and training soon.
We met Tyler Austin and Rob Segedin this year. 2 Yankee prospects that we root hard for. I appreciate the time Kim Austin, Tyler's mom has given me and I've now taught my son's about their own "Authentic Swing." That's right, when we asked Tyler about his approach to hitting, he said this:
Tyler Austin: "I like to watch the Legend of Bagger Vance. In it, there’s an important lesson: Everybody has their own authentic swing. Once you find yours, there is nothing you can’t accomplish."
You gotta love that. Be sure to take the time to read our interviews with both guys:
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: TYLER AUSTIN... WONDERBOY
BYB EXCLUSIVE: ROB SEGEDIN
2 great kids... expect big things.
And don't forget the others... Dante Bichette Jr, Cito Culver, Mason Williams and more... the future of Yankee baseball. I can't wait to see them perform.
Ladies and Gentlemen... the BYB family has grown big… much bigger than I ever expected. When I wrote my first piece on September 14, 2010, I didn’t picture this. I pictured me getting bored, the readers fizzling out and me going back to suburban USA with my amazing family and my writing crave dying out. But something happened… you responded. When I noticed that over 100 people read me in one week, it inspired me. When I wrote some more, more people read me. There was an audience, and I was in front of you, alone. It was strange… but extremely gratifying. As time went on, more people showed up and when 1000 people started reading me daily, I fell off my chair. By then, we brought on writers at BYB. They were hungry writers with the same idea… Go big, dream big and anything can be accomplished. Well… something was happening.
“I can hear it calling... can't you tell? I'm on the edge of something, so I just keep running every time...”
That lyric is from a recording artist named Jamie Cullum. The song is called "Edge of Something" and it’s from his album, ironically titled Momentum. I love this artist and this song and while the lyrics to the full song don’t entirely fit BYB, the line above does. When I saw that 2000 people were reading Bleeding Yankee Blue daily, and I had "regulars", I knew I was on the edge of something. Every time the Yankees lose, or we become frustrated here, or we just have something to say, we put it to paper. You read it and share it. You break my chops, you write us back and that’s the wonder of Social networks…there's a dialog. We’ve become instant here. The others don’t. We don’t have a comments forum that disappears into space. One of us, be it me or one of our writers talk back. We’re not robots, we’re real... and that’s what I like here. It's fascinating.
Soon enough, when we consistently reached 3000 readers daily and my new found buddies Charles and Joey Moses and I are making plans for the next time they come to New York from Australia… or Joba Chamberlain tells me that he’s OK with me passing along his message to the fans exclusively through BYB, (Read HERE)… I have come to the realization that we’re doing something right here.
This isn’t about ego and maybe that’s what you guys see. We have never been about us being the top dog through arrogance, it's about being top dog through respect for each other and the team we love. Bleeding Yankee Blue has some very simple rules when it comes to fight club:
- Don’t be disrespectful
- Write with your Game-face on
- Own your post
- Be appreciative and humble
- Never give up on yourself or the brand
I once said we “might” make t-shirts 1 day… we did it and you wear them. It’s incredible. The day I walked into a mid-town Manhattan diner and saw a guy reading Bleeding Yankee Blue on his iPad was the day I got chills. The day Erica Morales said she overheard people talking in a Bronx bodega about Bleeding Yankee Blue was the day we arrived.
That moment when you are in your neighborhood bodega and someone mentions @BleednYankeeBlu #ProudWriter #Grateful
— E Morales (@e_morales1804) December 24, 2013
That’s real life. That’s word of mouth… that’s family ladies and gentlemen, and as I write this, I feel the goosebumps forming on my arms. I can tell you that I am damn proud of us… not just the writers, but the family… the BYB family that was searching for that "something" in the Yankee blogosphere and found us. But not only that, you stayed with us... you're loyal, and we love you because of it. Thank you.There is no easy way to say it, so I’ll just say it. You had me the day we started reaching 5000 readers daily. I am blessed for that. It's funny, but for years I wondered how ideas became reality without promotion, yet, that's exactly what BYB has become. You've turned a little website into a frenzy. You truly understand what we’re doing here and you understand that we are fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers and we have the same passion as you… we love the New York Yankees.
But there’s much more to it and you see that as well; We have kids in Little League like you. We have brothers or sisters who are Red Sox fans and parents who hate reading stats... and we have families like you. It's a site for the fans, not a site that looks down on the fans. That’s why we’re here. That’s why we exist. It’s not about the dWAR to us, it’s about whether or not my kid understands the dangers of PEDs and how to find the right role model.
It’s not about stolen base percentage as much as it is whether or not we are losing the integrity of the game eliminating collisions at home plate or adding instant replay. The point is, stats are great, but we bring life and realness to it here. Ballplayers aren’t robots and neither are you. We’re real people...we're a big baseball family.
Bleeding Yankee Blue has arrived. I can’t believe it, but it has. And now, 3 years in, we keep going. Look for big things. Look for us to turn it up a notch. Look for the family to build and expand. And yes, there will always be haters, but be mindful of them and keep being respectful and never lose that charm and spark you possess. Be a reader, be a leader and know that what you’ve all done for little BYB is truly great. Sure, we're BYB, the one mentioned in ESPN the Magazine, in the Seattle Intelligencer, the Epoch Times, Pinstripe Posts, Zerve.com, a travel site and even USA Today, but we'll never change. It's never been about ego, it's been about word of mouth and honest writing. Fans for fans, family for family... that's BYB.
You get us ladies and gentlemen… you REALLY get us, and I appreciate you reading, sharing and talking about our work. It means the world to me.
Thank you for the journey you BYB freaks… I’m blushing.
Happy New Year. Let’s make 2014 even better… and let’s have a Yankee Championship in the Bronx!
-Robert Casey, CEO & Writer for BleedingYankeeBlue.com
Follow me: @BleednYankeeBlu
Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success. You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom. Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.
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