GUESS WHO MAY SIGN AJ BURNETT...NIPPLE RINGS & ALL

The Baltimore Orioles appear to be the team that may sign AJ Burnett.  This is the same club that if you remember, back in 2005, a source told a reporter that Orioles brass suggested that there was “...no way we sign a guy with nipple rings.” The guy with nipple rings is AJ Burnett. I just wanted to put that into context for you.

Now that AJ Burnett has told people that he doesn't necessarily need to come back to the Pittsburgh Pirates... suddenly nipple rings don't matter anymore:

Orioles "all in" on AJ Burnett, Rays in, early in process
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) January 30, 2014

Nipple rings apparently don't matter to the Tampa Bay Rays either.

 (NOT actually AJ Burnett's chest.)
Hey, good for them, very progressive of them. I kid, I kid.

Look, truth be told, I am not an AJ Burnett hater.  I think the guy's a decent pitcher but not spectacular.  I think he was in over his head in New York and the Yankees oversold him when they signed CC Sabathia at the same time.  That's my take, no biggie if you don't agree.

That being said, the American League East is still the American League East... does it change if you're with the Yankees or the Orioles or Rays? Pressure is pressure.   Well, we shall see.

If anything happens with AJ, we'll tell you... after all, we like to keep BYB readers in the loop on former Yankees as well. Plus, there is really no news the speak of these days... it's killing me.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted 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.

THE YANKEES MOUNT OLYMPUS: MARIANO RIVERA

We are now to the top five entrants to the New York Yankees hallowed Mount Olympus.  These are the best of the best and represent baseball’s immortals.

At number five we have a player whose abilities would translate to success in any era.  He holds records that may never be touched at his position, and in 2018 he should be a unanimous selection into the Hall of Fame.

Of course, I am talking about the great Mariano Rivera.

It is rare for a player to be in the game for so long yet still leave at, or near the top of his profession.  Last year, Rivera did just that.

In 2013, his 19th and final season, Rivera had 44 saves and a 2.11 ERA.  His strikeout to walk ratio was 54 to 9.  For any other reliever, that would be considered a peak season.  For a 43-year-old Mo, it was just the punctuation on the greatest career any closer has ever had.  Rivera’s final tally may never be touched.  His 952 games finished, 205 ERA+ (a baseball-reference.com category that takes into account ballpark factor), and 652 career saves are staggering and represent the highest in MLB’s history.

Even more impressive is what Mo did in the most important games.  He holds a 0.70 ERA with 42 saves in the postseason, and that includes a 0.759 WHIP (Walks+Hits per innings pitched) that is jaw-dropping.

The great ones all raise their level of play in games that matter most. Rivera is a great one.

Consistency is what most marked the Rivera years for the Yankees, and it is his consistency that made the reliever so intimidating.

From 2003 through 2011, Rivera never had less than 30 saves and his ERA only went higher than 1.94 once.  In six of those nine seasons Mo’s WHIP was lower than 1.000.

The most remarkable thing is that Rivera accomplished those numbers with basically one pitch.  The hitters knew what was coming; they just couldn’t do anything about it.  The sounds of “Enter Sandman” in the ninth inning meant that another game would be placed in the Win column.

After five World Series titles, seven AL Championships, five Rolaids Reliever awards, one World Series MVP, a Comeback Player of the Year award and 13 All-Star selections, there is little doubt to Rivera’s greatness.

What the accolades and accomplishments don’t tell you is the type of person Rivera was.

On and off the field Mo was always the epitome in class.  His quiet, humble demeanor was a breath of fresh air in an era full of self-promotion, and his generosity was unequaled.

That is best understood in looking at Rivera’s final season; his farewell tour.  Yes, he received numerous gifts from each team the Yankees visited in 2013, but all the while behind the scenes Mo was quietly thanking the people he had come across over 19 years.

Fox Sports followed Rivera in his last season and put together a piece called “Being: Mariano”.  It documents how Rivera made a point of finding fans and workers out of the public eye to personally thank them just for being fans.

It is a must-see and make sure you have a box of tissues with you when you watch it. The documentary shows that Rivera’s greatness on the field is merely a small part of his greatness as a man.

The Yankees enter a new era in 2014; one that no team would envy.  For the first time since the mid-90’s, the club will have a new closer. For Yankees’ fans the game will just feel “different”.

David Robertson has the unenviable task of stepping into the footprints of the game’s greatest reliever.  While we are sure that he will do a solid job in the ninth innings of games, he can never be – nor should he ever try to be – Mariano Rivera.

It is our honor to welcome the greatest reliever that ever lived to the Yankees’ Mount Olympus.


    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

 

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.

THE SABATHIAS BRING THE FUN BACK TO BASEBALL

2 days ago my son and I headed over to the batting cages. Recently, I noticed that his confidence had vanished. He wasn't motivated lately in the game I loved so much, and he did too for a while... and I wondered if he just wanted to quit. So I asked him: 

"You want to stop playing baseball or something?" 

"Sometimes. I feel burned out."

"You practice 2 days a week. That's hardly us pushing you. What else do you like to do?"

" - - - "

Now that "- - -" is frustration. That "---" was him loving the game of baseball, but not performing to his standards. In short, he puts way too much pressure on himself and he lost his mojo.  Fast forward... we went to the cages.  The problem was simple.  No confidence so we needed to start over.  He stood in the box and I broke him down.

"Now, you just need to listen to me. I'm not your dad now, let's say I'm your coach."  If I didn't say that, he'd be telling me to "Stop" and not listen and we'd get absolutely nowhere. He nodded.

Too many moving parts... kind of like Curtis Granderson.  We stopped the movement. He rested the bat on his shoulder in the box. As the cage wound up, he loaded up ever so slightly and no twirling of the bat in his wrists. Now his head was still too.  The ball came in and he swung and missed... he turned to me, already frustrated and said... "See! I saw it, but I'm too slow!"  

"Adjust... move back in the box, choke up and keep still. Don't think of it as a job... think of it as a game. You can't just jump into the 60 MPH cage. Start slow and work your way up."

I saw his eyes... "A Game!" He adjusted... because the next round of balls he fouled them all off. He was relaxed.  His face lit up.  Sure... he was fouling them, but as I told him, "This isn't about you crushing the ball... this is about confidence and getting your timing back. It's supposed to be fun."

The next found got better. He was fouling off and hitting a few in between the misses... but as the muscle memory started sinking in, he was gaining confidence. He turned to me and said "give me another round."  By the 10th round, we were finished, and he was hitting the ball consistently, be it fouls or hits, but the confidence was happening now.

Last night, we went back. Why? Because he didn't treat it like a job... he treated it like a game and it was fun.  He was back and hopefully to stay. "When I didn't try to crush it, I was hitting it!"

"Your old man was a kid once, you know... I know what I'm talking about." I whacked him on the helmet.

So why did I trick you into seeing a title about CC Sabathia and giving you a story about my son? Because it all connects.  MLB.com had a terrific feature about CC in California from January 25th and he was there for his PitCCh in Foundation.  In it, he and Amber helped guide kids and reminded them that baseball is a game, it's supposed to be fun... we need to enjoy it. I'm all in with that message.

 "More than 200 youths gathered at a baseball field Saturday morning to listen to Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia and area coaches provide tips for executing the basics of fielding, hitting and pitching.

But the primary fundamental Sabathia wanted to emphasize was joy... 

' we try to put on these camps and clinics and let the kids know that baseball is a fun game to play. I grew up playing it, so I want to share it with them...We're out here playing music, the community is coming together -- it's just a great time,' he (CC) said....  

'You have some kids who may not be that interested in baseball, but being active and healthy is really what we're pushing,' Amber Sabathia said. The message to parents, she added, was 'keeping your kids active is really most important...I think the goal is to have every child go home tonight saying, 'I had fun.'"

I love these 2.  They're great people.  Not only that... it's important that in this PEDs infested sports  world recently, we need to remind these kids, your kids and mine, to just go out there and have fun.  It's not about hitting the ball harder than anyone, it's about the love of the game.  

If you love and respect the game... it will love and respect you... that's just a fact ladies and gentlemen.

Shout out to the Sabathias... 2 terrific role models!

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.

THE BEST DAMN MOMENT ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE!

I was curious. I hadn't seen the Derek Jeter skits from his Saturday Night Live appearance in a long, long time. I wondered if I could find the whole show online, maybe a few clips...

Well, I found some and they're still pretty damn funny. I remember watching it in 2001 and they were funny then. Now, looking at them, they're still pretty funny, and Jeet is so young looking and slightly awkward, talking under the applause, timing not perfect and not really knowing when the speak and not understanding the comedy of the sketches. That being said, there was a brilliance to it... and  I want to share all the sketches I could find of it this Friday... enjoy this... I did!






 I wonder if another Yankee will ever be on SNL in this capacity? We shall see, but this was a classic.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted 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.

MICHAEL YOUNG: YANKEES OR RETIREMENT?

Well, the 37 year old Michael Young chose retirement over trying to stick around and playing for perhaps the Yankees, or the Dodgers, or anyone for that matter.  There you have it.

Then I got to thinking about all the Yankees that are 37 or more, and still aren't retired;  Hiroki Kuroda. Brian Roberts. Carlos Beltran. Matt Thornton. Even Derek Jeter.

Then I just got deeply depressed, looked at my 42 year old frame in the mirror and immediately went for a 5 mile run while carrying weights.  I currently can't move my arms or legs right now and have shin splints... I won't do that again.

Anyway... the report from Ken Rosenthal at FOX Sports.com is that Young is retiring:

Sources: Michael Young to retire. Had three good offers, including from #Dodgers, but wanted to be with his family.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 30, 2014

Now, there is no indication that Young got an offer from the Yankees officially, but I can tell you he did, because it makes sense that he did... we need a third baseman with veteran experience, we've been connected to him before and we like the old guys. It's what we do... right Brian Roberts?

Don't worry ladies and gentlemen... Young's retiring, but I hear Chipper Jones might be available.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted 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.

THIS SONG BY MASAHIRO TANAKA'S WIFE WILL CONSUME YOU

As we all know by now, Masahiro Tanaka is coming to play for the New York Yankees.  We are happy about that.  But did you know that Tanaka's wife Mai Satoda is a pop star and TV personality? She is... and this is one of her songs from YouTube below... YouTube has everything.

Now I'm warning you... this is as bad as "It's A Small World" so when you first here it, you'll think, "What the hell is this? I can't even understand her." Then you'll think, "OK I think I've had enough."


Then... 4 hours later you're going to be brushing you teeth... and you'll be humming this song. She'll take you over...

You're Welcome.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted 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.

DO WE SIGN JIMENEZ, ARROYO OR SANTANA...OR DO WE STAY?

With the signing of Masahiro Tanaka, the Yankees appear to be done spending.  That's what it looks like right now at least.  There are still pitchers out there though.

Bronson Arroyo is available and his phone isn't ringing apparently.  The Yankees were connected to him for about 2 minutes... the Reds were chatting with him, but now, according to Arroyo, nothing.  Jayson Stark tweeted this:

Bronson Arroyo can't figure out why he's still unemployed. And neither can anyone else http://t.co/iVYCt9VAgl
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) January 29, 2014

Couple that with Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana still available and you have to wonder what the deal is here. Are teams just done spending, or is the perception just that these guys aren't good anymore.  Don't forget, it was reported that if the Yankees signed Tanaka, they would very well sign Jimenez too.... just for kicks.

The latest on these 2 pitchers is coming from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports who writes "The Toronto Blue Jays, in need of another starting pitcher, might finally be preparing to pounce.... The Jays have yet to make an offer to a free-agent starter, according to major league sources...

But they have done extensive background work on right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez, digging into his medical records, and also remain interested in righty Ervin Santana and other free agents, sources said."

My source says that the word "pounce" is just to get rumor readers excited that a moves about to be made... even if it isn't true. I kid. I love Kenny Rosenthal.

Whatever the case, there are 3 guys out there that a team could most likely use... maybe even as a 5 starter.  Oh... and AJ Burnett's available too.... just saying.

I wonder if the Yankees would swoop in for 1 of these guys just to stir up the "competition pot" come spring training...

Stay tuned.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted 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.

KEEPING STRAT-O-MATIC ALIVE

I went to my first Strat-O-Matic draft since I was a kid this past weekend.  Let me state for the record, that I don’t know what the producers of TV networks are thinking… there needs to be a reality show based on a group of guys calling each other douchbags and ripping through papers of stats and names from whatever era they choose in an attempt to draft the best team possible in a fantasy world of nerds!  It would be epic... I call dibs, I found the best crew.

Mind you, these guys are regular dudes, but they’ve been doing this for 23 seasons now, the same guys, the same ball busting and the same passion of baseball in their blood.  They love the sport and love to meet up once a year for this draft. It’s too important to miss. The best part is they concentrate on the 80’s, a great era in baseball.  

The draft went about 3 hours, guys like Bret Saberhagen and Rickey Henderson were picked rather quickly. Guys like Tony Pena, Frank Viola and Lou Whitaker  we swiped up later. But more than the players, was the dialog. “Don’t be a douche,” one of the guys yelled in from the kitchen as we looked at the “big board” to figure out what our next picks would be.  

The joke of the day was Danny Tartabull… “No one saw that pick coming,” said one of the guys. Just then, another dude yelled out “Danny Tartabull everybody… DANNY TARTABULL” and laughed hysterically, almost evil, as he clapped his hands together rapidly as if Tartabull walked into the room at that moment there was going to be a throw down.  It was a mock… but that’s what guys do.

There was pizza, beer, wine and a lot of laughs.  Now mind you, I had never met this group.  I went with 2 of my buddies, one of which grew up with this crew, but by the time I walked out of there, I felt like they were my friends too. We had things in common, but Strat-O-Matic brought us together.   Nice guys; blue collar guys, salesmen, lawyers… I even think there was a butcher in there too.  Just a great mix of dudes who came together for the love of baseball…again… 80’s baseball.   

Overall, it was fun, a lot of smiles, until I was leaving and one of the guys who started the whole thing looked at me concerned… “This is too much fun… but I worry about it going away, you know? Strat-O-Matic is dying, man.  We don’t want it to die!”  He was serious, and I got that.  As kids, we all played games like Micro League Baseball and Strat-O-Matic and we all compiled the stats before computers did it for us.  It was a nerd's culture and I’m happy to say I was apart of it, and so were these guys.  It was an outlet for years, a place to go when things in the real world became too much.  You escaped to Micro League Baseball or Strat-O-Matic for a few hours.  

“It won’t die”, I said. Although, I was unsure about my answer.  I mean, in this world of video games and electronics and so many different outlets out there… it could very well die.

Well, I slept on it last night and I decided that I don’t want it to die either.  What I’m going to do is reach out to Strat-O-Matic and see if they need help getting their site more exposure.  Maybe we’ll strike an advertising deal, maybe we’ll cross promote.  Who knows, but I want to help keep Strat-O-Matic alive!

That goes for Micro League too… you remember, right? (Read THE MICRO LEAGUE REDUX IS COMING.) I’m doing my best to try and create an APP to get Micro League downloadable and posted on Bleeding Yankee Blue. I have a good friend who is working on it. This guy may be the smartest computer guy in the country!  Hell, maybe I’ll eventually post a downloadable Micro League link, as well as a Strat-O-Matic link on BYB, so us nerds can keep the traditions going and maybe even introduce it to a new generation.  We need to keep this nerd stuff in the spotlight.

So look, if you like Strat-O-Matic, if you like Micro League Baseball… comment. Tell us what you like most about it.  If you like more than the other, tell us why.   If you have ideas to give Strat-O-Matic more exposure, reach out to me. We want to hear from you. 

Let’s keep these games alive forever… what do you think?

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted 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.

MARK TEIXEIRA IS SETTING UP HIS "EXCUSE SEASON"

I told all of you how this would unfold.   A few weeks ago I was told over and over about how Mark Teixeira will be fine and "his wrist has gotta be healed by now, right?" Well, not exactly.  See, the Yankees are the masters of "breaking it to you slowly."  In fact, they do it because Yankee fans are spoiled and we need every player to be fully healthy and winning 162 games every season.  That's the way we were brought up, especially if you were a kid in the Steinbrenner era like me. 

The PR handling of injury reports and progress has never really changed for the Yankees.  I mean, we all knew Derek Jeter would be out for the season last year, but it was the Captain, so we let him try to get back, because that's what Captains do. But when it comes to injuries, the Yankees tread lightly with, "He could be away for a few days with a tweaked wrist".  Then, when those few days go by, we need more... "Well, we're just going to sit him for another week or 2... give him some rest, but he's fine." You feeling me so far?

Then what happens is the Yankees won't talk to the media about it directly, they'll instead "sneak" or float a piece to the AP... "Tex is headed to specialist in INSERT THE CITY to check out the wrist." Next thing you know, he's out for the season.  Now... all of what I just mentioned above is a scenario... not directly involving Mark Teixeira, but instead, a scenario of how the Yankees handle injury and progress...

Enter Mark Teixeira's real life scenario... he's still not 100% with that wrist... and he may not be for a while.

2 weeks ago, Tex "hoped" he'd be ready, read HERE. Today, the Wall Street Journal asked Tex about the wrist and this is what was written:

"Teixeira’s doctors have told him that it will take a year for the wrist to feel fully normal, and that the tightness will likely remain throughout. It should improve, however, with every therapy session he completes and every swing he takes.  'I’m expecting until June, and maybe even through this entire season, it’ll be a little tight... Any athlete that says, after a major surgery, that they have no problems, they've never felt anything, they're 100%, and they're going to be as good as ever—yeah, you can say that, but in the back of your mind, you're always thinking, OK, I still have to do it...'"

In other words, he's worried about it.

Look, if I'm the Yankees, I'm keeping him away from the press because Yankee fans get annoyed by stuff like this.  Let's go out and get a first baseman, someone reliable and not overly expensive to fill the void and make sure Mark Teixeira gets back to 100%.  We don't need games this year, we need wins... can we all agree on that?

And before you jump on me... know this, I'm not ranking on Mark Teixeira. What I am doing is giving you the reality of this... always have a back up plan.... always.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted 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.

JOBA CHAMBERLAIN: IN DETROIT & BETTER THAN EVER!

I’ve lived in Central New Jersey for just about 11 years now and one of the attractions of the area is Arm and Hammer Park- Home of the Trenton Thunder, the Double A Affiliate of the New York Yankees.  When my son was old enough to play Little League, he got to stand on the field during the National Anthem, paired with a Thunder player.  I remember watching Joba Chamberlain pitch and growing up, my son, wore a shirt that said Joba Knows.

He was mesmerized with him and he was our guy, the guy, who we watched make it to the big leagues.  He made us Trenton proud bringing to fruition the vintage saying “Trenton Makes, the World Takes.”  But then, things got rough for #62 in the big leagues. 

University of Colorado Professor Richard Rogers co-authored a study “which provides an intriguing look inside the height, weight and body mass of Major League Baseball players as it relates to public trends.”  Rogers explains, “There is great national concern about the growing obesity epidemic. Most evidence of the increasing risk of obesity over time is based on a few selected sources of data and is relatively recent. We were intrigued to find that, similar to the general population, there is a long-term trend among MLB players toward increasing height, but also increasing weight and body mass.”

Joba was one of those guys but things have changed drastically since he became a Detroit Tiger.

According to NBC Sports Hardball, “Joba Chamberlain has lost weight (15 pounds) to get in better shape, and seems to have kind of personality fans are going to like. By the way, to lose the weight, the right-handed reliever became a fish eater after having fish “maybe three times in my life” before his new nutrition program began.”  I say good for you, Joba!  As a runner who is conscientious about her fitness and food intake, getting healthy is a great way to increase your energy, face your stress and add years to your career and life.  Look at Derek Jeter, a lean 175 pounds for his 6’3” physique.  As he enters his 40s this season, Derek continues to be the model player, regimented, disciplined and in great shape.

So, Joba may be in the best shape of his life at 28, and why not, no better time than the present.  With February approaching, statistics say that most people have abandoned their New Year’s resolutions.  Let’s hope that guys like Joba, CC, and other players who could stand to shed a few pounds, stay with it.  Nothing better than being in the best shape of your life, no matter how old you are. 

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




Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted 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.

TWO FORMER PLAYERS I ADMIRE

I'm a baseball freak.  I am a huge card collector, I love to find out new information about players, not only Yankees, but across this great game.  I have baseball cards that go back to the 1900's.

No, they're not mint and NOT perfectly preserved PSA casing like above... but it's my own collection and I do it my way. I find the cards I like, I buy them and I give them a home.  Over time, these cards will be passed down to my children... and they will do the same.  That's the deal... that's my love. Yup, besides my family and BYB... I have a passion for keeping baseball preserved my way... and I'm proud of what I've compiled over the years.

With that, I wanted to mention 2 guys that I read about over the past 48 hours that I remember playing and watching and appreciating... these stories are real and I wanted to share them on BYB.

Tim Flannery played for the Padres in the 80's. He was a solid ball player, and now, years later he's in a band called "Lunatic Fringe."  Well, he presented a check for $96,000 to the Stow family.  The money is to go toward Bryan Stow's care.

Stow was the fan who was beaten at a Giants-Dodgers game a few years ago.  A sad story, but a truly kind gesture by Tim Flannery and his band.  According to NBC Sports, Flannery said, "'That was, for me, kind of a gamble. People always say, `Well, why don't you just write a check?' I always say, `Well, I only hit nine home runs in my 10-year career, I can't just write a big check,' Flannery said by phone Monday. 'I did write a check, I wrote a check that produced a new record. ... I'm just playing the music. I'm doing the same thing I always do. For people to come and just continue the love, it's a great, great honor.'

As part of the large donation presented Saturday night, Giants reliever Jeremy Affeldt contributed $25,000 to match Flannery's initial total and former Giants great turned instructor Will Clark wrote a $10,000 check."

You wanna guy Flannery's new CD and help too? Click on his website, timflannery.com.

Next is a guy named Jerry Remy.  Remdog was a hardnosed pest for the Boston Red Sox for years.  I remember hating him, only because I loved watching him play.  Anyway, Remy had lung cancer and was trying to recover. Meanwhile, last year his son Jared was charged with murdering his girlfriend.  At that time, Remy had left the broadcast booth, obviously to deal with family matters. You need to respect that as a man and human being. You need to admire his strength, because that type of double whammy doesn't happen to many.  Remy, who spoke to WEEI.com said he believes he'll be retuning to broadcasting, something his family and wife urged him to do:

"It was really three friends of mine and my wife that got me off the schneid because I had been trying to tell my family that we have to move on in some capacity and live our lives, yet I was one that was resisting that. I think it’€™s up to me to set an example to go on and live my life. Unfortunately — well, fortunately or unfortunately — it’€™s in the public eye, and it makes it a little bit different than some other things."

Now, in fairness, that above quote is a small portion of a very large statement (HERE) read my Remy. I encourage you all to read it. It's emotional and it makes you realize just how strong this man is.

Anyway ladies and gentlemen... I wanted to bring this to you. I know this isn't the Yankees... but it's humanity, and it's kindness and strength and love.  Every once in a while you need to stop and look around.  I did and I wanted to share these stories today.  They'll be unpublicized because they'd be considered "not sexy" enough for reader consumption. Well, they are here on BYB...

Enjoy your day. Do something big today.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted 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.

WITH BRANDON STENHOUSE, PASSION & HEART WINS

The story of 17 year old Brandon Stenhouse is very special.  But, like I've written here so many times before on BYB... if you dream big, you can be big, but you can't just stop on one step... you need to push yourself and "climb the mountain".  I've often admired the guts of guys like Jorge Posada and Ty Hensley for exactly that. Anything can be accomplished, you just need to believe in yourself.  Something big happened to an Australian teen named Brandon Stenhouse.  He worked hard, believed in himself and had big dreams too. He wanted to one day pitch for the New York Yankees.  And then... something happened.  The Yankees answered the call... dreams do come true. People take chances on the ones that prove their worth. That's how it works...

It's being reported everywhere, but we'll go with the New York Post on this one:

"Brandon Stenhouse, 17, has realized a childhood dream, inking a six-figure deal with the Bronx Bombers. The right-hander could go from suburban pitcher to global star after signing the deal this week with American scouts who flew to Australia to see him play. 'It’s still sinking in and I was a bit nervous signing the contract but it is a dream come true,' he said. 'I was never sure it was going to happen.'

Stenhouse started playing tee-ball at 4 years old and caught the eye of scouts in the past two years by consistently clocking pitching speeds approaching 93 mph..."

I know... you're looking at the part where it read that he started playing tee-ball at 4.  Now you're looking at your own son or daughter and thinking, "So you're saying there's a chance."  Well, sure there's a chance, but there's more to it than forcing your kid to play ball.  He or she has gotta want it.

Remember Ty Hensley? This is a picture of him that his mother gave me to put up when we wrote a post called BELIEVE & DREAM BIG. It speaks volumes. No one know what Ty could accomplish at this age... he did though.

Look, I believe in working hard when trying to achieve your goals.  It's funny, growing up in my neighborhood, it was always about "heart" and "pride" and "doing for yourself."  I remember being a kid and we were in a town diner.  There were 2 blue collar guys at the counter.  One said, "I'll buy your breakfast." The other snapped back, "No, I'm perfectly capable of buying my own breakfast."  Now you can look at that and not see the big picture. I do. The second man earned the money to buy his own breakfast and he wanted to do it for himself... no handouts, he earned it... you understand?  When you work hard for what you want, you want to do it on your own... you want to climb the mountain on your own.  Sure, you want support, but in this world, you need to challenge yourself.  It ain't easy, but the quicker you know and understand that, the better you are.

Do you think when BYB started I wanted to quit? Sure I did, it crossed my mind.  Sure, I was curious of what we could become when we started, but I also knew that my life would change, I'd have less time for my family. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it. I also knew that if I did go through with it, I would be successful.  In fact, that thought never left my mind. Now, 3 years later, we have a huge readership and it started with just me.  Bottom line, I knew I could make something out of a little blog that only a few people read.  I called the the doubters bluff... I proved them wrong and will continue too. My parents raised me right.

But back to Brandon Stenhouse for a second... confidence rules. Heart and passion were burning in this kid... and over time, scouts came around for the next big thing, him.   Now that he's made it, it ain't over, trust me.  No one made that more clearer to me than my friend, Marci Hensley who explained to me "making it and staying there" is the hardest thing to do for these kids.  It's never easy to get there, but if you make it, it just gets more challenging. But it's your dream and so you push as hard as you can.  Ty Hensley is a product of that... his parents raised him right.

It's all around us, you know.  You want inspiration, look around you. Hollywood even cashes in on it.  It's that "Underdog worked and the Champion didn't" mentality... in the end, Apollo Creed's on the canvas... Rudy dresses for Notre Dame...

Derek Jeter becomes a 5 time World Champion... and a 17 year old who's been playing baseball since he's been 4 has worked his tail off providing results... enough to get noticed and get signed by the New York Yankees...

Yes Ladies and gentlemen... when you wish upon a star... and never take anything less than perfection... dreams do come true.   Don't believe me? You should.  Tip your cap to the believer... they'll always win... scratching and clawing, they always win. Because passion and heart always beats complacency...

Congrats to Brandon Stenhouse. I don't even know you, but I'm already proud.  Go get'um kid... win.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted 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.