LUIGI SQUEEGEE & LEADING BY EXAMPLE: PART 2

Here’s part 2 of our interview with Luigi Squeegee, former bat boy of the New York Yankees and author of Clubhouse Confidential. 

Squeegee and I spoke last Wednesday at length about his concern for America’s youth and protecting them from the PEDs epidemic.  He’s also out there helping kids with his foundation, Squeegee’s Childrens Literacy Foundation.  A non-profit foundation dedicated to helping kids learn about the importance of education and reading.  We spoke about the foundation… check this out:

BYB: So how did you decide to do this foundation?

Luigi Squeegee: Well, my father died in 1999 of colon cancer and back then, I really wanted to do a foundation to help cancer victims, but over time, it developed into something else because there are so many foundations out there that concentrate on cancer, but when I looked around, I noticed that not as much was being done for our children.  I was noticing that kids didn’t know how to read or didn’t understand the importance of a good education.  I decided that something needed to be done in the Bronx, helping Latino and African American kids read was important to me.

I began going out and talking to kids in schools.  I would say, ‘hey, I didn’t finish high school, but I should have.’ They would often say, ‘but you work for the Yankees.’ I would remind them that I regretted not finishing school because education is important.  

BYB: Tell me the plan for Squeegee’s Childrens Literacy Foundation?

Luigi Squeegee: It’s about giving children hope.  It’s not about Ipads and computers for gaming, it's about books and reading and learning.  During Christmas, we went to Bronx PS 75 at the opening of our foundation. Actually Bronxnet covered it.   



We met with about 270 kids and handed out books, pencils, notebooks. Let me tell you,  there was nothing better than having some of those kids hugging me and thanking me. Now, eventually, I want to give iPads or Tablets to kids in schools so they can learn the how to use technology to their educational advantage and not for gaming or searching for ridiculous videos.

BYB: That’s great.

Luigi Squeegee: It is great. It feels good to help. And I can’t even take all the credit because I have tremendous support.  My mother Milagros Reyes, and my wife are helping me in this venture.  Ramiro Mendoza and Ruben Sierra have supported me with this. It’s great.

BYB: Who gave you the idea?

Luigi Squeegee: You want to know who inspired me? Derek Jeter. When I was a bat boy helping him organize his guest list for his Turn 2 Foundation events, and going to his events, I would see all these kids smiling. It really inspired me.  Jeter is generous and helps a lot of people.  Jorge Posada is very generous as well. It’s important to give back and I liked what they were doing and that’s why I’m doing it now.  I wish that the media would talk about these Yankees generosity rather than talking about steroids every day. These are important stories too. This stuff can lift us above the steroid era.

BYB: Finally, did you tell me you have another book coming out?

Luigi Squeegee: Yes, it’s a children’s book and it’s gonna be called Squeegee and the New York Crankies. I decided to call it the “Crankies”, because me being a bat boy, I literally baby sat millionaires.  You know, they are adults, but they act like kids.  Grown men get cranky.  

  
BYB: Nice, tell me more…

Luigi Squeegee: There are characters in it. For instance, there is a guy with the likeness of Bernie Williams. His character name is “Sleepy Bern”. Bernie Williams used to take short naps before he had to do live hitting, so I used to have to wake him up so and he would go out and hit fresh.  That takes a lot of talent.  There’s a character named “Perfect Cone”. 

The likeness is David Cone and the cartoon is of a guy having an ice cream cone… then he goes out and pitches a perfect game.  I just want to try and give some joy back to these kids.  If I can do that through reading, that’s a great thing.

BYB: Is the Squeegee’s Children’s Literacy Foundation website up? 

Luigi Squeegee: Almost.  We’re trying to make it perfect, we aren’t trying to be Obamacare.  Seriously though, we’re almost there. There is a Facebook fan page though. Look for Squeegee's Children's Literacy Foundation. Like it today!

Squeegee, thank you.  Thanks for taking the time and thank you for doing what you’re doing.

I hope everyone enjoyed our conversation with a guy who just wants to make a difference. 

And for anyone who missed it, read our conversation with Squeegee on ARod from the other day.  It’s SQUEEGEE TO AROD: "ADMIT TO WHAT YOU DID!"

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.

SQUEEGEE HAS THE OFF-SEASON CHECK LIST FOR THE YANKS

Most of you know who Luigi Squeegee is.   Luigi was part of the New York Yankees historic championship run and beyond as a clubhouse attendant, from 1998 to 2005. Connect that with the fact that the Yankees were tied for 3rd place in 2013 and I thought it would be a nice touch to get Luigi's thoughts on what the Yanks should do this offseason.  Well, he wrote an opened letter on his Facebook and I thought I would share it... so here is what Luigi Squeegee would do...

Dear Yankees organization,

Here are some solutions to your problems.  Forget about lowering payroll,  it wasn't the Bosses style...

Anyway, this is what I would do. First, sign Carlos Beltran for right field. Then, sign Fernando Rodney has the experience in that role. 

He even won a championship with the Dominican Republic this year! Also, keep Dave Robertson as the set-up guy for Rodney. 

Next, resign Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain and then trade them in a package for a starter.  Then, get some relievers. Trust me, there are some teams out there that will love to have Hughes and Joba because they still throw hard. They just might be more successful elsewhere. It's a fact though that they've can't do it here.  Take advantage now... they are still young and you can still get great talent in return.

Keep Derek Jeter at shortstop and let him finish his career off with class. He deserves that.  In the catching role, sign Brian McCann. Oh and stop it with Ivan Nova "competing for a job" in the rotation. Trust me, he has proven he can do it.  Give him confidence and let him go into Spring training knowing he has a job. 

Next, don't let Tony Pena walk away.  He helps Joe out more than you know and they make a great couple.

And last but not least... lower the ticket prices so you can let the real fans in. We make energy happen in Yankee Stadium! We can help get that old feel back from the old stadium. Hey, it might fire up the team! 

Your welcome!

Sincerely Luigi Squeegee

An interesting take... it's short, sweet and to the point.  Maybe that's the approach we need. By  the way, be sure to pick up a copy of Luigi's book, "Clubhouse Confidential." It's a great read! 

Thanks for sharing Luigi!

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SQUEEGEE: GRIND IT JORGE!

Having the privilege to have known Jorge from 1998 through 2005 as a Yankee bat boy and clubhouse attendant, I can honestly say he truly defines what it means to wear the pinstripes.Jorge Posada was a leader in my eyes because he was vocal, competitive and had an obsession with winning. For example, in my book Clubhouse Confidential, I wrote about how Posada felt the weight and responsibility for winning and that he personally felt the need to tell any player what to do if they weren't, in his opinion, contributing as much toward the win.

When he thought David Wells was slacking off, he couldn't keep it to himself. Posada approached Wells one game in the clubhouse and said "You don't give a damn about the team." Posada wasn't being mean. At the time, some players needed someone to bark at them now and then. Maybe that's why Posada felt an unreasonable fear about anyone touching his stuff, to the point where he would say to me "make sure that nobody even goes near it except me." I would have to follow his directions to the letter and bring his collection of equipment to the bench in the dugout and have it waiting for him. He walk out with only a glove, then suited up for battle! A warrior is what he was. His superstitions only made his little quirks stand out all the more in sharp contrast with his otherwise perfect sense of obligation and duties. Posada was the pulse of the team. When you needed honesty, he would let the fans and media know how the team was doing. He also had his sneaky funny ways of cracking jokes on other teammates, with his buddy Derek Jeter, and this really loosened up the clubhouse. A perfect example is one time, Jorge saw Ruben Sierra come in dressed in the street clothes and Ruben would have different colors on looking, sometimes looking like a rainbow and Jorge would yell at Jeter and say look of Ruben "What the hell is that Ruben?" Everyone in the clubhouse would laugh.
Jorge was a winner. He was a student of the game that wanted to become better each and everyday. Jorge was a huge part of those five championships for the Yankee organization. I hope he makes it to the Hall of Fame one day, because he worked his tail off. And not just one the field, but off as well. Posada had such a dedication to working hard and his performance on the field, but not only being an athlete on the field, but dealing with his son who was diagnosed with Craniosynostosis. There is no doubt, no matter what he did as an athlete, he still always put his family first. I have so much respect for Jorge because of this. Posada even started his foundation because of his son's condition, The Jorge Posada Foundation.

I have one important message for Jorge...it's this: God bless you on your retirement with your beautiful family and thank you for all the memories, and as you said to so many over the years... I now say to you... "Grind it."

Squeegee, you are the man, Thank you for appearing as a guest on Bleeding Yankee Blue! Ladies and Gentlemen, be sure to check out Luigi's book "Clubhouse Confidential" as well as 3 terrific Bleeding Yankee Blue pieces featuring our pal:

EXCLUSIVE: CLUBHOUSE CONFIDENTIAL
BYB EXCLUSIVE: SQUEEGEE GETS REAL
CONGRATS TO SQUEEGEE!



--Luigi Squeegee, BYB Guest Writer

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CONGRATS TO SQUEEGEE!

Just a quick note to all of you about a member of the Bleeding Yankee Blue family. Ya'll know Squeegee, the author of Clubhouse Confidential. Squeegee is one of the most honest and loyal guys out there when it comes to the Yankees. Plus, getting to know him over the past several months, he's a hell of a nice guy. Read EXCLUSIVE: CLUBHOUSE CONFIDENTIAL and BYB EXCLUSIVE: SQUEEGEE GETS REAL.Well, Squeegee and his wife Margarita gave birth to Steven Ramiro Castillo on Christmas Day. I just couldn't let this one go by. You know I love family and baseball and this is just a total feel good story. I wanted to take a moment and congratulate Squeegee and his family on their beautiful baby boy... and a future Yankee fan!The best... from your Yankee family.



--Casey




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BYB EXCLUSIVE: SQUEEGEE GETS REAL

Back in September, BYB gave you a great interview with Luigi Squeggee, it was a BYB EXCLUSIVE about his book Clubhouse Confidential. Luigi was part of the New York Yankees historic championship run and beyond as a clubhouse attendant, from 1998 to 2005. We thought it would be fun to talk with him about 1 particular story that stuck with me. No, it doesn’t have to do with Derek Jeter or Roger Clemens. It had to do with Tanyon Sturtze, a relief pitcher for the Yankees around the time Squeegee was with the team. In his BYB interview, Squeegee told us this about Tanyon:

Squeegee: The most humiliating thing was get thrown into a garbage can by Tanyon Sturtze! He was in a bad mood at the time but later apologized and we became good friends.

I wanted him to expand on that, and he was nice enough to do so:

Squeegee: "It was September of 2004 and the last home stand at the old Yankee Stadium before the playoffs. The team was heading for a road trip for three days. Tradition is what the Yankees live by so to keep tradition going, rookie dress-up day was in effect. This is fun because the rookies don’t know that we, the clubbies, take their clothes from their lockers during the game and replace it with costumes. There were four rookies that year and Rob Cucuzza had ordered an extra costume for Tanyon Sturtze, but Tanyon wasn’t a rookie. It was Rob and the player’s playing a prank on him. He had no idea about it. Tanyon had pitched in this game and gave up some runs he was intense. I knew this was a bad idea that was going to take a turn for the worst. After the game, I collected the hats from the players to place in the hat box, when I hear Tanyon say 'Are you kidding me?! I’m not wearing that!' Rob Cucuzza, ARod, and Giambi are laughing now. I was on the other end of the clubhouse getting a hat from Dioner Navarro while he’s dressed up in a Hooter’s outfit. We were laughing at the costume. He asked me how he looked and my response was 'no comment.'

As I walked back with the hats to the hat box I was still laughing. Sturtze walking the same way and heard me and said 'What the fuck are you laughing at?' He grabbed me and threw me into the garbage can behind the pillar in the clubhouse. I held onto his shirt and we were eye to eye when I think he realized he snapped, so he let go. I felt weird at the moment, it was awkward but he apologized. Later down the road, we were in Boston at a club where we became friends."

Nice, they squashed the beef.

I was also interested in Squeegee's love for David Cone. The reason is because I’ve heard from several people just how great Coney was as a person and teammate. Don’t forget, I asked Jack Curry in our exclusive with him (Read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: JACK CURRY) and Curry said this of David Cone:

Jack Curry: "Cone was so approachable that his willingness to talk to players ended up helping his teammates. Since Cone was willing to deal with reporters and was very good at it, other players were allowed to avoid interviews."

Squeegee also likes Cone and said this in our first interview with him:

Squeegee: "My idol was David Cone because I also pitch and he symbolized the greatness of the sport to me. He was technically at the top of his game, and yet he had the friendliest personality and was always relaxed and willing to talk. When I warmed him up during his 1999 perfect game it was a real honor."

So I had to do it. I asked Squeegee to compare Coney to Alex Rodriguez. Was that fair? No, but this is what he told me:

Squeegee: “David Cone is my idol, favorite player, and a great leader in the clubhouse for the team. Win or lose he sat at his locker and answered questions from the media about his teammates. He had the charisma to smooth tension or media frenzy for his teammates. He was creative on and off the mound. To me that had created chemistry amongst everyone in the clubhouse, created “UNITY”. On the other hand, ARod divided the clubhouse, being there when ARod was a Yankee was interesting. He tried hard to fit in with the gang and to me, that was the biggest mistake he made. He went as far as having a personal assistant just for himself when there were nine clubbies. He wanted to be different and stand-out, attention is what he craved. David Cone would play catch during batting practice with me and converse with the clubbies. ARod wouldn’t even acknowledge we were in his presence. I respected the old school players.”

Yes, that was expected, but to be honest, it hits home more when you hear it from a guy like Squeegee, someone who's with these guys all the time. Anyway, I found that interesting.

Finally, and this is a Bleeding Yankee Blue Exclusive because Squeegee hasn’t talked about it publicly...It turns out that MLB Network has a new show and coincidentally it's titled “Clubhouse Confidential.” That's the same title as Squeegee’s book. Seriously MLB, you couldn't think creatively on your own? You had to steal a title from a guy trying to make a few bucks on his own? I found it to be shameful and I asked Luigi to tell me what he thought about it. This is what he said:

Squeegee: “I am a little upset with MLB network because the title of my book is Clubhouse Confidential and their show uses the same name. When you Google the name of the show the logo appears to be the same, as well. I was watching Game 6 of the World Series and a commercial came on then my phone rang. A friend, Mr. Oates, starts the phone call off by saying 'Go to the bathroom and splash water on your face.' I was confused and so I asked what he was talking about. Oates answered saying 'They have a show called Clubhouse Confidential now; if I didn’t see the commercial, I would’ve thought it was your show Luigi!'

I guess my book has made an impact on the game of baseball, not just the Yankees and I have to thank everyone who has supported the journey!”

You have to give Squeegee huge props. He’s never shied away from talking with Bleeding Yankee Blue and we consider him part of the BYB Family. Over the past few weeks we talked and really wanted to give the BYB readers something new and fun. We hope we satisfied you. By the way, buy Clubhouse Confidential. It’s a terrific read! Thanks again Squeegee.

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EXCLUSIVE: CLUBHOUSE CONFIDENTIAL

Luis "Squeegee" Castillo was a Yankee Clubhouse kid during one of the most important times in recent Yankees history. From 1998 to 2005 he was a bat boy and clubhouse attendance and witnessed first hand, 3 World Championships and a trip to the playoffs every single season. Derek Jeter gave Luis the nickname "Squeegee" because of his rail thin appearance.

When I first heard about Clubhouse Confidential, I got nervous. I was concerned that my New York Yankees were about to be tainted and young kids who picked their idols in that Yankee clubhouse were about to be disappointed. I was wrong, this book is smart and while Luis was on the inside, he didn't disturb the clubhouse perception. You walk away with a few great nuggets and you never lose that love for your team and players. These are different nuggets than the other interviews you saw with Squeegee, so enjoy it. With that, I bring you, Squeegee.

BYB: What made you decide to write this book?

Squeegee: I wrote CLUBHOUSE CONFIDENTIAL because I wanted to let Yankees fans know what happens behind the scenes, how much fun the players have off the field, what conflicts they run into, and how they cope with the stress of being Major League Baseball stars.

BYB: Former Yankee, Jim Bouton wrote Ball Four and it was considered extremely controversial at the time because it revealed a lot of the secrets of the Yankees Clubhouse and tarnished Yankee Greats. Why did you feel that it was OK to write this book?

Squeegee: As Mr. Bouton said "These guys have voluntarily gone into a business where people know that everything that they do or say is subject to being written about. They act as if they're surprised when somebody tells what they do." My book about the Yankees is filled with new information about the superstars, and people have a right to know. I also enjoyed telling the stories, just as people always enjoy listening to me talk about my eight years working for the greatest team in baseball history.

BYB: Who were the big party animals on the team during the championship years you were there and what did they do that was so outrageous?

Squeegee: Almost every one on the team liked to party, but probably Jason Giambi and Chuck Knoblauch enjoyed it more than others. Once Jason invited me to a party that didn't break up until 5 AM the day before an afternoon game. How he woke up to go to work is a mystery to me.

And Chuck always seemed to be having a good time, even in the clubhouse.

BYB: You did you admire the most and why?

Squeegee: My idol was David Cone because I also pitch and he symbolized the greatness of the sport to me. He was technically at the top of his game, and yet he had the friendliest personality and was always relaxed and willing to talk. When I warmed him up during his 1999 perfect game it was a real honor.

BYB: Explain how the Matsui "Ho's" speech came about?

Squeegee: At the end of the team meetings, Mr. T (Joe Torre) asked what we were going to do. He usually directed this question at Posada. But on this occasion he turned to Matsui and asked. Matusi said, "Let's kick ass. Pop champagne. And get some ho's."

BYB: Did you get a ring? If not, why?

Squeegee: I did not get a World Series ring and I was disappointed because I had done as much work, or more, than another clubhouse attendants who did get one. I have fond memories of working with the guys and wish I had a memento to remind me of the good time we had together.

BYB: Have you heard from some of the players since the book was released? If so, who and what did they say to you?

Squeegee: I hear from lots of players and keep in contact with some of my best friends, including Homer Bush, Jorge Posada, Ruben Sierra, Ramiro Mendoza, and others. They say things like, "Hey, what are you doing tonight? Wanna hang out together?" It's great having friends like that. Chuck Knoblauch contacted me recently and said, "What's up, my main man? Can't wait to read the book!"

BYB: Have you partied with some of the Yankees?

Squeegee: I have partied with almost all the Yankees on the teams from 1998-2005, including Derek Jeter, who is always well-behaved in public.

BYB: I am a huge Joe Torre fan. Describe his demeanor in the clubhouse?

Squeegee: It's funny that you ask about Mister T's demeanor since he never smiled and always looked grumpy. I always thought he was in a bad mood. But really he was all business. That's just the way he worked.

He used to start the day off by going on the treadmill before batting practice. He would have a newspaper tucked under his arm. He also used to smoke cigars in his office all the time.

BYB: What was the most humiliating thing a player did to you?

Squeegee: The most humiliating thing was get thrown into a garbage can by Tanyon Sturtze! He was in a bad mood at the time but later apologized and we became good friends.

BYB: Do you read Bleeding Yankee Blue?

Squeegee: Yes, I'm a big fan of Bleeding Yankee Blue and read it all the time. Keep up the good work!

Squeegee, you're awesome for talking with us and much thanks for Stephen Lee at St. Martin's Press for helping coordinate this interview.