WILL THE YANKEES GO FAR IN THE POSTSEASON?

It has been a whirlwind for the Yankees from mid-summer to present. They went from untouchable offensively and defensively to vulnerable. From Achilles heel to toes to self inflicted calf infections, the Yankees have been frequent fliers to the IL. And if they weren't injured, they went silent in the batter's box and off the bench. All of this banter has made me wonder if the Yankees are even contenders anymore for the World Championship and if they will even go far in the postseason.

Source: NY Post

According to Fox Sports last week, "Manager Aaron Boone’s table-slamming postgame news conference seemed to spark enough for the team to eke out a sweep-avoiding victory Sunday against Toronto, but the vibes are troublesome right now. The Yankees’ place in the standings seems secure — though home field throughout the postseason might slip away if this skid continues — but it sure has been a while since this looked like a team prepared to make a legitimate World Series push." 

Source: NY Post

And with the Yankees dropping games in Oakland and Los Angeles, teams that are not even close to contending, it is worrisome if they even have what it takes to beat the tough teams who have been playing great baseball, completely unfazed by the long hot season. As Fox Sports reports, "It’s looking like another ho-hum, 100-win campaign for Houston. They haven’t been as downright dominant as their National League juggernaut counterpart Dodgers, but they just keep on chugging along the tracks of the 162-game season, seemingly impervious to the kind of shocking slide the Yankees have been suffering from recently."

CBS Sports settled on four key reasons why the Yankees have fallen off the steady and dominant pace they set in the first half of the season. And I have to agree: 

1. Injuries across the ball club- on the mound and in the lineup

2. Pitching rotation has gone from being an elite home run prevention unit to nearly the worst in baseball.

3. Bullpen roles have been unsettled

4. Aaron Judge gets no help

Source: NY Post

"The Yankees have a few too many unproductive players in the everyday lineup. That was the true earlier this season, though the Yankees were able to win anyway because the rotation was so good and Judge was doing MVP things," reported CBS Sports. With teams starting to pitch around Judge, no one else, other than maybe DJ LeMahieu and more recently Andrew Benintendi have been able to contribute consistently. Part of the problem with the consistency is the way Aaron Boone gives hot players the day off. Never understood that. And it is breaking the momentum. I would like to add that to the CBS Sports list—Bad management.

Source: NY Post

To say I am sick and tired of the nonsense is an understatement. I think the Aroldis Chapman tattoo fiasco really put me over the edge. In addition to being a head case when he puts a runner on first, Chapman has  been likely the worst return on investment next to Aaron Hicks for the Yankees. What makes it worse with Chapman is that he elected to get a tattoo in the middle of a run for the pennant. That is not only stupid, but selfish.

The Yankees earned enough interest in the bank to remain at the top of the AL East. That and the rest of the AL East is playing mediocre baseball as well. Kudos to the Baltimore Orioles who have shone a light on possibility and climbed out of the basement, and Tampa Bay is building their own momentum currently only 7 games behind the flailing Bombers. With a series in Tampa coming up at the end of the stint with the Angels, the Yankees have some straightening out to do. 

Source: NY Post

Will the Yankees go far in the postseason? Not if they don't clean up their act now. The other AL teams are out for blood and the National League is far superior to the AL, so it is my belief that the National League will win the Fall Classic anyway. I am not being a downer, but rather a realist. The Yankees don't seem to have it—the it that drives teams to win championships. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

YANKS JUST GOT CHI CHI GONZALEZ

The Yankees just grabbed another guy. This one is Chi Chi Gonzalez.

Rotoballer writes:

"Yankees signed free-agent right-hander Chi Chi Gonzalez to a minor league deal on Tuesday. It would be an understatement to say that Gonzalez has bounced around in 2022. The Yankees will be his fourth major league team after stops with the Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers."

 According to MLB Trade Rumors:

"It was a brief run in Detroit for the 30-year-old, who signed one month ago. He started four of five outings with Triple-A Toledo, working to a 5.48 ERA over 21 1/3 innings. González only struck out 19.4% of opposing hitters during that time, but he induced ground-balls at a huge 58.5% clip. Detroit nevertheless decided against adding him to the big league roster..."

And with that, he was able to get with the Yankees. Not sure what the Yanks will do with this guy, but one thing I do know is they've caught lightening in a bottle before... maybe that will work for them with Chi Chi. I'm sure that's what they're hoping for. Who knows.

JUDGE WANTS WINS & A CHAMPIONSHIP MORE THAN A HOME RUN CROWN

You gotta appreciate Aaron Judge. He's a solid leader, he says the right thing. He leads by example.  Last night the Yankees lost another one, but Aaron Judge hit his 50th home run.  It's great for him, but he isn't as jazzed about it as we are.

Inside the Pinstripes writes:

"Judge couldn't shake the fact that his club came up short between the lines, dropping their third game in a row.

"I'll be thinking about a 4-3 loss," Judge said when asked what his 50th home run ball will remind him of down the road. "That's what I'll be thinking about. I wish it could have been a little sweeter with a victory."...

"Just another number. Wish we could have came away with the win," he said...

ALL RISE 🧑‍⚖️

Aaron Judge hits his 50th homer of the season!!#RepBX | #MLBNShowcase pic.twitter.com/ikXT26JPBP

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 30, 2022

"We've got a good group of guys in here that continue to show up every single day, putting the work in and I'm just trying to do my part and be a part of this team and do anything I can do to put ourselves in a good position going into the postseason," he said. "When you're showing up to work every single day, with the plan and mission to go out here and win the game, you don't get caught up in individual numbers, good or bad."

Judge is a true leader. And what's happened to him this year is important, with his personal achievements, but baseball players want a championship more, and that's what we're seeing with a guy like Judge. 

Sure if Judge can catch Roger Maris, that's wonderful for the Yankees and us fans, but let's not forget something very significant. In 1961, the Yankees won the championship. Roger Maris hit 61 and it was the perfect scenario.  I suspect if the Yankees don't win and Judge passes Maris, it's a strange feeling of achievement WITH failure and I get that.

I like the way Judge speaks to the press.  He's a solid leader.  

Let's go Yankees... turn this around.

SHOULD CHAPMAN MAKE THE POSTSEASON ROSTER?

So the Yankees just sent Aroldis Chapman to the Injured List thanks to an infection from a bad tattoo job. The Yankees have a bad infection too, and what a coincidence it is Chapman himself!

Okay, I won't sit here and bash Chapman but his ineffectiveness really has become a bad infection for the Yankees. He is no longer the elite closer that he was once upon a time. The Chapman from 2022 or even 2021 doesn't come close to comparing the the guy we got in 2016. The Chapman experiment has run its course and it just isn't effective anymore. So I can't help but ask....if this was October, would he still be on the roster?

I guess we will have to wait and see how September goes, because Aaron Boone still believes in him and let's face it Boone is irrational. Oh and we can't ignore the fact that Chapman is a lefty and those are valuable. So there you have it.....Chapman's left hand may save him in the end.

Or maybe the Yankee injuries save him. We do have 12 pitchers on the Injured List right now and hopefully we can remove Zack Britton from that list quickly and he comes back effective. That would be a huge victory in itself but a lot can happen in a month.

A lot of us have lost faith in Chapman, so I know I am not alone in this one. I wish Chapman was the same guy from years ago but he's not anymore. I've had some people tell me that they would only be comfortable using Chapman with a comfortable five run lead but that's not when we see the best relievers come into the game. He's the pitching version of Aaron Hicks....he's an expensive bench warmer who is taking up a spot.

I've come to the conclusion that Chapman should not be included on the postseason roster. Oh and there is NO emergency justifying Chapman pitching in any save situation. He shouldn't be the guy we use in a save situation ever again. How many playoff ending home runs does he have to give up before you end up dropping to your knees screaming and crying like a baby? Oh and the fact that he gave up those depressing home runs when he was having better seasons should make you want to run for the hills.

I can't watch Chapman give up anymore home runs in pivotal game day moments. It's time to move on....and I hope that's what happens when the Yankees make their postseason roster. I hope this upcoming month is Chapman's last HOORAH and I can finally watch him walk off into the free agency sunset.

It's time.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

WHY FRANKIE MONTAS DESERVES A CHANCE TO SHINE AS A YANKEE

Source: New York Times

In 2008, the eve of my 40th birthday, my father completed the New York City Marathon. And then, he died. It took myself and my family by surprise. And it took weeks, months and years to recover. No, I wasn't okay. No, I didn't perform great a work. Yes, it hurt. Fast forward to hours before the trade deadline and the Yankees' acquisition of starting pitcher Frankie Montas from the Oakland A's. The highly anticipated flame thrower was expected to fly across the country, and step right into an already cohesive pitching staff for the winningest franchise in baseball? Oh and also be okay after losing a family member? No, that is not how it works.

Source: USA Today

Montas' first start did not quite go as everyone anticipated. As MLB.com reported, "Sunday’s start was a tough spot for Montas, who didn’t even meet most of his teammates until he walked into the clubhouse just hours before first pitch. After being acquired from Oakland, he went on the bereavement list to support his wife at their home in Arizona following the death of her mother. Montas didn’t arrive in St. Louis until Saturday evening. He also had been working his way back from some weakness in the back of his right shoulder and he isn’t built up to throw as many as 100 pitches yet anyway." 

That's the reality of coping with a death of a family member, flying halfway across the country to meet a team who was slumping mightily and mourning the trade of one of their own young pitchers, who was ironically pitching against them. Remember Jordan Montgomery? Yes, I am sure his trade to St. Louis did not sit well with the Yankee pitching staff, so likely Montas was not given the warmest reception, not on purpose but just because of the circumstances. 

Source: CBS Sports

Not Montas blamed any of his poor performance on these circumstances. Instead he is staying positive. “This is the best team right now,” Montas said. “They have a really good group right here. I’m excited to be here. I wanted to go out there and show what I can do. That was not the case today, but this is not my last one. This is the first one," reminded Montas. 

The Yankees have certainly turned the corner. Avoiding the sweep against Toronto, sweeping the two game series against the New York Mets and playing well against Oakland A's. This uptick in energy for the Yankees seems to be timed perfectly with Montas's settling in with his new team and becoming more comfortable following a very uncomfortable start to August.

Source: NJ.com

"Montas looked much more like the hard-throwing, bulldog-type that he’d been billed as before the deadline when he gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Mets on Tuesday. Montas hit 98 mph, worked through early trouble, and seemed much more comfortable as the game went on. “I thought he settled in really nice,” Boone said. Montas had gone into the night having given up 14 runs in his first 14 innings with the Yankees, allowing a .310 batting average. He needed a bounce-back performance, and he gave it to his new club," reported NJ.com.

For some reason, we as a fanbase don't want to give guys like Montas time to adjust. Baseball is 90% mental. Every sport is. And it is not easy to go out and pitch well every outing. In between you have your routine, your workouts, your mobility and strength training, nutrition, hydration and of course sleep. Montas had a disrupted schedule and an emotional loss. I think we are going to see great things from the 27-year-old pitcher. Let's just give him a chance to shine. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

ROD CAREW & OTHER HALL OF FAMERS GO AFTER MANFRED ON "RUINING THE GAME"

Baseball can change back. Ted Simmons made that statement in his Hall of Fame speech in 2021 and it was incredible. He said:

“Our game can change back,” Simmons said. “Eventually, another George Brett will surface. He’ll hit .360. He’ll homer 40 times. He’ll drive in 160 runs. He’ll strike out 75 times. He’ll walk a hundred times. His on-base percentage will be .420. Our game is fluid. Hitters will begin to beat the defensive shifts, and the pendulum will swing back. The game evolves. It’s just a matter of time.”

And the reason he said it is simple. For one, he's a catcher, one of the most important jobs on the field... and for 2, baseball has been ruined and the real game of baseball that we know and love has changed for the worse. And the old timers and true baseball enthusiats are tired of it. We're tired of this commissioner and his cronies and all they are doing to ruin games, line pockets and find TV time to make money. I mean sure, it's a business... but it's also the most incredible game in the world full of talent, wit, strategy and hustle.  

Ted Simmons is and has been one of the smartest guys on the field. He like many are tired with the game right now, with the strikeouts, walks and home runs being mostly the only thing that happens. Watch that speech if you haven't already. It's amazing.

But it's more than Ted Simmons... it's about many who have played this game the right way and are just fed up. Mark Powell from Fansided writes:

"It's custom for the commissioner of baseball to have a private dinner with all the Hall of Famers in Cooperstown the weekend of the ceremony. Typically, the conversation is predictably about baseball, and the state of the game today.

In recent years, that conversation has become more contentious, and reached a boiling point in late July. Carew and a group of other Hall of Famers raised their voices about what they perceived to be issues with the game today. Manfred was clearly taken aback, and has since openly complained about Carew making that conversation public. Typically, that dinner has a 'what happens in Cooperstown, stays in Cooperstown' feel. Not this year."

Ken Rosenthal writes:

"...the Hall of Famers include the rise of defensive shifts and the offensive emphasis on launch angle, as well as rules changes such as the three-batter minimum and automatic runner on second base in extra innings. "

But here's the problem. MLB has no time limit and that's also something that Carew was annoyed about like many fans are. But MLB wants to change that, but only because of the TV dollars attached to it. If games linger, TV stations mess up schedules and so Manfred and his nerds found a way to do it so if these games fit in a certain amount of time, they get paid, TV doesn't lose and everybody wins.  But sadly... that's not baseball.

And then Powell said this: "Sadly, for Carew and many of the old heads in baseball, the game is merely moving forward in hopes of intriguing a new generation of viewers. Those who don't change with it are left behind, for better or worse."

Bad comment about being left behind. These baseball legends are not the "get off my lawn" folks Powell thinks they are. They are true baseball people, like you, like me. We don't want the change because it ruins the game. So being left behind doesn't make sense. We're baseball enthusiasts... traditionalists... loyalists to the way the game should be played.  It's a bad statement from someone that was never in Rod Carew or Ted Simmons shoes.

The fact that this spat with Carew and Manfred went public is huge. The fact that Manfred thinks he was probably disrespected is laughable. Bottom line... baseball DOES need to change back like Ted Simmons says. It not only effects MLB, it trickles down to College where even in D3 college scouts are looking for Big Boppers, not guys that hit for average. When compare guys, 6'4", 220 and hitting dingers compared to a guy that's 5'10", 160 and batting .360... they are now inclined to choose the big boy, because that's what MLB commands right now. But the .360 hitter is ACTUALLY baseball. Have we forgotten?    

What happened to the authentic hitter? Where's the George Brett? Will they ever come back... because hitting is a true craft, and guys like that are unique. I grew up idolizing Tony Gwynn, Don Mattingly and Wade Boggs because every year I knew they'd bat .350 and I was always amazed by that. Those days are over. If you don't believe me... just watch teams continually give chances to Aaron Hicks and Joey Gallo.

Baseball needs to change back. Rod Carew is right. Ted Simmons is right.  And once again, Rob Manfred sucks.

Buy a shirt. Support Bleeding Yankee Blue.  Manfred Clown shirts are here at the link. Go nuts!

YOU'LL BE HAPPY WITH HARRISON BADER

Everyone has to stop with the "I wish we had Jordan Montgomery right now" BS. Let's keep it real. Jordan Montgomery was a decent pitcher for the New York Yankees. But when he went to St. Louis, he became dominant. Call it a change of scenery, call it new found life, call it whatever you want, but what you can't call it is FOMO. 

Stop wishing you had a guy that was just OK in New York. We made a trade, we got a guy with a tremendous upside who is an amazing defensive outfielder and outstanding team guy.  Harrison Bader will be a beast in New York. Montgomery was never gonna be that guy in New York. Wish him luck in St. Louis cause he's doing great things! Everybody calm down.

The New York Post writes:

"Brian Cashman said on Tuesday’s episode of “The Show” podcast with The Post’s Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman that he has no regrets over the surprising trade deadline move.

“We made some tough decisions and some tough recommendations,” Cashman said. “We traded a quality starter and homegrown player in Jordan Montgomery that was obviously doing well for us. Knowing that you have to give to get, and we were looking to satisfy an area of need but you were going to have to wait on it.

And we are in that space where Jordan Montgomery ultimately has taken the ball every five days and we are waiting on Bader to get healthy and join our band of merry men. We were in the space I knew we’d be in when we made that trade.”

No matter how well or poorly Montgomery pitched for the Cardinals, the Yankees’ reality with Bader wasn’t going to change. The 28-year-old Gold Glove center fielder is out with a foot injury that has him in a boot and hoping to join the team in September for the stretch run."

This is a strategy move and while you don't see Bader now, wait until you do. Watch this:

You think Aaron Hicks is doing this? Aaron Judge? Anyone else? No.

Stop wishing ya'll had Montgomery back, you only liked him when he was in pinstripes... you love him in St. Louis. This is a you thing, not a Montgomery thing.

Be patient. Bader is getting healthy. NJ.com writes:

"Bader has been ramping up his rehabbing this week. He’s resumed running and was going at about 85% percent on Wednesday. According to Yankees manager Aaron Boone, Bader “felt really good during that.” A day earlier, he was in the Yankees bullpen with a bat tracking pitches while a teammate threw a bullpen. Added Boone, “he probably in the next couple of days will start to throw a little bit and hit a little bit. Then hopefully it’ll move pretty quickly.”

The Fly trap's coming folks... you will not be disappointed.

THE ASTROS OWNER & FRONT OFFICE ARE BAD PEOPLE

You knew it would come out.  We all knew it was bad, but the MLB's slap on the wrist was just not enough.  People should have been fired, banned, removed forever!! But the relationship between Rob Manfred and Jim Crane was too much make the banning a real life thing, and so MLB and Manfred made a fairy tale about how they were wrong, but they will apologize and MLB will move on.  It was all bullshit, and we all knew it. But we the fans have no control over that. We will never stop going to games and never stop loving baseball, and MLB top brass knew that.  

So what happened? We the fans turned on the bad guys when we showed up to games and we will continue to humilate them all until the day they retire. Because that's all we can really do.  Correa. Altuve. Bregman. The others got their jobs back... Hinch, Cora, and even Carlos Beltran became a commentator on YES.  But none of them should have been back.  

Meanwhile, a dope named Jeff Lunhow was the only one who lost a job and still hasn't returned or even works. Why? Well, not because he did the garbage banging and came up with the scam and executed it himself, but because he erased evidence that pointed fingers in his own organization.  

Explain this to me? Explain how Lunhow loses everything and all these other assholes still work in the MLB? It's the wicked web of Jim Crane and Rob Manfred and their friendship... and it's absolute bullshit.

Mark Powell of Fansided writes:

"Jeff Luhnow, the general manager at the time who oversaw this entire mess, has yet to get another job in baseball.

Luhnow, it turns out, tried to warn those within the Astros organization of an impending investigation before the fact. Those close to Luhnow even suggest he deleted data from his own phone, and insinuated others to do the same...Seemingly every reminder and/or update to this cheating scandal makes matters worse. It's another layer and reminder that Houston knew exactly what they were doing, and continued to sweep it under the rug."

Jim Crane is a bad dude. Luhnow? Sure, he is too, but this just proves that even the owner was in on it, and cutting Lunhow loose and creating another narrative is the way to go and that's what Crane is trying to do. Don't know what I mean?

Remember when Cashman came out back in March (CBS Sports) saying:  "The only thing that stopped (us) was something that was so illegal and horrific. So I get offended when I start hearing we haven't been to the World Series since '09. Because I'm like, 'Well, I think we actually did it the right way.' Pulled it down, brought it back up. Drafted well, traded well, developed well, signed well. The only thing that derailed us was a cheating circumstance that threw us off."

He was ripping the Astros and it was amazing. Jim Crane shot back, from Bleacher Report): “I found his comments to be extremely strange,’’ Crane told USA Today's Bob Nightengale. “There’s the letter, and you were doing it, too. You were there dude. What are you talking about? If I was one of the teams, and I knew our team was doing it [cheating], I’d keep my mouth shut and just go about our business."

Crane sounds like a 5 year old. "I pulled his hair because he pulled mine!" Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Go in the corner, you dunce.

By the way, the letter?  CBS Sports writes:  "In that letter, it notes that the Yankees were fined for sign-stealing behavior from 2015-16, but also clears them from wrongdoing"

Whatever Crane.

What we know these days is damaging and guys like Crane should be punished. Mandfred and the MLB should reopen this investigation on the Luhnow phone stuff. It's bad. But they won't.

As long as we are in a MLB world of stupid rule changes and relationships to make more money for the commissioner and the baseball owners, us fans will continue to shout but not be heard.  It's terrible what's happened to the MLB, but what's worse is that this Astros front office found one guy to truly punish and destroy, while the rest of these assholes can continue to live their life. The punishment did not fit the crime.  It's shameful.

COULD BROKEN BOSTON STEAL AARON JUDGE?

Just typing that headline made my stomach flip flop but could it really happen? NO! Because my stomach and my heart just can't think about that.

But here I am thinking about it all thanks to Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe and I am sure he is super proud of himself right now. There's nothing like a Red Sox and Yankees rivalry to begin with but then when you throw soon to be free agent and fan favorite Aaron Judge into it then it turns into a real dog fight.

We all know Judge is having a career year right before he becomes a free agent. Derek Jeter himself said it best, he bet on himself by turning down the Yankees contract extension in the winter and his bet is paying off. Now Shaughnessy thinks Judge can fix the broken Red Sox to the tune of $300 million and he couldn't be more wrong about this proposition of his, read more HERE.

First of all....Judge in a Red Sox uniform? No way, not happening. Would the Red Sox meddle by telling him that they will match what the Yankees would offer and add some other kicker to sweeten the pot? Maybe but, they would really just be looking to drive the price up. And about that price tag....

The price tag is also wrong. I think $300 million is low based on the season he is having it is hard to sign him to a lower deal with 48 home runs and 105 RBIs and he still has more than a month left of the regular season. Judge is hot at the right time, so previous years don't make him more affordable. Someone is going to pay and pay him at a premium.

I still think it will be the Yankees, for way too many reasons. Boston is definitely broken, but Judge isn't going to fix that. I just hope when Judge stays with us, he doesn't break us too.

Nice try though, Shaughnessy.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

WHY SEVERINO IS ON THE 60 DAY IL

Source: SI.com

Yankees have struggled mightily this second half of the season with an 11-20 record since the All-Star break and 6-14 in August through Monday's game. Ironically, their struggles began right around when their second starter, Luis Severino headed to the IL. The Yankee pitcher left his July 13th start with a low-grade right lat strain and has been in rehab ever since. But Sevy says he is ready to be back yet he is still on the IL. This is a systemic problem with this team. Aaron Boone babies his players thereby placing too much pressure on other players to fill the void. Why is Severino on the 60-day IL when he feels like he should be on the mound? Let's unpack it.

Source: NY Post

“I am 100 percent right now,’’ Severino said after throwing a 24-pitch live batting practice at the Stadium prior to Tuesday’s game against the Mets," reported The New York Post. Severino is still "serving a 60-sentence" in the IL which will keep him out of the rotation until mid-September. The Yankee starter remains upset and is anxious to get back on the mound. “I’m not OK with it,’’ Severino said. “I threw 95, 97 [mph] and it’s not even a thought in my mind. The 60-[day IL] wasn’t necessary. I know I could have been back by now.”

Historically, well since the Boone years and later Girardi days, the Yankees have be extra cautious with their players, often giving them extra days off, placing them on the IL for extended amounts of time and giving them rest days when they are seemingly on a hot streak.

Source: NY Post

“I’m just being cautious,” Boone told reporters before batting practice back in July. “I’m trying to strike a balance between the urgency of the situation against playing the long game,” reported NJ.com. This was the Cincinnati Series, where the Yankees lost two out of three to a low performing club. But they were up 14.5 games in the AL East and had no worry in the world. Fast forward to 6 weeks later and the Yankees cut that lead in half. They have not been able to string together a prolonged run like they did in the first half of the season. Besides seeing their bats go quiet, pitching, particularly starting pitching just hasn't had the length it used to- going from second-best in the AL to 13th. 

Source: NY Post

With Jordan Montgomery lighting it up in St. Louis, the Yankees pitching staff has been fractured. "Severino’s slip in production and injury have played a role, as has significant falloffs from Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon, who each have an ERA of over 4.00 in the second half. German hasn’t been as good as Severino was early on, and Tuesday night’s starter, Frankie Montas, has been a disappointment since arriving from Oakland," reported The Post.

So why is Severino still on the IL? Because he was placed on the 60-day IL which provides no mercy to the injured player. According to MLB rules, players placed on the 60-day injured must remain on it for a minimum of 60 days and are temporarily removed from a club's 40-man roster, which often makes the list a last resort for clubs. So why did they do this to Sevy? I just don't understand the leadership of this club. And the more I see them in action, the less I like what I see. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

YANKEES WIN, PAULIE HONORED & MY SUPPORT OF JETER ALL IN ONE!

The Yankees won.

There was no banging on Boone's table. (Read BIG BAD BOONE HUFFS AND PUFFS AFTER LATEST LOSS!)

One day after Aaron Boone had a theatrical performance banging his stupid table and acting upset, the Yankees righted the ship and yesterday, on Paul O'Neill day, they had a victory.

NJ.com writes:

"The Blue Jays tied the game 2-2 in the seventh when Yankees reliever Wandy Peralta issued a bases-loaded walk, but Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning for a 4-2 lead that held up."

Now look, Benintendi has been unimpressive as a Yankee. He's been flying under the radar because guys like Hicks and the others have sucked real bad lately, but yesterday was big. They showed some fire and that's what we needed.  

Paul O'Neill's ceremony was great.  Nice to see him out there with all his former teammates. The New York Times writes:

"To join these greats and to know that the No. 21 will never be worn by a New York Yankee again is by far the biggest personal honor that I have ever achieved,” he said in remarks meant to close his speech."

Now with many of his former teammates, alot of people on Twitter are giving Derek Jeter crap for not being there in person.  I gotta say, leave the guy alone.

Derek Jeter just recently came back into the spotlight with his social media and documentary. I have to tell you it's very refreshing to see this guy relaxed, family related, happy, smiling, enjoying himself.  But not coming to O'Neill's ceremony in person isn't a big deal to me.

To me, watching Derek's documentary, now really understanding his mindset in life before that, I would assume he didn't go because maybe the distraction would be too big. It's Paul's day. Derek is a team guy, he's had his day. He probably didn't want to be a distraction.  I don't know this, but that's what I think. But I love Derek's message, and you have to appreciate that he was there in spirit for the Warrior.  

Yesterday was a great day all around, for the Yankees, for Paul and for us fans.  Now let's hope we can keep moving forward.

BIG BAD BOONE HUFFS AND PUFFS AFTER LATEST LOSS!

Watch out Yankee universe, Aaron Boone is ready to huff and puff and blow the Yankee clubhouse down after Saturday's loss! Oooooh, I am shaking in my boots. Boone lost his shit, but honestly....I'm not impressed at all.

I've always called him BOONE THE ROBOT because he was a predictable, emotionless mumbling moron who made me frustrated all because he never showed any frustration when he should! Well, he finally did and I wanted to scream FINALLY but honestly, I laughed because I thought it was soooooo incredibly phony. In case you didn't get to see his meltdown, check it out:

You go ahead and slam your hand on that table, Boone! Boy oh boy....you mad, bro?! I should have applauded that but it was just so laughable that I couldn't stop laughing. Was I supposed to take that seriously? Get outta here!

I'm sorry but when Boone opens his big mouth and says the Yankees "have the dudes" to finish out the rest of the season and win. How eloquent. Couple that with his "We got to play better, period. The great thing is it’s right in front of us. We can fix it. It’s right here." All of the sudden 'it's right there' but it hasn't been all season? Now that it is August it magically appears? The Yankees are 9-20 since the All-Star break and are down to a 7 game lead on the Blue Jays.

The Yankees have had the ability to "fix it" since July and they just haven't. They "have the dudes" with talent but they just don't have the motivation or drive. They also don't have a credible manager. These team is on a crash course at the end of August and it's disgusting.

Boone's temper tantrum did nothing for me, he can huff and puff and sell that to someone...but I'm not buying it at all. The only thing we all want to see is for this team to start fighting and winning! Save the bad acting performances for when you are no longer our manager.....that can't happen soon enough.

In the words of Boone....fix it NOW, Yankees!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

WHY THE WARRIOR SHOULD BE THE YANKEES HITTING COACH

Source: The Canadian Press

The Yankees have been awful to watch. Well, I don't have to tell you that. After Friday's loss against the Blue Jays, the Yankees have lost 13 games in a 16-game span in a single season for just the third time in the Wild Card Era (May-June 1995, Sept.-Oct. 2000). Saturday's loss made it 14. But, today is Paul O'Neill Day at the Stadium. If anything or anyone can wake up these corpses it has to be the Warrior. What is more interesting is listening to O'Neill diagnose the Yankee hitting woes from the booth. It got me thinking. Why isn't he the Yankee hitting coach? 

Paul O'Neill was the American League batting champion in the strike-shortened 1994 season batting .359. O'Neill spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Cincinnati Reds where he was a World Series champion in 1990 and an All-Star in 1991. Over his career, O'Neill batted .288 with 2,105 hits, 281 home runs, 1,269 runs batted in and an OPS of .833 over 2,053 games played.

About a year ago NJ.com interviewed O'Neill as if he was the manager of the New York Yankees.
"If O’Neill had Aaron Boone’s job, he’d be making a few hitters drastically change their approach to reflect who they should be at the plate.  Says O'Neill: “If you were a manager and you take this team, I’ll have (Luke) Voit, Stanton and Judge in my office, ‘You guys, I need you to hit home runs.’ “Then I’m going to take LeMahieu, Torres and Urshela and say, ‘Guys, I need you to be .300 hitters. I need you to drive the ball all over the place and keep the ball in play.’ Fast forward to today, you will hear the Warrior diagnose Aaron Hicks' hitting mechanics, and replace Urshela with Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Voit with Anthony Rizzo. He knows hitting. Maybe he needs to step out of the booth and into the clubhouse. 

"The worrying Warrior figures if you give Yankees hitters specific roles, there’d be more guys on base for the big boys, and they’d probably be putting crooked numbers up a lot more often.“If you break it down to that, I think you’re going to have a much more balanced team than everybody going up with the same approach,” O’Neill said. “Does that make sense?” reported NJ.com. I would say absolutely. 

Balance. Everyone has a role. And just better managing. I just don't understand how Aaron Boone makes his choices? A computer makes the lineup. He pinch hits players when no one is on base. And he runs his pitching staff down to nothing by having a new pitcher every inning. I mean, if the Yankees tied the game in the 9th, I often wonder who would pitch the 10th? Aaron Judge?

Guys like O'Neill call the game straight. They use their wisdom from many years of playing to provide color and perspective. I would love that wisdom to get to the guy who needs help at the plate. Every team goes through slumps. But this team has a systemic issue that starts in the manager's seat and ends in the bullpen. Let's get the Warrior in to work with the hitters and CC Sabathia in to work with the pitchers. I will save that perspective for next time. For now, let's see if the Warrior's presence at the Stadium can motivate this team to turn the corner and start winning again. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof