KEEPING IT REAL AT BYB

Just in case you were wondering...the self appointed BYB attorney for Mark Teixeira is still here. Nope, I haven't gone anywhere. There is yet to be (and probably never will be) another writer here that will write as many articles defending this man. Hell even when the day comes and he is no longer wearing pinstripes, I will still be defending the guy. That is my reputation, and I am damn proud of it.

I can be a very stubborn woman. I stick to my beliefs and my values and nothing will make me waiver from them. One of the reasons why I am still writing here after all of these years is because I believe in what we write and what we stand for here. Sure, we may not be featured on the YES Network website but we are not afraid to push the envelope. Just because one of our writer's ideas isn't popular does not mean it isn't "right" or deserve to be published. It's a passion! We are not going to write the same old thing. We do not model ourselves after any other site out there and we never will. We won't back down.

Now, I have disagreed with Mike O'Hara on numerous occasions here, and that is OK. Sure, he is ready for Greg Bird to come in and dethrone Tex... but I am not! This year Tex showed us he is not "washed up" like some may think. He still has the power bat and he still plays great defense. It's a difference of opinion between the two of us. It's the freedom to rant and say how both of us really feel. It's one reason why I fell in love with writing, because I can say what is on my mind about the team I love. Do I think O'Hara is dead wrong about Tex? Absolutely. But I know he is a great writer. He has true passion, and I appreciate that. He also knows that when he slams Tex, I am going to pull out my boxing gloves and we will duke it out....friendly of course. That's what we do here. It's a give and take and it's expected.

Now, in response to his latest JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE... while I agree the latest Tex injury is frustrating, I would hardly call this a "boo boo" either. Now, also speaking as someone with experience in softball, a bone bruise can be very bad! Once upon a time I had a comebacker scorched right at me at shortstop. It was hit so hard I couldn't react fast enough. I put my glove down in a hurry trying to get my glove on this ball that was coming in hot and fast but I just wasn't fast enough and BOOM....I took a ball about 2 inches away from my kneecap. Boy am I glad it didn't hit my kneecap. I got lucky. But what I also got was a dark purple round target on my leg as a souvenir. Oh and let me tell you....IT HURT like a mofo, and I was walking pretty funny for awhile.

It's baseball and bone bruises happen. When they do happen, your body is weak, and achy. You can't move the same way as before. Does it suck that Tex is recovering slowly? Of course. However, what sucks even more is the Yankees mistreatment of this whole thing. That's the key here. This isn't a regular bruise, it is similar to a stress fracture and there is no rushing a recovery on that. It was great to see Tex come back and play against the Astros on the 25th, and then as a pinch hitter on the 26th, but clearly that was pushing it and he wasn't ready. He was trying to grind through the pain. he couldn't. O'Hara has said Tex isn't a gamer but Tex trying to play through this sure looks like a gamer to me, and unfortunately we haven't seen him since.

The Yankees continue to play this off as "day to day" when clearly this should have been a DL situation for once. It looks like the Yankees were only fooling themselves this time. Every other time the Yankees jumped and pushed him to the DL, but not this time. They were too comfortable considering how he has stayed healthy this year. Now they get to wait and see since he will not be in Boston for this series, instead he is back in New York getting treatment.

Some may agree with O'Hara that Tex is "backing down", but if he really didn't care, how do you explain the differences we see in this year versus previous? He cares. Trust me, he really cares. His performance this season is the proof. It's not about backing down or making a decision to play now. It's about being smart. Maybe Tex is just taking a lesson from Derek Jeter who made a decision to keep playing on a bad ankle until it snapped.

We all know how that decision worked out. The Yankees are so close to post season play again. The smart decision would be to let him get healthy again so he can be 100% down the stretch. But again that is just one writer's opinion.

This game brings out the passion in all of us. I can say even more so for me because as I feel the adrenaline and excitement as I watch the game it is even more so when I get to write about it or rant about someone. Rants are healthy, it's what brought BYB to life! So yes, our opinions won't always be popular, but we will always be real and honest. My thoughts on Tex may not be popular, same with O'Hara's, but like I said....I am a stubborn woman!

Hey Mike? Your move...


   

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ 






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