HAPPY NEW YEAR. IT'S ABOUT MOVING FORWARD.

Happy New Year from everyone here at Bleeding Yankee Blue!

This year flew.  Between my own personal life, family and crazy activity schedules and all of that... I just remember when it was Halloween and thinking... "My god, where has the year gone?"

Bleeding Yankee Blue has accomplished so much.  We have expanded in the sense that we have a few new writers, and still looking for more by the way (Read HERE) and the writers we do have have grown in to appointments for our readers.  They have become journalists, solid writers with their own flare, they're on niche.  We don't have a strict policy about a lean or bias other than we root for the New York Yankees.  But as you have seen in our body of work... if we're unhappy with our team, a player, a manager... we're going to tell you.  That's because one of the main goals of this Yankee Fan website is to always have integrity, always be unique, conversational, fun and most importantly thorough with how we present this product.  We will not lie to you.  We will demonstrate character!

Through this entire process... we have gained friends... you, to read through our pages, disagree or agree when needed and take to the social media to tell us exactly how you feel.  We, in turn have an obligation that journalists these days appear to have forgotten. We don't disappear after we write our stories. We will interact with you and hash it out.  Never nasty, always a good dialog between our audience and my writers... and always a resolution.  That works, and we practice that here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. I can name dozens of sites that do not.

That's why our audience is loyal. That's why you come to us every single day! That's why celebrities like Laura Posada have worn us, Russell Crowe retweeted us, 

Source: New York Daily News

This year marks 6 years since the first story I posted on the Web about my New York Yankees.  The story was WHY LAST NIGHT WAS IMPORTANT and I will forever be connected in some weird way to Sergio Mitre because he frustrated me so much... BYB was born.  Meanwhile so much has happened... yet other things have changed.

Photo: Getty Images

For one, Joe Girardi is still here and sadly, since our birth in 2010... the Yankees have not won a championship.  Strange, but not surprising.  The Yankees have made plenty of turnover... we've seen guys like Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Mark Texieira and Alex Rodriguez retire.

We've fell in love with guys and their short stints with the Yankees as well.  Guys like Raul Ibanez...Kerry Wood... Eric Chavez.

We've seen the kids transform and then disappear like Manny Banuelos and Andrew Brackman.

(July 16, 2016 - Source: Elsa/Getty Images North America)

And we've even seen a few blossom... Dellin Betances... Tyler Austin to name a few.

(Sept. 6, 2014 - Source: Travis Lindquist/Getty Images North America)

We've watched the Yankees get dramatically younger... we've seen Robinson Cano take the money and run, watch Jacoby Ellbury and Ichiro Suzuki come to New York almost unexpectedly and through all of it... all of it, you guys have continued to read us, tell your friends about us, grow with us, wear our clothes, wish us the best of luck and yes... I can tell you that I am overjoyed, excited, thrilled and all those words that I can't think of right now.

BYB has blossomed and tonight we celebrate on New Year's Eve!  I remember when this whole thing started.  I was leaning on Rob Abruzzese of Bronx Baseball Daily asking him a lot of questions, probably annoying him pretty well, but he was helpful.  But he said something very important to me back then... this is me paraphrasing...  "It's a grind, but if you can get past the 2 year mark, you have a good shot of making it. " My goal however was to not stop.  We haven't.  I mean sure, we've seen some writers go on to college and find no time in their schedule to write for BYB... but we need to continue no matter what and my writers and I know that it's a commitment, even though it's free... even though we need to work it into our schedules no matter what.

Our writers know that we have an obligation to our readers.  We know that we need to produce product for you every day, especially if there is news out there and especially if we have a hard opinion that you need to hear, be it about Yankeeland or about life.  Bottom line... we need to make sure you're fed, because you expect it, because you like my product and because you love our writers and BYB team.

And so on this New Year, 2017... I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such an incredible audience.  You are smart people who appreciate and respect the grind, and know that we are human beings.  There will be mistakes some days.  There may even a day we take a day off... but in the end, we always will be here for you to give you our very best work.  That's because we are passionate folks with a love for writing and a love for the New York Yankees.

Thank you friends.

Thank you family.

Farewell to 2016.  Hey 2017... BRING IT!

Robert Casey
BYB Chief, Managing Editor & Head Writer
@BleednYankeeBlu

BOONE LOGAN? I'LL STAY!

Are the Yankees reuniting with Boone Logan?

Good Lord I hope not, but it sounds like the Yankees and the Mets are going to try and "out do" each other to try and land him. Normally, I hate to lose to the Mets but in this case I would be thrilled to. I may do a cartwheel even! Please Mets.....offer him a crazy contract and sign him.

Hold on to your Yankee hats, according to the New York Post HERE New York really wants Boone Logan to move back east. Both New York teams aren't the only ones interested, Seattle and the Rockies are also interested in re-signing him after an impressive 2016 season. The free agent list of available starting pitchers this season is pretty pathetic. It may be the worst in the last decade so teams are going to look to bolster their bullpens to make up for it. I smell a bidding war in the making.

I just hope it isn't the Yankees. On paper, Logan had a good season holding opponents to a .166 BA in 66 games but I am not convinced that this wasn't just a fluke. I want to give Logan the benefit of the doubt here and say he reformed his game but I am also looking at disappointing seasons in 2014 and 2015 where he had ERA's of 6.84 and 4.33 respectively. Then of course....I can't stop thinking about how much we constantly called him the lefty specialist that couldn't get lefties out while he was a Yankee. There are just too many bad memories for me so yes I am skeptical.

I know we need pitching, a lefty especially after we traded away Justin Wilson, Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller but how desperate are we here? I am still haunted by August 15, 2013. The Yankees and Angels were playing. The bases were loaded and Chris Nelson was at the plate and hit a grand slam. That wouldn't have stung as bad if it was Mike Trout but....really? Nelson? A guy we had for about five minutes to fill a temporary need. That is a tough pill to swallow. Oh what I wouldn't give to erase this memory from my brain.

Between all of the inconvenient injuries during his time with us and his sloppy pitching after awhile I changed his name to Boob Logan and thought of him as the new Sergio Mitre... the forever thorn in Casey's side and the reason Bleeding Yankee Blue was created. It's good to see Logan finally have some success with the Rockies, but maybe that has to do more with who he is playing for. The Rockies are also rebuilding but it's not the same pressure as playing in New York. Nothing is, and that is why I think the Yankees should review all of the previous aggravating game replays and just pass.

Once was enough for the Yankees. Go ahead and take him, Mets!  The left handed reliever market is actually pretty good this season. Why try what has already failed and look at someone else.....like Brett Cecil perhaps? That I could get behind. Just because you make the call it doesn't mean you pull the trigger.....right? I'm just going to answer my own question and say yes to make myself feel better. I guess we will wait and see what happens.

 --Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer & Editor
  Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ



 

SIX YEARS GRATEFUL. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BYB!

"Great moments are born with great opportunity" 

--Herb Brooks

Birthdays can be fun. They can also seem a bit strange.  I mean, I'm here writing about the birthday of Bleeding Yankee Blue today. Crazy.

6 years ago I wrote WHY LAST NIGHT WAS IMPORTANT and my whole world changed.  It's crazy to think about, because back then it was just a quick article about my frustrations about a specific game the Yankees should have won. But when Sergio Mitre came in in relief, that didn't happen.
 

The Yankees that night were playing to win every game.  "Every game counts", I remember Joe Girardi saying, and I remember looking at Sergio out there and thinking, "Joe's full of shit, because if every game counted, he wouldn't be out there!" The Yankees lost, and my blood was boiling, and so, I wrote that piece.

Since then we have written 7902 stories on Bleeding Yankee Blue for you all to enjoy.  There is no other way of saying this; we are blessed, our audience is loved, and my writers are probably some of the best on the web.  They take time out of their busy schedule and lives to bring you articles, some harsh and pointed, some complimentary, but always with that fan flare, because after all, this site was built on emotion and hard work.  I remember days of writing until 1 am just so I could go to bed, wake up at 6am, and write some more.  Back then it was me and only me, and I was aiming to put up at least 3 stories a day. It was two fold.  To teach myself how to become a better writer, but to prove that there was an alternative to those stat nerd websites.  There was no blog six year ago built on passion. Not one.  Now there is... Bleeding Yankee Blue. And since then, now there are more.

When my writers came in, we molded them, and I trusted their passion, tweaking ever so slightly as to not take away from the integrity of their pieces.  After all, it was THEIR PASSION and on a Yankee fan site, all opinions are important, and while I have 1, my writers have theirs.  And so, we moved forward together bonding and building and smiling and sweating through games and articles for the past several years. Bottom line, you know when something clicks.  We found our click.

It's a passion of mine to write and I love the New York Yankees.  I even look at my own writing and know that I've improved into a smarter writer.  While we are not perfect here, we have never claimed to be. There are haters out there that once in a while will break our chops on grammar or misspelling and a missed stat. To that I say 'bring it.'  How often do you read professional publications that do the same.  We are human beings. We do this for free.  We do this for you.  It's another outlet, a place to get Yankee news, baseball news, and life lessons along the way.

My writers and I have built a family here.  We do not all agree with each other, and we all have different lives in different locations in the country.  But when we need to come together, we do.  They are wonderful, wonderful people, full of energy and excitement and I am so glad to know these people.  They are essentially my extended family.

And then... there's our readers...

Our readers are amazing.  You keep the dialog rolling.  You never disappoint, and even on those dark, dark Yankee losses, when some of you want to fire Girardi and bench Alex Rodriguez... we still maintain a cool, calm conversation.

There is no hate up in here... and if there is, I quickly remove you from our conversation.  In this day and age, I will not tolerate that.  I don't when my own children misbehave. What makes you think you should slide?

This Bleeding Yankee Blue post is #7903.  It's our birthday post on BYB.  We are at a point in our career where we'd be considered a veteran.  We share the same space with sites that told me to "take a hike" because were amateurs back then.  Not anymore... I told you.  I do not quit. I never have, and luckily for us, my writers are more passionate than ever.  We will not go away... we don't appreciate doubt, but if you dish it, we'll consume it and beat you with it.  To those bloggers that consider themselves "the top"... you will topple, because what you've forgotten is when you were busy blasting us for not being "good enough", we were busy working.  Now we're side by side with you... you haven't grown. You're fools, and you know who you are.  My old man once told me a long time ago to never get complacent, because when you do, someone else will pass you by.  

Guess who's passing who?

I want to thank you all for reading Bleeding Yankee Blue.  We are 6 years old today.  We have almost 5 million people who have clicked on and read the content on this website, and we have readers all over the world, not just in the United States.  Our fans and casual readers are some of the smartest folks I know. That's because we don't write articles and disappear. We have a dialog with you and find out what makes our readers tick. We challenge each other and end up smiling when it's all said and done. You guys are good people. Bottom line though, we as the writers of Bleeding Yankee Blue actually give a crap about what you say. We don't just act like we have all the answers.  We care about what we put on paper, and we care about what you have to say about it.

It's been a ride.  We're not perfect... but we never claimed to be.  We arrived because we were passionate and emotional about a little baseball game in September 2010 and we never looked back.  If that's not passion... I don't know what is.

Thank you all for always reading and keeping it real.  You are a wonderful, smart and passionate fan base... the exact group of folks we always wanted in our corner.

Keep grinding and never stop believing in goals.

The day you do, is the day you die.

--Robert Casey
Chief and Head Writer for Bleeding Yankee Blue
Follow me on Twitter: @BleednYankeeBlu

BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE TURNS FIVE

Thank you.

I've been so busy with life, I didn't even realize that today, September 14th is the day BYB was born.  I mean, this started 5 years ago... are you kidding me?

Many of you have been with us since the very beginning when we put together our first Bleeding Yankee Blue post in 2010. It was titled WHY LAST NIGHT WAS IMPORTANT, and it was a game where Joe Girardi used his binder alittle too much and Sergio Mitre was brought into the game.  

The Yankees lost and I was mad and so, I wrote up a post on a bad looking version of BYB and next thing you know, 5 years later, people are wear Bleeding Yankee Blue merchandise, you share our stories, some of you contribute, we have 9 incredible writers including myself, and we're plugging away bringing you stories, news, opinion and emotion every step of the way.

The doubters said it could not happen.  The doubters told us we sucked and that we don't offer anything different.  The doubters are wrong, because the doubters don't read us.   

While the other blogs, none of which are on the BYB Hub, were busy copying each other with statistics and unneeded information and sitting back offering the same thing,  we were crafting ways to change the landscape of Yankee baseball, incorporating life lessons and personal stories and a variety of other items.  In short, compare it to those alcohol ads out there. 

We didn't want to be the guy in the Southern Comfort ad with the slogan "Whatever's Comfortable", because that was too easy. No... we wanted to be the most interesting man in the world.  It's fresh, it's different.

We're not the same... we dare to be interesting. Yes my friends, stats are fine, and fun... but if you're gonna do it every day, it gets kind of boring. Baseball is about emotion too. The fan's take.  I figured... why be the same? Why not be different?  We've succeeded, and on our birthday, I want to thank the loyal Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for our help in being a success. 

I want to thank the readers for being loyal.  I want to thank the friends we've made.  I want to thank  the Yankee family and the baseball family who support what we do here.  It's not an endorsement, but more of an appreciation for what we do. They get us.  

I am particularly fond of Brendan and Sharyn Ryan, Garrett and Carrie Jones, Laura and Jorge Posada, the Sabathias, friend Nancy Newman.

The Hensley family, Marci and Mike have great kids in Ty and Jake, Clay Rapada, Lory Ankiel and good friend Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record... who also happens to be a kick ass singer.

 All have just been so terrific and understand our message here at BYB. We greatly appeciate it.

To my writers. You are fathers and mothers and wives, husbands, daughters, sons and people with so much going on in your lives... and you still manage to find time to write for BYB, no matter how crazy life gets... no matter what is going on in your life with jobs, kids, schedules.  You do it... and I appreciate you very much.  You are my extended family and thank you for volunteering, for becoming incredible writers and always being there.  

Today is Bleeding Yankee Blue's 5th birthday.  Hard to believe... but believe it.  To the haters, you were wrong and I knew you were day one. 

Never under estimate a Leo... you will always lose.  

Did you like this? Read These:
2011: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BYB. WE TURNED 1 BECAUSE OF YOU. 
2012: BYB TURNS 2 YEARS OLD. HOW WE DOING?
2013: IT'S BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE'S BIRTHDAY! LET'S PARTY!
2014: BYB 4 YEARS LATER: INSPIRED BY YOU!


 

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

CLEANING OUR CLOCK!

It's fascinating to me to watch the Yankees, who at one time suggested Alex Rodriguez was the devil, suddenly use his 2000th RBI as a promotional tool and shy away  from the fact that the Orioles once again cleaned the Yankees clock. 

Yup. The O's beat them 2 times in 2 days... amazing.That can't be ignored... I don't care about the milestone! I want Yankee wins!

Alex Rodriguez is breaking records like mad. Tonight was a big one, he passed 2000 RBIs with a 2 run home run.  But even if you asked him these days what was more important, Alex Rodriguez would have said, "Beating the O's."  It just didn't happen and I'm not sure why.  We should be able to do it, but we're not.

CC Sabathia started for the Yanks. He went 5 innings, giving up 8 hits and 4 runs.  Nothing unmanageable.  Then came in Chris Martin who gave up 3 more, and then Sergio Santos... not much better than Esmil Rogers giving up an additional 2.  Not quite sure why we're rolling the dice on Santos.  There must be a reason somewhere.  What's next, Sergio Mitre?

The Yankees 4 runs went like this:

In the first, Mark Teixeria singled knocking in 1.  Then, Brian McCann doubled and Tex scored.

In the 6th, ARod hit his 2 run homer and tied  the game up 4-4.  That would be it for the Yanks. The O's would then turn it on and we'd lose by a large margin.

So why is this happening?  It's 2 in a row in Camden Yards.  Can we turn this terrible losing streak around?  We'll have to see... maybe tomorrow.

Final: Orioles 9 - Yankees 4

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

CELEBRATE BRENDAN RYAN TODAY. BOO GIRARDI

Alot was said about Ramon Flores being sent down to Triple A for backup infielder Brendan Ryan.

"Why would they do that?"
"Yankees need to wake up!"
"What's Brendan Ryan going to offer??"

Apparently he offered enough to get the Yankees a rally today.  Look, I'm not a fan of certain players and I have my thoughts about them.  Stephen Drew is one of them and I've never been a fan of Sergio Mitre, but he kept coming back to the Yankees and sucking the life out of me.  That's what makes being a fan fun.  You give alittle jazz.  I don't hate players, I just don't like them playing in New York.  It's an opinion, not hate.

Many ranked on Ryan when it was revealed that he was coming back to the Bronx. This was my favorite:

"WOW can't believe they did that, Ryan's a bust..."

Sure, I guess enough of a bust to go 2-3 with and RBI and a run scored.  Oh, you mean THAT kind of bust.  Got it.   Look, I never said Ryan was an All-Star, but I do believe in longing to get out on a field again with your team and try to do great things. I believe in the believer. The adrenaline was flowing today and Ryan delivered!

With the Yankees down 2-0, the 7th was big.

Ryan tripled knocking in Chris Young. After that, Gardy doubled and Ryan scored.  After that, ARod doubled knocking in 1 and then... more... Brian McCann singled and 1 more run scored.  Just like that, the Yankees were up 4-2, and it started with Brendan Ryan.

The Nationals would eventually come back 4-4.  But then Girardi got technical with his God damn binder and the whole thing went to shit.  That's right, I said it.

Let me ask you something... we have the best closer in the AL and the best set up man and we have a huge opportunity to use them.  Why in the hell are we NOT? I'm not sure I will ever understand what a must win game is... because I thought today would have been a perfect example of that.  Your team is down 2-0, you come back 4-2, and then the Nats climb back. You don't think at this point you just want to bring in the big guns and finish them off? We have the talent. We have the technology... we can and should have done it. No excuses!  It was almost like Joe wanted the Yanks to get a loss so they didn't get complacent.  It was strange.

Whatever the case, in a tight game, the last thing I'm doing is bringing in Chris Capuano.  And let's take it further... I'm a lefty. I believe that lefty pitching is a unique thing... consider them specialists or even specialties.  Baseball already throws alot of right handed pitchers... when you mix in the lefty, it's good.  But here's a question.... CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY YOU BRING IN 3 LEFTIES IN A ROW? What's the logic of that?  that's NOT mixing anything up and throwing batters off balance, it's allowing hitters to get familiar quick.  Dumb, Dumb, Dumb.  Stick with the formula that works... Betances and Miller all day long.  They should have thrown today.  Betances threw 1 inning yesterday.  Miller threw 0.1... Joe just make a very stupid mistake.

I applaud Ryan today... great come back game.  

Joe Girardi gets an F... you blew it today, big time.

Final: Nationals 5 - Yankees 4

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

WHO THE HECK'S THE YANKEE MANAGER?

I feel duped.  For the longest time I’ve praised, berated, lamented, and dissected moves the Yankees have made on the field and in the lineup, and attributed them to Joe Girardi.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve come to realize that Mr. Girardi isn’t the Yankees’ manager.  Instead, he’s more of a figurehead along the lines of the Queen of England.  He sits as manager in title only, and in his best Barry Switzer imitation, shuffles along the dugout pretending to know what is happening on the field.

Only I’ve discovered who’s really behind the scenes pulling the strings.  It’s none other than our building-rappelling, sky diving GM Brian Cashman.  Yep, the genius who brought us the likes of Scott Proctor, Sergio Mitre, Brian Roberts, Stephen Drew, Carl Pavano and Kei Igawa (and many more!) is the one calling the shots in the batting order, pitching rotation and bullpen.

Just look at the last few weeks of moves made by Cashman and what he’s said about them afterwards.  First, well start with the trade that brought up-and-coming shortstop Didi Gregorius from the Diamondbacks to the Bronx.  It was a deal where the Yankees had to give up Shane Greene, the young hurler who splashed upon the scene out of the minor leagues when our pitching staff was in tatters.  When the deal was first announced, I thought it was a fair move that addressed a high-priority issue with the Bombers – replacing Derek Jeter at shortstop.  Gregorius is young and has issues that he must work on – namely, improving at the plate against left-handed pitchers.  His fielding is stellar and his range at shortstop will be a welcome relief to Yankees fans.  With some work at the plate, he should be a fixture on the Yankees for years to come.

Only, before the player could even be fitted for Yankees pinstripes, our brilliant GM was announcing that Gregorius would platoon with Brendan Ryan at shortstop – at least to begin the 2015 campaign.  The poor guy hasn’t even had a chance to make an impression upon Yankees coaches that matter, and Cashman has already pigeon-holed him as a platoon to start the season.   What’s more stupefying is the fact that Ryan hit WORSE than Gregorius did against southpaws. 

Brilliant, simply brilliant.  Funny, I thought the guy with the title “Manager” would be the one determining how he uses his hitters.

But wait kids, there’s more!

Cashman’s most recent acquisition was signing 35-year-old left handed pitcher Chris Capuano to a 1-year, $5 million deal.  Ok, I get it.  Cashman loves lefties – regardless of how successful they are – for Yankee Stadium.  He especially loves players on the downside of their careers, hoping to either reinvigorate them (if they were ever really invigorated), or briefly catch “lightning in a bottle”.   So, one can only imagine the drool our GM had running down his chin at the prospect of bringing Capuano on board his listing ship.

In true Cashman fashion, after completing the deal for Capuano, the GM paraded in front of the media, and in no uncertain terms, named the southpaw to the rotation as the team’s fourth starter.

Again, I thought decisions on the rotation would be made by the MANAGER at the end of Spring Training.  How naïve I’ve been! 

I’m sure Brian already has the lineup card made out for Opening Day and is merely waiting on the most dramatic time to announce it to the largest possible TV and radio audience.

It is one thing for Mr. Cashman to make the moves he’s made with whatever reasons and resources he has at his disposal in making them, but to then go so far as to proclaim positional decisions TWO MONTHS before pitchers and catchers report is not only idiotic, it is counter-productive.

We have a manager that will be working with each of these players on a daily basis.  He’ll know their thought processes, their aches and pains, and their personal issues.  Brian Cashman needs to stop being so damn arrogant (auto-correct actually put the word “ignorant” there – and that works too) and stick to HIS job.   Let our manager do what he does best – putting players in their positions/rotation spots/bullpen which will give the Yankees their greatest opportunity to win.

Cashman should be concentrating on filling out our coaching staff with competent individuals.  God knows this team needs a miracle worker as a hitting coach.  He should be giving Joe Girardi the highest quality tools that he can, so that Joe can maximize his performance as manager.

Lately, Brian Cashman has overstepped his bounds.  Joe Girardi is a good soldier and says nothing about it, but it is time that this arrogant ignorance stopped.

    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

  

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!