MEET THE BYB FAMILY: INTERVIEW WITH SUZIE PINSTRIPE

We're continuing our very popular series of MEET THE BYB FAMILY.  You have read about some of the other awesome writers that Bleeding Yankee Blue has on staff. They are listed below:

MEET THE BYB FAMILY: INTERVIEW WITH JEANA BELLEZZA

MEET THE BYB FAMILY: INTERVIEW WITH ERICA MORALES

MEET THE BYB FAMILY: INTERVIEW WITH IKE DIMITRIADIS

MEET THE BYB FAMILY: INTERVIEW WITH STEVE SKINNER

It is now my pleasure to bring you another.  It's Suzie Pinstripe, a woman with more heart and strength than anyone I've known.  She provides perfection and takes much pride in her work. It's a pleasure to have her in the BYB family and I now want to present our interview with her.

Enjoy this, I certainly did.


BYB: I love your drive and work ethic Suzie. Where did you learn to be so ambitious?

Suzie Pinstripe: I learned to be ambitious from my Dad. 

He taught me to work hard and seek your own successes. Success is open to everyone but you have to go and get it. He pushed me beyond my comfort zone and it paid off because, instinctively today, I push myself to be my best me for my friends, my family, my co-workers and my students.

BYB: We both love Ron Guidry. What was the moment for you where you said "I love this guy and all he does for the Yankees?"

Suzie Pinstripe: I remember the moment I fell in love with Ron Guidry. It was when I saw him sprint off the mound for the first time. He gave so much heart and passion to the game. He never gave up and that's the kind of person I aspire to be- always pushing myself, always wanting one more chance, always running toward the next inning, the next mile or the next opportunity! My mom used to teach me vocabulary based on the Yankee players. It helped me visualize the words in action. Guidry's word- agile- calm, loose body, ready to take on the world. I met him after a game one day when I was in high school.  He drove away in a car with the plate Gator III.  He was a real guy besides being a great pitcher.  Later, when he was a pitching coach for the Yankees, I called out to him from the stands, “Gator!”  “Louisiana Lightning" and he tipped his cap to me and waved.  I love him and I loved what he did for our team. 

BYB: The Yankees appear to be younger in 2015. As a huge Yankee fan, are you satisfied? What do they still need to do if anything?

Suzie Pinstripe: Youth is important but so is performance and coaching. We need good leadership and mentoring. And youth is nothing without drive and respect for one's body and one's team. I see too many bratty players today and this sickens me. We need good starting pitching and consistency in performance which comes down to leadership and coaching. That's what are ultimately missing and they have been missing for a long, long time. The Core Four is gone, Girardi and his coaching staff have lost their edge, now what?  We need leadership and good starting pitching.  We don’t have either right now.

BYB: What are your top 2 moments in Yankee history that you witnessed and loved the most and why?

Suzie Pinstripe: Top two moments I witnessed?  This is a tough one for me.  Most definitely, seeing Derek Jeter’s walk off hit in his last game at Yankee Stadium this past season was absolutely surreal.  As a Jeter fan, Yankee fan and baseball fan, it was just an incredible moment.  I will never forget it! 

Another incredible moment was Bucky Dent’s home run in the 1978 Red Sox-Yankees one day playoff game.  My dad thought Bucky Dent was just a fluffy little sex symbol who played short stop.  I thought he was a sexy little short stop.  My father grunted when he got up to bat in that game and I cheered!  He said, “oh great, your friend is up.”  

When he made contact with that pitch, you couldn’t keep any of us from screaming and jumping up and down!  We knew we had it after that hit.  I want to add, however, seeing Jeter hit that home run for his 3,000 hit, listening to Dave Righetti throw the no-no on the radio on July 4th and seeing Mariano run onto the field in the All Star game in 2013 were all breath taking as well. 

BYB: You had a big press night for BYB where you were able to be apart of the press gaggle at the Trenton Thunder last season. You were right in the mix getting quotes from Mariano Rivera, exclusive to BYB. How much fun was that and what would you like to do next?

Suzie Pinstripe: Being so close to a future Hall of Famer and the ultimate closer, Mariano Rivera, was just incredible.  I loved the experience.  Just loved it!  It was a great opportunity and I will never forget it.  Before I became a mom and career changer to the education field, I was a journalist and connecting with athletes was a part of my day to day.  I have to say, however, this experience with Mariano really tops the list.  Next season, I would like cover more minor league games and meet up with future prospects.  I am hoping this is something we can arrange.  It is important work for our fans and our future Yankees.  We bring a slice of life sort of style of reporting, which is edgy and different.  I hope to continue to bring this style of writing and reporting to BYB. 

BYB: Tell the audience about what made you reach out to BYB and want to write for us?

Suzie Pinstripe: I reached out to BYB because I liked what I was reading.  The writing helped me to connect to the Yankees in a different way.  I read Twitter much like people read the news.  I screen the wires, read the headlines, pull out what I want to read more about and that’s how I get my news.  BYB always had some good headlines and interesting reports.  I started responding and re-tweeting.  Then I re-tweeted and won a shirt.  Casey direct messaged me and we got to chatting.  I was in Baltimore at a Yankee game.  I remember saying I would love to write a piece sometime.  And that was it- we connected.  It has been a great ride. 

BYB: Who is your favorite Yankee ever? And to followup... if you could ask 1 question to him, what would it be?

Suzie Pinstripe: My favorite Yankee, ever!?  I would have to say Bucky Dent.  I did meet him a couple of years ago at the Trenton Thunder.  I couldn’t ask him anything then because I was still so infatuated with him but if I did have the opportunity to ask him something and could stay focused, I would ask him what it was like to play for the 1977-78 Yankees and for Billy Martin. 

BYB: I know you were disappointed when David Phelps got traded. Describe your emotions that day, especially since you interviewed him, and really worked that Phelps piece for us…

Suzie Pinstripe: I was so disappointed that David Phelps was traded. It sickened me that the Yankees let a guy like Phelps go.  I never felt the pitching staff or Joe Girardi gave him a chance or gave him the tutelage he needed to grow as a pitcher.  He has an impeccable work ethic and passion for the game.  He reminds me of guys like Guidry who put it all out there. I really feel he has the makings of a good starter.  Former General Manager of the Red Sox told me in an interview once that you can tell if a player is going to be successful by his makeup.  I think he has the right makeup to be a great player one day under the right leadership. 

BYB: If I told you 5 years ago that you would be Writing for one of the top Yankee fan sites, would you have believed it?

Suzie Pinstripe: I believe that any of us has the ability to work hard for something and go out there and get it.  I also believe that in order to be successful, you must surround yourself with positive, successful people.  With that said, the answer has to be yes, but did I think it would be this much fun?  It is way more fun than I imagined.  The fans are awesome, the writing is sincere and the writing team is fresh and real.  I love being a part of the team that brings fans the news in this authentic way. 

BYB: You're a runner. I love that about you. Question 1 is, when are you going to run wearing out BYB shirt? Second... who inspired you to become such a motivated runner?

Suzie Pinstripe: I love to run.  I need you to create a dry fit tee or tank that I can wear.  Runners sweat- I am no different.  I need a dry fit shirt!  I am inspired by two people to run.  My dad was a member of the Achilles International Track Club.  Achilles International is an organization that gives people with special needs, illnesses and those physically disabled the ability to compete in national and international races across the globe.  My dad was suffering from a number of diseases and he was an Achilles athlete.  After he completed his fourth New York City Marathon, he had a heart attack and died.  It killed me.  It broke my spirit and I lost my way.  

Soon after, I met a person who changed my life.  She gave me my legs and told me I could run.  I believed her, she coached me and I began running in memory of father and for my own life.  I run to live and I live to run. 

BYB: Think hard. Which 1 BYB story did you read and said... "Hey, I like these guys?" tell me about what you felt reading the story.

Suzie Pinstripe: I read a number of stories on BYB before I began writing for you.  I liked the angle you guys took.  I felt like I was not only getting the facts but an inside look of the team.  Specifically, I liked the headlines- they drew me in.  I guess that’s it, the crisp headlines that lead me to a story that somehow added some value to my day.  

I remember reading a story about Joe DiMaggio and saying, “I like that… he gets me as a fan.”  That’s the key for me- connecting to your audience in a unique way.  I feel like that is what BYB does best. 

BYB: Suzie. I just want to let you know how much we appreciate you here. You bust ass, and I sincerely thank you. Are you happy being apart of BYB?

Suzie Pinstripe: I love writing about baseball.  I absolutely love it.  It is a great way to share my passion for the game.  And writing for Bleeding Yankee Blue is a true extension of my passion for a team that has had an incredible impact on my life.  It’s like the movie Fever Pitch- the longest relationship I have every had outside of the one with my parents, is with the New York Yankees.  Writing for BYB is an outlet for me to share my relationship with my favorite team with others who have that same passion. 

I really enjoyed this interview.  I hope the BYB audience did too. thanks Suzie.

Who's next? Stay tuned...



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