RALPH BRANCA HAS PASSED

Quick note folks, baseball great Ralph Branca has passed away.  The story was released on Twitter by Bobby Valentine, Ralph's son in law.

One of the greatest guys to ever throw a pitch or sing a song is longer with us. Ralph Branca Passed this morning.

— Bobby Valentine (@BobbyValentine) November 23, 2016

ESPN writes: "Branca was born in 1926, the 15th of 17 children, and was raised in Mount Vernon, New York, just north of New York City. He arrived in the major leagues as an 18-year-old in 1944...

Branca pitched in the major leagues for 12 seasons, posting an 88-58 record, but he's best remembered for the home run he gave up to Thomson.

The Dodgers held a 4-2 lead in the third game of a three-game playoff against the Giants when Branca came on in relief of Don Newcombe with one out and two men on. Thomson hit Branca's second pitch down the left field line for the game-winning home run.

Later Branca recalled sitting with a priest and family friend, asking why this had happened to him. 'Because,' he was told, 'you're strong enough to bear it.'

Branca and Thomson, wedded in baseball lore, later forged a friendship that carried through appearances and card shows."

Branca... dead at the age of 90.

Loved my many... and played his heart out.

YOUR TIME IS UP, MR. GAMMONS

I'm not too sure where to begin.  I guess you could say that in recent years, I've had a hard-on for Peter Gammons.  I used to love the guy.  A true baseball mind full of contacts and sources and information that no one had.  He was a God. Then, over the past few years, things started to change.  The sources weren't entirely that good and the information was read or heard elsewhere.  I began to have a slogan, "It's not new, it's Gammons."  While I understand how hard it is to do a job like Peter Gammons does, let's face it, in the real world, if you're not doing the job well, there comes a time where you retire, or they let you go.  What Peter Gammons said today about Alex Rodriguez was despicable and not only to ARod but to many people who were shocked and disappointed.  And despite the apology, despite his reputation as being a "great baseball mind" and current Hall of Famer, there's not much analysis going on with this statement, other than ruffling everyone's feathers in the baseball world.  It's like your grandmother in the nursing home that shares your very private secret with the rest of her blue-haired friends... it's embarrassing and it should have never been blurted out.

Mr. Gammons was on Mike Lupica's Radio show talking about ARod today. During it, in a state of being provocative, stupid or just senile, he said this about Alex:

"I’ve had people with the Yankees say this to me, he is just — he wants to blow up the world. You know, he’s like the marathon bombers... It’s just, he’s going to get them.”

I read it, I heard it and I was disappointed and ashamed.  That not only stings ARod, it stings everyone in America, and especially Boston who were affected by those bombings directly.  It's shameful. But let's back up for a moment...Gammons isn't the only one who says dumb things.

 I first had beef with Bill Madden of the New York Daily News earlier this year for comparing Alex Rodriguez to Mob thug and murderer Whitey Bulger.  Back then, it was dumb, read HERE and it's still dumb.  Last time I checked, nothing happened to Bill Madden. Now, once again, Mr. Punching bag Alex Rodriguez is the lightening rod and I sit here thinking about Peter Gammons comparing Alex Rodriguez to the Marathon Bombers and realize something;  The "great" baseball analyst is no longer "great" and no longer good at analyzing anything.  He took a giant leap and whether or not he knew what he was saying is another story.  He said it and he can't take it back. The man appears to have a screw loose and like Madden, they need to stop trying to be provocative and actually do some writing and analysis.  In other words, stick with what you know and if you’re too old, maybe it’s time you go.

Alex Rodriguez is not a murderer.  Alex he is a cheater and trying to compare him to killers, and couching it suggesting that "people with the Yankees" said that to him, is not only inexcusable, it’s a fireable offense.  I know I’m not the only one who believes this.  Now, let's also state that Peter's full of crap. NO ONE from the Yankees would say something so stupid... this came from Gammons' decaying mind. That's my opinion.

Look, it is also my opinion that Peter Gammons is trying to stay relevant, but he no longer is.  His time is up and that’s OK.  Hey, people get old.  Hey, people lose their mind and he’s one of them. Sure, he did some terrific analysis over the years, but when has he done it recently? The last time I remember him "really" blowing it, wasn’t too long ago.  It was when that North Carolina reporter named Dan Tordjman floated a  false story about Robinson Cano accusing him of steroid use. (Read FALSE RUMORS DAMAGE A PLAYER'S SOLID REPUTATION for a full background on that.) That young reporter had a “source”, a “source” that turned out to be false.  But the bigger story was the one that everyone missed, except for us at Bleeding Yankee Blue.  Shortly after that story came out, and before it was dismissed as B.S., Peter Gammons, not to be outdone, said he knew about it and said on a radio show, "I heard something . . . about three weeks ago."

As if to suggest that this Hall of Fame baseball analyst, the great Peter Gammons, already knew that… "Hey, it’s old news!"  Well, once Dan Tordjman got fired, Gammons disappeared.   Strange right? Now we have old man's loose lips blabbing again, but this time people noticed.  This one is much, much worse.

Now this is going to sound strange coming from me, but here it goes… I like Peter Gammons. For many, many years he was a tremendous source for real good baseball news.  He was “in the know” but, let’s be honest, I can’t say that anymore and much like Bobby Valentine, he’s overreached far too often to try and stay relevant. Now he’s apologized for his stupid comment. No idea if Alex has accepted, but don’t forget, this is the same guy that allegedly has a good relationship with ARod and was the only one who scooped that interview with him for admitted PEDs use on ESPN. But come on, with friends like this, who needs enemies?

Many people reached out to Gammons today, asking "Why? Why would you say that?" To Peter's credit, he responded saying it was "stupid" and that "it was a poor choice of words." But to fans, me, maybe you, we were ignored on Twitter today.  The irony is crystal clear to me... the same guy who does analysis and offers criticism of players, doesn't like to be criticized or analyzed himself. Not by the fans, not by anybody. Now in fairness, Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk got an explanation today.  I love Calcaterra, he's one of the good ones. I'm apparently not. This is what I asked Gammons point blank today:

@pgammo What went through your mind when you compared murderers to AROD? "Be provocative" or "I'll pile on and no one will notice." #BOO
— Bleeding Yankee Blue (@BleednYankeeBlu) November 21, 2013

It's a legit question.  I didn't get an answer. I wasn't surprised.

Many are upset.  Fans wrote several posts after his comments were revealed. Here are a few:

Peter Gammons says A-Rod is "like the marathon bombers" aaaaaaand I am beyond speechless. What a horrific thing to say.
— Can I Pettitte? (@CANiPETTITTE) November 21, 2013

However you might feel about Alex Rodriguez, can we at least all agree that he's nothing like the Marathon Bomber, like @pgammo suggests?
— Pinstripe Alley (@pinstripealley) November 21, 2013

Shame on Peter Gammons. Absolutely disgusting
— Rich (@RAKcity27) November 21, 2013

I read another one from Jesse Spector of the Sporting News though and I was kind of baffled from it. It was this:

Good on @pgammo for quickly owning that it was stupid. And he’s about the easiest person to forgive.
— Jesse Spector (@jessespector) November 21, 2013

Sure, good for Peter Gammons to apologize, but sorry Spector, you and I don't have to forgive him. ARod does, the families victims in Boston do.  I know you're probably buddies with the guy, doing alittle damage control, but Gammons is a big boy, he needs to do this on his own, no offense.

It just seems weird to me that the guy who wants to be at every baseball party suddenly isn't available.  Maybe he's calling the victims of the Marathon bombings, or the Mayor of Boston to apologize. Lord knows he should.  Maybe he should go on ESPN tonight, his employer, and address the country?  What he said was dumb and I'd be ashamed and embarrassed if I said that, but I'd also take my lumps and do some damage control ASAP.

I believe Gammons time is up. You may disagree and that's OK.  As far as I'm concerned though, it was fun while it lasted,  it was also great, but no longer can we have this guy strolling around the stadiums and doing radio shows. It's now dangerous.  

Awful analysis this time Pete. Check yourself…seriously.

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AND THE WINNER IS...

The clean up is under way in Boston. “Wicked” heavy accents chanting “LET’S GO RED SOX!” and the sound of the Dropkick Murphys had dissipated.  The 2013 campaign is over and much to the dismay of Yankee fans; their rivals up in Bean town will hoist a World Championship banner from the third time in a decade. 

I tip my cap to the Boston Red Sox. They played solid, team baseball all year and showed up big when it mattered most. Sure, it’s always tough to give credit to the Sox…their fans certainly aren’t as polite when it comes to Yankee victories, and if you are holding your breath that they’ll be more “gracious” now that they have reversed their imaginary curse…don’t. That’s just who they are…but enough about them. 

 Award Season is upon us! No, not the endless back patting that happens in Hollywood in February and March. I’m referring to real awards, like the CY Young, MVP and Manager of the Year. Recently, the finalists for the American League’s best skipper were announced. The powers that be, in all their “wisdom”, have selected Oakland’s Bob Melvin, Cleveland’s Terry Francona and Boston’s John Farrell. The one name that seems to be missing is JOE GIRARDI!! To quote the great Johnny McEnroe, “YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!” Look, you can call me a homer. You can say that I am towing the company line. You can say I am simply angry that I had to watch the Sox win another title in a year when the Yanks finished 4^th. Knock yourself out if that’s what you need to do. It doesn’t change the fact that Girardi absolutely deserves to be in the running for this award. 

Now, I won’t say that the other managers aren’t deserving of praise. Melvin continues to take a small market club and get every bit of talent out of each of his players. They make the Angels look like chumps (which I am all good with) and no one can take the A’s lightly under his watch.  They are the real deal and he deserves a lot of credit. 

Tito Francona is just a likable guy. He always has been. Even when he was at the helm in Boston, you couldn’t help but to respect him. He knows the game, was a worthy adversary and handled the rivalry with class. I think we all rooted for him when the beer drinking, chicken eating, trouble makers pushed the World Champion manager to walk away from the feud at Fenway. This year he did help make the Tribe much better. Guys want to play for Tito. I have no issue with him being considered for MOTY. 

John Farrell is a solid manager, but what adversity did he face this year? It was a love fest when he arrived. He’s an Irishman in Boston, Massachusetts and the skipper that took over for the absolute void that is Bobby Valentine. Farrell needed to not get in the way and echo the heart of that team, Dustin Pedroia. Many picked the Sox to be towards the middle or bottom of the AL East. So expectations were low to boot. Yes, he did a good job and the new guys, young guys and veterans play to form, but was he so outstanding? I don’t see it that way. And this is not an anti-Sox rant. Again, Boston was the best team in the league this year. Papi, Pedy, Shane, Lestah, Nap and Jawny Gomes were outstanding, kid (written so Bostonians can understand me). But was their manager? He was just good. Not great. Just good. 

I wrote about GI Joe Girardi earlier in the season, read GI JOE & HIS BRONX BRIGADE here. I applauded they way he handle “The Beaning of Alex Rodriquez by the Coward Ryan Dempster.” Joe is the manager of the New York Yankees. Yes, it’s cliché to say, but it is a tougher job to manage and play in The Big Apple than anywhere else. It is, be honest. The coaches and players here get it from all angles. The fans, the press and even there own front offices constantly hound them and second-guess everything they do.  You have to have a very thick skin and be focused on your job and your job alone to survive here. 

This year the Yankees training room was M.A.S.H. unit. They lost key player after key player…and then they lost them again. Joe took a patchwork quilt of aging players from the Island of Misfit Toys to war every day. That fact coupled with the sub par year that CC Sabathia had and the ARod circus made Girardi’s job much more difficult than any of the other candidates…and did Joe complain? Did he run down his replacement squad of “Not Ready for Primetime” rookies? No. He MANAGED with what he had! And the Yankees were in the mix right up until the last couple weeks of the season. That is a Manager of the Year. He didn’t have his Captain. He had more distractions than a kid with ADD at a Sharper Image store! 

Girardi even handled the press better than he has before…and Joe is not a fan of the press. He wears his disdain on his chiseled faced. He answers the doom and gloom questions with a frank answer and an uncomfortable, geeky chuckle. But he always faces the music, shouldering the blame and deflecting the credit. 

So in a way, if John Farrell is named Manager of the Year for 2013,the Hollywood awards 
and Manager of the Year will be very similar. The real winner would not even be nominated and an “industry darling” with take home a meaningless statue and hollow win. Basically if Farrell takes home MOTY over Girardi or Tito or Melvin, it will be like when “Chicago” won for Best Picture…it wasn’t. 

 

--Mike O'Hara, MLB Fan Cave Host, Season 1
   Twitter: @mikeyoh21
"Paulie was always my favorite player."

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WELL, THAT'S BASEBALL... I GUESS

For the first time in my life... I watched an opposing team celebrate on the field after winning the World Series.  I sit here annoyed, uncomfortable and irritated. The Red Sox won the World Series and I cannot believe what I'm seeing.  Now, I have to to tell you, the love fest with the media and the Red Sox is amped up and annoying!  I heard it in Joe Buck's voice the entire playoffs. I read the articles, like for instance,  USA Today, the same paper that published my story titled THE JETER EFFECT, write about some 97-year-old woman in Boston named Helen McGonagle who, the last time she saw the Red Sox win in Boston was when she was 2. 

                                                                                                                    (In Photo: Helen McGonagle)
Now, look at this poor woman and tell me that they aren't exploited her for the mere purpose of trying to advance their love fest with the Red Sox... it makes me angry.   I mean, winning away or home... does it really matter at this point? The Sox have won 3 times in 10 years... it doesn't matter if they win in Africa... they still win.

I think about the season, about last season and I'm just lost.  The Red Sox played for a guy last year they had no respect for.  Bobby Valentine, or, Uncle Rico and they stunk up the joint.  But when John Farrell showed up, they went from last to first and made things happen.  It's interesting actually.  Many of the guys the Yankees were looking at, the Red Sox were as well.  But the Sox made the moves and we went on the cheap.  That literally was the difference, not to mention the fact that the Sox love Farrell... it's good to be loved, ain't it?

The Sox had 2 guys in the heart of the "chicken and beer" scandal in Jon Lester and John Lackey... but that didn't matter to the media. They look like heroes in the media.  There were accusations of doctoring the baseball in the World Series by Lester, and obvious offense... but it was ignored. 

Vaseline anyone?

They had a guy who's been accused of using PEDs in David Ortiz.  He even showed up on a 2003 list that wasn't supposed to be made public, but was. Yet he's in the clear and hits well in this year's post-season and Alex Rodriguez is crucified!  I tweeted about it tonight:

Selig is presenting a guy who was on a leaked PEDs list with AROD in 2003 the MVP award, yet, Selig's suspending ARod for Roids. Seriously?
— Bleeding Yankee Blue (@BleednYankeeBlu) October 31, 2013

The media loves the Red Sox, and the fact that Bud Selig is out there presenting the MVP award to Ortiz, yet, this is the same commissioner going after ARod for PEDs use is not only outrageous... it's a fire-able offense.  I mean, can anyone fire Bud Selig? There is clearly a double standard here.  If MLB was smart, they would have kept Selig in a cage until the celebration was over.  Trust me, BYB will be writing more about this outrageous situation... I just can't figure it out.

Now hand it to the Red Sox, they had a balanced club this season. They did good and yes, there's jealousy... I'm a Yankees fan.  You need to tip your cap as horrible as that sounds, that's good sportsmanship and for us Yankee fans, it's the right thing to do. The season's over.... that's all she wrote.  As John Sterling would say... that's baseball Susan... that's baseball.

For all you Yankee fans... think big.  Be bigger than the rest. Understand the importance of this victory. They did it for Boston. In a year of terrorism at the Boston Marathon, it was important for them and I got that.  I was torn because I understood what they were fighting for. I understood why the Sox were fighting so hard, because we were there in New York in 2001 after 9-11 and our Yankees did our best... but we fell short in the World Series.  When we did, we as Americans still rallied and we survived.  In a strange way, I wanted the same for Boston.  I wanted them to lose the series, but I wanted Boston Strong to live on.  Call me human... but call me a baseball fan... it's a difficult feeling to grasp... but I know as Yankee fans... you get it.

I have plenty of friends that are Red Sox fans. They will razz me big time tomorrow, just like I did when Aaron Boone crushed their dreams.  Again, that's baseball.  As fans of this great game, it's a give and take and right now, us Yankee fans are taking. Accept it, it's where we're at.

Tonight, I know what's happening.  Cashman's cell rang about an hour ago.  Hank was pissed and he told Brian exactly just how pissed he was.  Hal then called and told him that the Yankees "have work to do."  Hey Yankee fans, use this Red Sox victory as a way to motivate you.  I know the Yankees are.  We were humiliated.  We had a team the Steinbrenners rolled the dice on and they were buying time. They hoped their picks would work, but they didn't.  In 2013, we finished in 4th... to you and me, that unacceptable. For Yankee brass... well, they've been exposed and trust me when I tell you... the Yankees are about to go big. Big like they did in 2009.  Big... like as in "I will not be overshadowed by the Red Sox" Big.

Tip your cap to the Sox today, as much as you hate them, as much as you're jealous... tip it... that's baseball, that's respect. Respect for this great game. But know this... it starts all over in 2014... and I'll be in the front row with you... watching a brand new Yankees club...

Go Yankees.

UNCLE RICO IS JUST AN IDIOT

Leave it to the guy who lives in the past. Bobby Valentine is at it again.

This is what Uncle Rico (Read WHY VALENTINE IS BASEBALL'S UNCLE RICO) said about the Yankees vs. the Mets in the "Who did more for the city of New York after the 9/11 attacks?" Debate. A debate I didn't know we were having. He said this to WFAN today:

“Let it be said that during the time from 9/11 to 9/21, the Yankees were (not around).  You couldn’t find a Yankee on the streets of New York City. You couldn’t find a Yankee down at Ground Zero, talking to the guys who were working 24/7... Many of them didn’t live here, and so it wasn’t their fault. And many of them did not partake in all that, so there was some of that jealousy going around. Like, ‘Why are we so tired? Why are we wasted? Why have we been to the funerals and the firehouses, and the Yankees are getting all the credit for bringing baseball back?’ And I said ‘This isn’t about credit, guys. This is about doing the right thing.’”

Now look, on a day like this, I find it ridiculous that anyone is even trying to take more credit than the other...especially 12 years later.  After all, that day is forever in my mind.  I will never forget what I saw. But one thing I do remember is that New York, Boston, other cities around the country and people around the world did something... ANYTHING to help in any way they could. 

This isn't a Yankee thing Mr. Valentine, and it certainly isn't a "I did more" thing... it's a life lesson... Do your part, do your charity and never talk about it.  Why? Because you shouldn't have to.  It's called a good deed.  It's called being generous.   Do I really give a crap that Benny Agbayani did more than Scott Brosius back in 2001? How about I'm just happy that we all contributed in some way to get this city and America back on our feet? How about that?

Seriously,  I thought when Boston fired Bobby that would be the end of this putz... I guess I was wrong...


He's like the Fifth Heartbeat... he thinks he's still got it.
  
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GUESS WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO DON MATTINGLY?

The Los Angeles Dodgers "suck" and when I mean "suck", I mean they have 18 wins, are in last place in the National League West and none of it, and I mean NONE OF IT is Don Mattingly's fault. But, if you are Dodger brass and you give the organization every possible tool they need to win a championship and they aren't winning, well, then it has to fall down on the manager.  Donnie Baseball is the manager. Damn that sucks. There have been alot of stories lately like Ken Rosenthal's of FOX Sports suggesting that the hammer is about to fall on Mattingly, and we'll detail that in a moment, but know this, today's story from ESPN suggests that Dodger brass isn't interested in firing Mattingly. General Manager Ned Colletti is quoted HERE saying: "his manager is 'doing fine' and has kept the team steady despite its last-place showing in the NL West." And Donnie has even said: "I'm still here. Ned didn't tell me I wasn't going to be here tomorrow or today. That's the way I look at it." Sure, I love that because I'm a Mattingly guy, but we all know how quickly investors lose their patience.

I wrote THE PRESSURE NOW FALLS ON MATTINGLY back in December.  It was easy to predict then that if the Dodgers weren't raking in the National League, it would fall on Donnie. I wrote then that Donnie knew that he had a lot of pressure to win. But let's face it, there is one important part of this puzzle and it was crystal clear. Like last year when Bobby Valentine was thrown into Beantown with a bunch of veteran Red Sox for example...veterans are set in their ways and change for no one. Los Angeles is no different. Sure, Valentine, or Mattingly may be the best baseball resource a club could ever have, but if veterans want to play their way and don't want to be told what to do. Their approach is always the same, win or lose. Trust me, I believe that if the Dodgers had a bunch of rookies and upcoming prospects, the molding from Don Mattingly to the Dodgers youth would translate beautifully and they could turned that ship around, but we all knew that Dodger brass would lose their patience early if they didn't win immediately.  Why? I'll tell you why... because investors don't get the game. They think throwing money at veterans solves problems and assures a championship. Well, as we Yankee fans have learned from quite a few years of the Steinbrenner way... it doesn't always work out that way.

Now back to that latest story about "firing" Mattingly, coming from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  He writes in his story titled Ax to fall soon for LA's Mattingly, " I’ve seen it too many times with unproven managers who are in the final years of contracts. A team struggles. A manager’s personality turns. A cloud forms over a club. Watch the games, listen to Mattingly and tell me this is not happening to the Dodgers.... Watching Sunday’s meltdown on television, I thought, 'Mattingly might be gone tomorrow.' And then I got a text from a rival scout, one who has no particular insight into the Dodgers, but is attuned — like so many in the sport — to the game’s day-to-day rhythms.

'Making the call — Donnie Ballgame will get the axe tomorrow,' the scout said.  The scout continued, 'He’s a laid-back manager with a laid-back veteran club. Great dude, but they need some energy. Some fire. Some change with that payroll. Not his fault, but you can’t fire 25 players.'"

Is Rosenthal jumping the gun? Maybe. Again, I don't think it's very fair to stare at Don Mattingly and think he's the cause of this, but like I said, Dodger brass wants results and if they think Donnie can't move the team up the rankings, they'll go out and find a guy who can.  Message to Dodger brass though... I very much doubt any manager can change this club and by the way, Donnie's nickname is "Donnie Baseball" for a reason. Why you'd want to give this guy the axe is a puzzle to me. Let the man manage!

Trust be told, I never liked Donnie in Dodger blue anyway, so maybe, if Rosenthal is correct and Mattingly does get fired... well, maybe it's a good thing for us Yankee fans.  Maybe then we can get our old captain and Yankee hero back.  Maybe then we can have him in the Bronx for Old Timer's day again, maybe for some type of special advisor role with our club, who knows.  Maybe we can bring our boy back to New York and celebrate him like we should have done years ago.  Maybe, just maybe we can slowly creep him in and eventually make him our manager... wishful thinking... and I'm clearly getting ahead of myself.

Whatever happens, I wish Donnie well.  I love the dude and nothing's ever changed years later.  The only difference is I want him back in Yankee blue, not Dodger blue.

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FUNNY THINGS YOU CAN DO WITH BALLS

OK. Calm down perv. I'm referring to baseballs... get your mind out of the gutter.

It's Sunday.  The week was long, we all busted ass at work, with the kids, I needed to make it light right about now.  I have found some pretty fun pictures of some baseball stars... and balls.  Baseballs and the weird things they have been caught doing with them.

 

This our Captain Derek Jeter in what I believe was an old GQ photo shoot.  Whatever the case, I actually don't ever remember seeing it, until I put together this piece.  

This is Carlos Beltran with what appears to be him actually eating a baseball.  Not sure where it came from, who snapped the shot and why he did it but it's funny and I appreciate the lighter side of baseball. 

I took this picture last season while Bobby Valentine was making a pitching change against the Yankees.  I noticed he kept smelling the ball while waiting for the new pitcher. I remember thinking "What the hell is this dude doing?" Now, players have said that sometimes when the ball is hit hard, if you smell the ball, you can sometimes smell a faint burn of wood off the ball. I'm not sure if that's true and I'm not sure what Uncle Rico is doing here but maybe that was it.

 This is Jimmy Rollins in what appears him getting clocked. Baseballs to the head scare the hell out of me. I can't believe the photographer was able to capture this moment. It's nuts.

This is Joba Chamberlain in Spring Training. I remember seeing this and just snagged it for a future post.... like this. I hope he didn't fracture anything doing this... I kid, I kid.

Hope you enjoyed this. If you liked it, share it. If not, just politely click to another page... preferably on BYB.  Have a good Sunday everyone.

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CURSE OF THE BAMBINO OR THE HEX OF PEDs?

I consider myself a positive person.  I always believe when one door closes, another one opens.  But, when I saw the tweet today from YES Networks's Jack Curry (HERE), I cracked.  "Brian Cashman said it's possible Derek Jeter might not be ready to start on Opening Day."  Even though Jeter repeated emphatically, as he often does, that his vision was to be ready to play opening day, it appears that he may be just short of his goal.  After being scratched from Tuesday's  lineup because of what has been called his "cranky ankle", the speculation mounted.  Is Jeter ready to take the field on April 1st?  Will he be ready only six months post-op? 

My concern is not just Jeter, but all of the ailing Yankees plaguing the DL this spring- Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, and now Jeter.  What is a team supposed to do?  What are the fans supposed to think?

I will tell you what, moments after I read Curry's tweet, I posted this thought, "The news keeps getting worse for the @Yankees; 1st ARod, then Grandy, then Tex and now Jeter- curse of the Bambino or hex of PEDS?" Now even though these guys are not all part of the PEDs debate, I feel like there is a hex of PEDs around all of MLB players.

The PEDs debate continues to swell around all players who go on long-term hitting streaks and pound 20 homeruns in six weeks.  PEDs accusations are as vicious as the six year stint of the Red Scare of the 50's, when society looked to point fingers at anyone who could have remotely been involved with members of the Communist Party.  So although, most players are not PEDs users, the debate surrounding PEDs makes any of them vulnerable to the discussion. 

The other thought I had was of course the transference of the Curse of the Bambino.  With Bobby Valentine and the Red Sox circus in Boston last season, I wouldn't doubt that Valentine created a voodoo doll of the Yankee starters and is push pinning them from his new post as the AD of Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.  The Red Sox are in the rebuilding stage, so I am not sure his hexing abilities would work on that team, but there is certainly no love lost between him and the Yankees, so who knows?

My point is this, with less than three weeks to go before opening day, how much more can we take?  What are we going to do?  What do our injured reserves look like and will Cashman seriously give our minor league prospects a chance?  Because if we have to live with this and put on the field only the injured reserves of last year, I think we are in serious trouble.

The reality is that Teixeira could be out until after the All Star Break or maybe even longer, Jeter is going to be a watch and see, and Grandy, well I have not heard all that much about him.  I have not even considered ARod's presence, because unfortunately, I am afraid he will have none. 

As a voice of optimism, I sometimes get beat down.  I hope that curses can't be transferred and hexes are fiction.  I hope that what we are experiencing right now is just a little bad luck just before the start of the season.  But just in case, let's all take a moment to pray before bed tonight that this streak ends very soon and as the lyrics from the Kinks say, "we all have better days."

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




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BOBBY VALENTINE NEEDS A STOP TALKING

Maybe Bobby needs a nice Silence of the Lambs muzzle.  The reality is, I have never liked Bobby Valentine, or should I say, I never respected him. Not liking or hating is cruel.  At least when it comes to respect, it comes between 2 human beings or more and people understand how you treat or handle others as a manager or individual.  I call him Uncle Rico (Read WHY VALENTINE IS BASEBALL'S UNCLE RICO) because he's stuck in the past. 

Bobby has never won a damn thing in the states, yet, he's placed on a pedastal by Major League Baseball and networks like ESPN for being an "expert."  An expert of what, I have no idea. But fine, I guess if you know the right people, you fail "up."

Uncle Rico was just made athletic director for Sacred Heart University.  Good for him. According to Jerry Spar of WEEI who was there, read HERE, Valentine spoke about the Red Sox in 2012 and said this:

 "I thought I did a hell of a job in Boston. I thought what had to be done there was done except for winning a pennant. But Connie Mack wasn’t going to win with that team. It’s six months of a 62-year life. It’s six months of a 42-year career in baseball. It’s a blip..."

How insulting is this guy? Now you know me, I don't care for or root for the Red Sox, but let's not forget that this is still a major league club we're talking about.  There is absolutely no way to fully blame the entire Red Sox club for sucking.  After all, that's why the manager is there... to manage.  The team didn't gel partly because of Bobby and it's a big PART. The team, didn't have respect for their manager and in turn, they didn't do what they needed to win.  It's a joint effort for sure... again, Bobby was a big part of that crappy season.

I kind of feel bad for the Sacred Heart players.  What's gonna happen when he blows that gig?

And  for the record... Connie Mack is rolling over in his grave.  It's easy to challenge a dead guy.  Come on Bobby, you're better than that...or are you?

Kudos to Aaron Gleeman at Hardball Talk which is where I read this story first, HERE.

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WINNING: IT'S MORE THAN RAW TALENT

As I watch MLB’s Network 30 Clubs in 30 Days, the banter escalates into how many "W"s will the team in question ultimately achieve.  What I am hearing is that winning is more than bullpen talent and offensive power, it is about getting up the next day and winning, whether you won the night before or you lost.  How do players muster up the courage and determination to face the next game head on less than 24-hours of a battle to the finish? 

According to the New York Times (HERE), “At this level, you’re going to escape death a few times and sometimes, you’re going to get shot,” said Terry Collins in reference to a Mets win over the Giants last April.  When you get shot, you just have to recover and when you give it all the night before, you have come out fighting just as hard the next day.  In the spring it’s easier to rebound because your guys are fresh and ready to take on the world, but come late July and mid-August, the days get longer and even more important.  According to MLB Network analysts this is where you separate winning clubs from dying clubs.  It is about endurance, it is about who can take on the next challenge, it is about who can win day after day- that’s a mentality and that’s embedded in a player’s mindset despite contract controversies, injury reports, and managerial mishaps. 




Robinson Cano said it best this week when he told reporters that he is focused on winning and that he will not give into the distractions of his contract extension.  Derek Jeter is focused on winning too and downplaying his ankle injury, which abruptly ended his postseason.

See reporters like this stuff- these sidebars make the game interesting.  Yet in reality these are merely sidebars and they do nothing but take away from the energy of the game that needs to be played every night hard and fierce in order to be at the top of pack come September and October. 

Endurance- most would say that this refers strength and power at the end of a long work out or game.  Sure, I agree with that but I also agree that mental endurance is even tougher to build and maintain.  According to Forbes Magazine’s article (HERE), “Six Elements of Mental Toughness,” “Research and common sense tell us that top competitive athletes succeed because of their physical talents and their dedication to training. However, they also succeed because of their dexterity in dealing with the psychological pressures of a sport. In short, mental toughness and resilience are tremendously important for any athlete aiming to be the best in a sport.” The article continues to say that athletes need to practice mental toughness and ready themselves for the challenges that lie ahead of them.  “Are you mentally tough enough to compete?” is the root question underlying the training process.  The article’s six elements include:  Flexibility, Responsiveness, Strength, Courage and Ethics, Resiliency, and Sportsmanship. 

I don’t know about you folks, but when I read through those powerful words that describe the best leaders of the game, I think about these six infielders: Sabathia, Rivera, Teixeira, Cano, Jeter, and yes, even Youkilis who faced mental toughness head on last season with the horrors of the Red Sox club house and Bobby Valentine at the helm.

We absolutely have what it takes mentally, I just know it and if baseball is 90% mental as Yogi Berra reminds us, then we can take it, despite our limitations and despite the criticism surrounding the 2013 team.  We can take it because we are mentally tough and isn’t that what winning is truly all about?

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




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