DAVID CONE NAILS IT WHEN IT COMES TO DOMINGO GERMAN!

I always find David Cone great to listen to. There are plenty that don't. That's their opinion and there's nothing wrong with it. As far as I'm concerned, it's subjective. For me, Coney speaks his mind, very honest and says it like it is.  

Now we all know that he, David Wells and Don Larsen were the only Yankees to have Perfect Games before Domingo German joined the club late last night.  Now we have 4. As a Yankee fan, be proud. That's a huge achievement.

Well, Cone spoke about German and what comes with pitching a Perfect Game.  Clutchpoints writes:

"Cone said that German’s life and potentially his career will be altered for the better after the accomplishment...

"...this could really help springboard him to bigger and better things. It did for Boomer in ’98, he became a different pitcher after that day. He really gained a lot of confidence and possibly that could work for Domingo as well."

It is slightly similar to what I was talking about this morning when I wrote  GERMAN FINALLY TURNS THE PAGE TOWARD GROWTH & WHAT ROLE MODELS NEED TO BE, but I was speaking about German's shortcomings of the past and overcoming those disappointments with achievement and moving forward.  The point is, a spark like this Perfect Game could be a huge boost for German, yes on the field for sure, but definitely in life too.  You feel better about yourself, you want to do better.  We're in the realm of a confident pitcher and positive role model as well. 

Clutchpoints continued with an important nugget that many of us have heard but forgot about last night when we were blinded with the Perfect Game:

"There were murmurs that the Yankees were considering taking him out of the rotation. Now it seems that Domingo German will stick around for a little while longer and could turn out to be an important piece for the Yankees as they trudge through the season without Aaron Judge."

German was about to be removed. I believe that! I'm really hoping Boone doesn't man-handle this guy and remove him from the rotation.  German did something great, but the best part of that is not rest, but to keep going.  If Boone was smart, he'd leave German alone and see what other special stuff can happen with this guy.

But there's no question Cone is onto something.  He's got a great baseball mind, and his point of potential future success rings true.  But at the end of the day, it comes down to German.  Can he stay focused and gain confidence? I believe it's in him, but we shall see.

UM. HAVE YOU SEEN KYLE FARNSWORTH LATELY?

The story is not new, but it was new to me. 

Quick note because it's eye opening and all of that. Kyle Farnsworth is a professional bodybuilder and it's awesome.

Everything Farnsworth does is 1000 percent. I've always said that. He has been a true competitor with baseball and even football for a short time. I was a Farnsworth guy when he was with the Yankees. But he played ball for a long time. 

16 years in the Major Leagues. I loved his toughness on the field and the fact that he always wanted the ball. But after he retired, like many ball players, they need to find something else to do. Some guys consult with teams, some join their front offices, many coach or manage.  Farnsworth went rogue, and it kind of fits how his personality might be.  He decided to go into body building. He didn't want to slow down.  I was recently reading a Sports Illustrated article about his latest endeavor from back in 2022 and it's great. Check this out:

"The worst part about bodybuilding, Kyle Farnsworth says, is how appealing Oreos look when you’re not allowed to eat them. By the time Farnsworth took the stage in Orlando last month for the National Physique Committee Southern USA Championships, he was about ready to withdraw and Double Stuf his face. But after 16 years as a major league reliever, playing for nine teams, including, notably, the Cubs and Yankees, he knows something about patience. So he strode out into the spotlight … and found its glow familiar.

“Everybody’s looking at you,” he says. “You’re all by yourself. The only difference is: In baseball, you have your uniform. In bodybuilding, you’re in your underwear.”

Farnsworth doesn't shy away from competition even now, which I applaud. I realized that he was a semi-finalist in what is known as Mr. Health & Fitness, and it appears you can vote for Farnsworth to win.  And so, hey, here's BYB raising our hand saying "Hey, take a moment, vote for Kyle!"

If you click HERE, you can help Farnsworth and help support Homes for Wounded Warriors. The mission is simple, the money goes toward building and remodeling homes for injured U.S. military vets, an amazing cause.  With July 4th right around the corner, it's the right thing to do.

So do the right thing and support the troops and of course support musclehead Kyle Farnsworth.  Gotta love it.

VOLPE REBORN! MORE CHICKEN PARM PLEASE!

Signs of life! It's about time. The Yankees have struggled since Aaron Judge went down with his toe injury earlier this month. We've all been waiting for someone to have a breakout moment, and I am hoping we just saw it in action and it continues.

Someone needs to pick this team up and get a streak going and Anthony Volpe may be that guy, surprisingly. Sometimes it is hard to see the rookie as that player to kickstart a sputtering team, but it just might be him! After an impressive spring training and start to the season, he's hit a wall recently. Baseball is all about consistency and making adjustments and it looks like he may have found a solution.

I don't know how to explain this, and honestly at this point I don't even care but it sounds like sometimes a little reminiscing with friends and comfort food can fix it all. I am hoping this is the case now, time will tell but you can read HERE about how watching old minor league video with former teammate Austin Wells helped him tweak his batting stance. So far, the tweaks have paid off. 

I am not sure who or what deserves al of the credit here, but sometimes it is proof that the smallest things can pull a rookie out of a slump. Some quality time with a buddy and a good chicken parm helped Volpe find his spark again and not supposed "experts" like hitting coach Dillon Lawson who is completely useless. 

I know there has been a lot of talk recently about sending Volpe down. Some think some time down in Triple-A will help but he's proving to everyone that he can make adjustments without the help of the Yankees so-called "leadership" and that is a guy I want to give every single opportunity to. He's resourceful and making the improvements that his coaches just can't identify. 

So give the guy some more chicken parm and let him work through it! He's doing more good than Aaron Boone and Lawson will ever be able to.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

GERMAN FINALLY TURNS THE PAGE TOWARD GROWTH & WHAT ROLE MODELS NEED TO BE

The Story of the day is of course, Domingo German's Perfect Game.

Look, you cannot ignore a great moment in sports.  Last night, German did something that only 3 other Yankees have done before him. Don Larsen, David Wells and David Cone now are part of the Perfect Game club with German. A monster achievement, and definitely catapults him into a more glamourous, elite club in baseball.  It is something special.  With this moment comes maturity, comes being what a role model should be.  I know what you're thinking, and you're right... there's a life lesson here when it comes to German.

I saw it with my own eyes and when it happened, I had weird emotions about it.  Clearly the Yankees won. Clearly the A's were terrible.  But it felt weird to me because it was Domingo German. It wasn't jealousy. It wasn't hate. It was about integrity and character and maturity for me.  For me, my emotions weren't as large as I wanted them to be.  But when I see this man and the journey he took to get here, I was happy for him. Not as an athlete, but as a person. Does that make sense? 

Look, in sports we root for our teams... we root for our guys.  There's nothing better in sports. But something was off with this guy throughout his journey to get here. Yup, I look like I'm raining on this guy's parade. I should shut up, right? Maybe.  Last night when it happened my buddy texted me when it happened. My bud is a Phillies fan. He had no business watching German dominate, but that's the sweetness of sports. He found it, watched it, texted me because I'm the Yankee fan.  I was already falling asleep, so I went to bed with happiness for the Yankees, but fell right to sleep. This morning I wrote the first feeling I had about it.

Sporadic. That's how I've always seen German.  I always feel like this guy is trying to find his way.  The struggles, the accusation of beating his wife, the punishment, the getting caught cheating with substance on his hands... the nights of him getting shelled, the #0 which to him is a way of being provocative, but to me is subliminal for loser.  That's Sporadic to me. I almost feel like most people in sports haven't had a ride that turbulent.   Last night however, I saw a changed man, a long journey and a man that figured it out.

The 24th Perfect Game in MLB History

It Belongs to Domingo German pic.twitter.com/bPQtb9gbmf

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 29, 2023

As the day goes on today, I will watch the highlights a lot, because over all I will be happy for the Yankees. And yes, to me it symbolizes that sporadic Domingo German turning the page of chaos and uncertainty. Today he looks more mature... more of a role model. Sure, maybe I'm over analyzing it. But that's why you come to BYB right?  

Domingo German deserves congratulations.  He's now in an elite group and because of that more will be expected of him.  He will need to be good the next time out. He will need to now show his own maturity... his own swagger and step up and lead by example.  Maybe that's what will be the difference for me being a true fan of German. Can he carry himself with poise?  Can he grow from this? Can he become a better pitcher and a better person?

I was watching and thinking about it this way. Second chances and redeeming ones self are important in everyone.  We judge people that make mistakes, but what if the person that was making the mistake was you own son or daughter. Would you judge, or would you root for them?

Hypothetical. What if German was my son and he beat his wife and was suspended from the MLB for a while? What would I do? I'd probably rip him behind closed doors, but I'd give him another chance.

What if my son was German and he was caught with substance on his hand and kicked out of a game because of it? Well, I'd rip him behind closed doors and then I'd give him another chance.  And so, as I write this here, I think ultimately, last night's Perfect Game for German was about second chances, wasn't it? It was about him finding his way, not only as a professional athlete, but in life too.

I am not a perfect person, no doubt about that. No one is.  But looking at it that way allows me to enjoy this Perfect Game more for German even more.  And when I think about it that way, he deserves all the praise in the world.  German is even closer to the top of his game, more mature (we hope) and able to stand tall through all the crap and say "Hey, I did this."  For me as a Yankee fan and father... those emotions blend at this moment, and I see that this is a good thing. A good thing for the Yankees, and definitely German.

I leave you with this. I saw this on Twitter and thought it made sense, especially in this situation.

In the case of German, in the case in how I emotionally processed this... it just makes sense. Learn from mistakes, move forward. 

Congrats to Domingo German.  Soak it in, you deserve this moment.  

YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT TIKI BARBER THINKS OF JUDGE'S INJURY

The New York Giants famed running back Tiki Barber played in the NFL for ten years. His career was filled with drama and excitement. He retired in 2006 as the Giants' all-time rushing and reception leader. So when he shared his concern for his New York companion Aaron Judge, I took notice. 

On Monday's edition of the WFAN "Tiki and Tierney" Barber stated, “A toe is not a part of your body that you can get off of and try to stay in shape,” Tiki said. “This is a big problem. I just hope when he does come back and starts to feel better, in his mind, he’s not psychologically trying to protect it. That’s what happens. That’s what happened to me…I jacked up my toe. Deion Sanders, in 1999, jumped on my back and twisted my toe and it probably tore a ligament or something, but I played through it and the swelling, and it calcified, and now I have this big bunion on my toe."

Source: The Athletic

Judge shared with fans on Saturday the depth of his injury, explicitly stating that he has a torn ligament in his right toe and has pain when he walks. According to The Athletic, "Judge has started doing some balance work in the pool but there’s still some caution in progressing too quickly because of where the injury is located. With the injury on his right big toe, that’s where a right-handed hitter pushes off on every swing. DJ LeMahieu dealt with a toe injury on his right foot last season which ultimately caused him to lose his power and ability to hit at a high level in the second half of the season before being ruled out for the playoffs."

Tiki Barber added, “If I was trying to hit a baseball, that’s gonna change my feel…baseball is a precision sport. This is worrisome.” Barber himself dealt with toe problems on multiple occasions during his NFL career from 1997 through the 2006. He provided real perspective as contact sport athlete.

One key difference is that Judge has not played through the injury and has proceeded with caution unlike Barber. But baseball as Barber points out uses a lot more intentionality in foot work, balance and power to drive the ball and pivot in the outfield. It will take time before Judge and his medical staff can truthfully predict his prognosis and future for this season.

According to The Athletic, "The fact Judge is still experiencing pain when he walks is not encouraging news. Dr. Stein, who hasn’t seen Judge’s X-rays or MRI scans and isn’t treating him, said this could indicate a potential lengthier recovery timetable. “I think this is somewhat of a significant development as it tells us the injury may be more severe than initially thought, especially if he still has pain with just walking,” Dr. Stein said. “If it’s a partial tear, it might take six weeks to heal to not having pain with just walking.”

The Yankees are out in Oakland for the next few days and then off to St. Louis before they come home to host their division rival Baltimore Orioles. Time and patience is what we need to practice as Judge rehabs and focuses hard on his recovery. It took some time for his teammate LeMahieu to bounce back from his toe injury. Some still say he is not 100% and without knowing what grade of a tear he has, it is hard to say if his injury is worse than DJ's. 

So don't listen to the PR junkies and Aaron Boone's lines of “I mean, that’s an absolute. I can’t say that about anyone. So, yeah, I feel like he’s going to be back." The injury is serious and it is going to take time to heal, perhaps through the end of the 2023 season. Let's hope for the best but I would rather have a healthy Judge for many more years than a guy who rushes back and has this lingering injury that could end his career early.

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

FLIPPING DONALDSON FOR CANDELARIO. WAIT, WHO?

I love baseball insiders because they literally throw stuff against the wall and see if it sticks.  Enter Buster Olney. Between he and Jon Heyman, I feel like they need to co-author a book called "Fake News Baseball" and just list all the made-up stuff they come up with over the years. I know it works for their line of work, but they don't take several things into account when they write about potential trades that "make sense". 

Like for instance, if someone like Josh Donaldson absolutely sucks in the Bronx, clearly his value goes down.  So why in the world would the Yankees be able to trade them for a guy like Jeimer Candelario, a better hitter, maybe not as good defensively, but still a guy that will give the Yankees the win in that trade.  It's all bluster and speculation all so ESPN can have Buster come in to the head honcho's office  at the end of the month and they can say "Hey, you posted a lot of BS, but the readers are stupid and they all clicked, so you get to come back to work tomorrow."  I hate it, and trust me, I still click on these stories every day.  DAMN YOU, BUSTER!

Here's the latest made-up trade proposal from ESPN, and I'm stealing it from Fansided, because ESPN requires a subscription and there is NO WAY I'm paying for garbage like that.

"Olney lists that could replace Donaldson at third base is Jeimer Candelario of the Washington Nationals..."The infielder is having a nice season, with an adjusted OPS+ of 117 and a slash line of .256/.333/.446," writes Olney. "But he has only played third base this year. 'He might be a fit if [the Yankees] were ready to give up on Donaldson,' an evaluator speculated. Donaldson is hitting .143/.222/.464 in 18 games this season. Considering how thin the market is for position players, however, Washington GM Mike Rizzo might be inclined to set a high price tag for Candelario. 'Then you'd wonder: Would he be worth that?' an exec asked. 'Is he a difference-maker?'"

And Donaldson wouldn't be all, there is no question the Nationals would want more than just Josh and Cashman would need to think long and hard about who he would give up. But think about this for a second, while it might make sense, why bring a broken-down, sporadic player like Donaldson over from the Bronx, especially because he's really don't nothing this season and even though the Yankees will no doubt pay to get rid of him? Would the Nationals have those Orioles-type hitting coaches over there that think they can fix Donaldson? Having the Yankees pay for him to suck in the Nationals lineup is wasting a spot in that line up.  I just don't see it.

Look, it's a lot of chew on, and Olney does it better than most. I just don't subscribe to this kind of journalism (if that's what we call this) and I just don't see this actually being a thing. But, believe what you want.

Carry on.

CARLOS RODON REVEALS NEWEST UPDATE ON COMEBACK

There are some positives coming.  For instance... Carlos Rodon is making his comeback from injury. I'm excited to watch this guy in pinstripes.  Here's the latest from Yahoo Sports:

"Carlos Rodon made his second rehab start in Sunday's game with Double-A Somerset, and he took another step toward his New York debut.

Rodon pounded the zone, throwing 36 strikes on 48 pitches and firing a one-hitter through four scoreless innings of Somerset's matinee with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats..."

The best part about it was that things were working and most importantly he felt good.

The chatter is if things continue to be positive, the big lug could be joining us by early July, I'm suggesting around July 3.

Let's go Carlos!

ANOTHER INSTANCE OF A BOONE CODDLING COMING UP!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new CRAZY level of Aaron Boone's mismanagement skills in display - and it is completely embarrassing! 

Yesterday, Josh Donaldson was on the bench for the third day in a row. It's where he belongs. Every baseball fan on the planet knows his .125 BA is not helping this already deflated team...but clearly, he doesn't. The whole scenario was just awkward and unnecessary.

So long story short, Donaldson declined to speak to beat writers before the game and went straight to Aaron Boone's office. He wanted to talk, and boy that must've been one hell of a talk because it lasted 45 minutes and it caused Boone to be more than 30 minutes late to his pre-game press conference. Nothing like adding more fuel to this fire for everyone to write and talk about.

I may not manage a bunch of major league baseball players for a living, but I do manage people. I can't say I have spent 45 minutes coddling an employee, but that's what Boone did. It wasn't necessary, especially with a player that isn't pulling his weight. What is there to talk about for that long? Keep it shorter and sweet. Remove the emotion and just give him the facts.... he's not helping the team win. This should not have affected the rest of the day and given the media even more to talk about just proves how soft Boone really is.

Now Boone says he and Donaldson are "in a good place" and that he expects him to "play a lot" in the future because "there's a ton in there for him offensively," you can read more of this nonsense HERE. What happened to strong leaders who know what is best for the team and can be honest? Donaldson has nothing left in the tank. His best days are behind him and he has nothing to offer this team. Sometimes the truth hurts.

Honestly, stick a fork in both of them they are done. Boone can't lead or win and Donaldson isn't a big league asset anymore. It's maddening! This is why this team isn't winning.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

JUDGE COMES CLEAN ON HIS INJURY

Source: NY Post

Well we finally have a true indication of the depth of Aaron Judge's injury. It only took three weeks to reveal, keeping fans' hopes alive that the captain would be back in the lineup before the end of June. I was predicting after the All Star Break, but that ship likely has sailed as well. Judge himself came clean on his injury and Fans, it is not good.

Before Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers, Aaron Judge shared with the media the true essence of his injury—a torn ligament in his right big toe which causes pain when he walks.

"I don't think too many people in here have torn a ligament in their toe. If it was a quad, we'd have a better answer. If it's an oblique or hamstring, we have answers and a timeline for that. With how unique this injury is, and it being my back foot, which I push off of and run off of, it's a tough spot," said Judge as reported by ESPN.

When we first learned about the injury following Judge's wall smashing catch in right field against the Dodgers in early June, the team shared that Judge was dealing with a contusion and a sprained ligament in his right big toe. Now, we are hearing that the ligament is torn and the time on the IL including rehab will be a much more advanced injury, with very little indication when he will return.

Look I get it. The team did not want to deliver the grim news too early, because maybe there was hope that the initial treatment would actually work. But fans are annoyed and took to social media to share their displeasure of the lack of information about their key player.

The Yankees simply have little to no offense without Judge in the lineup. They score 3 or less runs. They seems to fall apart in the field. The Yankees will be lucky to finish third in the AL East and have an opportunity for a play-in game come October. Because without a backbone, the Yankees can't hold themselves up. 

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

THE SAME GUY BOONE HAD NO FAITH IN ON FRIDAY TELLS BOONE TO "SHOVE IT" ON SATURDAY

 Yes, I say "shove it" with actions not words... and good for Billy McKinney.

Friday the Yankees lost because of Aaron Boone. Read LAST NIGHT WAS PROOF THAT CLUELESS BOONE CAN'T LEAD THE YANKEES for my rant on that Friday game and everything our inexperienced manager did wrong. In a nutshell, with a man on second, Boone decided to pull red hot McKinney for ice cold Donaldson, only to see Donaldson strike out. The Yankees would eventually lose.

Yesterday, with the Yankees just not being offensively strong at all, and Boone sitting guys that probably should have been playing like LeMahieu, Billy McKinney just did what we are so happy about... producing at the plate.  Yesterday, he was allowed to stay in the lineup and crushed a homer to put the Yankees in the lead.  That would be the decider.  Yanks would win 1-0 against the Rangers.

But it's what Boone says to the media that is so freaking embarrassing. The New York Post writes:

"Did he ever anticipate that the outfielder would become as significant as he has?

“I did not, honestly,” Boone said after the Yankees’ 1-0 win over the Rangers on Saturday in The Bronx. “To me, he’s a much better player now than the player I’ve seen in previous years or even spring training.”

Think about that... I DID NOT, HONESTLY. In other words, subliminally, "I really don't have much faith in this kid, but he keeps doing great things at the plate."  

Now I am paraphrasing, but let's call it what it is... McKinney's own manager doubts him.  That would make a ton of sense when it comes to Friday's game, and McKinney was able to shove it up his ass in Saturday's game.

Billy McKinney has done everything right.  He should be out there every game... because he's one of the few actually making stuff happen for the Yankees.  You know who shouldn't be there? Aaron Boone, the guy who "feels" like playing IKF over DJ LeMahieu yesterday in hopes of finding a "spark".  It's garbage like that that is really hurting this Yankee club.

Without leadership, a group will fail.  I'm not sure how many different ways I have to say it.  

For now, it was McKinney who gave Boone the signal that he belongs in the lineup every day.  Hopefully Boone recognizes it... but I strongly doubt it. He misses cues all the time. 

LAST NIGHT WAS PROOF THAT CLUELESS BOONE CAN'T LEAD THE YANKEES

I will never understand how Aaron Boone makes game time decisions.  He's either looking at a binder full of metrics that really don't matter, or he's throwing guys bones because he feels bad.  Either way, it's the most pathetic display ever. I have said it once and I will say it again... when times are tough, when hard decisions need to be made, he doesn't know how to make them. He's not a confident manager, he is a manager that plays the role of acting confident.  Yelling at umpires in front of a team may rile up a fan base, but that gets old when the Yankees continuously lose... and that's where we are right now.

Last night against the Rangers was a disappointment and it's all Boone's fault. Now I hate recaps, you all know this, but I need to point out why we lost.

For me, the biggest flop was his pinch-hit decision.  You're in the 10th inning, DJ LeMahieu is at second base and McKinney is supposed to come to the plate. McKinney has been hot as hell these days, literally doing everything we could ask for of him.  But hold on, what's this? He is pinch hit for the worst hitter in the league right now, Josh Donaldson.  

At that point the Yankee world was outraged and should have been. To be honest, I don't even think Josh Donaldson thought he could hit a baseball in that spot let alone a beachball. The guy is lost at the plate, and everyone knew it... except for Aaron Boone. Now this knucklehead can sit there and say, "Well I knew Donaldson was struggling and I wanted to get him going", but the truth is you don't do that then. You can't feel bad for struggling players and throw them bones in a must-win situation. What Donaldson did next was nothing, literally taking the breath away from the Yankees.  As Luke Baquero of Fansided wrote:

"This season, McKinney is 3-5 with an RBI single vs left-handed pitchers.... McKinney has been great in his run with the Yankees. Slashing .318/.348./.636 with a .984 OPS, and over 160 wRC+ is way too valuable to be pinch hit for in a situation for an ice-cold Donaldson. "

The other bad move that Boone made was the relief situation in the top of the tenth inning.  Boone chose Michael King instead of Ron Marinaccio. I know it's a guessing game at this point for many, but you have to review 2 ways, statistics and the eye test.  The gut reaction alone in a must-win game would have been Marinaccio if the decision was made by any other manager on the planet. But not Boone. 

The New York Post writes: "It was Rangers cleanup man Adolis Garcia who blasted Yankees reliever Michael King’s first pitch of the 10th inning into the left field bleachers to give the Rangers a 4-2 lead and eventual victory at Yankee Stadium."

The post game was the worst. Boone just can't take responsiblity and blame for making bad decisions. He just doesn't have a grasp on anything when it comes to failure. Here's the thing, if a team is losing this bad, it usually means leadership isn't leading.  Now you can sit there and suggest that we are waiting it out until Aaron Judge comes back, but 1 man does not make a team.  Boone needs to step up.  

The classiest move of the night goes to IKF. This guy made a costly error in the 4th. Was the loss his fault though? No. Why? Cause it happened in the 4th.  The loss happened because of Boone's bad decisions in the 10th. IKF took the high road claiming he was responsible for the loss, but he wasn't.

.  

IKF gets kudos from me.

Look, there is no way the Yankees can continue at this rate.  They are not supported by their manager who makes bonehead decisions, they are clearly going through the motions and have no true leadership like the days of Jorge Posada or Paul O'Neill.  They're lost.  

Hal Steinbrenner needs to stop being confused on why the fan base is mad and have a hard look at who he brought in to make a mess of this team. This Boone experiment needs to be over already.

WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD WE TRY TO GET CODY BELLINGER, MR. HEYMAN?

Jon Heyman needs to stop with the click bait garbage. The "baseball insider" is grasping at straws. It's annoying.  The Yankees need alot of fixes to right the ship right now, but what they don't need is a .250 hitter named Cody Bellinger. And not only did he suggest Bellinger... his nugget is madness.

He writes:

"If the Cubs sell, Cody Bellinger, a free agent after 2023, may be a nice fit for the Yankees as a left-handed hitter who could man left field and give the Yankees one of the game’s best defensive outfields.

In the meantime, Billy McKinney and Jake Bauers have been two of their more productive players lately. Bellinger’s dad Clay won two rings with the late ’90s Yankees."

So, break this down.  "IF THE CUBS SELL". So right there it's a fantasy trade. There's no conversation between the Cubs and Yanks. There's nothing.

Number 2... "Billy McKinney and Jake Bauers have been two of their more productive players lately."  Right. So why are we entertaining your made-up trade idea?  

Three... "Bellinger’s dad Clay won two rings with the late ’90s Yankees."

AND? What does that mean? So, his dad played for the Yankees, so Cody now makes sense? It's ridiculous.

Non-story. Garbage. Not worth your time.  The fact that the New York Post actually allows him to even put this in print is embarrassing.

Look, the Yanks need to figure it out with what we have already. It's not gonna be easy, but adding money to our payroll, having big names coming in with star power and not much more is not really what we need to do right now. We need to figure out how to win with what we have.  Heyman is right... guys like McKinney and Bauers are doing good things... so adding a star for literally the only reason of selling some jerseys is so ridiculous.  

We will be fine. We probably won't make the playoffs this year, but would we with Cody Bellinger? Give me a break.

THAT NEWS ABOUT JUDGE THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

Aaron Judge has been out for a bit and since then the Yankees have been sucking the life out of the fan base.  Look, playing well against Seattle is always a good thing, but we need to keep winning. Guys like Jakes Bauers and Billy McKinney have done what they're supposed to do and we fans are appreciative, but we want Judge... that's the bottom line. We like Coors light, but we really want a Coors... you feel me?

Well, here's a terrific update for ya'll. Empire Sports Media writes:

"MLB Network’s Brian Hoch reported that Judge has commenced pool, balance, and strength work, aiming to resume throwing and light hitting by week’s end."

Hitting by the end of the week is something that I find to be amazing.  I wonder how he feels jogging or running, or even how his foot feels in the batter's box. I guess we will soon see but trust me when I tell you (and I know you know) This is great news!