HAPPY THANKSGIVING! NOW STOP "BASHING" STANTON!

Happy Thanksgiving, BYB family! I hope your day has been filled with family, fun, great food and traditions. You may be stuffed right now, but hopefully not too full for another course of Yankee news. Good news is it's not so filling and far less calories.

In case you missed it, in your mad dash to prepare your Thanksgiving menu, Cameron Maybin longtime friend to Giancarlo Stanton thinks Stanton has been bullied in New York, read more HERE. Interesting little tidbit, Maybin went from former major leaguer to Public Relations specialist, or maybe psychologist. At any rate, it was an interesting little piece of insanity.

I really dislike these blurbs where other players feel the need to jump in and "rescue" someone else or just throw their two cents in, and that's what Maybin is doing.

 "I've watched this guy year after year. He never jabs back at the fans or the criticism. He just keeps his head down and continues to try to work." Honestly....does that deserve a cookie? Congratulations, taking your licks (especially when you are underperforming) and taking the higher road is called being a professional. This is especially true when you are a role model to kids everywhere. If you want the criticism to stop, then do your job. It's as simple as that. Don't give New York fans and media a reason to make jabs and you won't have to dodge them.

Maybin takes it a step further, "I know he's had some unfortunate injury seasons, but I feel like if you're a New York fan, we've seen people who haven’t been able to handle the pressure and have folded. I think we have such a short memory. We don't take time to appreciate greatness. I just think the guy is a physical specimen…nobody wants to be hurt. I know he's hurt, but damn, can we appreciate what he has done? He's been one of the better playoff Yankees during the playoff struggles that they've had."

The Yankees have never apologized for having high expectations. The lights shine brighter in New York and the weight and responsibility of wearing that uniform is not a good fit for everyone. Maybin must have a different definition of appreciating greatness, which is interesting because he was a Yankee. He knows what the definition of greatness is to the organization and that is winning the World Series. Being a champion is greatness and that is what is appreciated. We all recognize and appreciate effort and know he has had some great moments. No one denies that, but this is not the place to recognize bright moments amongst mediocrity. The Yankees have been mediocre for too long. 

So we hear you Maybin, you believe your friend is underappreciated and unjustly criticized. "I'd love to see him play in a place like Cincinnati…I want to see him play in the NL Central, a division that's a bandbox, somewhere where he might have a breath of fresh air," Maybin said. "He's been under scrutiny for years now. As a friend, I'd love to see him finish his career in a place where he's not getting bashed."
Would someone like to tell Maybin that there are a lot of Yankee fans out there that would also like to see Stanton play for Cincinnati? Or how about Detroit? Literally anywhere else, pick any other team. Honestly, if Stanton wanted to play in the NL Central, he could be a big boy and tell the Yankees that he would be open to a trade and would waive his no-trade clause and let the Yankees find someone else to pass some of that salary to. That won't be easy at all, but if the pinstripes are too heavy and the pressure is too much he could try and help his own cause. For the record, Maybin says Stanton hasn't said that at all.

Playing in New York isn't easy. The expectations here are not what you will find in Oakland. Sorry Maybin, but act like you have been here before and stop whining for your friend.

At any rate, there's your last course Yankee family. Enjoy the rest of your holiday!

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj