GIVING THANKS... FROM ME

As always, I wanted to send a message to the Bleeding Yankee Blue audience, but today, I also want to take a moment to give a big hug to my second family.  My writers.

Since the birth of BYB, there has been a writer running this thing but then my writers came along to help me out and with that, our amazing audience followed. But you would never be there if we as writers didn't get this thing off the ground.  As Muhammad Ali once said, "Me, We."

It started with one writer. Me. Me making sure the stories were ready to go.  Me looking for news and reporting it, but there were misspelling, strange phrases, and no rhythm what-so-ever.  BYB has been called "a really bad version" early on by me in the past, and that's true... it was ugly.  But so was Microsoft in the beginning.  So was IBM. So was Apple. So was Hardball Talk and MLB Trade Rumors at one point.

Beginnings are brutal, but they are also fun, because while you want it to be perfect... you're working out the kinks more than anything.  You want people to notice, but you don't want them to notice the mess.  Well... sometimes they do and sometimes you, or me as the head, feels bad about that.  But I think for me personally, having my early readers join me on this quest, they understood my labor of love and allowed me to tinker.  The readers were patient and I was alone trying to figure it all out. The readers respected my craft and let it come together with support.

Then the writers came, and as they did, we evolved.  We.

Jeana Bellezza showed up with a smile and a passion for writing.  But more importantly, while timid, she wanted to take on the world.  She wanted a shot... and I gave it to her.  I believed she could because she believed in herself.  Jeana's been with me for almost the entire time at BYB. She's a hard worker, dedicated and her focus has never changed since she started.  She's my Jeter.

Jeana, to this day, my favorite piece by you is still A YANKEE PROPOSAL....SORT OF. It's real life... with alittle Yankees mixed in.  It couldn't be more perfect for what we do here at BYB.  Thank you for letting what's in your heart pour out on my pages.

Erica Morales showed up one day.  Like a soldier on a battlefield, she dove right in ready to write.  There wasn't a hesitation.  Immediately she knew her role. Plus, it helps when you're a friend of Jeana Bellezza... you already have the back story walking in.  Erica too had a passion for writing, but also loved the Yankees.  She went straight to her work and to this day, the stories you read some days on these pages will bring life to anything going on in the Yankee clubhouse, or ARod's court case, or her family directly.  She inter-mingles her creative nature wonderfully and for that, I will always be grateful.

Erica, to this day, my favorite piece from you has to be MY GRANDFATHER, JORGE POSADA & LIFE LESSONS.  Family related... life lessons... you got me! Thank you for your hard work.  Never lose that fire.  It will take you places, kid.

Steve Skinner and I became instant friends pretty early on. We are close in age, love Thurman Munson and appreciate the Yankees even when they were terrible in the 80's. That's because we lived through it!  Steve walked from Bleacher Report to work for BYB.  Partially because he loved the creative aspect of what we do here and partially because he loved what we represented... Family, Life and being a passionate Yankee fan base.   Steve and I have the same values and raise our children very similarly.  I think that's why our bond is the way it is.  Steve, your love for the Yankees is evident in everything you write.  My favorite up to this point has to be THE BEST I'VE EVER SEEN. Keep up the great writing and thanks for leaving Bleacher Report for us. The BYB audience is lucky to have you... so am I.

Ike Dimitriadis started writing for BYB doing recaps with my friend Frank Gentry.  Both did a tremendous job for BYB.  When the season ended, Frank moved on but Ike stuck around.  I would have loved to have had them both, but that's life.  You know what I like about Ike the most? He didn't want to be held back. He didn't want to be type cast.  He wanted more than recaps. He wanted to be more creative and wanted to write features for BYB.  Ike, like my other writers, goes the extra mile while still maintaining a life with a family outside of BYB.

He's gone to Sabathia events for us.  He works closely with the YES Network when we need him to. He's dedicated, and I appreciate that very much.  Ike, I still love your piece, THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF A BITTERSWEET SEASON. It's one of my favorites.  Thanks.

Suzie Pinstripe stalked BYB on Twitter.  I'm kidding. That's not true at all.  She did reach out to me a lot though and ask if we needed writers.  It's funny. People do that a lot, and many times we don't need writers. Or, I am just not sure if that person is aware of the work load and dedication associated with BYB.  But for some reason, I knew she was serious about wanting to write for us. I could tell that she was not only knowledgeable, but she was a hard worker.  I asked for her to come aboard and it was evident that she wanted to help move BYB to the next level.  Her baseball knowledge is vast. She loves to write, you can tell when you read it from our pages.  She also balances family and a demanding job, but always manages to make deadline for us.

She's a catch, and I'm proud to have her on our team. Suzie, I will always love "CAN'T YA CALL ME BUCKY?" It takes me back!

When the host of the MLB Fan Cave tells you he likes what you do and wants to contribute, you kind of let that fall into place.  I'm glad I did.  Mike O'Hara is a passionate Son of a Bitch and he and I have the same rooting style.  Plus, we both love to write.  He's a good dude and another great find in this world of BYB.  He never disappoints and will always give it to you straight.  His honesty as a fan is the exact reason why BYB began. Mike gets it and I'm both thrilled and honored to have him on our team. He calls me "Skip" and I consider that a badge of honor, and so, Mike O'Hara has a gig with BYB as long as he wants, because he and the rest of my writers are the hardest working writers on the web.

Mike, one of my favorite pieces from you was a simple, honest one: WHEN IT COMES TO TEIXEIRA, I WISH MY DAD RAN THE YANKEES. That's real right there.

Alexis Garcia joined us this year and with it came a valuable, passionate writer from the City of Angels... LA. A Dodgers fan, but a baseball fan first, Alexis writes when she can because she handles plenty outside of BYB.  But she wanted to contribute to BYB because she liked what we did and for that, I am grateful. Alexis has brought plenty to the table as our "Eye on MLB" writer and never disappoints.  Alexis, thanks for coming aboard.  My favorite piece by you has to be BASEBALL'S NOT BETTER BECAUSE OF SELIG... IT'S WORSE. Keep up the great work. Thanks for taking the time!

And finally, Wolfgang Von Bunt is brand new.  A friend with a passion for writing and while he's only contributed a few times to BYB, when he writes, there's always something you will never forget.  His love for pop culture and baseball is what really drew me in and I'm happy to say that Wolfgang is with us.

Wolfie, my favorite piece by you has to be IF THE GIANTS WIN, ARE THEY A DYNASTY? Thanks for being with us, pal.

Oh yeah, and it would be wrong to never mention my writers of the past.  Writers who offered their own talent and creative flair... Jesse Schindler, Grant Cederquist, Frank Gentry, Chad R MacDonald, Rudy Laurens, Mikey Blue, Will Cohen, Christy Florio, Kate Munrow.  You've all been a great part of BYB's evolution and success.  Thank you for helping us blossom.

Me, We.

I'm thankful for my staff. I'm thankful for their hard work and what Bleeding Yankee Blue has accomplished and I'm thankful to all of you, our audience who understand that were regular people with regular lives who balance jobs, family, kids and activities... and then, we sit down and write you something about the Yankees you need to know about.  We're thankful you read us... and we're thankful that you understand all we do.  You get it and I, as Chief of BYB, appreciate it.

Today's Thanksgiving.  Enjoy... and thank you for being so dedicated... for reading, for writing... you're all very special people and I am blessed.

-Robert Casey, CEO & Writer for BleedingYankeeBlue.com
Follow me: @BleednYankeeBlu




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