BOONE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THAT NOT SCORING MEANS THE YANKEES AREN'T HITTING WELL

"For the most part, we've been playing pretty well, we just haven't scored a lot."

--Aaron Boone

Does this guy know what he's talking about? Look, by the eye test, by the fact that the Yankees are not committing a ton of errors, and the simple fact that the Yankees are hitting the ball hard, one can make the argument that the Yankees are playing well. But the fact of the matter is if we're losing games, if we're not scoring runs, and the fact that we are now 10.5 out of first place, the obvious notion is that we are NOT playing well.  That's just a fact.  But here is this idiot in his glory trying to get through the line of questioning on why the Yankees keep losing:

Boone says we’ve been playing pretty well, but haven’t scored a lot… 🎥 @YESNetwork pic.twitter.com/NzkNSRhnzv

— Dugout Station (@DugoutStation) June 19, 2023

Call Boone Mr. Softee. I can't with this guy. And same on Mr. Steinbrenner for putting faith into a guy that embraces amateur hour better than anyone.  This is a guy that isn't qualified to coach College ball. It's outrageous.  Having Boone as our manager is torture.

In contrast, here's some quotes from Casey Stengel when the team played badly:

"Can't anybody here play this game?"  And how about this one? "Don't cut my throat, I may want to do that later myself." What's my point? Boone doesn't take this seriously.  

How about Billy Martin? That guy wanted all his guys playing as hard as they could? Remember what he did to Reggie Jackson when he thought Reggie was being "lazy". As This Day in Baseball writes:

"Jim Rice hit a checked-swing fly ball to right field. But rather than charging the ball and making an easy catch, Jackson allowed it to drop in for a base hit. To make matters worse, he lazily picked it up and tossed it towards the pitchers’ mound as Rice coasted into second base with a surprisingly cheap double.

Incensed, Martin immediately yanked his sensitive slugger in favor of defensive whiz Paul Blair. With NBC cameras zooming in on the action, Jackson ran into the Yankee dugout. “What’s going on? What did I do?” he screamed at his manager. “You didn’t hustle,” replied Martin. “You have to be crazy to embarrass me in front of 50 million people,” Jackson yelled. “You’re not a man. Don’t you ever show me up again, you [bleep].”

Why can't Boone get mad? Why can't Boone show some urgency? Why are we soft with our leadership? You see Texas Coach Augie Garrido lose it on his players?

College baseball is officially BACK.

Throwback to former Texas coach Augie Garrido delivering one of the greatest rants ever pic.twitter.com/oPBgm9RguE

— Pro Sports Talk (@On3ProSports) February 17, 2023

That's someone passionate about this game.  There is no reason why a manager of a professional baseball team can't get alittle mad about a losing team.  Boone needs to rethink his role... because this garbage isn't cutting it.

Get mad or leave. We need to turn this team around and we need someone at the top who is truly passionate.

#FIREBOONE

I'M SAD TO HEAR ABOUT SINGLETON

Photo: Baltimore Sun

I have always been a fan of Kenny Singleton and I love him in the YES broadcast booth.  In fact, this is the equivalent to when Jim Kaat left the YES booth for me. I loved him too.  These are guys that have a full grasp of the game, are really in tune with our New York Yankees and they have always made me feel that as a fan, I can relate to them.  They make me feel like I'm their friend or something. Tough to explain, but I have a comfort when I hear their voices.  Now it turns out that Kenny is leaving.  Kenny tweeted this:

LOOKOUT! 👀 This will be my final season of calling baseball games. I’ve been playing or talking baseball ever since I was 4 years old. It’s time for this enjoyable ride to end. Thanks fans for allowing me into your homes & businesses. It’s been my pleasure. #Thisoneisgone

— Ken Singleton (@29alltime) March 12, 2018

And I will share the Baltimore Sun for this one...

Photo: New York Daily News

"Ken Singleton, who has been an analyst and play-by-play announcer on Yankees telecasts for MSG and the YES Network since 1997, announced Monday on Twitter that 2018 will be his final year in the booth....

'I'm finding this hard to accept,' Kay tweeted Monday about Singleton's pending retirement. 'I've known about it for awhile but I've been trying to change his mind. I'm not giving up in my quest. Twitterverse, please tell Kenny he should not step away following season. Too much more to give!'"

Gotta love Kay there.  I agree.  I'd hate to see Ken Singleton go.  I mean, who else will tell really fun stories about he and Paul Blair?

Anyway... in case you missed it, I just wanted to pass it along.  Let's enjoy this last season with Singleton.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: KEN SINGLETON

It's part of every baseball fan's experience, watching it on TV and associating the announcers with the game experience. Here at BYB, we have been fans of the folks at YES for a long time, and each of them adds to the Yankee fan experience in their own unique way. Ken Singleton, like Paul O’Neill, David Cone, John Flaherty, and others, shares from his personal experience playing the game, and gives us insight into what players are thinking in specific situations.

It is especially exciting to have connected with Ken Singleton, having watched him as a kid. I remember him as a great fielder and a feared hitter in the Baltimore Orioles lineup. He has always been a great guy and an exemplary representative of the game of baseball. It is understatement to say that it was an honor to get this opportunity. With great pleasure, here is our interview with Ken Singleton.

BYB: Bleeding Yankee Blue appreciates the YES network crew a lot. We have interviewed Paul O'Neill, Jack Curry, Bob Lorenz, Meredith Marakovits, and now we have the pleasure of interviewing you. Here is my question... who is the most unprepared of the group. I have 10 bucks that says it’s Lorenz ... joking of course! Seriously, what is it like working with such a terrific group of professionals?

Ken Singleton: I definitely feel very fortunate to work with the quality people at YES. Everyone is at the top of their game. There is a reason why YES is the number one regional sports network in the country and it's because of the hard working pros at the YES Network.

 

(In Photo: Paul Blair)

BYB: Kenny, you mention the late Paul Blair a lot during games. It is clear he had an impact on your playing days and beyond. Tell me about your relationship with him while with the Orioles.

Ken Singleton: When I first joined the Orioles, it was Paul Blair who filled me in on what it would be like to play for Earl Weaver. 

He said Earl would be tough, but fair. That proved to be true. Earl was not there to be a friend - he was there to win baseball games. He did a lot of that. I will miss Paul. He was a tremendous teammate and friend.

BYB: When you were growing up as a kid, what player did you idolize growing up and why?

Ken Singleton: My favorite player growing up was Willie Mays. I have mentioned that several times during our telecasts. Willie could do it all and had a special flair to make the game even more exciting.

BYB: You didn't win a World Series until the penultimate season of your career, with the 1983 Orioles. The Yankees organization has defined a successful season as one in which we win the World Series. Knowing how hard it is to get to the World Series and win, what do you think of that definition?

Ken Singleton: Every team has a goal of winning the World Series when the season starts. I believe the Yankees definition of a successful season means a World Series Championship. That is shaped because of the history of the team. Winning the title 27 times brings a certain expectation every season. The Yankees play not so much against all the other teams but also against their own illustrious history. I have no problem with those expectations. Every game means a chance to go home a winner that day or night.

BYB: As a former baseball player, the expertise you share on hitting, fielding, and baseball fundamentals on the air adds so much to the broadcast. Do you ever see yourself taking a job managing a major league baseball team?

Ken Singleton: I have never thought of coaching or managing. Personally, I enjoy what I have been doing for the past 30 years. To me broadcasting games is second only to playing. Unfortunately, for managers, if you have a poor team or don't meet expectations with a good one, you stand a chance to be out of a job. I don't need that sort of pressure.

BYB: You serve on the Board of Directors of the Cool Kids Campaign, a foundation supporting children with cancer and their families. At Bleeding Yankee Blue, we always love when members of the Yankee family lend their time, resources, and names to charitable efforts like this. We also like to bring some airtime to these efforts. What would you like people to know about this organization, and can we expect to see more about them on the YES Network in the near future?

Ken Singleton: Thanks for asking about the CoolKidsCampaign. CoolKids helps children and their families who are dealing with Cancer issues. We are a non-profit organization that offers services to families for free. Both my parents died because of cancer and I knew I had to do something in their memory. For more information on the CoolKidsCampaign, please go to CoolKidsCampaign.org and help anyway you like.

BYB: Finally, do you ever reading Bleeding Yankee Blue? If so, what do you think?

Ken Singleton: Yes I do read Bleeding Yankee Blue. Always informative.

So there you have it. It is always great to see members of the baseball community, stars from the past, who still contribute to the game and make it real for future generations. We want to thank Ken for taking the time to do this interview with us. We also want to thank Eric Handler from the YES Network and superstar emeritus Bob Lorenz for helping to make this happen.

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



 

REMEMBERING PAUL BLAIR

Paul Blair wore #2 for the New York Yankees way before Derek Jeter did.  Paul Blair also played ball for the Baltimore Orioles, a team where he became good friends with Yankee broadcaster Ken Singleton.  Paul Blair has passed away and my heart goes out to his family tonight.

I read the news on School of Roch, a great site for Orioles news.  Roch Kubatko writes:

"... Blair collapsed in a Pikesville bowling alley. He was 69.  Blair played his first 13 seasons with the Orioles and was part of the 1966, '69, '70 and '71 World Series teams. He won two titles with the Orioles and two more with the Yankees....The Orioles are in the process of gathering more information..."

I never like to hear about a ballplayer passing.  Usually the ballplayer is someone I watched play and admired or met and had a terrific experience in the process.

I feel bad for the Blair family, the Orioles family as well as Ken Singleton.  Kenny speaks of Paul Blair in the highest regard and mentions him often during games, usually on a great outfield catch or run.

If we get more news, we'll fill you in.

Another well respected ballplayer is gone... Rest in peace Paul Blair.

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.

BYB EXCLUSIVE: WILLIE RANDOLPH CENTERSTAGE INTERVIEW

  Be sure to check out Center Stage with Willie Randolph tomorrow night!

(Photo credit:  Ellen Wallop/Yes Network)
Recently BYB had the opportunity to attend the "CenterStage" taping of Michael Kay interviewing Willie Randolph. Willie Randolph was one of the "original" Yankees from our earliest memories, and we got to hear about his life history, both personal and as a player.

This is an interview definitely worth watching. You'll hear about how Willie grew up in Brooklyn, in an area filled with gang violence, and how baseball was his way out. It's amazing how a kid who grew up surrounded by such violence has become such a positive, funny, likable person like Willie.

YES Network gave Bleeding Yankee Blue some exclusive quotes from the interview that we'd love to share them with you. Again, the interview will air tomorrow night, August 14th at 11pm!  You'll love what Willie has to say,  for instance, here's what he said about Reggie: 

"Well, I had a certain focus as a young player. I always respect men, respect people, my teammates. Reggie and I got along well because Reggie was very braggadocios at times.  He loves to be the center of attention.  I really wasn’t impressed by that. Reggie kind of felt like, 'Wow, this kid’s pretty mature for his age.' I would always tell Reggie, 'I put my pants on the same way you do.' The fact is that I did talk to him, and converse with him when a lot of guys were kind of like, 'Oh, okay, he thinks he’s the straw that drinks.' Although Reggie had said he’d never said that, but we had already established a group of guys on the team, with Thurman as the captain, Nettles and Sparky and those guys. Reggie didn’t really blend in.  He wanted to be the guy, and a lot of guys resented that."
 

(Photo credit:  Ellen Wallop/Yes Network)

Willie also has real in-depth background on how that Reggie and Billy Martin scuffle went down back in June 1977.  Don't forget, Paul Blair replaced Reggie. Willie says:

"Around that time, Reggie and Billy were kind of bumping heads a little bit.  Billy would come in the ballpark a little bit hung over at times. You could see that he was stewing a little bit that day. There was a play in right field.  It was a ball that Reggie maybe could’ve caught if he laid out, but Reggie wasn’t a great defensive player, so he played it safe. I look over in the dugout and I see Billy being very animated, and he’s pissed off. I see Billy point down the dugout, and Paul Blair jumped up and grabbed his glove.  And I said, 'Okay, here we go now!' I’m watching all this happen, and I said, 'Hey, Reg!' (Reggie) finally looks up, and he starts to trot in.  Blair is a funny guy, he’s loving it too, because he wasn’t crazy about Reggie.  He was just like, 'Yeah! We can show Reggie up on that for the TV. I’m the guy that can tell him, you’re out of the game, right?' So Reggie’s coming in, and Paul’s going out, and he goes, “You out of the game, darlin’.  You out of the game.' I said, 'You didn’t have to say that.'  But (Blair) loved it."

Willie also talked a lot about his interactions with fellow players and managers, people who mentored him like Roy White, Elston Howard, Yogi Berra, and others. 

Willie on Yogi: "When I was managing the Mets, Yogi used to come and sit in my office, and we’d just sit there and talk baseball. For him to come to Shea and sit in the office with me and talk to me about the game, 'Hey, Shorty, you doing this wrong…Shorty, what about this guy?' He calls me Shorty, I don’t know why.  I’m taller than he is. He’s a midget, and he calls me Shorty.  'How you doing, Shorty?' It meant so much to me.  That was just unbelievable (that) he would do that."

Willie on Roy:  "(Roy White) would (become) one of my biggest mentors, but (my friends and I would) sit out in the bleachers out there, the Con Ed kids, and when things got boring, we used to just throw popcorn at Roy White, and stuff like that.  'You got a popcorn arm!  You can’t throw the ball, Roy!  Get the ball to the infield!' We’d razz him."  

You'll also hear about his sadness regarding the loss of Thurman Munson, and his disappointment about being let go by the Yankees after the 1988 season.

All in all, this was a great episode of "CenterStage", and you should make it a point to watch. Again, it's set to premiere tomorrow, August 14th, after the Yankees post-game. If you're too young to remember him playing, or you weren't watching during his playing days, you'll become a fan after watching this.

A Special thanks to the YES Network for the access, and thanks to @RealMichaelKay for Tweeting this... we appreciate it!

-Robert Casey, CEO & Writer for BleedingYankeeBlue.com
Follow me: @BleednYankeeBlu

 

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

 
The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT SPRING TRAINING? EVERYTHING.

Nothing smells better than a hot dog grilling, greasy fries frying, and the aroma of a fresh cold brew at the ballpark.  And when you haven’t had that for about five months or so, the firsts of the season re-create the old memories of the springs of yesterday, the ones when I was growing up. 

When I was eight, my grandmother, die-hard Brooklyn Dodger, transformed Met fan went to Florida for spring break.  Now, the 70-something-year-old baseball fanatic was legitimately going to visit her sister in Pompano Beach, but she would never miss a chance to catch a spring training game or two during her visit.

Since Ft. Lauderdale was only a short 13 minutes from Pompano, she caught Yankee games at its old spring stomping ground.  And for me, this was a thrill because she got me what every kid my age wanted when you made the trip to the stadium- autographs!

 (In Photo: Ron Davis)
Yes, Manager Bob Lemon, pitchers Ken Clay and Ron Davis, catchers Mike Heath and Fran Healy, first baseman Jim Spencer and outfielders Jay Johnstone and Paul Blair all signed a spring training program for Dorothy’s little granddaughter from Staten Island.  I was awed by the signatures- each with a unique swirl and special meaning.  I will never forget that year, because many of these same faces celebrated victory in October when the Yankees won the World Series.

(In Photo: Fran Healy)
Later on, Fran Healy called Yankee games on WPIX-11 and radio broadcasts on 1010 am.  That was my first dose of spring training as a kid- well before I realized how important spring training is to teams as they condition themselves for a long 162 game season. 

This year, however, players have mixed opinions about the added week to the traditional spring training schedule.  Some managers and players think it's too long and counterproductive while others are eager and grateful for all of the time they have to be ready for the season.

According to this Associated Press article (HERE): “A long spring: More games, more down time when major leagues add a week to spring training,” Pitcher Andy Pettitte gave his two cents on the augmented spring schedule.  "It's slowed me down in a big way," the 40-year-old said. "It's a long spring training, so they give a few days off in between my bullpens, stuff like that. You've got so much time down here, it's like, 'Why rush?' We work backwards. You work from the opening day of the season and figure out what you need. It's definitely impacted me.”
The article continued by stating, “Managers have worked out detailed plans to pace their teams for the long haul to opening day. Many players are voluntarily holding back on their normal spring routines, particularly when they're coming back from injuries or off season surgery.”

Personally, for me, why not give the Bombers extra time to prep for what is expected to be a difficult season.  And besides, it gives fans more games to get amped up for baseball- a sport that has undergone a lot of controversy and criticism over the last couple of years. 

As I watch my 15-year-old son try-out for his very own high school team, I can’t help but reminisce his first trip to Florida for spring training.  Now as if this was not ironic enough, we were staying in West Palm Beach, Florida at the time so Pt. St. Lucie was close by and therefore, we went to a Met game with my then three-year-old son.

It was a lucky day for us, not only did my son get his picture in the local paper but I had the amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to introduce him to the great Tommy Lasorda who was sitting just a few rows away from us at the stadium.  Chris stuck out his little hand and gripped the iconic manager’s hand.  It was an awesome moment- it was Chris’s first introduction to spring baseball and now many years later, he vies for his own spot as a catcher for his high school. 

So, even though spring represents a nuisance for some with its unpredictable weather conditions and extra spring training workouts and opportunities for others who crave the extra time to warrant a second look from scouts and to experiment with new batting stances or pitching rituals, for me spring represents invaluable memories and a new beginning.  Fans who truly love the game can appreciate spring training for its outrageous predictions, fresh prospects and delicious first smells of the season.

After all as Ben from the baseball flick Fever Pitch says, “I like being part of something that's bigger than me, than I. It's good for your soul to invest in something you can't control.”

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof






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