MARIANO RIVERA, amNEW YORK & BYB

Quick shout out to amNew York and Ivan Pereira and their great piece about Mariano Rivera out today.

As you all know Mariano is headed to Cooperstown. He may be the greatest closer ever and it's great to see a guy this classy get the nod unanimously. He deserves it. We thank him for his service in pinstripes. He was really something special to watch over the years.

amNew York has their piece out today.  It's called Mariano Rivera's impact on New York as the Sandman enters the Hall of Fame and it's wonderfully done. I'm a fan of Pereira. Anyway... here are some of my quotes from the piece, although I encourage you to click HERE and read the article.

"Baseball fans, even ones who grew up rooting against the Yanks, acknowledged Rivera's role in changing the game because he was a diamond in the rough, according to Robert Casey, the managing editor for the Yankee fan blog Bleeding Yankee Blue. The righthander began his major league career with the Yankees in 1995 as a starting pitcher and initially struggled to find his footing on the team.

'You had this guy who was extremely athletic, and [team owner] George [Steinbrenner] wanted to trade him, but he had this management team who said 'No, no. Keep him,' ' Casey said. 

Rivera quickly was shifted to a relief pitching role and wowed with his low ERA, huge strikeouts and clutch performances, which ultimately led to his role as the closer beginning in 1997. 

Casey said Rivera's performances on the mound during his 19 years in pinstripes came at a time when bullpens prepared their relief pitchers to specifically focus on those final outs.

'Mariano capitalized on that, became extremely dominant with that cutter and kept getting those hitters,' he said. 'He helped reinvent the closer role in baseball.'"

The timeline is alittle off as I was referring to his time before he hit the major leagues and finding his footing, but I'm just happy that Ivan always thinks to come to BYB. I appreciate it bro!

Anyway, check it out and thanks to amNew York.

A FEW CASEY QUOTES IN amNEWYORK

A quick note and a quick thanks to amNewYork who always reaches out to me so plenty of New Yorkers can read my opinions about the Yankees in their publication. When that happens, I like to at least acknowledge it and give them a big Thank you.

In their article today titled Yankees fans are nervous about the playoffs... they were speaking of me.  In the article, written by Ivan Pereira and Jason Shaltiel, they write:

"The Yankees are back where they belong, where they must be, in 2015: the postseason.
This could be a short trip to October baseball, though. If the team doesn't win the Wild Card game against the Houston Astros in the Bronx Tuesday night, they'll be sent home for the winter like it never happened.

Robert Casey, who runs the blog Bleeding Yankee Blue, says enthusiasm is tempered by the team's backward path into the playoffs.

'It's a different feel if you're losing and you clinch right before' the postseason, he said... Casey expects a better showing in the playoffs, certainly tomorrow night.

But it's impossible to predict whether fans will have more than one postseason game to root on their team. The win-or-go-home nature of the contest is discomforting, Casey said.

'When you have a lot of momentum and you're playing a lot of games, you always have a better chance,' Casey said."

Yup, it's more of the same of what I've been saying all along on the pages of BYB... but now it's just in print for all of New York to see.

Thanks to the amNewYork crew for always reaching out to me for quotes. You are professionals.  I'm always here if you need me guys... see you next year.

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.

HEY, I'M IN amNEWYORK FOR OPENING DAY STUFF!

Quick note.

The nice people over at amNewYork put out what seems to be their annual Opening Day article, bringing New York together, both Mets and Yankee fans.  They always do a great job and I just wanted you guys to read this year's edition. I am in it. 

The piece is titled: Mets, Yankees fans feel hopeful at start of MLB season.

(Photo Credit: ALEJANDRA VILLA)
Now, know this... my quotes are not provocative or earth shattering or anything. I was literally interviewed on Easter and had to get back to the party.  We were hosting at my house, but I didn't want to be a total jerk and I wanted to give the gang over at amNewYork the time they needed.  After all, they were nice enough to reach out to Bleeding Yankee Blue.  I appreciate that very much.  Here are some of the portions of that article:

"The Yankees, who open against the Blue Jays in the Bronx Monday, face the exact opposite challenge, said Robert Casey, chief, managing editor, and writer at bleedingyankeeblue.com.

'I am worried about the rotation,' Casey said. 'If they can be healthy, we have a good chance of making the playoffs. I feel as well [the management team is] listening to the fans. We've been complaining about youth and they are working to make it possible.'...

Casey agreed that Alex Rodriguez, fresh off his ban for using performance-enhancing drugs, could be a major factor.

'I know he made some major mistakes all on his own, but fans just want him to hit the ball and knock in runs,' he said. 'If he strikes out and starts to talk to the press and say silly things, that's not good. I hope he just shows up, does his job and goes home. That's the plan.'"

Big Shout out to Ivan Periera over at amNewYork. Thanks buddy. Much appreciated!

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!