DON'T WORRY CASHMAN, I DON'T GIVE UP ON THE YANKS, I GAVE UP ON YOU!

"Don't give up on us. ... This is a championship-caliber operation." - Brian Cashman

The always articulate (*sarcasm*) spin doctor Brian Cashman said that and a lot more. You can read that HERE in case you didn't hear all of it or want to make your eyes and ears bleed some more. It's the same song and dance.  We've seen this press conference before. The only difference is now the calendar has flipped to 2023.

The "championship-caliber operation" that Cashman is referring to is with another organization right now. It is so crazy how BAD this team is and it's not just ONE thing holding this team back. There's a long line of history to prove that. Yes, the injuries suck....but the injuries are not the SOLE reason this team is losing. There is so much more to this.

So sorry, Cashman....I am not buying what you are selling. Are the Yankees injury riddled? YES. In fact, that looks like it got worse after yesterday's game. You can't ignore the other optics at play here - there have been some horrific trades, as well as an incompetent medical staff, a lot of failed analytics and a complete lack of accountability.

Let's start with the bad trades, and not just the trades that are STILL on this team. I hated the Jordan Montgomery trade when it happened. How do you trade away the most capable pitcher whose name ISN'T Gerrit Cole? Then he trades for Frankie Montas who admitted himself that he WAS NOT 100% healthy and then Cashman tries to deflect that. Let's not forget the failure that Sonny Gray was in New York and then there is useless Aaron Hicks and my favorite failure Joey Gallo who was and still is not worth a bucket of baseballs. I am now haunted by his introductory press conference in February 1998, when he conceded that identifying talent wasn’t a personal strength of his as a new GM. The same holds true today 25 years later. In fact, that is the understatement of the century. He's not the only one who is terrible at it....I'd say scouting as a WHOLE sucks. He's just the face of it, unfortunately for him.

And what about the awful medical staff? The biggest standout for me is when Aaron Judge had tests done to get to the bottom of his chronic right shoulder pain in 2020. The tests also revealed a fracture of the ribs AND a collapsed lung that had actually occurred in September of 2019! It would've healed faster and properly if you know.....it had actually been diagnosed at the time, but it wasn't. This team as a whole, just can't stay healthy anyway. I thought the strength and conditioning staff was supposed to you know....help condition and give them routines to STAY healthy. Do you remember Dana Cavalea? He was the Yankees strength and conditioning coach from 2007-2013. They fired him after an injury riddled season and the Yankees failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Novel concept, huh?

There is a complete lack of accountability with this organization as a whole. Hal Steinbrenner continues to trust a GM that has proven he is NOT capable of building a championship caliber team. He trusts a manager that also cannot win....and there are no consequences for it anymore. We all know there USED to be accountability but he is no longer here to get things done. The buck stops with Cashman, and since he has a track record that shows he CAN'T do the job....it's time for someone else to step in and rescue this organization.

Cashman....I don't give up on my team. Yankee faithful do not give up on their team. We still bleed blue. We just give up on you. There's a big difference. 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE REAL PROBLEM THAT NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT

It's time to start asking the tough questions here. We've tackled a lot of tough subjects this week everything from I'M NOT INTERESTED IN THE SECOND STRING YANKEES to NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE PEN. Both emotionally charged subjects and important.

But honestly, I want to know why aren't more people asking questions about all of these injuries? It's time to start asking the tough questions here and possibly make some unpopular decisions.

As of the writing of this post, we have twelve guys(!) on the Injured List with a possibility of growing to 13. Anyone else ticked off by how freaking INSANE this is? Word has it that Giancarlo Stanton had a setback and is expected to be out until around May 10th. Again estimated, but he definitely won't be back until after this long west coast swing. His biceps strain is healed but now he has a barking shoulder and got a cortisone shot.

Now my biggest fear of all could be coming true....Clint Frazier's "precautionary" day off on Tuesday may be more than just a conservative day of rest. He went for an MRI and may have a sprained ankle, read more HERE. He could be the 15th guy the Yankees place on the Injured List this season. 15 folks and it isn't even 30 days into the season! This is stupid!

I get it, injuries happen. All athletes get them but look around major league baseball.....no one has the same problem we do. No one has a Triple-A roster like we do. Anyone else remember the last time this happened? I sure do!

Let's turn back time, shall we? Prior to 2007 the Yankees hired Marty Miller as the team strength and conditioning coach. Injuries piled up within a month of the season beginning and it proved to be Miller’s undoing and he was let go early in the season. Do you remember all of those hamstring sprains? I do! Hideki Matsui, Mike Mussina and Phil Hughes had some bad ones, and that's just a few that I can remember. Johnny Damon had a bad calf strain and Andy Pettitte worked through back stiffness after a weight lifting mishap that never should've happened.

Photo: Marty Miller, right

Cashman never publicly blamed Miller or Dana Cavalea his assistant back then but he said players declining to participate in a team’s strength and conditioning program could have been a contributing factor to all of those injuries. Think about that one....players DECLINING to participate in the team's conditioning program leaves a bad perception. It's probably what led to Miller's dismissal. It's at least a safe assumption.

Photo: Dana Cavalea

Back in 2013 we also had issues with injuries and Cavalea was the strength and conditioning coach. We said in YANKEES STRENGTH & CONDITIONING NOW IN QUESTION that while the Yankees started to look at which coaches should be cut that the Yankees strength and conditioning coach at the time, Cavalea should not be excluded. There was too much going wrong for the Yankees to just let it slide. That was a much older team, so some people argued that some "concessions" could be made but somehow with all of Cavalea's experience and tenure with the Yankees there was still a disconnect. The Yankees had to go a different direction and parted ways with Cavalea after he was in the organization for nine years.

So here we are, new leadership since then. But something just isn't right here and even though it is taking some time to finally wake up and realize it....people other than just US here at BYB are starting to notice. According to NJ.com HERE, Brian Cashman is starting to get a lot of questions about the medical staff. Even Yankee ownership has gone to Cashman seeking answers. If the boss were around....you know heads would be rolling. If the brass is finally asking you KNOW something is brewing, but is it too late?

Cashman has always been the master of deception. He has a great poker face and he tends to give answers to questions that don't truly answer the question, and leave you wondering. One quote that always stuck with me was his reasoning behind the dismissal of Miller. Just one sentence, HERE.

"It got to the point where the perception is there's a problem here."

That was valid back in 2007....so what about 12 years later? You can't ignore 12 or 13 guys on the Injured List. Three of our guys have torn UCL's (Didi Gregorius, Ben Heller and Jordan Montgomery). Four of our opening day starters have various strains (Aaron Judge, Stanton, Aaron Hicks and Troy Tulowitzki). You can argue that again perception here is there's a problem. It was true back in 2007, and again in 2013....history could repeat itself in 2019.

Cashman called this "bad luck" in his interview on WFAN. You can't call this bad luck. Poor offseason conditioning and lack of proper training lead to muscular issues and strains. The pitching injuries are likely caused by the repetitive unnatural motion but also poor mechanics. There are enough injuries here to make it reasonable to question the Yankees training and medical staff. The Yankees have some of the best resources you can ask for, I'm sure other teams are not nearly as fortunate. It's time to fix the problem!

We have to start to question the strength and conditioning as well as the medical staff here. They are the common denominator and history shows there have been problems before. The only way to get to the bottom of these issues is to look at every possibility. If this isn't the problem then so be it but it's time to be proactive here, and not reactive.

Something just doesn't add up here. I'm sorry Cashman, this isn't bad luck. You may have another perception problem on your hands. So what are we going to do about it?

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj 

KNOWING WHEN TO PLAY & WHEN NOT TO PLAY

These past several weeks have seen a lot of drama around the Yankees and their ever-growing injury list. One of the more concerning stories has been around Mark Teixeira and his wrist. After hitting his stride in late April, hitting 9 home runs in about 3½ weeks, he suddenly cooled off. From May 18 to the 25th, he went 5 for 29 (a .172 average) with only one extra base hit. Then we got the news that we all dreaded – his surgically repaired wrist was bothering him.

After a couple of days, he consulted with his surgeon, Dr. Keith Raskin, who confirmed that his wrist had not suffered any structural damage, but needed rest. Meredith Marakovits, YES clubhouse report, tweeted out the following:

While the first half of that tweet may have sounded like good news – he needs no further surgery – I thought the second half was somewhat disturbing. The doctor is surprised that he has not gotten more days off. As if the expectation was, based on the surgery, that he should have been getting days off. Or perhaps that the wrist has not been bothering him sooner. Or bothering him more. No matter how you slice it, he has been working it too much. Now he is trying to get back to form, maybe too soon, and leaving games with pain and with inflammation in his wrist.

In Spring Training, Tex said that he expected to have a 150 game, 30 HR, 100 RBI season. At that time, I expressed concern about those aspirations, how he needed to concern himself with his health and durability . Apparently, this way of thinking is not part of the Yankee brain trust. While we all admire Tex’s determination, being ready to play every day despite how much it hurts, the Yankees need better judgment here. By the way, Tex is not the only person who needs their rest time managed.

We are in full swing of the final lap of Derek Jeter’s career. The fans are coming out to see him one last time, every game. I actually admired Joe Girardi’s courage to say “I wasn’t hired to put on a farewell tour”  when he was questioned about sitting Jeter during a game against the Red Sox. "I have to manage him with a focus of winning games and keeping him healthy, not being a farewell tour” (read HERE). Bravo to you, Joe, for trying to manage Jeter well! Still, he has only sat Jeter 8 times this season. That comes out to about one game out of every six that Derek Jeter is not playing. He has only come in to a game as a pinch hitter once this season. When he has played, he has only DH’ed once. All the other games have been in the field. Surely, we can do better than that, before he suffers an injury in his final season.

My mother-in-law loves to tell me that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. She would be right in this case. The problem is that prevention does not come without a price. It is hard to give days off to players when your roster is as thin as the Yankees’ right now. The problem only gets worse as players come off the DL and back on the active roster. Whether you are talking about C.C. Sabathia, Michael Pineda, Carlos Beltran, Shawn Kelly, or any of the others, whenever they come back, they are not coming back at 100%.

At some point, you have to face the reality of the situation and give these guys rest. Pushing them because you do not have a good alternative is kicking the can down the road. Last year the Yankees fired strength and conditioning coach Dana Cavalea, blaming the team’s injuries on him. It is good that they recognized the problem, but they need to start applying the lessons they learned. The human body is not a machine that you can simply keep pushing and replace broken down parts with new ones from the shop. Recoveries take time and patience, and the Yankees need to start exercising those disciplines now.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row

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SNAP OUT OF IT!

Been having the worst time writing about the Yankees lately. What’s the point, you know? They ain’t in the playoffs. In short, I’ve been acting like a spoiled brat.

Think about it. The Yankees fell short of the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Only the second time since 1995. In nineteen years, the Yankees failed to make the post season all of two times.

And this is not to mention that the Bombers were never expected to make the playoffs at all this year. Or have you forgotten the doom and gloom of the pre-season? They were supposed to never have a chance in the first place. Instead, they held First Place. For a while, anyway.

The Yankees never gave up. They clawed their way through the year. Every time we thought they were done, New York fought back. Even in that Boston series, when the Sox found ways to win late in games, the Bronx was still Bombing.

The Yankees scored over twenty runs in those three losses in that four game series.That would have beaten anyone else. Boston had blazing hot bats. They rode them all the way to the World Series.

Dana Cavalea just lost his job. Some argue the Yankees missing the post season was not the strength and conditioning coach’s fault. To them I say; Derek Jeter; Brett Gardner; Michael Pineda; CC Sabathia; Andy Pettitte; David Phelps; Chris Stewart; Kevin Youkilis; and Ivan Nova. Just to name a few. All of these players spent time on the Disabled List due to strains, sprains, or general pains.

I am being fair to Dana here. He is not getting any blame for Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, or Francisco Cervelli for receiving fractures or breaks during game play. But the list of players with incidental and incremental injuries are what damned him. That is a LOT of injuries that were supposed to be preventable. It was Cavalea’s job to stem that tide. He couldn’t do it. He had to go.

The point here, is that New York had a staggeringly insurmountable mountain of injuries to try and overcome. They had an entire All Star team, all positions, on the DL at one point or another this season. Can you comprehend the depth of that statement? They were always always always missing pieces of the equation.

The Yankees were NEVER full strength at ANY time this past season.

But we are spoiled as Yankee fans. We not only expect and demand our team be in the post-season, we assume it will be so. Even when it shouldn’t be possible. I reported to all of you over and over and over again how amazing it was for the Bombers to be where they are. They had no business getting as close as they did. And they STILL bucked the speculators.

Side note; the Toronto Blue Jays were predicted to run away with first in the AL East this season. They were last. Where the Yankees were supposed to be. Shows how much the pundits know, huh?

At any rate, I didn’t even believe my own press. I assumed the Yankees would make it, and was devastated when they didn’t. Even though I had been telling everyone repeatedly how amazing it was for them to even be in the race. Even though I could see how wounded they were. I still assumed they would make it. Hindsight is 20/20. Reviewing the season, it only becomes far more clear; Yankee fans are spoiled.

We have been treated to baseball greatness year after year. We are used to pulling for the best team in baseball history. We are arrogant. We are complacent. We needed a wake up call. We almost didn’t get it.

Welcome to the real world, Yankee fans. This is what every other team goes through pretty much every year. Our team lost. Our team is done. Our team is human.

Remember this feeling. All those complaints we made in previous seasons? We were whining. We shouldn’t. If we can win as Champions, we can lose as same. I am the worst for whining. I have been sulking for weeks. I should grow up.


Flipping through the channels the other day it was Cher, of all people, who brought me back to Earth. I landed on “Moonstruck” just in time for her to say “Snap out of it!” Like her or not, she sure had a point. Out is where I snapped from.

So. Moves will be made during the off season. Brian McCann is the first big one. Players will return from the DL. New York will be stronger this season than last, one way or another. Do not forget the disappointment you may feel right now. Instead, hold on to it. Treasure it. Let it burn inside of you.

The Yankees did not so much fail as simply show us they were human. That’s all. We needed to be reminded of this. We are too spoiled, and we need to feel like every other team from time to time. They missed the playoffs this year. Just remember how it feels.

And remember what they did next after missing the playoffs the last time.

 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Features Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


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WILL THE YANKEES GET A NEW HITTING COACH?

Change is in the air. In case you missed it, the Yankees are already making moves starting with the dismissal of Dana Cavalea. Nothing calls for a fast change like a disappointing season in Yankeeland. Failure isn't an option here. If you can't help the team win then someone else will. The team couldn't stay healthy, so Cavalea is gone. Now....what about the hitting?

No disrespect to Kevin Long but he should be a little worried. Cavalea was released after one catastrophically bad season, but Kevin Long has had a few consecutive years now with bad results. Next year is going to be tough. We need to stay healthy with an old lineup and we need to hit. We haven't been able to do either of those consistently....let alone together. Maybe new coaches for both of these will help get things going. So, who is out there?

Paul O'Neill anyone? We have been spoiled as fans. We had him during our dynasty years and now he is in the broadcast booth with YES network and he is a fan favorite, but what about seeing him back on the field as a coach? He was an important part of all of those championship years and he was an important leader in the clubhouse. Before the days of the Derek Jeter we know today, he was mentoring him as a rookie. If anyone can mentor players in New York and help them improve, it's him. He knows how to perform under the bright lights, and I think he would make a great coach.

If I could have things my way, Jorge Posada would be back in pinstripes as a coach right now. Part of me feels selffish to even think about that considering how right now he just wants that time with his amazing wife Laura Posada and their beautiful children. He sacrificed a lot over the years that we watched him play for us. He retired on his terms to be with his family but I still miss him on that field. I miss his intensity and his leadership. I think about how Joe Girardi passed on his knowledge to him years ago....and in my head I can see him doing the same thing to a young rookie. His passion and intensity are missed....and not only that Jorge was one hell of a hitter and could teach the next generation of bombers a thing or two. I will continue to hold onto this idea as some sort of pipedream because a girl can dream.

What about Tino Martinez? It was a bumpy ride for him down in Miami. None of us will really know what was or wasn't said to those players and in that clubhouse but obviously there was some sort of disconnect. Maybe the chemistry just wasn't there. But there certainly was chemistry in the Bronx for all those years. I look back at 2003 and am still amazed at his 34 home runs and 113 RBI's. Tino knew how to hit and he was clutch. Maybe he just didn't click with the younger kids down in Miami, but Yankee stadium is different. We all love and adore Tino, and I think in the right environment he could be a good hitting coach.

There's always the idea of Dante Bichette, too. He was a good hitter, and he has such a Passion for the sport. I remember when he agreed to be the hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies, a lot of people down in Arizona were buzzing about it. He was a reason to go watch the Rockies in Spring Training. As much as he has enjoyed his time in Colorado, he decided to walk away from the job in September, read that HERE. Bichette already has connections with the Yankees. His son Dante Bichette, Jr is in the Yankee farm system, so it could happen, right? It's a nice idea, but if he walked away because he was missing too much time with his family in Florida I am not counting on that idea.

Last but not least, there is always Don Mattingly. Who doesn't like Donny baseball? It's been a rough season for him. After almost being fired early in the season he managed to get the Dodgers to the postseason. Earlier this week there was talk about him not wanting to return to LA, but on Wednesday it was reported HERE that the Dodgers and Mattingly have agreed that he will stay in LA until he at least finishes his contract through next season. It would be nice to have Mattingly back in the Bronx, but it doesn't look like he is ready to give up his management gig anytime soon. It's still nice to think about a possible reunion though.

It will be interesting to see what changes are made in the next few weeks. I am having flashbacks of 2008 in my head right now. We may not go out and sign a bunch of new players, but maybe we will make some important coaching changes. Was there anyone on our list that interests you? Tell us what you think.





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


  

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TOLD YOU SO: DANA CAVALEA FIRED BY YANKEES

Nobody listens to us and we’re always right.

Regular readers already know we have called for the dismissal of strength and conditioning coach Dana Cavalea. If you are not a regular reader, check out the piece, we wrote that in September!

As brilliantly put by writer Jeana Bellezza:

"No disrespect to Cavalea, because I have listened to so many interviews that he has done and you can tell he knows a lot about how the human body works. If you ever watched Yankees On Deck you also caught a glimpse of that too. He knows what he is talking about and he has the experience.

Before coming to the Yankees he worked as a conditioning coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Exercise Science and special certifications to go with it. In 2011 he even started his business call ML Strength as an off season project.

He is knowledgeable, so where is the disconnect? Look at all of the injuries from this year and seasons past and you have to start to wonder….what’s going on?”

@Joelsherman1 hmmmmmm.
— John Cappello (@johncap84) October 22, 2013

As first reported by Joel Sherman at 2:46 on October 22, Dana Cavalea was fired. The reason? Oh come on, you don’t know?

It doesn’t matter how competent you may be in a field if that field is burning out of control. To not know the Yankees were besieged by the injury bug this season is to not know anything. It is impossible to justify keeping your strength and conditioning coach onboard when your Disabled List is an All Star Team.

This is New York. It is not what you have done, it is what you have done lately. And what has Cavalea done? Ah, not so much. That can be seen in the results anyway.

So stick with BYB, loyal Pinstripers. This is a writing staff adept at seeing the issues and angles and pointing them out to you. If you aren’t keeping up with BYB, you aren’t keeping up at all.


 
Chad R. MacDonald
BYB Features Writer
Facebook: New York Yankees the Home of Champions
My Blog: ChadRants


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YANKEES' STRENGTH & CONDITIONING NOW IN QUESTION

Dana Cavalea... Who is this guy? A lot of people are asking about him, and with good reason. As far as we the fans know, he is the expert that is supposed to keep our guys in top shape and help prevent injuries. Keyword there is "prevent." After the onslaught of injuries this year people are talking about him and asking questions. It's not the first time, but after a disastrous season it's only natural. So, what do we know about this guy and what has he done?

Obviously, he is in the hot seat right now. You can't ignore this guy and not investigate. This guy is paid to keep these guys in shape and after this season, our boys were anything but healthy. We already looked at the Yankee coaching staff and started to make our own conclusions in WHICH YANKEE COACHES ARE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK?, but this man should not be excluded and it's time to dig deeper.

No disrespect to Cavalea, because I have listened to so many interviews that he has done and you can tell he knows a lot about how the human body works. If you ever watched Yankees On Deck you also caught a glimpse of that too. He knows what he is talking about and he has the experience. Before coming to the Yankees he worked as a conditioning coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Exercise Science and special certifications to go with it. In 2011 he even started his business call ML Strength as an off season project. He is knowledgeable, so where is the disconnect? Look at all of the injuries from this year and seasons past and you have to start to wonder....what's going on?

Some people have been quick to jump to the obvious argument of "Well....the Yankees are old. Their bodies are starting to give out." Sure, that makes sense to a point. But as an athlete keeping your body and mind in shape is your job and these guys have plenty of resources to help them do just that. If those resources don't help then it is time to start asking questions and fix the problem. Sure, the athlete has a big responsibility in that, but it is also the responsibility coach to step in and help train their bodies and correct any bad habits.

The Yankees are one of the oldest teams in all of baseball, that's a fact. But let's look at some notable injuries. Alex Rodriguez has had his fair share of hip injuries. In hopes to find a new solution to an old problem Rodriguez decided to turn to NBA star Kobe Bryant for his advice on a cutting edge treatment he received himself called "Orthokine" that has been credited to Dr. Mike Clark. It was risky and required him to travel to Germany for it. I find it weird how Cavalea signed off after everything was already explored and then jumped in to contribute down in Miami to help the rehab process. As rehab progressed, Clark explained that this was going to correct "the repetition of improper movement and the stresses they caused slowly broke down even a superior athlete," read more of that HERE. Anyone else find that statement a little odd? So, isn't Cavalea's job to mentor and teach good repetition and movements to these athletes to keep them in good condition? I thought it was. I may be reading too much into this. I am not a doctor, but it certainly is compelling.

And what about Derek Jeter? Come on, 17 games on the field is proof in itself. No doubt in my mind that Jeter's injury last season during the ALCS was crushing. At Jeter's age that is considered "old" in the baseball world and your body just does not recuperate the same way when compared to being in your 20's. Do I think the Captain pushed himself too much during the season to get back on the field? Absolutely. He is a gamer. But you mean to tell me after all of the workouts he had with Cavalea during his numerous trips to the disabled list that Cavalea didn't see something out of the ordinary? Or even think that Jeter was trying to do too much too soon? Again, I am no Doogie Howser, but the signs were all there. The frustration in Jeter's voice when he would talk to the press, the way he wasn't running full out when he came back and even how uncomfortable he looked at times while in the batters box were all good signs. Sure X-rays are a great thing, but even a clean picture can be deceiving as we now know. Once the break was healed there needed to be some more conditioning there, and he needed more time. The coaching aspect was probably a "miss" here.

Last but not least that sticks in my head is Mark Teixeira. Let's face it, he was a non-factor this year but he always seems to have some sort of nagging injury. Last year he missed a lot of time due to a nagging calf. The wrist has always been another issue for him, especially the left wrist that he has always talked about as being "weaker." This season he spoke about fixing his weak spots, and Dana Cavalea was supposed to play a big part in that, read HERE. They came up with this intense workout that was supposed to also help with his agility, which Cavalea says a lot of athletes don't pay enough attention to which is a big mistake. All of those extra workouts have yet to pay off for Tex, because after trying to make a comeback after wrist injury he eventually had to face fact that his wrist had not healed and undergo season-ending surgery. Since the initial injury Tex has said he may not use a weighted bat anymore. I wonder if Cavalea has changed his mind since giving THIS interview....more food for thought.

These are just the major injuries that come to mind for me. Let's not forget that other injuries like oblique strains have also been a huge problem for this team this year. I can't remember the last time I have heard of so many players suffering the same injuries. So far names like David Robertson, Brett Gardner, Joba Chamberlain, and Eduardo Nunez just to name a few. Surely, I can't be the only one who thinks that is a little overkill. If the Yankees are training and conditioning as needed this injury would not have been so prominent this year.

So maybe the Yankees aren't the only thing that has broken down this year. Maybe the strength and conditioning coach is a little rickety and is in need of some repair as well, but then again....what do I know? I just observe and write. I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time.




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


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