SOMETHING BIG HAPPENED TO RAUL IBANEZ

Someone sent me a note a while back.  It was after we wrote a piece about Raul Ibanez, who, at the time, was on the Mariners again.  It read "Why do we care what Raul Ibanez does now? He's not a Yankee." I'm gonna be honest with you... that's ignorant, and you know it.

Celebrate players. Understand the talent needed to stay in a league, or in baseball as long as a guy like Raul Ibanez, or Derek Jeter, or Cal Ripken Jr.  It's a brutal business.  You need to show your top game every day, because if you don't, there are others younger, and probably stronger willing and able to take an enormous pay cut, just to get a taste.

I only bring this up because Ibanez notched his 2000th career hit this weekend.  As Bill Baer from Hardball Talk writes: "With closer Jose Valverde on the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning to protect a 6-3 Mets lead, the Angels mounted a two-out rally. David Freese singled, then Erick Aybar walked to bring up the 41-year-old Ibanez. Ibanez took a ball, then took Valverde deep to right-field for a game-tying three-run home run to tie the game at six apiece."

Sound familiar? Remember this?



Nice! Sure sir, who wrote me that email... say whatever you want, you're entitled. But there is something about athletes and the flair for the dramatic and big moments that gets me all fuzzy inside.  Ibanez will always be part of the BYB family.  Not only for his athleticism, but for his interview he gave us after Hurricane Sandy. This man stepped up and offered to help out any way possible.

Read BYB EXCLUSIVE. IBANEZ TO SANDY VICTIMS: "I AM HERE TO HELP"

I love it Raul... keep going!

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