THE BLACK MARKS OF BASEBALL & 2ND CHANCES: PART TWO

Remember when we used to talk about great baseball plays, thrilling come from behind wins and Yankee injuries? Yeah, me too. I long for the days that we talk about those again. I am hoping that comes back soon. I wonder when though, as I type this out I am listening to my state governor Doug Ducey extend our Stay at Home Order. It was supposed to expire today, April 30th. Instead, it is extended until May 15th. Guess I get to experience the same reaction that a bunch of my New York friends and family did weeks ago, huh?

Instead, I reminisce. It's a sign of the times, like I said earlier in THE BLACK MARKS OF BASEBALL & 2ND CHANCES: PART ONE. Alex Cora got the first look, I bet someone gives him a second chance, maybe even the Red Sox. You could give him a "maybe" on the likelihood scale, but there is another guy that I am "certain" gets another chance.

If one of these managers from cheating teams gets another chance I am betting money it would be A.J. Hinch. I think he has a lot more in his favor then Cora or Carlos Beltran does. He has a track record on his side, which any owner is going to look at and consider.

So Hinch did make a statement after Rob Manfred "punished" the Astros, and I believed his more than any other Astros player that made a statement. He claims he wasn't involved, and regardless of if he was more involved than he says, he has proven he can win....and not just a tainted World Series title.

Can a character flaw be forgiven if it results in wins? That's the real question here. Looking at it from an owner's perspective....if it makes them money, it is something to consider. It's all about the money for them, right? Jim Crane definitely made money when Hinch worked for him from 2015-2019. He managed 810 games during this time and won 481 games, which is a .594 Win-loss percentage. The Astros moved to the American League in 2013 at the bottom of their division and in 2015 Hinch turned the Astros around. They became competitive, and they gave the Yankees a few headaches in most recent years. That still says something.

We continue to think about the Hinch that apologized for not stepping in to stop the cheating, and the Hinch that destroyed two monitors in a desperate attempt to gain control. Oh and we can't forget when he denied the cheating allegations, either. That came back to bite him big time. Those are glaring issues....but at the end of the day, he proved he could manage a successful team before the cheating. An owner will look back at this and remember it, I am sure of it.

So will more people be willing to forgive a lapse in leadership compared to someone who had direct participation in a cheating scandal? I think so, which is why I think we will see him again.

This isn't about right or wrong....everyone who reads us KNOWS we have ripped the Astros from the very beginning. You know where we stand. But an owner on the other hand, will likely see just as many pros as cons to hiring Hinch in the future.

What do you think? Does an owner give Hinch a second chance? Stay tuned for the last black mark, I'm sure you can figure it out who it is by now.

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

IMAGINE THIS: THE YANKEES & METS IN THE SAME DIVISION

Source: USA Today

I know.  I read the headline and multiple accounts that led to me writing the headline.  MLB is getting creative, which is what we hoped would happen.  Recall our piece back on April 1, 2020: IT'S TIME FOR BASEBALL TO GET MORE CREATIVE. "With the pandemic ranging and 80% of Americans already under stay at home orders for at least the next month, it is time for baseball to get creative if they want to have a season," we reported.  Here we are just about a month later and MLB is working on multiple scenarios and among them, a situation where the Yankees and Mets play in the same Division.

One of the more popular proposals MLB officials are considering is what is being referred to as the home park proposal. This enables teams in metropolitan areas such as the Yankees and Mets to play most of its games in their region with games starting no later than July 2, 2020.

Source: The New York Times

"The games would be played without fans, and split the entire league into three divisions according to geographical location — East, Central and West — with 10 teams each. Teams would only play other sides in their respective divisions until the start of the playoffs," reported The Daily News.

I would be on board with anything right now and this scenario seems like it would be good for the fans, good for the local businesses and good for the players and their families.

Source: Newsday

"The goal of the plan is to have reduced travel relative to a typical season and allow players to play without isolating themselves, unlike previous proposals centered in Arizona, Florida and Texas," reported the News. MLB is also eagerly watching  "the Korea Baseball Organization (which is in spring training and is set to begin the regular season May 5) and the NBA about how to handle issues such as testing and clubhouse crowds," reported the New York Post.

So the boys from the Queens and the bombers in the Bronx could take the subway series to a whole other level as Division rivals. Now that could get things fired up really quickly and make things interesting given the moves each of these teams made in the off season.

Source: NY Post, Paul J. Bereswill

 "The realignment structure would place the Yankees and Mets in the same division with familiar rivals such as the Red Sox and Phillies, along with the Rays and Marlins, who are over 1,000 miles away in Florida, and the Blue Jays, who play in a different country," the News.

This is a plan I could be down with and a step in the right direction. After things gets started, and MLB gets used to this new normal, slowly fans can come back.  But having baseball in any capacity would be a welcome guest to the quarantine we are all under at this time.  So brighter days are ahead and the Yankees and Mets could play for the pennant.  Wow.  Just wow.  In these crazy times, that would be the ice cream with the cherry on top.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

THE BLACK MARKS OF BASEBALL & 2ND CHANCES: PART ONE

It feels like day one million of quarantine. I often get my days mixed up and honestly, as I sit here and write this piece today feels like yesterday. Oh, but there is one notable difference.

So today I did a House party chat with one of my friends. If you haven't used House party before, it's like Facetime or Skype, I downloaded it onto my phone and iPad. I have been using it a lot lately to keep in touch with my friends and family. I talked to one of my friends today that I am used to seeing on a regular basis. It felt weird talking to her on House party as opposed to in person but....it's a sign of the times, right? We spent a lot of time talking about how we both miss sports, especially baseball and also the outcome of the Red Sox investigation and suddenly it got interesting.

"All of these cheating managers are just the black marks of baseball," my friend said. That quickly got my attention, "what do you mean?"  I asked.

As she started to explain, I understood the comparison. I like the definition she used, found HERE.
"An indication of failure or censure." I'd say that is accurate. So then we started talking about three specific black marks: Alex Cora, A.J. Hinch and Carlos Beltran. They definitely left a black mark on baseball, but in the world of "second chances" we started talking about if any of these guys would get a second chance.

At BYB we have talked A LOT about Alex Cora for months now. If you read us regularly, you know how we feel about him. I still can't get past the fact that ALL of these former managers will be eligible to work for a team in 2021 even if this Coronavirus pandemic cancels all of the 2020 season. It's not a "just" punishment but, we know we can't expect that from failed commissioner Rob Manfred.

So now that Manfred has given his non-punishment to the Red Sox and we know that Cora was fired by the Red Sox and now suspended for a 2020 season (if there is one)....question is, will he ever manage again?

Or does he get a "pass" or a second chance? The groundwork is being laid ladies and gentlemen....or at least I think it could be. After months of silence, desperate Cora has broken his silence.

So he has finally apologized after hiding for months. He could've apologized a long time ago, but he didn't. Now he finally comes out of hiding and even after all of the controversy it looks like he has some public support...from the Red Sox. Have you seen THIS?

Tell me that doesn't leave the door wide open for a future reunion?

"We did part ways with Alex Cora given what had happened in Houston and it was a mutual parting of ways," Red Sox President Sam Kennedy said. "It was a difficult parting of ways because everyone with the Red Sox -- John Henry (owner), Tom Werner (chairman), myself, Chaim Bloom, Brian O'Halloran -- we all have great admiration and respect for Alex. He came to the conclusion, as did we, that we needed to part ways given the conduct in Houston. Nothing has changed on that front."

And what about that second chance?

" I do," said Kennedy. "That's my personal feeling. He does need to go through a rehabilitation process. What he did was wrong. He acknowledged it to us and apologized to us for that. But I'm a big believer in second chances and we all wish him well."

There it is. Might not sound like a big deal now....but I think it is. If a popular team in baseball such as the Red Sox have this opinion so will another team. Maybe not right now. Or maybe they do and they just won't say it yet.....but I think someone else will share the same opinion. Not to mention that the Red Sox did win the World Series in his first year of managing, cheating scandal aside. That will make some owner think twice about it come 2021....especially an owner that has a struggling team looking to make some changes.

Kennedy is right, we all know it. Cora cheated and he was wrong. But in the eyes of the Red Sox it seems like water under the bridge already which is disgusting. The man ruined the integrity of the game, but they are already calling for Cora's second chance.

Cora is a black mark on baseball, and he always will be. He may be a black mark that gets another chance, and we can all name players or managers (*cough*Pete Rose*cough*) that won't. It just doesn't sit right with me. 

What do YOU think? Does Cora get his second chance? Could we see him again in 2021? Tell us...and stay tuned for two other black marks, coming soon.

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

FIELD OF DREAMS GAME STILL ON SCHEDULE

Source: Fox13

August seems like a long way away.  And well it should be as August to me is the Sunday of summer; the anxious time we feel when summer is coming to an end and school time is ramping back up for many families. Yet, this year, eerily, I could be on board with August right now, particularly if the Field of Dreams game is still on tap and ready to go.

Source: WNDU

"Major League Baseball has yet to determine whether there will be a season because of the spread of the coronavirus across the U.S. But construction continues on the tiny Iowa ballpark where a game is still scheduled to be played between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox on August 13 at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, a source told Boomskie on Baseball this week and MLB confirmed," reported Forbes on Saturday.

Source: Associated Press

If you build it, he will come...any game, any time is good for me.  I miss baseball so much.  I tried to get into the virtual NFL Draft, and as a New York Giant fan, I am excited about the prospects, but it's not baseball.  And who am I kidding? I would have flipped between the draft and the Yankee game on Thursday and Friday nights.

If and when baseball does starts, it is also good to hear that besides getting the Field of Dreams park ready for game time, the 30 other ball parks are in good, safe hands too.

Source: The Daily Orange

"In addition to that construction, grounds keepers and maintenance crews are attending to the 30 big-league fields and stadiums throughout North America in the remote case that baseball eventually will begin," reported Forbes.

Each weekend that goes by during this pandemic is another weekend that baseball is delayed.  April flew by in an instant.  I hope May takes it a little slower and as it slows its pace, baseball ramps up and climbs its way back. And before we know it, we will be anticipating the Field of Dreams game and appreciating baseball more than ever.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

SHUT UP PLEASE!

Much like I will tell Jon Heyman in the Twitter world to please stop tweeting because he's an apologist for bad behavior...

Please stop tweeting

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) April 23, 2020

I must tell Big Papi to shut the F up. He's so annoying as well.

This is the latest about dummy Papi, coming to you from NJ.com:

"...Ortiz said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s penalty — seen by most as a slap on the wrist — was actually too harsh.“The punishment was not fair," he said on Fox Sports while talking with Kevin Burkhardt and retired Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez on Friday.

“Everybody’s doing it in the league right now,” he said. “You’re going to blame the video guy, you’re going to suspend him for two years just because he’s watching what the catchers are giving — fastball, slider, breaking ball, changeup – and telling the player so the player can use it on the field,”
Ortiz said.

“That’s what everybody’s doing. I don’t call that cheating. “That’s what everybody’s doing. I don’t call that cheating. I think it was more of an excuse more than anything else. That’s how I feel about it.”

Look, I think the dude needs to shut up. This is a guy that was coddled by Bud Selig even though he was a known steroid user.

He was embraced and loved because he was a personality and his monster home runs was good for the MLB because it made them a ton of money because fans would come out to see him hit dingers. We all know why he was there.  So if anything, he should be pretty mindful about that and be quiet.

This entire cheating scandal is a mess, and the longer MLB waits to start the season, the more reason why it's good for the league, because they are banking for everyone to forget, as one of my favorite BYB readers stated in her tweet:

And MLB is secretly happy about the lockdown because they're hoping everyone will have forgotten by the time we get back. Counting on the fans and media to not let that happen.

— Joanie G (@Joangyankee) April 24, 2020

It's true.  But here's the thing... Manfred is a piece of garbage, his relationship with Jim Crane destroyed any true investigation into wrongdoing with the Astros, and he knows that if the league starts hammering popular teams like the Astros and Red Sox, fans go away.  And so, logically, he and his cronies did the whole smoke and mirrors trick and made it seem like they cared.

They banned Cora for a season that isn't happening, which, still makes ZERO SENSE, and are hoping that they can move on from this in 2021 like everything is wonderful.

I'm sick of it. I'm sick of all of it.

#FireManfred.  
#FPapi

BOONE DISAPPOINTS IN LAME REACTION TO SOX PUNISHMENT

On Wednesday, the Red Sox received their penalty resulting from the investigation into their sign-stealing during the 2018 season. The punishment was nothing but a slap on the wrist, Rob Manfred explaining that what Boston did was not as bad as what the Houston Astros did in 2017.

After hearing of the punishment, Aaron Boone was asked if the punishment fit the crime.

"I don't know. Who knows exactly what went down," Boone told Meredith Marakovits of YES.. "I do trust that MLB thoroughly investigated and got to the bottom of things as best they can. And (I) feel like if that's what was come up with then so be it. It's time to move on, and I'm glad we're kind of through those situations."

Boone is ready to move on from all this drama, but should he? I mean, if you've read anything about all these cheating investigations its that Major League Baseball didn't do enough.

Bleeding Yankee Blue has been leading the charge with facts and information that just make everyone involved look like a bunch of turds. As fans, as baseball people you really need to fight for what's right here and Boone's response kind of sucks.

Deals should NOT have been made. Punishment of players SHOULD have happened. And while Boone wants to move on, his only reason is because there is literally nothing he or anyone else can do about it.

I mean, what are we gonna do at this point, get Congress involved and see a big dog and pony show like we did when McGwire and Sosa and Canseco were on Capitol Hill denying steroid use? If you remember, it did come out that they all used. What a joke.

It's ridiculous.

The bottom line is Manfred did everything wrong, he clearly didn't want to cross a powerful man like Jim Crane who owns the Asstros, and didn't want to look too deeply into the Red Sox situation because it would just cause too much of a headache for him and taint Major League baseball worse than it already is. Alex Cora is guilty, and only suspending him for the 2020 season makes no sense. Why?

I find it hard to comprehend how Cora’s punishment is that he can’t come back to baseball until after the 2020 season, yet no one is playing baseball. A real punishment would be ‘20 and ‘21. Or of course, banning him for life which is what should happen. #FireManfred #byb

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) April 23, 2020

Because baseball isn't happening yet in the 2020 season. So what is he really being punished for? Our BYB chief highlighted that on Twitter yesterday. I mean, what is Cora missing out on if there isn't anything going on?

And why the hell wouldn't MLB reprimand Steve Pearce for just being a bitch and attacking MLB calling the whole thing a joke? (Read HERE.) It's a pretty serious matter. Cheating like this damages the integrity of the game.  He probably needs to shut up.

But let me ask our readership... our BYB fans and freaks... is Boone right? Is it time to move on from all of this and focus on what is ahead?

Comment. Let us know.

--Missy O'Rourke
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @missy_orourke

DIRTY RED SOX SKATE & CLOWN CORA DOES TOO

Are we surprised? I'm not.

Last week we shared STEVE PEARCE MOCKS RED SOX CHEATING INVESTIGATION AS "A JOKE" and we called for Rob Manfred to get off of his lazy butt and release the report on the Red Sox. He said it was done and he was just holding onto it. Well....we finally got it.

MLB has released it's findings HERE but here is an excerpt:

So Steve Pearce mocked the investigation and called it a joke, but obviously it wasn't. Sure, players were not involved like the cheating Asstros in 2017, and yes, this was not a player driven scheme. But dirty disgraced Alex Cora didn't even have involvement in this according to Manfred? I find this hard to believe.

But guess what, Pearce? It wasn't a joke because your team cheated long before you ever put on the Red Sox uniform. You may not have cheated, but the team you played on, still cheated and they did it after getting in trouble the previous year!

The Red Sox have a culture problem. In 2017 the Red Sox got busted for using Apple smartwatches to relay decoded signs from the team video room to the dugout.

Photo of J.T. Watkins

Anyone wanna take a guess on who was involved with that? The SAME guy involved in this incident a.k.a J.T. Watkins. It's acknowledged in Manfred's report, find it for yourself if you don't believe me.

But this is why I am mad. The Red Sox cheated in 2017 and got caught. They told MLB they were "sorry" and they wouldn't do it again. Fast forward to 2018 where they cheat yet again so what is the punishment?

That's it? First, J.T Watkins should be fired and not allowed to work for MLB, period. He should not be suspended and then not be allowed to return in the same capacity. That does nothing, we see how much integrity this guy doesn't have. A draft pick is nothing for the Red Sox.

They have a cheating culture and John Henry should be ashamed of the culture that he inevitably is responsible for. Alex Cora should just be banned even if he had no involvement in this, but that's my personal opinion. Rob Manfred once again does not PUNISH the Red Sox for this.

Manfred's failure to be a strong leader continues.

Where is the accountability? The Red Sox cheated two years in a row. Baseball's integrity is gone, and our commissioner doesn't care. He's a clown and a disgrace and it's time to just #FIREMANFRED!

That's where I stand anyway. Manfred is a clown, a digrace and a failure. Baseball needs a strong leader and we need the integrity of the game restored.

That won't happen while he is in charge so.... just #FIREMANFRED!

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

ANOTHER REASON TO LOVE ANTHONY FAUCI

Source: AP

Here at BYB we are always exploring nuggets, fan favorites, little things, that might get overlooked, if you are not perceptive.  And this Wednesday, we have one of those nuggets to explore and quite frankly have a some fun with in a way only we can.

Earlier this week, one of American's most trusted individuals, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said it is plausible that we have baseball this season. “People who know more about baseball structure than I do have said it, but I think it’s reasonable. You could either have a situation where you get the group of players and you put them in a few cities, you make sure they’re not infected, you test them so that they don’t infect each other, and you have baseball — as much as it’s tough to say — in a spectator-less environment. You have people playing in an environment in which people can watch it on television," said Fauci, reported in the New York Post.  Sure that is a terrific reason to love the good doctor.  But I have another.

Source: The New York Post

Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leader for the President's coronavirus task force and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is a Yankee fan!  Yes, the Brooklyn native is a lifelong Yankee fan, despite being raised in Dodger territory.

"I think people who don’t come from the New York area – at least are not old like I am and come from the New York area – don’t realize back then that half the people in Brooklyn were Yankee fans. There was a wonderful competitiveness and rivalry between the friends who were Dodgers fans and Yankees fans,” Fauci said. “We had a whole culture. It was Duke Snider vs. Mickey Mantle. Yogi Berra vs. Roy Campanella. Pee Wee Reese vs. Phil Rizzuto. We used to follow their batting averages that I could tell you, on any given day in elementary school, exactly what the point up or down in Yogi Berra’s average was, or Mickey Mantle or anybody.”

Wow! Just wow!  He's a Yankee fan despite being from Bensonhurst.  How exciting is that?  During an interview with Jack Curry on #YESWereHere, Fauci talks about his fandom and his love of the game. He says that there is something special when you walk into a stadium and look out at that manicured field for the first time and how much he enjoys just having a dog and a beer at the ballpark.

Source: YES Network

Last week, we learned that Dr. Fauci graduated from Regis High School, a Jesuit school in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.  My guess is young Fauci caught a number of games at the House that Ruth Built as a kid.  I feel like he may have even sat next to my dad, who would have been 78 this May, just a year younger than Fauci who is 79.  My dad knew what Mantle's average was at every given moment too.  Real fans know those things.

His leadership has been clearly visible as he stands toe-to-toe with the President, telling the truth and sharing data-driven evidence with Americans.

Source: Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS

"Straight, down-the-middle in style, the authenticity in the gravel of his voice, the Brooklyn twang, his white coat, the cadence of his speech. And, then, that authenticity only deepens as it takes its substance from the one of the most challenging forms of honesty: telling truth to power, in the presence of that power, without, at least overtly, insulting that power. Wow, we say, that guy must only have one, pure motivation: he sees his role as serving us, serving others, serving his country," reported Forbes Magazine about Fauci's education at Regis and the College of the Holy Cross in MA.

No surprise that Dr. Fauci, leader, and one of the top doctors, is a Yankee fan; just another reason to love him.  And if baseball makes its comeback this season, it will be clearly under the scrutiny and guidance from the good doctor.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

JETER JUST MATURED AS AN OWNER

I hated when Derek Jeter took over the Miami Marlins. I thought the decisions he made to fire guys like Jeff Conine, Jack McKeon... Andre Dawson and Tony Perez were stupid considering they were part of what made the Marlins fun and a have a sense of history.

I think getting rid of that hideous statute in center field was just him swinging his weiner around acting like he was in charge. The thing is ugly, but again, important to the building and make-up of the Marlins. No other place had it. Look, I don't know the Marlins financials. I don't know how much money they were wasting and what they needed to do to sustain a solid baseball life in Miami.

What I did know is that symbolism is important to fans, and when they see a guy like Jeff Conine, Mr. Marlin, shown the door, you have to question it.

I do think that no one will go to that ballpark for a while now that Giancarlo Stanton, Justin Bour, Ozuna and Yelich have left.  But look, that's old news. This next move Jeter move is the right one... and so, he's forgiven by me, for now at least.

NBC New York writes:

"Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter told team employees during a conference call Monday he is forgoing his salary during the coronavirus pandemic, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press. 

The person confirmed Jeter's comments to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Marlins have not commented publicly on the call. 

The person said other members of the Marlins' executive team agreed to take pay cuts, while baseball operations personnel will continue to receive their full salaries through at least May 31."

Let's see what happens next.