BOONE, CASHMAN & THE YANKEE FRONT OFFICE ON NOTICE BY US FANS!

The greatest day in Yankee history will be the day that the Yankees fire Aaron Boone. 

This is an absolute fact. Engrave it in Monument Park. Get it tattooed across the Bronx. That’ll be the parade we actually want to attend—one where the floats are just Boone’s cardboard boxes being wheeled out of Yankee Stadium. Hal Steinbrenner needs to do something now!

Let’s talk about what just happened, shall we? The Yankees didn’t just lose to the Marlins—they got swept by the Marlins. The same Marlins that operate on a shoestring budget and still somehow managed to outplay, outhustle, and outmanage the mighty Yankees. Why? Because they were hungrier. And the Yankees? They were full on entitlement and stale vibes. That kind of complacency doesn’t come out of nowhere. It drips down from the top like bad glue in a busted air conditioner. Weak leadership breeds lazy baseball. And baby, we’re knee-deep in it.

Aaron Boone isn't a leader—he's a yoga mat for his players to emotionally stretch on after another blown lead. Nobody at Bleeding Yankee Blue ever believed this team could hold a first-place spot for the long haul, not with Boone at the helm, armed with his big notebook of empty motivational quotes and postgame cliches. We’ve been calling this collapse since Opening Day. Just take a stroll through the archives—we practically wrote the script.

Let me remind you what I said right here on BYB just the other day:

“Bleeding Yankee Blue stressed — no, begged — for good starting pitching. Having a legit starter go deep into a game gives the bullpen a chance to breathe, reset, and come at hitters with fresh arms throughout the week. But why would the Yankees ever want to do something logical like that? Why would they ever target a starter when they can just load up on relievers and hand them to Aaron Boone like he’s some bullpen whisperer? 

These new bullpen additions came with hype, tweets, and highlight clips. They also came with zero chemistry and zero margin for error — and they imploded in unison like a synchronized swimming team trained by clowns. Boone had no idea what to do with them. He tried to mix and match, but all he did was mix gasoline and fire."

 Spoiler: Aaron Boone isn’t a bullpen whisperer. He’s not even a bullpen mumbler. He sucks. These shiny new bullpen toys came with hype videos, fancy analytics, and tweets galore. What they didn’t come with? Chemistry. And when Boone got his hands on them, he turned them into a fire drill—minus the plan. Friday night was a disaster. The kind of disaster that deserves its own ESPN "30 for 30" narrated by Keith Hernandez shaking his head.

You don’t have to take my word for it. Alex Rodriguez called it out on national television. According to The New York Post, A-Rod didn’t mince words:

“You can’t make this up,” Rodriguez said. “I mean, look, you can bring in nine relievers, it’s not going to make a difference. I don’t care if you bring back their ’98 bullpen with Mariano [Rivera], Mike Stanton, and Jeff Nelson, if your pitchers are going 3⅓, 4⅓, it’s not going to work.”

Practically a direct lift. Direct echo. Direct vindication. No beef here. We need the legends to start piling on, because this franchise is spiraling and no one inside the walls seems to care.

This is not the team that Jeter and A-Rod bled for. This isn’t even the team Nick Swisher would high-five. This version of the Yankees? Soft. Emotionally allergic to accountability. Directionless. And all of it—every bit of it—traces back to leadership, or more accurately, the absence of it.

Aaron Boone? A puppet with a Sharpie. Brian Cashman? The architect of this chaos, proudly swinging a deadline hammer and hitting his own thumb. His refusal to target real starting pitching and his obsession with overloading the bullpen like it’s a relief pitcher swap meet is now fully biting him in the ass—and Yankee fans are biting back. 

And thinking ahead you know what the worst part is for me? The future. You realize that Michael Fishman is the assistant general manager of the Yankees, right? He is also the bozo putting projection analytic sheets together for this terrible team, right? Well, if Cashman goes, I fear that this loser takes the reigns. Jesus let's hope not.

This team is now in third place. THIRD. Why? Because we run out starters like they’re made of eggshells and paper mâché, and we finish games with a conga line of confused relievers who look like they just met five minutes before the game. You think that’s a recipe for postseason glory? Or even a recipe for beating the Marlins? Please.

Here’s the ugly truth: this team can’t hit in the clutch, can’t run the bases with any intelligence, and can’t seem to string together situational baseball without looking like they’re trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. The bullpen ERA is 4.28—22nd in the league. We’ve got a shortstop hitting .221, a catcher batting .209, and Aaron Boone throwing tantrums at his coaches instead of holding his players accountable. He is not a leader. He is not respected. If this were the wild, Boone would be eaten first—and no one would miss him.

And now we sit here, watching a team that once inspired fear reduced to a punchline. The Yankees are not a serious franchise. They are cosplay contenders. The front office is delusional, the manager is toothless, and the players are untouchable and underperforming.

We’ve been sounding the alarm for months. You’re just waking up to it. But here's the good news: there is a way forward. It starts with this simple truth:

The greatest day in Yankee history will be the day that the Yankees fire Aaron Boone. Repeat it until it happens. Then maybe—maybe—we can start acting like the New York Yankees again.

OUR .208 HITTING CATCHER'S SELLING BREAKFAST BURRITOS NOW

How about this guy does his job before he becomes an entrepreneur? This is what I do not get about this Yankee team and the front office that manages it.  It's all about greed, it's all about marketing and none of it is about baseball.  Reggie Jackson did the Reggie bar, but Reggie Jackson was a household name by that time.  

Austin Wells is batting .208, he has a pornstache and nice smile and he's been in the league 2 years.  Can we pump the breaks on this ridiculous venture and go and actually play baseball good? Do that Austin... do that.

I hate the way Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe are protected for doing essentially nothing. And the culprit is not only the front office, but Aaron Boone.  This latest bullshit makes no sense. A $12.28 breakfast burrito that you can buy at the ballpark, (think about that, $12.28) you can make it home... the ingredients are on the packaging.  What a joke.

Let’s be clear: Austin Wells isn’t here to catch strikes—he’s here to chase clout. While his batting average circles the drain at a robust barely-.200, the Yankees are apparently fine letting him play Yelp critic for breakfast burritos on Instagram. Yes, seriously. The guy has an entire account—@wells.ranked.burritos—with over 80,000 followers, dedicated to rating burritos in opposing clubhouses. Because, obviously, what this team needed was less focus on baseball.

And now, we’ve reached the natural conclusion of this farce: Wells has a branded burrito being sold to Yankees fans. For $12.28, you too can experience The Wells Favurrito. Former Yankee Jeff Nelson torched it: “Glad it wasn’t a flavurrito, cause it didn’t have a lot of it.” Oof. Max Goodman noted that it looked nothing like the promo photos and was “pretty small and pricey.” Chris Kirschner chimed in with the kind of brevity usually reserved for crime scene reports: “Quite small. $12.28.”

You’re being robbed, folks. Again. But this time it’s not just overpriced hot dogs or another year of “wait ‘til next year” baseball. This is the Yankees dressing up mediocrity in a tortilla and hoping you’ll swallow both it and the fact that Austin Wells has done nothing to earn this spotlight—except smile smugly and flail at fastballs.

Let’s cut through the crap: Austin Wells isn’t good. Not yet. Not close. He’s not seasoned, he’s not producing, and he’s not helping this team win. He’s a .208 hitter who was hyped like some top-of-the-order breakout. Aaron Boone wanted him leading off at one point. Boone must’ve been told that was a stupid idea. 

But instead of developing quietly or grinding to earn his place, Wells has been handed the keys to the marketing department. He’s more burrito brand than backstop. And that’s a slap in the face to fans who remember when Yankees wore pinstripes, not hashtags.

Meanwhile, Aaron Judge—the only grown-up in the room—sticks to his business. He has endorsements too, sure. But he understands that job one is to produce. He hits. He leads. He delivers. And then, maybe, he sells. Not the other way around. Wells? This stunt is embarrassing. It reeks of a franchise that's lost the plot. And if you want to know just how out of touch the front office is, here’s the quote Pinstripes Nation got from a Yankees spokesperson:

“He’s got a personality, and fans love it. We thought, why not lean into it?”

Why not? Because HE CAN’T HIT. That’s why not. This isn’t a cooking show. This is the Yankees—or at least it used to be. By the way, that spokesperson did not want to get named, I wonder why.

Pinstripes Nation had it right when they said, “While his bat has shown flashes this season, it’s his side project that has earned him cult status.” Which is corporate speak for: “He’s bad at baseball, but TikTok likes him.”

This is what the Yankees are now—a glorified Times Square souvenir shop with a pitching staff. They sell vibes, gimmicks, and $12 tiny burritos while telling you it’s part of the experience. It’s not. It’s garbage. This team used to be a baseball institution. Now it’s a lifestyle brand propped up by mediocre talent and marketing interns.

So yeah, call me a crank. Call me the “get off my lawn” guy. But back in my world, you had to deliver before you got a signature sandwich or a sneaker deal. Now? You just need an Instagram account and a swing that occasionally doesn’t miss.

Wells. Volpe. Boone’s pet projects. Neither hit but the Well Burrito and Volpe Torpedo bat matter more apparently. None of it works for me. When it comes to the Yankees and these young players, it isn’t development—it’s delusion. 

The Yankees have become a circus, and Austin Wells is their sideshow act with a stupid burrito cart now. The Bronx deserves better. Yankee fans deserve better. Hell, even burritos deserve better.

CLASS ACT MOVE BY THE ROYALS!

While this isn’t just a Yankees thing—it’s a baseball thing—you have to admire and respect it. Hats off to the Royals for doing it the right way and a big salute to Mike Moustakas on a fantastic career. He’s always been a class act.

Moustakas is set to retire as a Kansas City Royal, the team that drafted him and where he made his biggest impact over 13 seasons in the majors. The Royals announced Monday that the 36-year-old infielder will sign a one-day contract on May 31, officially ending his career where it all started. He’ll also be honored before Kansas City’s home game against Detroit that evening.

Over his career, Moustakas hit .247 with 215 home runs and 683 RBIs across 1,427 games, playing not just for the Royals but also for Milwaukee, Cincinnati, Colorado, and the Los Angeles Angels. A three-time All-Star, he played his final major league game with the Angels on September 30, 2023.

These ceremonial retirements are such a great way to recognize a player who poured his heart and soul into a team. It reminds me of when Jeff Nelson did the same thing with the Yankees in 2007. Nelson wanted to retire as a Yankee, so he signed a minor league deal just to make it official, then immediately called it a career.

Reflecting on his 15-year career, Nelson said in a statement released by the Yankees, "I enjoyed a fulfilling major league career, and each season brought experiences and friends that I will cherish forever. But being able to be a part of four world championship teams with the Yankees, while playing in a place like Yankee Stadium in front of the greatest fans in the world—that time will always hold a special place in my heart."

It’s always great to see teams honor players the right way. So, props to the Royals, and a huge round of applause for Moustakas—a true baseball guy. 

You’re the man, Moose.

WHERE IS THE 'REAL' HOME PLATE?

What if home plate, from the original Yankees stadium, never made it over to the stadium they use now when the team moved across the street in 2009? What if the location of the original Home Plate is a complete mystery?

A few days ago I got a message from Casey asking if I could do some investigating. Apparently there is a discussion going on about the whereabouts of the "real" home plate. Several people seem to think that it stayed at Heritage field. 

To begin, I have to say that I am truly skeptical that the Yankees, a team that prides themselves in its rich history, would leave such an iconic part of the stadium behind. It seems more like the kind of thing they would take with them. If not for continued usage, then for display at the Yankee Museum. The museum has just about everything else on display, including Thurman Munson's locker, every World Series pocket watch and ring, jerseys, hats, and an entire wall of signed baseball by nearly every Yankee to have ever played. It's a beautiful place for fans to visit, and the most likely place for home plate to end up. 

You also have to consider some facts about Heritage field. For starters, the baseball field consist of three diamonds. When discussing location of the original home plate in relation to the new field, home plate would have been where second base is on the field closest to the corner of River Ave, and 161st St. Usually, when a stadium moves from one location to another, a plaque is left behind at the site of home plate to commemorate it. That seems unlikely in this case given that it would interfere with any game played on that field. The same is true for the actual home plate.

Of course you could argue that it's not on the field, but in the area around it. The walk around Heritage field is known as Ruppert Plaza, named after Jacob Ruppert, past owner of the Yankees. 

If you walk around the baseball fields, you'll occasionally see tiles with some fun Yankees facts. There is also the Lou Gehrig quote wall, as well as a decorative bench. It really is a nice little walk to take. Full of Yankees history, but no sign of the Yankees original Home Plate. Of course, I will just assume that is because the other objects are permanently placed, where home plate would be easily removed by anyone. But it's not there. No sign of it at all. The question is, where is it? What happened to the real home plate?

Well, home plate seems to be at Yankee stadium. In November of 2008, Scott Brosius, Paul O'Neill, David Cone, Jeff Nelson and the 1998 World Championship Team, were joined by a group of kids from a Bronx Youth group and dug up home plate and the pitching rubber from the old stadium, and transported them over to the "new" stadium, along with some dirt from the House that Ruth Built (HERE). 

So, there you have it, folks! The REAL home plate, is in fact at home at Yankee Stadium. Makes sense, if you ask me. Again, the Yankees pride themselves in the rich history. Leaving such iconic pieces of the stadium behind is not in the Yankees character. So the next time you're at the stadium, rest assured that a little piece of the old stadium is there with you. 

--Erica Morales 

BYB Senior Writer 
Twitter: @e_morales1804

TOP FIGHTS IN YANKEES HISTORY: #10-6

The Yankees have had many great rivalries, ones which often spilled beyond just the game of baseball. Tempers often flared up, emotions ran high, and most of us remember where we were and how we yelled at the TV when certain fights happened. I thought it might be fun to take a walk down memory lane and look at the top 10 fights in Yankees history. One disclaimer, though. These are from my recent memory. So, you’ll forgive me if I missed that one fight in September 1938. I mean, these memories are not just about what happened. It is about how it made us feel as it was happening. If any of these still make your blood boil, join the club and grab some popcorn!

10. Graig Nettles kicks George Brett in the head

It was the 1976 ALCS in the winner-take-all Game 5 (it was a best of 5 back then) and George Brett hit a triple to the wall. Brett was coming into third and Graig Nettles was close to the bag. As Nettles stepped away, it became clear that Brett wanted to knock him over – so much so that his momentum caused him to fall forward. That put his head in perfect position for a subtle kick from Nettles. Brett got up and took a not so subtle swing at Nettles. Nettles was quickly on top of him pounding him into the artificial grass while the benches cleared. When it ended, they were tending to Brett, who looked a mess. If you look carefully at the video, Nettles needed no attention. He picked up his glove and took his position as if it was all in a night’s work.

9. Jesse Carlson Throws Behind Jorge Posada 

September 15, 2009. With a 9-2 lead, Toronto reliever Jesse Carlson, retaliating for Aaron Hill being hit earlier in the game, threw a pitch behind Jorge Posada. Clearly angered but maintaining his composure, Posada got on base and came around to score. After crossing home plate, his fist found Carlson’s forehead. Benches cleared, Posada was ejected, and the camera got a shot of a nasty gash on Carlson’s forehead. This is what happens:

8. 2000 World Series: Roger Clemens Throws the bat at Mike Piazza

It was Game 2, and tensions between Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza were already running high. Clemens had hit Piazza in the head in July of that year, and this was a showdown. Piazza breaks his bat on a foul ball, a shard of it bounces towards Clemens, who grabs it and throws it at Piazza. Benches cleared and there was some shoving. It escalated an already fierce rivalry. Cooler heads prevailed, and the Mets would not be able to settle the score until June 2002. That is when Clemens had to pitch at Shea Stadium and take an at-bat, and everyone anticipated Clemens being beaned by Mets pitcher Shawn Estes. He missed. I still laugh about it.

7. 2003 ALCS Karim Garcia and Jeff Nelson vs. the Grounds Crew Member

This series was filled with fights, and it will get more than one entry in this Top 10. This one, however, was just bizarre. The benches had already cleared earlier in the game, and the atmosphere was heated. According to Jeff Nelson, a member of the grounds crew had begun antagonizing him in the bullpen, and a fight ensued. Right fielder Karim Garcia, who had been hit earlier in the game,  sees this and jumps the wall to help his buddy Nelson. After they restored order, they took the guy to the hospital and kept him overnight. He appeared the next day in a neck brace. Was it real? I have my opinion, but we will let you decide.

6. Reggie Jackson vs. Billy Martin

It was June 18, 1977, and the Yankees were in Fenway Park. In a tight race for the AL East, the Yankees were down 7-4 in the sixth. Reggie Jackson lets a Jim Rice fly ball drop in front of him, which Rice was able to stretch into a double. Reggie was never a superstar fielder, but manager Billy Martin thought he should have gotten to the ball. He decided to send Reggie a message with a fielding substitution, sending Paul Blair out to play right. Reggie gets to the dugout and the shouting ensued. The two had to be separated, resulting in one of the most epic moments of the 1970’s Yankees.

Well, that is all for now. Next week we will have one through five. Think you know which ones will be on the list? Let us know if we got it right, or if there are any which HAVE to be on the list.

--Ike Dimitriadis, 
BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

REVISITING EERIE SPECULATION ON DROB

 "I've watched how the Yankees have operated in years past, and I just don't know if a long term deal with DRob is something the Yankees want to do. "  

--Robert Casey, THE YANKEES MIGHT BE WILLING TO PART WITH DROB

That was written on these pages, August 8th, 2014. Needless to say, we all kind of knew it was over then, but as a fan, you hold on hoping the Yankees would spend alittle, offer something to a guy like David Robertson.  That didn't happen, and DRob is long gone by now, wearing his black pinstripes in Chicago.

And now we look forward to what happens next with the Yankees pen.  Right now there is Dellin Betances and newly acquired Andrew Miller.  Both are qualified to handle to closing role.  But what are the Yankees thinking?  Who will be the closer?

(In Photo: Mike Stanton)
It's my opinion that they should have had that solid closer with Miller and Betances and almost build their bridge as they did during the dynasty.  Jeff Nelson, Mike Stanton, Graeme Lloyd, Mariano Rivera anyone? It was solid and it was a bridge that kept all hitters on their toes.   We seemed unstoppable back then.  Can we get back to that?

The Yankees were reportedly looking at Jason Grilli at one point. But now, according to the New York Post, they are no longer interested:

"The Yankees have not said they are done adding pieces to a revamped bullpen, but it doesn’t appear veteran reliever Jason Grilli will be joining the cast.

'We talked to Cash [Brian Cashman], and he said ‘not at the moment,’ ’ said his agent, the former slugger Gary Sheffield, when asked if the Yankees were interested in the right-handed Grilli, who has 50 career saves. 

'We will sit back with the offers we have and wait.’ Referencing the 38-year-old Grilli’s ability to pitch in multiple roles, Sheffield is puzzled why the Seton Hall product isn’t in the Yankees’ plans."

It's a good question.  I don't know the answer.  Grilli is no doubt qualified to be the closer for the New York Yankees, but the price has to be right. It's evident the Yankees don't want to spend big either. Or, maybe they are looking to hold onto big money for a guy like James Shields... a starter, and a guy that could definitely help out our rotation, but who really knows... this Yankee off season is a big puzzle.

Many are suggesting that Dellin Betances should be the guy. The next Yankee closer. Well,  I'm going to take another angle on this.

Based on experience in the Bigs, and the Yankee still grooming Betances a bit, I think Andrew Miller should close. Yup, I said it.  Keep Betances where he is... keep him dominant there.  Then, when the 9th inning hits, bring in the lefty to close and shut down the competition. 

Look. Everything happens for a reason, and it all started with David Robertson leaving the Bronx. Now doors open and there are some interesting questions about who gets that closing role.   I say Andrew Miller. Who do you say?

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THE BRIDGE TO DAVID ROBERTSON

Ever since Mariano Rivera popularized the role in 1996, teams have sought to find one or more relief pitchers on their respective staffs to be setup men. These guys bridge the late innings from the starter to the closer. For the last 4 seasons, that person was David Robertson, who has recorded between 30 and 35 Holds per season over that time. Now the Yankees have penciled in Robertson as the closer for the team, and the question is now around who will fill the gap. In my mind, I think there are two pitchers who could form a very powerful tandem, in the way that Jeff Nelson and Mike Stanton did for Mariano Rivera years ago. Those two pitchers are Dellin Betances and Matt Thornton.

Matt Thornton is a career setup and bridge pitcher, mostly with the White Sox. Since 2006, he has set up Bobby Jenks, Sergio Santos, and Addison Reed to the tune of about 20 Holds per season. He kept his ERA in the 2’s and 3’s for the most part, coming in mostly for the 8th inning, and earned an All-Star appearance in 2010. He appeared in one postseason with the White Sox, and has yet to yield a postseason earned run. At age 37, he is in a position to serve as a veteran mentor to some of the younger Yankees pitchers. Despite his recent Spring Training outings, his history says that he should balance out a nice 8th inning one-two punch.

Meanwhile, Dellin Betances has been on fire since converting to the bullpen. A once-rising future starter, Betances seems to have found a home and settled in to his role as a relief pitcher. Last year, he spent most of his time in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as a relief pitcher, and saw both his ERA and WHIP take a nosedive. His strikeout to walk ratio doubled, and his performance in Spring Training this year has turned some heads. In 8 innings of work scattered across five games, he has given up two hits, two walks, and struck out seven. Granted, he’ll be turning 26 on the 23rd of March, and he has yet to face a high-pressure major league situation, so we’ll still have to see if he can hack it in the 7th and 8th. Nevertheless, the outlook is bright right now.

With the departure of Mariano Rivera, the change of role for David Robertson, and the almost complete overhaul of the Yankees bullpen, the 2014 season should prove to be an interesting and formative year for the Yankees pitching staff. While anything can happen, these two pitchers seem to be the most likely candidates to form the bridge to the closer. Given their pedigree and recent performances, it should be very interesting.

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



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HANG OUT WITH JEFF NELSON & SUPPORT YOUTH BASEBALL IN IRELAND

A quick note and a quick plug for our friends at Foley's NY Pub.... and look, it's something that many might not even be talking about in New York City, but as baseball grows globally, this fundraiser is pretty unique, so I wanted to share it with my Bleeding Yankee Blue family.  What is it you ask? Keep reading...

Support youth baseball in Ireland and do it by hanging out with former Yankee reliever Jeff Nelson and former New York Mets General Manager Jim Duquette who will be guest bartenders tomorrow, Wednesday, January 8th from 6:30 to 9:30pm.

If I can get over to Foley's tomorrow, I look forward meeting Jeff Nelson. I forgot about this, but he's a four time Champ! Plus, looking back, he was such a huge part of the Yankees bullpen for years. It would be a pleasure to shake the guy's hand, buy a few beers, support baseball in Ireland and just have a nice night out... who knows.  We'll see if I can get over there tomorrow.  Are you in?

Foley’s NY Pub & Restaurant is at 18 W. 33rd St. Try to get there... it's for a good cause.

 Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

REMEMBER GRAEME LLOYD? AUSTRALIA DOES...

It looks like Graeme Lloyd just got honored, and good for him!  You remember Lloyd right? He was a big part of the Yankees pen back in the day. He, Mike Stanton, Jeff Nelson, Mariano Rivera all came together in the late 90’s of course, but the others are not Australian… Lloyd is.

Graeme and 7 others were inducted into the Sport Australia Baseball Hall of Fame.  I never knew they had that, but they do and I’m glad he got the nod.

According to several sources, but we’ll use News.com this time around, “For some reason, baseball has never really hit it off with Australian sports fans.

That’s certainly not Graeme Lloyd’s fault, but it helps explain why he won’t have too many kindred souls for company when he is welcomed into one of the nation’s most prestige clubs, as is about to happen.
 
Lloyd, 46, will be one of seven inductees into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame at Crown tonight, taking the total membership to 52."

That report was from October 10th. Sue me... sometimes I'm slow to the uptake... but I bet many of you didn't know this fun piece of info!

Lloyd’s resume is of course 2 World Series rings for being part of the Yankees in 1996 and 1998, but did you know he won a medal for being part of the Australian baseball team in 2004?

Now, you know that Bleeding Yankee Blue and that Australia baseball connection runs deep. Craig Willis, one of our friends here sent us a note about this honor, but it goes deeper than that. You know how much we love and appreciate the Moses family and Charles and Joey.  I had the thrill of meeting them in the Big Apple a few years ago (Read BYB, AUSTRALIA & THE BIG APPLE) and we had a pint together and talked baseball.  And they confirmed that I was a real person!  They also had their own honor here at BYB… they were interviewed. Read FROM THE BRONX, AUSTRALIA... WITH LOVE.

Anyway, congrats to Graeme Lloyd, another great achievement in a terrific career.  Way to go bro!

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CHILLS, A LOSS, ANDY PETTITTE & EXIT SANDMAN

On a day when it had to matter most... On a day where Andy Pettitte was pitching and Mariano Rivera Day was thriving... the Yankees were supposed to win. Not to mention... there's a thing called the playoffs, and we'd like to be there. Trust me... it was the way the storybook read... but that's not what happened. It didn't matter about the lose though... today was glorious. 

First though, the recap. Andy Pettitte gave a huge effort. 7 innings... he gave up 2 hits and 2 runs. He struck out 6 and did 1 thing... he gave up a home run. Probably his only mistake. The difference is, on a team that is capable of scoring runs, we should have picked Andy up.  We didn't score more than 1 run the entire day.  Today was it, the last day we will ever see Pettitte in pinstripes. It was a great ride. It was a tremendous ride... thank you Andy. Sorry we couldn't do it for you today.

The Yankees run scoring consisted of a Mark Reynolds homer in the 3rd.

There's not much more to say about the performance... scoring runs wasn't their effort today.  We're running out of time... it should have been their top priority.

Final: Giants 2 - Yankees 1

The other part of the day was incredible and I get chills as I write this...Mariano Rivera Day.  There was a buzz, excitment and a sadness today.  It was a day to celebrate the greatest closer of all time.

In an incredible move, the Yankees retired Mariano Rivera's number 42 on the spot on Sunday.  Metallica was in attendance and the stadium was on fire, giving it their best Roll Call of all.  It wasn't the Bleacher Creatures or some leader guy leading organized yelling of Mo's name.  No... it was a packed Yankee stadium. It was millions of us even at home watching on TV in the tri-state area and from around the world. We were all yelling Mo's name, we were all cheering, all crying and all applauding true greatness, (click HERE.) That's what Roll Call is... Yankee fans... all of us. Today it was evident.

I get all sappy thinking about how great Mo was for us.  With some of his former teammates present, with his family present, it was the perfect day. MLBSI.com reports: " former Yankees G.M. Gene Michael, then Jeff Nelson, then David Cone, then John Wetteland, then Hideki Matsui, then Tino Martinez, then Paul O’Neill, then Bernie Williams, then Jorge Posada, then former trainer Gene Monahan, then Joe Torre" helped make the celebration perfect.  Rachel Robinson was there, a truly symbolic gesture and wonderful for any baseball fan knowing that Mo would be the last to ever wear Jackie's #42.  Over all, it was just plan terrific.

Over the next few days Bleeding Yankee Blue will present some perspective to just how great Mariano and Andy Pettitte were to the New York Yankees.  Look for the pieces... enjoy them, share them and know we're sincere.  We as fans enjoyed a great era in Yankeeland... and some time very soon... we turn the page and start a new. Don't worry... we'll do it together... we're the Yankees, we're family.

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GODZILLA'S BACK! MATSUI SIGNS DEAL WITH YANKS!

I found it crazy to suggest that Hideki Matsui should be re-signed by the Yankees the other day when I wrote WE NEED TO BRING HIDEKI MATSUI BACK. My piece was simple... I just wanted to see the guy again and bring him back for alittle reunion... throwing out the first pitch! I love Matsui and the impact he had while with the Yankees!

Then, big news out of Yankeeland today. George King III of the New York Post (HERE) reported the following this morning: "Plans are in the works for Hideki Matsui to sign a one-day contract with the Yankees and ceremoniously retire as a member of the team he spent seven seasons with and became a fan favorite.

The Yankees have a Bobblehead Day planned for on July 28 at Yankee Stadium planned for Matsui, who retired from baseball in December."

This was then finally confirmed by the YES Network and RAB HERE.  You have to love the idea of Matsui retiring a New York Yankee.  The Yanks do this from time to time and I believe they last did it with Jeff Nelson back in 2007.  Read about that HERE.

Truth be told, I'm thrilled by this and I can't wait to see the dude hanging around the clubhouse from time to time, hopefully he does.  As far as him throwing out the first pitch one day? It looks like I'm psychic... it will definitely happen now!

Welcome home Hideki!

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