YUP, ALEX RODRIGUEZ IS HUMAN

Sometimes it takes a long time for people to grow up.  Alex Rodriguez is one of them.

This is just a quick post.  I have watched guys like Pete Rose and Alex Rodriguez in the FOX Booth this fall and I am very much enjoying it. There's a realness there which I think I thoroughly enjoy. 

I've always been a Pete Rose fan, since the days of playing for the Reds and Phillies, but I am learning alot about Alex Rodriguez lately.  I'm learning that he has a likable side.

I wanted to share this clip. It's from ARod on the Jimmy Fallon show. If you can't laugh about this now, you need to lighten up and move on.


Enjoy Halloween folks. Be Safe.



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HENSLEY ASSAULT TRIAL REVEALS VERDICT

News report on the trial involving Ty Hensley. The verdict is in.

According to NewsOK, which covers news in Oklahoma, Anthony Morales, the man accused of beating and kicking Ty Hensley in the head and leaving him for dead... "was acquitted Friday of felony aggravated assault and battery... Anthony David Morales, 25, contended he had acted in self defense during the Dec. 28, 2014, incident. The jury in Oklahoma County District Court took about two hours to reach their not guilty verdict. 

Prosecutors alleged Morales repeatedly kicked the pitcher, Ty Hensley, in the head at a residence in The Village. Hensley told police the attack was unprovoked."

When the time is right, Bleeding Yankee Blue will give much more about this story. I personally will not discuss anything further with our audience until I see fit.  Right now it's about respecting the Hensley family. I know you understand where I stand.

 

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A METS MUST WIN? 'NOBODY FREAK OUT!'

The New York Mets don't have to win tonight, but they should win tonight.  That's basically what we have here as Game 3 of the World Series will happen tonight.  At the same time, I will monitoring my older boys as they will be wondering my town with toilet paper rolls and shaving cream having some harmless fun. It's Mischief night after all.  Except we called it Goosey Night where I lived growing up.

Last night my wife asked, "Are you gonna watch the World Series tomorrow night?"

"Sure", I'll watch alittle," I said.

You know I'm a baseball fan.  I appreciate good baseball.  I honestly don't care who wins. For me, it can be either, Mets or Royals.

Many of my Mets friends are quiet.  I don't engage them about the Mets right now, because I've been right there with them when the Yankees were against the ropes in those championship games.  It sucks.  You're thinking about it constantly and you are thinking about all these scenarios and second guessing your team and then at the same time, you smile and think... "We got this"... yet, you just don't know.   When I see my Mets friends these few days, I don't even mention the Mets.  They don't need the stress. I get it.

I did find this interesting though, and maybe it will make them feel better.  According to baseball history, and USA Today, the Mets are in good company:

 

"It’s not an impossible task, and one the Mets have pulled off famously before in 1986. That team is one of 11 who have come back from an 0-2 deficit to win a World Series. Adding further hope to the cause, seven of those 11 teams were from New York. The Yankees have battled back from 0-2 down four times in franchise history, while the aforementioned Mets, New York Giants, and Brooklyn Dodgers have also managed the feat..."

The Yankees did it 4 times, including 2 I remember well, 1978 and 1996.  and yes, the 1986 Mets did it too as the article explains.

So look, the Mets don't have to win tonight... but they kind of have to win.  As Frank the Tank said in Old School... "Nobody Freak out!"


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STOP MAKING UP STORIES ABOUT MARK TEIXEIRA!

Look, I like the rumor mill as much as any other baseball fan. We report them here all of the time but when we do, we reference other sources and show you examples. We report responsibly. Recently there has been a lot of rumors running around about Mark Teixeira waiving his no trade clause and giving the Yankees the green light to trade him away. After days of researching and tracking down "insiders" we know here at Bleeding Yankee Blue I am here to tell you that these rumors are ONE THOUSAND PERCENT unproven.

Look, when we write something here we make sure we aren't just making things up. We want you to know that we are credible. If we weren't credible you would not come here and support us and we would not have almost four million hits on our site! Journalism 101 for me is to site your sources AND make sure that your source is credible. I want to stress this as I continue on my rant.

A week ago, three websites reported this story that Teixeira allegedly gave the okay to trade him away. In fact, I had never even heard of them and I am not even going to link to them because that is how strongly I feel that I should not site them here. I say this with a strong stance because THERE ARE NO SOURCES! If you want to find these for yourself you can read ZERO EVIDENCE TEIXEIRA'S "OK" WITH A TRADE. One site mentions a "league source" in their piece, but this was not picked up by any major publication or news site. If this were true, why wasn't this all over ESPN or MLB Network?  No New York newspapers ran this story. New York talk radio stations were not talking about this. NO ONE credible was talking about this story.

So I did some digging. After all, if there was ANY sort of truth to this story I wanted to make sure that we had the story first AND we had it with a credible source. I can confidently say that this rumor is nothing but a bunch of bullshit. Someone got bored and made up a story.

It's the same thing that happens in school, from elementary to high school. Cassie tells a secret to Angela on Monday that she has a big date with the quarterback of the football team and by Wednesday Cassie cheated on the quarterback and traded him in for captain of the basketball team.

Meanwhile, Cassie is actually single and dating no one.

OK, so that is a crazy over-exaggeration and far fetched, but that is exactly how crazy I felt after reading these no source stories. I reached out to beat writers on twitter asking if any of this was true. No one could tell me if any of this was true. If any of this was true we would all be hearing it by major news sources.

Not only are we not hearing about it but think about it.....it doesn't make sense! So this rumor states that Teixeira is interested in reuniting with the Los Angeles Angels. WHY?! There is no motivation here. Think about it. Teixeira is an east coast guy. He has deep roots in Connecticut where he owns a freaking castle for a house (it's only missing the moat and drawbridge), and is very connected with the community there. His wife wanted him to become a Yankee and his kids go to a private school in Greenwich. WHY would he uproot them?

Oh and not to mention that Teixeira has no place on the Angels roster. There is this guy that plays first base over there named Albert Pujols, he is a future hall of famer. He has a potent bat and he certainly doesn't suck defensively. The Angels aren't going to pay a large part of Teixeira's $22.5 million salary to make him a DH. The Yankees aren't going to give up a switch hitting power bat who had a great bounce back season when he can still be productive. So we have Greg Bird.....I get it. He is great but he is also a 22 year old kid. He has time, we aren't fighting the clock here. The Yankees lineup is better with Tex in it then without him in it. Anyone who tells you otherwise clearly did not look at his home runs and RBIs this season or watch how the Yankees crashed and burned without him in the lineup after he went on the disabled list.

So I took this a step further. I can't say I know a lot of Angels insiders but what I do have is a die hard Angels fan for a boyfriend, so I asked him about it. After all, if the Angels were interested in a Yankee player he would be the first one to rub it in my face. So we talked about it. When I told him about the rumor, he laughed. Once again, all I heard was how Albert Pujols could run circles around Teixeira and there is no place for him on the team and blah, blah, blah....I won't continue. You get the idea. He also thinks this is bullshit.

I always like to give the benefit of the doubt here, but you can't always believe what you read....unless you are reading your Yankee news from us. We won't steer you wrong and we take pride in our research and sources. Stick with the credible sources and for the love of my sanity stop making up dumb rumors about my favorite player....or you will get another rant.


   

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




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LAURA POSADA'S BOMBSHELL MESSAGE!

First of all... Hubba hubba!

I just wanted to share this terrific, positive message from Laura Posada.  If you need to be inspired... if you need that little nudge to eat alittle healthier, push yourself at the gym to do a few more reps, or even to just apply yourself to work alittle harder in your job. Whatever it is... read this lifting message for Bleeding Yankee Blue's friend... Laura Posada: 

"I share #TBT of my twenties, thirties and a current pic to inspire you to be the best version of yourself at any age. #40isthenew20.

Being #fit and #healthy is something you can do ALWAYS!!! Never give up!! #healthylifestyle #abs #fitness"

Love it! Live it! Thank you Laura!

We love her here.  Fact.

Be sure to read our latest interview with Laura. Check out LA DIETA MENTAL: INTERVIEW WITH LAURA POSADA.

 

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THANK YOU LA!

No, you read that right.  I titled this post THANK YOU LA!  Los Angeles, CA!  Tinsel Town, La La Land, The Coast!  I am tossing up a great, big THANK YOU to the town I have little to zero love for…why?  I’m glad you asked.  The Los Angeles( Should’ve Stayed in Brooklyn) Dodgers have “parted ways” with former New York Yankee Captain Don Mattingly.  That news made my year!  Donnie was canned.  Donnie was sacked.  Donnie was sent packing!!  It was music to my ears!  The Dodgers don’t want Mattingly!!

Now you might be asking yourself, “Mikey, isn’t it harsh to be so excited to see one of your childhood heroes out on his ass?”  No. No it’s not.  Donnie has already been rumored to be in line for the Miami Marlins gig, in fact, it happened, read HERE.  Donnie will be fine.  It’s not like he is a steel worker that got laid off from the mill in a working class Pennsylvania town with 5 kids to feed.  Mattingly is not hurting for dough.

The reason I’m SO UNBELIEVABLY excited to hear this news is simple.  I can stop hearing Yankee fans saying, “I hope the Dodgers win it…for Donnie Baseball.”  WRONG!  When Donnie was wearing that awful Dodger Blue uniform the Donnie Baseball ceased to exist!  He was Donnie Ocho.  That is a fact.  He actually sent me a bobble head back in 2011 and Donnie Ocho signed the card!  What?! Nope.

I don’t like the Dodgers!  I told Tommy Lasorda where to go once upon a time at Chavez Ravine (We’ve since reconciled).  I cringed seeing Garvey, Cey or Lopes.  I can’t stand Dodger Dogs; hate beach balls, fine Randy Newman hacky.  I hold 2 members (AND ONLY 2 MEMBERS) of the Dodger Family in the highest regard. 2!  Mr. Vin Scully and THE GREAT Jackie Robinson.  That’s it.

 Look, Donnie is out!  I feel like he just got paroled.  They didn’t treat him well.  The players were a bunch of clowns…YES!  I’m looking directly at you Puig!!  Donnie is out and we can stop with the “I like the Dodgers because Donnie is there” crap.

I love Mattingly.  I really do.  But we can also stop with making him Casey Stengel.  He ain’t the “Old Professor”.  He was a beloved Yankee great, became a solid bench coach and followed Joe Torre out of town because he felt the Yankees “Cano’d” him by giving Girardi the job. 

GI Joe was a MANAGER OF THE YEAR!  He was the no brainer call for the skipper seat, Donnie.  You still haven’t proven yourself a good manager.  Period.  I’m not bashing Mattingly; I’m just calling it as I see it.  Donnie shouldn’t have been the Dodger Manager in the first place and here we have Yankee fans, YANKEE FANS!  Pulling for the Dodgers because of Donnie.  What is that?!  No.  I say again, NO.

I’m having a beer and thanking the Baseball gods and the Ghost of Old Yankee Stadium that this day has arrived.  Now I don’t have to worry about Mattingly bringing LA a title…not that I did much.

Donnie, I love ya.  You will always be a Captain to me.  You are a NEW YORK YANKEE forever.  You are Donnie MUTHA TRUCKIN’ Baseball!  And I’m raising my pint to the loss of Donnie Ocho!  Good riddance

** From another proud Son of New York to you, Donnie.  Say G’bye, Cap!**

and always….BEAT LA! BEAT LA! BEAT LA!!



 

--Mike O'Hara Senior "Features" Writer
Twitter: @mikeyoh21





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JOBA CHAMBERLAIN JUST KEEPS GOING!

Nice little nugget about our old friend Joba Chamberlain.  He will become a free agent after the World Series concludes.  According to Hardball Talk:

"Chamberlain was pushed off the Royals' 40-man roster earlier this week and will officially hit the open market five days after the World Series. The 30-year-old right-hander registered a 4.88 ERA and 1.70 WHIP in 27 2/3 innings this season between Detroit and Kansas City. He could have to settle for a minor league contract."

There you have it.  And you know what? I hope the guy gets back to the Major Leagues if what they suspect in Hardball Talk is true.

We here at BYB especially like Joba because he reached out to us exclusively when he left the Yankees to thank the fans saying:

"I'm so grateful and thankful for the tremendous 7 years. Ups and downs included. It made me a better man, father, friend, and baseball player... I wouldn't be anything without the fans that supported me. I know it was hard at times but I hope they know I gave it everything I had every time I went out there."

Read JOBA THANKS THE FANS EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH BYB! for more.

We'll never forget it.  It was kind of him to choose us.

Anyway, turn the page on KC and let's see where Joba ends up next.  You know what? Joba owes me an interview.  Maybe now's the time to nail that down.

Let's go Joba!

 

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DANGEROUS: BARRY BONDS AS OUR NEXT HITTING COACH?

I like crazy and off the wall ideas. In fact, I encourage them but sometimes you hear something that makes your mouth drop and shake your head. Some ideas just don't make sense and some lead you to believe that the person proposing the idea is just damn crazy. Well.....last night I came across something that made say "that is just damn crazy!"

So I came across an article on Vice Sports and the title alone made my head spin, you can check it our for yourself HERE. Barry Bonds for the next Yankees hitting coach....anyone on board with that? Not to ruffle any feathers here, but I just can't get on board with this.

Did the Yankees crash and burn this season? Yes, they did. The Yankees did not hit and could not score runs. As a result, hitting coach Jeff Pentland has already been released. I absolutely agree with that perspective. However, when it comes to the idea of hiring a "hitting guru" that commands respect....I do not think of Bonds being that person. He certainly has a lot of respect and admiration from Alex Rodriguez, but that is not the whole team.

The Yankees have a great tradition of pride and respect. Ownership has always been very critical of how our players look and conduct themselves and that is no different of our coaching staff. Bonds had a great talent, I won't disagree. He had an amazing career and holds many hitting records including many hitting records like most career home runs and most in a single season. He had a gift, but he will also always have a reputation as baseball's central figure in the steroids saga. He is the definition of controversy.

ARod and Bonds have bonded, and Vice Sports did a great job by showing that. But there is one part that I really disagree with. ARod and Bonds both have made mistakes that have put blemishes on their careers. Both are great hitters, but both have cheated and will always have that "asterisk" associated with their names. They will both be remembered as great hitters that could have gone into the hall of fame with only their natural talent. These two have a bond, but is this really someone the Yankees should have as a mentor to the team?

Again, I am not trying to point fingers or call out Vice Sports. We like controversial ideas here at BYB. However, in this case I cannot possibly imagine this as a viable option. I think bringing Bonds into this as a leader and mentor would be a mistake. At the end of the day, he made some bad choices. The Yankees are currently in a youth movement. We need someone who can mentor these kids and teach them the best techniques to succeed. We need to teach them the right way to play Yankee baseball and to value the integrity of the game. One could say this move would be unethical.

The last thing I want to see is Bonds mentoring Greg Bird on how to hit an inside pitch. In the back of my mind, I would always be questioning his motives, and his techniques.

The Yankees always have a spotlight on them. We are always referred to as the "Evil Empire" or the team that "buys" our championships, so do we want to be the team that has both players and coaches alike that have been linked to steroid use? What kind of message does that send to baseball fans everywhere? What does it say to young kids everywhere? The Yankees.....our players and coaches use steroids and you can too? It's about sending the right message and setting the right example.

A coach can be defined many ways. To me, respect and integrity have to be a part of that equation. Bonds compromised his integrity as well as the integrity of the game. Since integrity was compromised it is hard to respect someone who does not follow the rules or find ways to cheat the system. These are two traits that a coach needs to have, and I personally would never be able to overlook these flaws and I would not want them mentoring a new, and young team. It just sends the wrong message.

The next Yankee hitting coach is out there, and I have faith that the Yankees will find him and they will be the right person for the job. In fact, read 5 BRILLIANT  OPTIONS FOR YANKEE HITTING COACH and COULD POSADA BE OUR NEXT HITTING COACH? for our ideas if you haven't already. Perception and character are going to be necessary qualities for the next hitting coach. This isn't something to take lightly, and the Yankees have some good options out there. I like controversy, but I don't want it mentoring my team. That's just my take though. Comment and tell us yours.


   

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




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ANDREW MILLER GOT A NICE AWARD

Short, quick, fast note. I didn't want to forget about it.  I had a hunch Andrew Miller was gonna win, but you never know how it goes with the Yankees sometimes. 

Andrew Miller won the Mariano Rivera Award.  In other words, the American League Reliever of the Year award.

Andrew Marchand of ESPN writes:

"The man who replaced the man who replaced Mariano Rivera now has the award named after baseball's greatest closer. 

Andrew Miller, who was signed to replace David Robertson, was named the Mariano Rivera Award winner, which goes to the best reliever in the American League.
 

Miller received the award from Rivera prior to Game 2 of the World Series in Kansas City. Miller, whom the Yankees signed to a four-year, $36 million last winter, saved 36 games in 38 chances. He was 3-2 with a 2.06 ERA.

While he won the award, it could be argued he wasn't the New York Yankees' best reliever with Dellin Betances dominating in setup duties for most of the season. Betances finished with a 1.50 ERA. He struck out 131 batters to Miller's 100. Betances walked 40 to Miller's 20. Miller threw 61 2/3 innings to Betances' major-league-reliever high of 84."

Marchand brings up a good point, but maybe Saves were a big part of the award and it's new name and that's why Miller won, not Betances. Seems like Marchand's just trying to start a mini-controversy here.  No worries... Betances will one day be our regular closer.

Anyway. Congrats to Miller, you deserve it pal.

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THE NFL NEEDS TO CHECK ITSELF

This is not a baseball thing, but it's something that's bothering us here at BYB... and we needed to write about it...

The NFL have fined two Pittsburgh Steelers' players due to what they are calling a violation of the dress code. Quite obviously they must have worn something absolutely obscene or controversial, right? That was not the case with DeAngelo Williams and William Gay.

Running Back, Williams, received a fine for $5,787 for wearing custom eye black. Written on it were the words "Find the Cure" in support of Breast Cancer awareness. It's October after all. Williams told ESPN that it is not the first time he has worn the custom Eye black. He lost his mother to breast cancer and recently requested permission to wear pink accessories with his uniform but the league turned him down.

Cornerback, Gay, was fined the same amount for wearing purple cleats in support of domestic violence awareness. Gay lost his mother at 7-years old when his stepfather shot her. He has been a public supporter and currently has a public service announcement on the matter. 

Neither supporting breast cancer or domestic violence awareness seems like terrible offenses. Both were supporting causes that were deeply personal and as such important to them. Shouldn't be a big deal, right? Unfortunately, the NFL has other ideas of what was a violation.

This isn't the first time that this has happened. In 2013, Brandon Marshall was fined $10,500 for wearing green cleats to promote Mental Health Awareness week. Marshall responded by matching the fine in donations to a charity involved with mental health associated with breast cancer diagnosis.

It's bizarre to think that the NFL would continue to fine players trying to use the game as a platform to raise awareness on important issues. A league where we have guys like Adrian Peterson taking the field. It's a double standard, and full of hypocrisy. And I do not mean to single out AP, but it seems a repeated story in the NFL.

(In Photo: Greg Hardy)

The NFL is full of players that have beaten their wives, or done much worse. Greg Hardy, Ben Roesthlisberger, Ray Lewis, Michael Vick... the list is long. Players that have been accused or connected to rapes, murders, or domestic violence or other acts of violence. I fail to see how supporting a cause like breast cancer or domestic violence could possibly register on the radar after some of those names.

It's ridiculous. The NFL should be exactly the platform for these causes. The reach is far and wide, and considering a lot of recent incidents involving NFL players, these things need to be addressed. Yea, I get it. They were against policy. But when you have  policies that protect and even allow players that have committed all manner of violent acts against someone to play, but you penalize someone that is genuinely trying to raise awareness for causes like breast cancer, domestic violence, or mental health, your priorities are incredibly skewed, and those policies need to be reevaluated.  

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 

Twitter: @e_morales1804



 

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