Maybe it is the ocean air, or beach hair don't care, but the Yankees have been on a tear this September. Hard to believe that they are not mathematically out yet, but it is true. If they can continue to play consistent and take on the role of spoiler, they could potentially squeak into the Wild Card. Now I know it is not ideal, but truthfully speaking the sun has not set on the Yankees yet.
Source: NY Post
"On an aging and injury-prone club with an inability to put together much offensively, the too-often dull 2023 Yankees received a jolt of energy -and a reason for optimism - by the addition of two promising rookies," reported Northjersey.com. Austin Wells and Jasson Dominguez have met the challenge and honestly, exceeded it, providing much needed youth and talent to this fading baseball club.
"On Sunday, the switch-hitting Dominguez, 20, batted third for the second straight night (the youngest Yankee to do that previously was Bobby Murcer in 1966) and his two-run shot off Christian Javier made it 3-1. With nine games of Triple-A experience, Dominguez has a chance now to make center field his job to lose next spring," reported Northjersey.com.
Source: Newsday
And Wells has brought incredible maturity behind the plate, offering pitchers confidence because of his preparation and ability to be flexible during the game. As Michael King, the Yankees newest starter from the bullpen pitcher said about Wells, "knows how to handle a staff and calls a really good game."
So what does this all have to do with the Yankees and Wild Card series? Well, the door is still open, albeit ajar slightly, but it is open and that is enough for me. Watching the Yankees sweep Houston, the baby bombers killing it and Gerrit Cole hunting for the Cy Young has made September feel like June. And maybe, just maybe the Yankees can squeak into the Wild Card and keep playing into October.
Over the past 4 years at Bleeding Yankee Blue, we've been able to chat and really get into the heads of the YES Network crew. For me personally, it started with Jack Curry, a personal favorite for me, because he was a guy I read when he was with the New York Timesand admired. As time went on and he went to the YES Network, it seemed like the perfect marriage for me personally to watch him there. After all, I loved both Curry's work... and now he was on YES.
But then it expanded. We interviewed Kimberly Jones, and later we chatted with buddy Bob Lorenz and even Meredith Marakovits and we even finally nailed down Ken Singleton. All our interviews were a lot of fun and unique and we here at BYB are YES Network fans! So for us personally, the BYB writers that got to chat with these personalities of YES, well, it's personally satisfying.
Now I'm gonna give you all another treat. The one and only Nancy Newman.
I have always admired Nancy and I am a big fan of Yankees Magazine as I know many of you are too. I always appreciated the way Nancy presented that show, but there was more to Nancy Newman. She's had a busy career before YES and her hard work continues. Plus, sports has always been a big part of her life.
And so, I wanted to ask her some personal questions... you know, what makes Nancy Newman tick. Lucky for me, she's a BYB fan! I love that and appreciate it! Not only that, we had a great chat and she answered all our questions. I couldn't be happier.
And now, I offer you this... it's our BYB interview with Nancy Newman! Enjoy this... I certainly did:
BYB: OK. This is a thrill for me. I hope you realize this...
Nancy Newman:Thank you, Robert! It is my pleasure! Thank you for the invitation for interview! You do great work!
BYB: Thank you. Now Nancy, are you a Yankee fan? I know your background is extensive, working at the 2004 Olympics in Greece with NBC, and doing Sports for CNN.
But where is your allegiance in baseball?
Nancy Newman: I was definitely a Yankees fan in my formative years. My father was a big Yankees guy! Bobby Murcer and Don Mattingly were big favorites in our house! The Blue-Jays coming into existence was huge too. It gave our family, and everyone in the Niagara Falls area, a chance to attend Major League Baseball games and witness the best. I think it was at that point as a kid, that I really became hooked on baseball. Going to games regularly was totally captivating for me!
BYB: I've been a fan of Yankees Magazine for a while. You do a great job. How did that come about for you?
Nancy Newman:Thank you for the kind words regarding Yankees Magazine. It is a great program to work on. Our terrific executives at YES thought I was the right fit for the show. The producers are top-notch, talented and wonderful guys.
BYB: It's clear by your resume that you've always been a sports fan. Tell me about growing up and wanting to be in broadcasting. Tell the BYB audience, especially young women who want to break into the business of sports reporting... Nancy Newman: It's true, I have always loved sports. I was a figure skater growing up and I loved skating, but I was also hugely into professional sports. We went to alot of hockey, baseball and football games as a family. We spent hours talking sports, reciting stats, discussing in-game strategy, it was a familial bonding experience!
My advice to someone looking to work on camera in television would be this; To firstly, know your subject. Good performance comes from confidence and confidence comes from the love of your subject matter. Secondly, don't be too tough on yourself with regard to trying to make things happen quickly! Have a plan, but not so rigid so as to miss opportunities along the way you may not have previously considered! Focus on polishing your skills while on your journey, not just the destination.
BYB: It's no secret that Bleeding Yankee Blue loves the YES crew. We've interviewed Meredith, Jack, Kenny and Bob Lorenz. Although, we find Lorenz shady. THAT IS A JOKE... We love him!
Tell me about the gang and the relationship you all have together. We are big fans of all of you! Nancy Newman: I will say thank you on behalf of all of us at YES! It is a GREAT crew, right?! I give a lot of credit to our amazing YES executives who place a high value on team building. They take great care and put a lot of emphasis on fostering and nurturing a strong relationship amongst our Yankees broadcast team.
BYB: Where were you when Derek Jeter had his 3000th hit? Nancy Newman:Derek Jeter's 3000th hit will be one of those moments remembered for a lifetime for all of us fortunate enough to have been there as well as for everyone watching it wherever they were. I was with the Yankees Magazine crew in the Stadium! What a moment!
BYB: Let's follow that up with where were you when Derek Jeter had his final hit at Yankee Stadium?
Nancy Newman: Derek Jeter's final hit at the Stadium may be even more unforgettable! I remember being on the press box level at the Stadium envisioning the eventual scenario and saying to myself "Is this really happening?!" Of course, we soon found out, it was indeed!
BYB: Who was your favorite player growing up. It can be baseball or non-baseball. Yankee or non-Yankee. Spill the beans.
BYB: Love it. OK, who was it who really got you into sports growing up?
Nancy Newman: My father and uncle for sure! The athlete I most looked up to when I was a youngster was Dorothy Hamill. She was the most amazing skater I had ever seen and so, to the eyes of this young figure skater, she had no equal! I still keep her autographed photo from the Goodwill Games on my desk at home.
BYB: I just want to say, chatting with you over the past few weeks, it's refreshing to know that I am not the only one who still uses a Blackberry. Apparently you do too, huh? Random I know, but explain to our audience why you like it when it comes to correspondence... Frankly, I'm tired of explaining myself... ha ha
Nancy Newman: I find myself explaining my Blackberry status to people, too!! I just love my Blackberry and have not been able to "consciously uncouple" with it ! You can't beat the security features and that classic keyboard! Glad to have you with me on that! I'm a Blackberry and iPad girl.
BYB: Finally, do you read Bleeding Yankee Blue? What do you think? Do we have a shot at the big time one day?
Nancy Newman:Yes, I definitely read Bleeding Yankee Blue! I find your commentaries informative and thoughtful! You and your writers are clearly dedicated and speak to the true Yankee fan in a factual and realistic way. I respect your work! Keep it up and great things are ahead for you for sure.
Nancy, I loved this interview with you. Sincerely. Thanks for taking the time to talk to the BYB audience. You are now officially part of the Bleeding Yankee Blue family. Thanks!
The Yankees are often referred to as the most storied sports franchise in history. They are definitely the most well-known and the one with the longest history of success. There are many moments in its history that defined the organization, flashpoints that many of us – both young and old – remember with fondness and excitement.
We decided that it would be worth taking a stroll down memory lane, and pick out some of the greatest moments in Yankees history. One thing is for sure – you are going to think we missed a few. That is one of the problems with going through such an exercise with such a wildly successful team – there are too many great moments. So, this is our view of the 12 greatest moments in Yankees history. We presented 12-7 to you in our last segment, and here is the top six.
6. Derek Jeter’s Last Game at Yankee Stadium
How can we not include this in our top 12? Is there anyone else in recent memory who had more flair for the dramatic than Derek Jeter did? He has been the iconic rally starter, the one guy you want at the plate when the game was on the line. He is sixth on the all-time list and leads the franchise in total hits with 3465. He has been in the middle of practically every major comeback the Yankees ever needed. Okay, I might be exaggerating a little. Nevertheless, it was only fitting that his last at-bat at Yankees Stadium with the game tied in the bottom of the ninth and a man on second. Seriously, did you think he WOULDN’T get a hit? It was an epic moment to cap off an epic career.
5. Chris Chambliss’ Walkoff Home Run, 1976 A.L. Championship
It was the first time the Yankees had made the playoffs in a dozen years. It was a back-and-forth battle for the entire 5-game series with the Royals. Just when the Yankees seemed to be on the brink of winning, George Brett hit a 3-run home run to tie it in the eighth. Chris Chambliss was on fire for the series, coming to the plate in the bottom of the ninth batting a solid .500. If it was me, I would have pitched around a .500 hitter. Instead, he got a fastball just over belt-high, and the rest is history.
4. The Thurman Munson Memorial Game
If you were a Yankee fan in 1979, there are two dates you will never forget. August 2 was the day we lost our Captain, Thurman Munson, to a tragic plane accident. The other was August 6, the day the Yankees buried the Captain, and went out and won one of the most dramatic games that I can remember. My memory of the game was that the announcers kept going back to stories about Munson. By the 6th inning, the Yankees were down 4-0 against the eventual American League Champion Baltimore Orioles, who had a tremendous team. In the bottom of the 7th, Bobby Murcer hit a 3-run home run on a line drive over the right field wall to bring the Yankees within one. Then, in heroic fashion, Murcer came up again in the bottom of the ninth to hit a walk off base hit and win the game. We didn’t win any championships that year, but this was a game that was deeply emotional for the Yankees and for the fans.
3. The 2001 World Series Walk-off Wins
A walk-off hit is always great. A walk-off hit in the World Series is epic. A walk-off hit in the World Series on consecutive nights is historic. The 2001 Yankees may not have been the greatest team in franchise history, but they were scrappy and they knew how to claw for a win. After dropping the first two in Arizona, they won the third game 2-1 in a hard-fought battle. Game 4 had the Diamondbacks up 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth with two outs when Tino Martinez hit a home run to tie it. In the bottom of the 10th, Mr. November – Derek Jeter – hit a homer over the right field wall to send the Stadium into hysteria and the Series into a 2-2 tie. The very next night, with the Yankees down 2-0 with 2 outs in the ninth, Scott Brosius hit a shot over the left field wall that sent the game into extras. In the 12th inning, with Chuck Knoblauch on second, Alfonso Soriano hit a base hit to right field to bring in the winning run.
2. The Night Louisiana Lightning Struck
Ron Guidry was having a tremendous season, and at that point in the season, he was 10-0. Looking for his 11th consecutive win, they were playing the California Angels. I remember this game quite well, as it was on a weekend and my dad let me stay up late to watch it with him. The Yankees jumped out to an early lead, but it was not the score that mattered. Batter after batter, Guidry was striking them out at a record pace. Every strikeout put up a new graphic with the strikeout count. When he passed the franchise record (it was 13 prior to the game), then the march began toward the MLB record. It was 19 at the time, and three pitchers had reached that pinnacle (Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, and Tom Seaver). He almost reached it, and even though there was a small sense of disappointment, we still follow the tradition established that night - standing up and cheering whenever one of our guys gets two strikes on a batter.
1. The Purchase of Babe Ruth’s Contract
Babe Ruth was the greatest hitter who ever lived, and who can argue that his joining the Yankees was probably the biggest contributor to the Yankees’ legacy. Following the 1919 season, the Red Sox owner ran into some financial pressure, and sold Ruth’s contract to the Yankees for $100,000. Aside from the Curse of the Bambino, this set off a chain of events that would establish the Yankees legacy of winning for decades later. Ruth’s manager in Boston was a man named Ed Barrow, who was quite bitter at losing Ruth. A year later, he joined the Yankees as the general manager, rejoining the phenom that he helped convert from pitcher to hitter. He quickly bought out contracts of strong players, brought them to the Yankees, and started the streak of World Series wins in the 1920’s. Barrow also brought over a man named Paul Krichell, who served as a coach and talent scout under him. Many consider Paul Krichell to be the greatest baseball scout who ever lived. His discoveries include Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Phil Rizzuto, and Whitey Ford. When you think about the Yankees’ dominance from the 20’s through the early 60’s, a large part of it came from this.
So there you have it. I am sure there are some moments or accomplishments that you think should have been on the list. I will not argue with you – the Yankees make it tough to narrow down this kind of list. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane!
I want to introduce my BYB Audience to Valerie Snow...a reader and strong woman who reached out to me with a terrific story about hope, determination and the New York Yankees. I was truly touched by it, and so I asked her to share it with all of you. She agreed... and here it is. Enjoy this, I certainly did.
Val, thank you, we really appreciate it here at BYB! -Casey
This might not be all that interesting, but you know we
are passionate about our teams. Growing up, there was no better team than the Oakland A's. As the sixth child of a pretty
much single mom, I'm surprised how many games we got to at Oakland
County Coliseum, but we did!
Of course we
all loved Reggie! Born in Oakland, raised in Fremont, for us, it was all
about the A's. I have been a baseball fan for as long as I can remember,
and I never expected to love another team like I loved my A's. Even
after we left California, my team was still the A's.
We left
California in early 1972, but how loudly and proudly I cheered for them in 1972, 1973 and 1974! Yep, I was cocky.
Nothing changed for me
baseball-wise over the next 5 to 6 years. I would ALWAYS be an A's fan... or so I thought. I remember when Billy Martin defected back to the
Yankees in 1983.
We felt like our family had been punched! It would have
been okay for him to manage any other team, but the Yankees? Now, I
know Billy loved baseball as much as we do, and he was blessed to do it
for a living, so I hated him a little less for that. My mother never got over
her hatred of the Yankees though...or Billy Martin. Ironically,
because both Bobby Murcer and Mickey Mantle were from her home town, and
she loved them, yet, she hated that they played for the New York Yankees.
As young
adult, I continued to cheer for my A's. I never thought anything would
change that. In 1983, I had my son Leo. Still an A's fan, but his
birth would change my life.
Significantly disabled, we didn't know if
he would "catch up" developmentally, or just see the gap between where
he was, and where boys his age were just widen. It widened, and
significantly. It never mattered to us, but issues of disability became
more important to us as we raised Leo.
In the early 90's when
Milwaukee was still in the American League, we went to see them play the Yankees at Old County Stadium in Milwaukee. I was living in Iowa at the time, so it was a
short road trip. I wasn't a Brewers fan, but I was, and remain to this
day, a fan of baseball! Of course, as a life-long A's fan, I had come
to hate the Yankees, so I was cheering for the Brewers. But all that
changed when we got in our amazing seats, and I thought
something was wrong with my glasses. I asked my husband "Is their
pitcher missing part of his arm?"
I was shocked, but also very touched
that a Major League Baseball would take a chance on a guy with an obvious disadvantage,
let alone a team like the New York Yankees, who, at the time, I was sure were the
Satans of baseball. It was after that game, and when it had all sunk in
well that I began to love the Yankees, and that has never changed since. Yes,
I know Jim Abbott didn't have the long career of many pitchers, but he was,
and continues to be a great role model for any kid with a disability
who has goals.
I live in the
middle of nowhere right now. A year ago, I lived in Iowa, and were kind of central to Minneapolis, Chicago, and Kansas City, so we could go see the Yankees whenever they were close. I forced my family to take me to
New York City in 2008 for our family vacation because I had to see old Yankee
Stadium before it closed. It was surreal for me and I really could not
believe I was there! It didn't matter that the Yankees lost to the then
last place Orioles. I sat about 18 rows up, just between home plate and
the Yankees dugout, and watched it all happen. It made me entire trip!
I watch every game still to this day, including pre-season.
I
can't hate the A's, and as long as their play doesn't impact my Yankees
standings, I wish them well. But in the end? I want my Yankees to be
the AL team in the World Series... all because of Jim Abbott!
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.
I'm a memorabilia freak. I don't save up a ton of dough to just dump it on a $5000 piece of memorabilia, I have priorities, but I collect what I want to collect. Inexpensive and personal and something that I can pass onto my kids over time. I even wrote a fun piece about it called WHAT'S IN YOUR JUNK DRAWER? Sometimes people have stuff they forget even have.
But enough about me. Let's chat about Brandon Steiner, founder and chairman of Steiner Sports Marketing one of the biggest Memorabilia guys in the world dealing with some of the most expensive pieces in the world. Mr. Steiner recently released a book titled "You Gotta Have Balls" and I was interested in asking him about what's it like to walk in his shoes. I got some pretty interesting answers and you'll enjoy this interview...I sure did.
BYB: Was sports memorabilia something you always wanted to get into? I read you started your empire with $8000 and in 2 years made $5 million. Is that even true?
Brandon Steiner:No, that’s not true at all! I started Steiner in 1987 with $4,000 and for a long time it just consisted of me doing small athlete marketing projects and arranging paid appearances for players. $5 million?
I was literally operating check to check. Around 1993 I took $10,000 and started Steiner collectibles, with two clients on board - Mark Messier and Phil Rizzuto - and a closet of collectibles I had. I thought the items would be used mostly for corporate promotions and gifts to get new clients, but it quickly became more than that. But the business never really “took off” until 1999 and 2000, with the Subway Series.
BYB: Who was the first New York Yankee you worked with after your agreement with the Yankees in 2005?
Brandon Steiner:By 2005 we had them all. My relationship with the Yankees really started in 1998; after that season, we had half the team under contract. In 2005 we were actually more Red Sox-centric, since they had just completed their crazy run of 2004.
BYB: After Christian Lopez caught Derek Jeter's 3000th hit, a home run, you reached out and offered to pay $25,000 toward his student loans. How did that come to be?
Brandon Steiner: Christian had given the ball to Derek voluntarily, when he could have gotten a lot of money for it, and so I was toying with the idea of helping him in some way because that was such a tremendous thing to do. But I couldn’t figure out the best way to help him – he didn’t want anything, really - and I almost gave up! Then one morning Mitch Modell called me and said “I want to help this kid out, he’s a great kid.” So of course I was on board. Finally we got through to Christian and the idea of paying off the loans came up. But this is more a story of Mitch helping the kid. He quarterbacked the whole thing, and besides the generous check, Mitch gave him his World Series ring and a full-time job. I was happy to help Christian and his family deal with the frenzy that surrounded him after he caught that ball. What a great story and a great kid.
BYB: What's your favorite piece of merchandise in the Steiner Collection and why?
Brandon Steiner: This one’s easy: it’s a photo of Mark Messier holding the Stanley Cup up, grinning from ear to ear, with his inscription “We did it – ’94 Cup”. The morning after the Rangers won that year, everyone I saw on the train to work was reading the Daily News coverage, with that photo on the back of the paper. That’s when it clicked for me - that there was a market for that kind of collectible – not just a photo, but the athlete making an inscription that brought all the emotions together. Also, Mark has always been such a great friend to me, through the years. He’s the best guy you could have on your team, period.
BYB: Growing up, tell me 2 athletes that you admired and why?
Brandon Steiner: Clyde Frazier, because growing up, all I wanted to do was become a NBA player and Clyde was the coolest and had “the shoes.” Also, Roy White, a solid baseball player and a very cool and calm player - never got too emotional – just played the game.
Bobby Murcer was a favorite as well as Roger Staubach. How can you not love Roger, with those great last minute comebacks and the way he served our country - and then came back and played some serious football! 4 Super Bowls.
BYB: As a kid, tell me who was the first autograph you received from an athlete? Do you still have it today?
(In Photo: Tom Tresh)
Brandon Steiner:Yes, of course I still have it! It was Yankees Tom Tresh and Joe Pepitone around 1970. That story is in the book. I was 11 and some older kids took me to the game that day and we sat by the on-deck circle and met those two guys. Another real big autograph I got as a kid was Thurman Munson. I met him in a hotel in Boston and he signed my program. You bet I got that!
BYB: What do you want people to learn about you in your new book "You Gotta Have Balls"?
Brandon Steiner: I hope they learn that all the grains of sand are what makes up the beach. That all the little things you do in life add up and if you pour yourself into doing them, they end up being big things. And you never know when your luck can change so follow your dreams by making a commitment and sticking to it. Eventually you discover passion and fun. Don’t be afraid to fall, especially when you’re young!
BYB: Final question, do you ever read my website Bleeding Yankee Blue? If so, what do you think?
Brandon Steiner:Honestly, I have not gone to your site before, but I just gave it a look and it’s awesome, very well done! I can see how Yankee-centric you are, which of course I love. I will be back and we should do some promos with you with Yankees seats and signed items. Why not? By the way, that's another question I ask in the book, What else? and Why not?
Mr. Steiner, I think I'll be calling you about maybe working together on something, you've inspired me.
What a pleasure and such a likeable guy! We hope you enjoyed this interview with Mr. Steiner and I suggest all of you go out and get his book. It's a great read. Buy "You Gotta Have Balls", it's a must, I swear!
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