BASEBALL: IT'S IN OUR DNA

Earlier this week, a colleague came by to visit with me in my office.  We were having a typical conversation about how we work to support our students' success.  The conversation switched from students to current events including the elections, the tragic loss of Jose Fernandez and the results of my colleague's recent DNA test.  He shared with me that although he knew he had a certain amount of African American in his soul, he was surprised by the other ingredients that were part of his makeup including Irish-American.  As we spoke, I began to drift a bit and think about my own DNA. Then, I glanced over to an 11x14 photo of Derek Jeter, which I have on one of my walls.  I thought to myself, forget my origin from a theoretical standpoint- I'm from Cooperstown and baseball is in my DNA.

I have known baseball for as long as I can remember.  As a baby, I celebrated with my grandmother as the 1969 Mets won their first World Series.  My father quickly whisked me back to reality as the Yankees battled Boston, the Kansas City Royals and the Los Angeles Dodgers each year.  I learned the game by watching and listening to the game, every day.  Sometimes, I would record the game using my boom box...yes, cassette record so I could listen to it later.  I'd buy the long cassette tapes from Radio Shack so I could record and listen to the game later in the day.  I would even record the post game sometimes.  Announcers Frank Messer, Phil Rizzuto and Bill White, shared the airwaves and moved from television to radio almost seamlessly.  Yes, the same guys called the games and took turns between the two different media.  That's when the Yankees were broadcasted on 11 Alive and 1010 wins.  Yep, baseball is clearly in my DNA, because my recall is spot on.

When I learned early Sunday morning that we lost Jose Fernandez to a freak boating accident, I immediately thought about that terrible day when we lost the Captain, Thurman Munson, to a freak plane accident.  Although Munson was a player toward the end of his career, the pain was thick and gruesome, much like we have been witnessing with the loss of this vibrant young man, Fernandez.  #15 and #16 will forever be remembered by baseball fans for their contribution to a game that was clearly a part of their DNA.

Here at BYB, we write through the lens of our own passions.  We feel what we write, whether we are defending a player or manager or ranting about them.  You see, baseball is in our DNA.  When we say we Bleeding Yankee Blue, we mean it.  As we think about the choices we make and the way we have decided to spend our time and live our lives, we have to think about why we continue to write, day after day, loss after loss, win after win.  It's baseball.  It's our constant.  It's in our DNA.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
BYB Hot Stove Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof

BECAUSE OF SY BERGER & TOPPS, I'LL ALWAYS BE A KID

I wanted to wait until today to post this. Maybe because it makes me all fuzzy inside. Maybe because it's personally sad for me, or because it just brings me back to when things were simple...my childhood. This post is about Sy Berger. Sy was the designer of Topps baseball cards and he passed away at 91 this past weekend, read HERE.

Topps baseball cards were the first baseball card brand I was ever introduced to and to this day, I still own hundreds upon hundreds in a card collection that is neatly organized and being held for my children, to eventually pass to their children and so on. For me, it's become a tradition.

Card collecting was always a treat for me.  It was something that I did all of my childhood.  I remember being in my living room in 1975, and my father had bought me my first pack of Topps card.  I wasn't a die hard baseball fan at the time, I was little, but for some odd reason, I remember the card pack, mainly because each card was colorful... remember, it was the 70s.  The one card I remember from that living room in Kentucky? Ron Cey.

I still have it to this day.

Since then, I would be given a few packs for holidays in my stocking. Santa was good like that. I remember my dad bought me the entire box of unopened packs for my birthday in 1984.  I sat on my bed for hours opening and organizing those cards.  It was the most fun I had as a kid.  I thought at the time, "My dad bought me the whole box! I might have the best dad in the world!

Over time, if I had a few bucks, I'd buy my own.  Back then, baseball cards were on the counter of every store. There were no Targets, there were 5 and 10s and coffee shops, and every coffee shop had a glass counter with baseball cards in them. It was a great time to be a card collector and to be a kid.

My collection became bigger by the 1980s and like any kid, I aimed to try and get the good cards.  The 1982 Cal Ripken rookie card, the Don Mattingly rookie, not the Donruss or Fleer ones... the Topps one. You know, the one where you can just make out the #4 on his back. Mattingly wore #46 before he wore the now retired #23.

Topps was good like that... and I was loyal to Topps.  Even as a kid, I knew baseball cards needed to have that soft cardboard with the brown, grayish back full of stats, and not that fake looking glossy appearance of the others. I was never a fan of the Fleer white backs.  It looked like a knock off to me.

Topps was the card, and while I expanding to the others, I always went back to Topps.  They were the gold standard.

I remember sitting in my den as a kid, lining up my Topps cards according to the order of the lineup for that day's game.  I remember having the game on, Messer, White and Rizzuto did their thing, and as the players were lifted from the game, switched with defensive replacements or whatever, I'd replace them on my card lineup too.

I remember bringing my baseball card binder everywhere, always looking through my cards and finding facts about players, and even where they lived and what teams they played for before.  It made the summer vacation car rides better. Sy Berger had me hooked, and my hobby made me truly happy for years.

When I went away to college, the collecting stopped, but my parents didn't throw them out like other parents did to their kid's collections. My parents knew how much I loved it and when I graduated, and moved into my own place, my cards came with me, now about 3 boxes full. They were still all together, now in plastic, separated by YEAR with an index card that I hand wrote to separate each section.  It's the perfect collection... and it's mine.

I never graded a single card, because it was my opinion that collections needed to be personal. Mine was. I didn't fall into the trap of buying sets that I would never open.  What's the fun of that? I never looked for a mint card. I looked for cards that were unique, or something that stood out...something I liked. After all, it was my collection. For instance, there was a day in 1989 that I bought my first Don Larsen card.  The card had drawing on it's face and the seller, a guy in a jewelry store I used to go to, sold it to me for $2 bucks.  It probably isn't worth $1 at the time, but it was my first Larsen card. That's it above.

I remember being in Cape Cod with my parents and my dad brought me to a card shop.  It was my birthday and he bought me a 1958 Yogi Berra.  To this day, It might be my favorite Topps card in my collection.   In short... I remember where I was and what I bought and what it made me feel like when I held that Topps cards... that's because Topps did it better than the others. I fell in love with not only the hobby, but with the brand.

Sy Berger is a pioneer.  Sure, before Topps there was Goudey and Tobacco cards and I have those too, but it was Topps that dominated and made their cards better than all the rest.  Sy Berger once said this about his product in 2002:

"We wanted to make something attractive that would catch the eye." 

Well, for a kid who wanted a hobby back in the 1970s... he caught my eye and my heart and I am proud to say I've been a Topps card collector for 39 years.

My collection is now massive, deeply organized and mine... it's unique to me!  Most of all... It's overwhelmed with Topps baseball cards.

Thank you to Sy Berger.  Prayers for out to the Berger family.  Thanks for allowing me to go back to my childhood any time I want. All I have to do is go back to my collection at any moment, grab my card out and remember where I was when I bought them. It's always a pleasant moment. It was a much simpler life for me back then. It was one of the best times of my life.

My childhood never dies because of Sy Berger.



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! 

I'M THE NEGATIVITY POLICE & YOU'RE UNDER ARREST

Baseball fans will catch a game any way they can; at their desks via an app, websites, streaming, on the radio while commuting or driving, on the television and sometimes live from stadium seats.  This week was one of those weeks when I caught the game a number of times from the driver’s seat of my VW.  And multiple times I found myself screaming at the radio, particularly on the first night of the four game set against the Red Sox.

Now, I am all for giving commentary that helps shape the fan experience but what I can’t stand for any longer is negativity toward Yankee pitchers, particularly from our radio duo John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.  It seems to me that our pitchers are being scrutinized severely with every pitch.  So, if they are going to be negative, I am going to be the negativity police and I am sorry to say, Sterling & Waldman, you are under arrest.

Exhibit A- CC Sabathia and his first two outings of the season.  The partners in crime just could not help themselves.  They just dug into CC, particularly on day one.  Why is that?  I felt myself defending him a number of times with simple phrases as “give the guy a chance”; “whose side are you on anyway”; “one bad pitch does not make a bad pitcher.”  But Sterling droned on and Waldman agreed again and again with her counterpart’s analysis.  Hey, I am trying to listen to the game, not one-sided commentary.

Exhibit B- David Phelps and his last two appearances of the season so far.  Now this time I really got into a shouting match with the car radio tuned to 66-WFAN.  My daughter was seated in the back and my best friend in the passenger seat as I screamed at Sterling and Waldman from behind the wheel.  “Mom, you know they can’t hear you,” my daughter said.  “I know they can’t hear me from right here, but maybe they will read me.”

It does not help the pitcher or the fan base to predict a pitcher’s misfortune.  Please focus on the game right now, not on the bad pitch from last time or how this match up could be a mismatch up.  I found myself rooting for Phelps to strike out Big Papi not just because I wanted the K, but to prove the dynamic duo wrong.

I have always been a fan of radio broadcasting because it is colorful and intimate and it makes you feel like you are on the field with the players.  I grew up loving to listen to Frank Messer, Fran Healy, Bill White and Phil Rizzuto.  Later on, I loved listening to Bobby Murcer.  And I have always liked the passion exuding from the home run call of Sterling and all of his Sterlingisms.  I like Waldman’s pre-game analysis for the most part, but I what I can’t stand right now is the negativity against Yankee pitchers and particularly Exhibit A and B.

Masahiro Tanaka gave up a home run to Melky Cabrera too in the first inning and Joe Girardi said “Good, glad he got that over with.”  But when Sabathia or Phelps give up a home run or throw a pitch or two out of zone, “it’s poor pitch placement or lack of velocity” or in Phelps’ case Waldman called it “he’s trying to establish himself as a pitcher”; “he is trying to build back his confidence after that bad outing yesterday.” Relax, guys, give our pitchers a chance.  Be more understanding.  Baseball is a game of nine innings; it is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.  Baseball is a team sport, not an individual pitching match.

 One day Michael Pineda is your hero and the next day he is the villain.  One day you love Tanaka and the next day you will be saying, “Welcome to Major League Baseball,” as he leaves a pitch up too high.  It is one thing for Girardi to get to the nitty gritty of the pitcher’s style and form and performance and it is another thing to hear Sterling and Waldman says things like “he looks terrible tonight.” 

So, I hope for the best going forward and wish our pitchers great success as they battle batters and force hitters to fly out.  

For those who are predicting the season based on April alone, I am calling you out.  I’m the negativity police and you are under arrest. 

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



 
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!

WHY I LIKE BOB LORENZ & HIS SNAZZY TIES

Some of my favorite memories of Yankee games as a kid was listening to the announcers and their color commentary. My favorite was Phil Rizzuto, going back and forth with Bill White.

I learned “Holy Cow!” and “Huckleberry” from him, and while he was no statistical analyst, his wit and humor added a dimension to the games that I will never forget.

Bob Lorenz does that for me these days. Granted, he’s not doing the play-by-play like Scooter did. He’s the guy that does the Pre and Post games, as well as the in-game updates around the league. But in those segments, he adds depth to the games that you might sometimes overlook. He’s got great camaraderie with his fellow broadcasters, and it shows because there is a lot of chemistry. He’s always upbeat, on point, and fun to watch. And his ties are cool too. Oh, and there’s his sense of humor. It’s as dry as a bone, and it may make you want to roll your eyes and shake your head, but it makes me laugh out loud.

One last thing, and probably the most important. He connects well with the fans. If you don’t follow him on Twitter- @boblorenz – you need to. He’s a riot. You’ll be a witness to some of his Tweet wars with Jack Curry and others, as they take friendly swipes at each other. If you Tweet him something witty, he might just answer back. I was fortunate enough to watch him do a recap of a Rays game where closer Fernando Rodney did his imaginary bow and arrow routine, and as Bob put it, “He made them quiver”. I nearly choked on my food! It was too much for me to just let go, so I tweeted him about it and got an answer back with this... (full tweet HERE):

That’s what he does best – make it fun, make it entertaining, and make it about the fans. So, I salute you, Bob. Keep up the humor and keep up the great work on YES. You’re a pleasure to watch.

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



Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

THAT'S RIGHETTI SPAGHETTI TO YOU!

It was another Fourth of July in the New Dorp section of Staten Island.  Affectionately known as the war zone, Jefferson Ave. on July 4th was a mini Macy’s Fireworks Extravaganza in the 80s.   Blazing jumping jacks, streams of firecrackers and cherry bombs, and fiery bottle rockets colored the pavement of the town house covered street.   However, hours before the big party, my family and I listened to Phil Rizzuto, Frank Messer and Bill White call a historic game in Yankee history- the first Yankee no-hitter in 27 years featuring fan favorite Dave Righetti.

That amazing July 4, 1983 game against the Red Sox was nothing less than exciting.  It was a scorching hot day and I can only imagine how warm Rags felt that day as we certainly did everything we could to keep cool.  Not only that but he had to put on a show at the stadium on Boss George’s birthday against the Sox.  Since we were in fact at a picnic at a family friend’s house, and there was no such thing as streaming, or cable, or televisions in every corner of the house, we ran an extension cord out to the tent and listened to every pitch through a Panasonic FM transistor radio.  No one ever thought the young Righetti had a shot in hell to pitch a no-no, especially against the Sox on July 4th with the last out a historic strike out to then top major league hitter Wade Boggs, but he did and it was fantastic.

(In Photo: Ron Guidry)
Pitching along side veteran Ron Guidry when Rags made it to the majors in 1981, Righetti always seemed fun- especially from my perspective.  He was always smiling, always laughing and the teams of the 80s, although not spectacular were fun to watch.  I have to say that the current Yankee team takes on a similar persona – although they are not as fun as the early 80s teams.

Soon after his no hit game, endorsement offers starting barreling in to Righetti, who humbly said, “If I don't do well and the Yankees don't do well, it would appear I got too wrapped up in my own success at the expense of the team.” (Read more HERE)

Rags eventually took a memorable television spot, perhaps only to me.  I recall it very well- Dave Righetti smirks his corny signature smile in a pasta commercial and says with a gleam in his eye, “That’s Righetti Spaghetti.”

He, like many of his Yankee teammates, had his own battles with George Steinbrenner.  In those days, George often threatened to “send his players down to Columbus” if they didn’t perform up to par.  I know that Guidry and George fought about his goatee, which was borderline criminal in the Yankee dress code handbook.

Righetti went on to have a very respectable career.  He headed off to the bullpen in his later years and currently he is second only to Mo on the all time Yankee saves list.

Today, Rags is the very successful pitching coach for the World Champion San Francisco Giants, a post he has held for 13 years.  Many believe that the 53-year-old coach would make a great manager one day.

“He has been through everything in this game that you can as a pitcher – starting, relieving, closing.  He’s really good about knowing what to say or not to say. He doesn’t always go right to mechanical things. He’s knows when you need encouragement or reinforcement. He’s just very good at communicating,” said Ryan Vogelsong in an article published in the New York Daily News (HERE) following the World Series last year.

So although the teams of the 80’s carrying the veterans Lou Pinella, Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry, Graig Nettles and Goose Gossage seemed like nothing special, they were important to the franchise because they helped mentor up and coming players and new additions like Don Mattingly, Rick Cerone and Dave Winfield.  Like I said earlier, similar to our team this year, but not quite as fun- at least yet- maybe we need an exploding rosin bag like we saw in Pittsburgh this week or some pie in the face to get things rolling this year.  We need the smiles of the 80s to frame our players of 2013.

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




Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

MORE YANKEE HISTORY WITH MARTY APPEL

As you know, I'm a nut for Yankee stories and Yankee history, so we did what we knew we had to do to get more knowledge, we reached out to former Yankees PR Giant Marty Appel again and asked him more questions about the Yankees for this lovely Sunday morning.  Don't forget, Marty is the author of the new book, Pinstripe Empire which is now on sale, click HERE and order a book today. It's great.

So here it is, more fantastic info from the guy who knows the Yankees better than anyone, Marty Appel. Enjoy this...Happy Sunday.

BYB: Phil Rizzuto doesn't get enough credit as a Yankee ballplayer, but many suggest his speed and defense really helped the Yankees in the years he manned SS. Tell me about your experiences with Rizzuto, the man, one on one, years after he played...he's not talk about enough...

Marty Appel: He was an instinctive student of the game and could see things no one else could.  A joy to listen to as an analyst, but he always did play-by-play as a broadcaster, rarely color.  Reason?  If he was doing color, he'd lose his concentration, he'd start chatting with people in the press box and we'd be unable to fully use his skills - for the seven innings we had him, until he left to beat the traffic.  He was a real pro as a broadcaster, who didn't start the playful stuff until around the time Fran Healy joined the broadcast team.  But he could read copy in one take, pre-recorded openings and commercials effortlessly.  And he was just a joy to be around.

BYB: Out of all the Yankee first basemen you've actually seen play through the years, who was your favorite and why? Not personality, but raw talent.

Marty Appel: Don Mattingly.  Largely because he was a thrill to watch, as he broke records set by the likes of Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs and others, and because he was the favorite of a generation of fans who fell in love with baseball because of him.  A throwback player, a great team player.

BYB:  If possible, describe those turbulent Billy Martin, Ed Whitson times. A lot of young fans don't know the friction there.

Marty Appel: Ed Whitson and Billy Martin could both be provocative and if they were in the same room at the time, look out.  I once thought it would be a great find to get a single-signed Clint Courtney ball - as a minor league manager, he must have signed some - and then add to it all the names of people Billy subsequently fought with, including traveling secretaries, players, marshmallow salesmen, sportswriters, and more.  That would be quite a collector's item.  

BYB: I have always been fascinated with Lou Piniella's toughness as player and manager. Describe for me how Sweet Lou handled himself and others during those Bronx Zoo years?

Marty Appel: He had the gift of intensity and sweetness.  Like the flame on a stove, he could be on and off in a flash.  He was a voice a reason during the Bronx Zoo years, but was becoming an elder statesman in the process, which led to his managing career.

BYB: Where were you when Dave Righetti pitched his no hitter on July 4, 1983?

Marty Appel: It was a brutally hot day, and I was with my family in the backyard - I kept running into the house to see how the game was going, and of course, stayed in for the last few innings.  I remember my amazement at Mel Allen calling the game for Sports channel - one more Yankee highlight for Mel, 19 years after his celebrated firing.

BYB: What made the combination of Phil Rizzuto, Bill White and Frank Messer in the Yankee booth so great?

Marty Appel: Frank was the underrated one, the consummate pro.  Scooter and Bill developed this "act" at which they would pick at each other in a respectful, loving way.  And Frank never appeared as the guy left out - he was more the solid performer who kept the broadcast smooth.  The three of them were wonderful together.

(In photo: Bobby Richardson)
BYB: If you could play ball for the Yankees, what team would you want to be apart of the most and why? 

Marty Appel: Second base was always my position in Little League and Bobby Richardson was my hero.  I wore number one.  I certainly wouldn't have wanted to take Bobby's job.  Anyone else would be fine of course.  But I would have loved to have been a teammate of Mickey's.

BYB: Throughout the Yankees rich history, if there was 1 player that you'd want to have a beer with, living or passed, who would it be and why?  I know, a tough one.

Marty Appel: Lou Gehrig.  Babe would not have remembered my name, so I would have felt let down.  I have a feeling Lou would have, and we might have had a real friendship.  Of course, he played before there was Lite Beer, so I would have put on a lot of weight in the process.

BYB:  I've always suggested Robinson Cano should be the next Yankee captain, but I also know it's not that easy. Do you know the process involved in picking a Yankee Captain? How does the process work? Was is just a simple choice by George Steinbrenner?

Marty Appel: Mr. Steinbrenner acknowledged that sometimes the captain isn't the obvious choice - not necessarily the loudest or the most talented player.  He knew that from his football assistant coaching days.  Teixeira, Cano, Granderson could all be candidates if the position opened tomorrow.  I know Ron Guidry was once a co-captain but it sometimes doesn't feel right for a pitcher.

BYB: How far off am I in suggesting that Alex Rodriguez was handpicked to help bring the all-time home run record back to the Bronx. My theory is simple, at the time of his signing, he was probably the only player to break the record. Was it strategic or am I being ridiculous?

Marty Appel: It was a nice by-product of the process, but not critical.  Even if he does break the Bonds record, a lot of those homers came with Seattle and Texas anyway.  I wish the fans at home would ease up a little on him when he fails.  He's one of the greatest players in baseball history; we ought to appreciate that more.  We see the outs with men on base, and the old time greats - we only see their heroics.  Not every at bat was on television.  I know his body language sometimes suggests, "whatever," but he really seems to work very hard, and I admire his talent a lot.

BYB: Share a nugget with us from your new book Pinstripe Empire that the readers don't know about.

Marty Appel: It's a small thing, but here you go - during World War II, fans would receive instructions on what to do, where to go, in the event of an air raid.  At the end of the instructions, it said, "In the event of an air raid or an enemy attack, whichever team is leading after five innings shall be declared the winner."  Like a rain-out.  I thought that was pretty odd.  End of life as we know it, but let's get the standings right.

I'm blown away by Marty Appel.  He's knowledgeable, his answers are thoughtful and he's just full of true Yankee history.  I hope you enjoyed this second installment of my interview with Marty Appel and, in case you missed it, check out: YANKEE STORIES REVEALED BY PR GIANT MARTY APPEL.

Thanks again Mr. Appel!

ORDER A BYB SHIRT NOW, DROB WEARS ONE! Also, Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.