SO, WELLS IS ALLEGEDLY TIPPING PITCHES NOW?

Low batting average, below average catcher... possibly tipping pitches. Sounds awful.

So now the baseball world is whispering—no, snickering—about whether Austin Wells is tipping pitches. This came out earlier in the week. I am just catching up. 

Former MLB pitcher Joe Ausanio and every self-appointed slow-motion-video guru on Twitter swear they’ve cracked the code: apparently Wells nods his head like a bobblehead on a pothole when he wants a changeup and keeps it still for a fastball. Wonderful. Just what we needed: a catcher who turns pitch-calling into interpretive dance.

Now, yes, this “tell” hasn’t been proven. It’s not science. It’s barely science fiction. But honestly? Do we even need proof? If someone told me Wells was accidentally holding up flashcards that says “FASTBALL COMING,” I’d shrug and say, “Yeah, that tracks.”

Because here’s the truth: anything involving Austin Wells messing up feels on-brand at this point to me. My eye test didn’t just fail him—it flat-out refused to grade the assignment. The Yankees shoved him into the big leagues like they were rushing out a product that wasn’t finished, and surprise! It performs like a product that wasn’t finished.

Wells’ 2025 season? A masterpiece of mediocrity.
• A .219 batting average that should come with a parental advisory label.
• Exit velocity falling off a cliff, waving goodbye on the way down.
• A batted-ball profile that screams “weak contact enthusiast.”
• A platoon role he’s clearly allergic to.
• And a nerve issue in his catching hand—because of course the one thing he needs most is malfunctioning. Hey, I guess you gotta blame something.  But if he hand is messed up, then why the hell are we running this guy out there every game?

Let’s stop pretending there was ever some blossoming star here. The hype around Wells evaporated faster than soda on hot pavement in my opinion. One minute he was “the next great Yankees catcher,” and the next minute he’s… well… Austin Wells.

And while we’re handing out blame, let’s not forget the real criminal masterminds here: the Yankees’ scouting and drafting department, who continue to evaluate players with all the success rate of someone throwing darts blindfolded in the dark during an earthquake. They hyped Wells, they rushed him, and now they’re gaslighting us into believing that he's fine, it's us!

Meanwhile Ben Rice, the backup, the understudy at catcher… is outplaying Wells. By a lot. When your backup catcher looks like Buster Posey compared to your starter, something has gone horribly wrong.

So, is Wells tipping pitches? Unconfirmed. But is Wells playing terribly? Oh, that’s confirmed. In triplicate. With a notary stamp.

And are the Yankees once again exposing how their drafting decisions belong in a museum next to “Failed Experiments of the 21st Century”? Absolutely.

At this point, the only thing Wells is tipping is the rest of us off that the Yankees' player-evaluation system desperately needs a reboot.

YANKEES IN FREE FALL & PLAYERS ARE ACTING WEIRD

There is no question the Yankee players are feeling it because they are not playing well. That part is obvious to anyone with two eyes and half a baseball brain. The more important question is: why are they so bad?

Let’s not sugarcoat this—the Yankees front office is an unmitigated disaster. A flaming clown car careening down River Avenue. This team bears no resemblance to the Yankees of the Derek Jeter era. Those Yankees stood for excellence. These Yankees stand around staring blankly after grounding into another inning-ending double play.

There’s no edge. No accountability. No fire. Just soft, stale baseball—and that rot starts at the top. Because when leadership is weak, when the manager is more interested in being a buddy than a boss, the product on the field suffers. And oh boy, is it suffering.

Now, I know I’m beating a dead horse here, but let me be clear: the Yankees are the horse. And someone needs to beat some urgency into this lifeless team.

Hal Steinbrenner’s silence through all of this is deafening. His stoic detachment is basically an endorsement of the chaos. If you were wondering whether Hal understands the depth of the mess, wonder no more. He doesn’t. He’s got the same clueless, deer-in-the-headlights energy as the front office he installed—and it's contagious.

Meanwhile, the players are getting weirder by the day. Case in point: Marcus Stroman. After being released—yes, released—his social media suggests he’s doing just fine, thanks. Flashing his private jet like he’s on vacation, not licking his wounds after flopping in the Bronx. 

That vibe? That “I’m good no matter what” attitude? Yeah, that’s pure Aaron Boone. It’s the signature Boone-brand delusion: accountability is optional, losing is fine, and if you suck, don’t worry, we’ll clap for you anyway.

Stroman was a bad fit from Day One. A mood-swing pitcher with a social media addiction, dropped into the biggest media market in the country like a grenade. Cashman tried to sell it as a savvy, under-the-radar steal. Instead, it blew up in his face. Stroman never belonged in pinstripes—he wasn’t built for this city, this pressure, or this moment.

And now, more uncertainty looms. Reports are swirling that Cody Bellinger may already be eyeing the exit. Can you blame him? He’s having a solid year—slashing .276/.327/.500 with 20 home runs—and holds a $25 million player option for next season. But after watching this circus unfold in the Bronx, he might prefer a one-way ticket to literally anywhere else.

Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller predicts Bellinger bolts and signs a “three- or four-year deal with the Giants.” Can’t say I disagree. The Giants are trending upward. Buster Posey’s calling the shots now and has already proven he’s willing to be aggressive. And unlike the Yankees, the Giants don’t treat August like nap time.

Let’s face it: why would Bellinger stay? To be a part of this? Amateur Hour featuring Aaron Boone and the All-Shrug Team?

We’re in the dog days of summer, but the Yankees are in the dead zone—flatlined in third place with no accountability, no urgency, and a manager who hasn’t had to answer a real question since 2021.

Nothing changes unless someone shakes this tree. But Boone stays, the front office hides, Hal naps, and the fans suffer. That’s the Bronx blueprint right now.

And that is the bottom line.

IF YOU'RE A MAJOR LEAGUER, YOU BETTER HUSTLE

A long time ago when Bleeding Yankee Blue was in it's infancy, a tool by the name of Peter Keating of ESPN the magazine thought it would be unique to try and throw an up and coming writing under the bus in a much bigger forum than my BYB audience... (ESPN) to shame me with my OPINION of why Robinson Cano needs to hustle his ass off as a millionaire role model for the New York Yankees.  He didn't reach out to tell me... he just did it. Hey, that's his right.... but thank god for the BYB audience. Because when it was published, our readers were all over it and let me know it happened.  

In my piece CANO: NO LEADER, NO DRIVE, I wrote "Maybe it’s him NOT fist pumping after a game or big play like Jeet does. Maybe it’s him just making it seem like it’s “too easy.” The energy is much different. Comparing the 2, Jeter and Cano, and I hate doing it… Cano looks like he’s padding numbers as opposed to leading a club to a championship."

I'm slamming a Yankee there, I fully admitted that back when I wrote it in 2013. But in 2013, not everyone was so sensitive. 

Back then you could write an opinion and have a mature banter back and forth on social media or in the comments section of your story.  But that's when that shady Keating wrote this in his article:

And with a difference of opinion from Keating, I'm fine with that... it's how he handled it that made me realize what kind of a sad journalist he is. Do you know to this day he has never responded to a single email, call, tweet? Nothing. That's spineless.  But more to it... he missed the point of what fandom is and why I wrote what I wrote. 

Fans WANT hustle. Fans WANT players playing hard. They pay good money to go to games and to see wins. They understand that teams will lose, but they get frustrated anyway. One thing they don't get? Dogging it.  Keating can act like an intellect all he wants, many of these journalists can. But the difference is these so-called established writers are really just bending over for these athletes because it helps them. They'll rarely slam players because they don't want to look bad in front of these organizations and not get future interviews and freebees when the team allows. And so, they kiss ass, they act like they care and they push their integrity aside and try to slam the little guy, the fan as being wrong and ignorant.  

But we're Bleeding Yankee Blue. We cater TO the fans. We don't care if a Yankee sucks, we're gonna tell you and if the Yankees win, we celebrate. That's because being a fan is special, either way. 

I'm not looking to get into the Yankee party. Our BYB team will never sway from our integrity and that's vital in journalism... in fact, dare I say, integrity in journalism is gone these days.

Fast forward to race, white privilege and no one getting along on any level in 2021. (Wow that escalated quickly.) 

Opinion these days gets you attacked, abused, yelled at. You can't have an opinion.  Now, before I go further with this, I need to state what opinion is, and what fact is.  There is a difference.

Facts are important. If you're gonna spew facts, make sure they're right. If you are listening or reading a commentator talking about something, make sure you can decipher if that person is offering opinion or FACT. Sometimes these commentators or "influencers" say things that aren't true.  That's bad. Aubrey Huff is a perfect person for that. He's a tool, lies and acts like what he says is fact, when, if you were to research his comments, there is usually no source attached and you can debunk it with actual research from legit sources.  

And then you have opinion, which, I respect. But it's when we dive into that line between journalism and fan that I have a problem.

Enter Jesse Spector and his attack of Andy Martino's assessment of Gleyber Torres. He claims, and this is so odd to me, that Martino made a racial attack against Torres. That not hustling for a man of color is different than for a white player.

what is this effort pic.twitter.com/mdgUaPqSPc

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 22, 2021

I appreciate that, but I gotta tell ya, I don't agree. No, not because I'm white, but because I have a difference of opinion.

What I DO agree with is the unfair attack toward Torres. If you are gonna look at a check swing tapper to the mound and yell at a player for not running hard to first, you are pretty much an idiot.  These are professional athletes in the field. The percentage of him busting down the line and making on that play is probably 0.08%. Not Happening. So, if Spector is calling Martino out for that, good for him. 

Spector writes: "As it is, the Yankees have lost six of seven, are tied with the Twins for the worst record in the American League, and sit only half a game ahead of the Rockies for the worst record in baseball.

And it’s all Gleyber Torres’ fault, apparently.

Torres did not run hard on a check-swing tapper back to the mound, it’s true. You can understand his frustration, being 11-for-59 on the season with no homers and 15 strikeouts, while also struggling defensively at shortstop....

At the same time, it’s 17 games into the season. Torres is a two-time All-Star — and he’s only 24...

Or, for Andy Martino of SNY, Torres can be made the scapegoat. The idea here is that “It’s not a birthright to start games for the New York Yankees, even if you’re one of the most talented players on the team. It might be worth a shot for the front office to remind the entire group that these jobs must be earned on a daily basis.”

That’s right, the Yankees should send Torres to the minor league alternate site, and install Tyler Wade, an objectively worse player, at shortstop, in order to cure their slow start.

“The Yankees’ problems are not nearly all Torres’ fault,” Martino wrote. “But he’s optionable, struggling, and showing a lack of hustle.”

This is where I have a problem. Balance. 

I don't know if Andy Martino has called out white players for lack of hustle before, and to be honest, that should be Spector's focus of this article.  Spector is grouping ALL WHITE JOURNALISTS into a pot and basically suggesting that white journalists don't call out white athletes on hustle.  And that's my problem... All black people aren't the same... neither are all white journalists. I don't feel like that's too fair. 

Spector says: 

"Gardner’s “lack of hustle” in April of 2019 was described as “uncharacteristic” by the New York Daily News. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle’s reference to Posey was a caption, noting that Posey was “not booed … for his lack of hustle,” associated with a Sept. 15, 2019 column by Ann Killion headlined, “Why Giants’ Buster Posey still gets benefit of doubt in frustrating year.”

The other white players who have gotten tagged this way are Harper and Souza, both of whom were benched by managers explicitly for incidents where they didn’t go as hard as they could...

Is it really the case, then, where not hustling is an almost universally Latino issue, and when it isn’t, it’s highly likely to be a Black player not giving his all? Or is this an issue of perception from the heavily white media corps, not to mention the heavily white baseball executive and managerial contingent?"

And see what he does there? Couches it as a question, yet his headline says so much more:

"What it really means when white sportswriters talk about lack of hustle".

I read Jesse Spector. I love what he does, but I also feel like this is just as racist as what he's accusing white journalists of doing. Do I dislike the guy for it? Nope. It's a deep, important perspective that needs to be taught and explained. I just didn't like the bunching.  

But you know what it does? It opens my eyes. I will be mindful of how I react to hustle going forward. And you know what? Black, White, Latino... they're all ballplayers... they ALL should be called out if they're not busting down the line.  On a check swing tap back to the mound?... NO.  But on an infield hit to the shortstop or third baseman? ABSOLUTELY. 

I don't care if it's Brett Gardner, Robinson Cano, Bryce Harper, Gleyber Torres or Fred the Martian... if you have fans paying big money to pay your salary and you jog? You need to be called out... not racially... but as a chump athlete that thinks he made it because he's a millionaire on an MLB team.

Fans pay big money to see big things. It's what they expect. While human, this is the biggest stage in sports... they're ain't nothing racial about hustle.

Smart perspective Jesse Spector. Makes you think.

IS COVID-19 HUMBLING BASEBALL?

Source: Associated Press

Baseball was a top shelf sport. Expensive. Over the top. Invincible. Standing the test of time. Then COVID-19 struck and closed America's pastime swiftly stopping spring training and forward progress for the 2020 season. In doing so, it humbled baseball. Perhaps, simplified it. At least that is what I am seeing in the Summer Camp squad games at Yankee Stadium this week.

“It’s about doing all the things that hopefully, as a whole, keep us safe and healthy but right now we feel like we’re doing a good job in here of managing,” said Aaron Boone as reported by the New York Post. 

Source: NBC NewYork

The Yankees looked like little leaguers practicing in the temple of all of baseball: The House that Ruth Built. JA Happ and Clarke Schmidt threw impressive baseball amidst the few cameras that captured the innings of the intrasquad twilight game in an empty stadium cut short by a storm to the New York area a couple of hours into the exhibition. 

Clint Frazier donned a mask while at bat during Saturday's game. Aaron Judge sat out with a stiff neck. Aroldis Chapman, Luis Cessa, and DJ LeMahieu all tested positive for the virus.  Baseball has become vulnerable, to something more than just mere injury or age. It has been humbled and likely changed as a result forever.

“It’s kind of hard to say that … we expected to go through the whole season without anyone testing positive. I think that would be remarkable,” Aaron Hicks said. “It’s part of what’s going on right now. You can get the COVID at any time,” reported the Post.

Source: SF Gate

Some players are opting out of the 60 game season entirely for the safety of their families. San Fransisco Giants catcher Buster Posey is one of multiple players who have decided to sit out 2020. Posey and his wife are celebrating the birth of their identical twin girls. He and his wife have four children.

"This ultimately wasn't that difficult a decision for me," Posey said during a Zoom call with reporters on Friday. "From a baseball standpoint, it was a tough decision. From a family standpoint and feeling like making a decision to protect our children, I think it was relatively easy," reported MLB.com.

Yankee Ace Gerrit Cole whose wife gave birth on June 30th to their first son, has decided to play. It is a personal decision to play or to opt out. Baseball has made a number of changes to help protect players, coaches and other staff. Zoom pre and post game interviews, masks, social distancing, and pitchers carrying their own balls to the mound are just a handful of ways of how baseball is pivoting during this new normal.

Is COVID-19 humbling baseball? Absolutely it is. It is showing all of us that we are not invincible. We are vulnerable, we all are, whether you are a baseball playing making millions a year to perform your craft or a health care worker, educator, first responder or a politician. COVID-19 is humbling all of us. And we will be forever changed as a result.

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Contributing Editor

Twitter: @suzieprof

YANKEES CORONAVIRUS UPDATES & THE 2020 OPT OUT

This weekend was a hard one. This fourth of July holiday weekend looked a lot different than others. I keep reminding myself that it's not different just for us but for all players and every single team. The hope of baseball is now linked to consistent testing for Coronavirus and enhanced health and safety measures. Both of those we saw center stage over the weekend at Yankee stadium.

I'm really hoping for the best for Masahiro Tanaka. We've been so focused on Coronavirus, but the reality of getting hit by a comeback pitch is still as likely today as it was before Coronavirus and we were reminded of that. The same dangers surrounding baseball are still there...and now new ones. Reports say that Tanaka was showing concussion symptoms that have since subsided, thankfully but Tanaka will indeed go into concussion protocol. Definitely not the exciting news we were looking for as Spring Training 2.0 is now underway. Now we sit and wait and hope for good news.

In the meantime, as Tanaka recovers we get other results that hit close to home. As the Yankees completed their first round of Coronavirus tests of many to come....we hear that Luis Cessa and DJ LeMahieu have both tested positive, read more HERE. While Cessa was experiencing "mild symptoms" LeMahieu is asymptomatic, reminding us how scary this virus is. It's hard to fight and protect others from what you can't see. LeMahieu won't be the last, there will be more. So the next few weeks and months are going to be hard for baseball.

It is hard enough that some players have exercised their option to not participate in the 2020 season, and now that we have our first big names to opt out who will be next? Or who is on the fence?

David Price and Felix Hernandez are not playing this season. Price is a huge loss for the Dodgers who expected Price to be a good addition for another run at the World Series. No Yankees have opted out yet, but could that change?

Maybe but I hope not. Mike Trout is one of the biggest names in baseball, and he is considering not playing this season. He and his wife are expecting their first child soon, and is concerned with their health and safety. Yesterday Sean Doolittle and Buster Posey also said he has reservations about playing and will continue to evaluate and will opt out if they feel it is necessary, read more HERE.

These are unprecedented times for sure. We still want baseball to happen, perhaps now more than ever....but what if some of our favorites or big names in the game decide to sit this season out? If the big names don't play how does this affect the game? I know I am still going to watch no matter what, but it is definitely going to be a big change.

This season isn't going to be easy, but I think Aaron Boone is right....we are as hungry as ever. The Yankees will find a way to rise to the challenge, and baseball will find a way to persevere.

Keep your fingers crossed for Tanaka, LeMahieu and Cessa!

--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

MAYBE THE YANKEES CAN DUMP ELLSBURY AFTER ALL....

It would be the best breakup story I have ever heard. Breakups normally suck, but not this one. The idea of cutting all ties with Jacoby Ellsbury would be epic. It may not be realistic, but you know what? It's not going to stop me from fantasizing about it.

The Yankees won 100 games last season without Jacoby Ellsbury. He never made an appearance. Not one at bat or defensive replacement. Their third most expensive contract literally had ZERO impact on the team. He's a non-factor who is just taking up roster space.

Ellsbury had season-ending hip surgery in August and is questionable for an Opening Day return. His agent Scott Boras said he would be ready HERE, but last we heard from Brian Cashman back in October he didn't sound so optimistic. That was a while ago at this point, but we have nothing else to go off of.

Despite Ellsbury's missing year, there has miraculously still been some interest in him this winter. At one point it was rumored that the Mariners and Yankees were talking about a Robinson Cano-for Ellsbury trade that obviously didn't go anywhere and now more recently the San Francisco Giants have interest. Serious interest? Who knows, but Buster Olney tweeted it:

Why on earth would either side be interested in this? (IF they are). Here are some thoughts:

1. Both sides would trade from areas of depth to address areas of weakness

Basically the Giants and Yankees would be swapping bad contract for bad contract. We all hate the Ellsbury contract, it's a horrible deal for the Yankees. As bad as it is, the Giants have several bad contracts. They have a lot of money tied up in declining players on a rebuilding team. The Giants are not going to be contenders. They lost 98 games in 2017 and 89 games last season. I don't see 2019 being a drastic improvement.

That being said they have a few bad contract for bad contract candidates that they could try to tempt the Yankees with....but I think only two make any sense.

I disagree with Olney about Johnny Cueto. He's still recovering from Tommy John surgery and he's not even expected to pitch this season. He would be a pickup for 2020 or 2021 and he has an extra year on his deal compared to Ellsbury. I am sure the Giants would love to get rid of him, but he makes no sense for the Yankees.

But what about Brandon Belt? Buster Posey will likely see more time at first base for the Giants going forward due to his hip surgery. That could make Belt expendable so maybe they would trade him. He would be another alternative to Greg Bird and give us a better lefty bad we desperately need.  If I am being honest though, I would take just about anyone over Bird. I'm known to be his toughest critic here. Heck, maybe the Yankees could throw in cost effective Bird with Ellsbury and get it done. Probably not though....realistically the Giants could get more for Belt.

There's also Jeff Samardzija. The Giants have been shopping for an outfielder. We have a surplus of them, and the Giants have pitching depth so a swap would make sense. I don't think you can ever have enough pitching, so the Yankees would get another arm they can use however they need. Still seems a little far fetched though.

2. There's insurance money to consider

Last year Ellsbury made $21 million, but the Yankees were able to recover over $15 million from insurance thanks to his missed time, read more HERE. Maybe we haven't heard an update on Ellsbury because the Yankees don't expect him to miss enough time for the insurance payout to kick in. He would have to miss a certain amount of time before they can collect insurance again. It's crazy to think about but if Ellsbury does miss considerable time again this season he could be more valuable for the Yankees to keep because of the insurance payout and less valuable to a potential trade partner thanks to his diminished value.

3. What about that 'no-trade' clause?

We all know Ellsbury has one, but will he waive it? I don't know. He has two motivating factors to waive it. Realistically, Ellsbury is a bench guy at best. The Yankees have a bench spot open, but the outfield is set and has a waiting list (Clint Frazier, anyone?)

If Ellsbury wants playing time he's going to get that with the Giants who are actively shopping for outfielders. Also, Ellsbury has a home in Arizona so playing in San Francisco could be appealing. Then again.....it's the Giants instead of the Yankees. Potential postseason berth versus nothing (likely). Ouch.

This sounds like a long shot but if the Giants are willing to talk it's worth an honest conversation. Sometimes rumors just don't make sense. There are cheaper free agents out there. They could easily sign Marwin Gonzalez or Adam Jones for far less money so this rumor is strange, but if the Giants really have interest in Ellsbury then the Yankees should be all ears. I know I am.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

TOPPS & NEW ERA PARTNER UP

Here's the latest from Topps on a new and exciting project!

"New Era Cap®, the official cap of Major League Baseball®, and The Topps Company, Inc., the exclusive trading card partners of MLB, today launched a cap collection to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the memorable 1987 Topps® wood-grain trading card design and a modern update showcasing new technologies used in the 2017 Topps Chrome® trading cards.

The 9FIFTY® snapback caps, which are available at NewEraCap.com, Topps.com, MLBShop.com, Lids.com, retail locations within select MLB ballparks and a handful of other retailers throughout the U.S. beginning the week of July 31, will feature all 30 MLB teams in both styles and retail for $34.

The New Era MLB 1987 Topps 9FIFTY cap features a team-color crown with the team logo used in the 1987 card design embroidered on the front, a wood-grain applique on the visor and the Topps’ “The Real One!” tagline on the back. The New Era MLB 2017 Topps Chrome 9FIFTY features a team color crown with a LiquidChrome™ team logo on the front, a chrome sublimation print on the visor featuring the team logo in the 2017 Topps card design and a silver snap closure on the back."

'This collaboration between two heritage brands aligned with Major League Baseball allows fans to rekindle their baseball memories from the past while also offering a modern twist to create additional memories for the future,' said Tony DeSimone, Baseball Category Director at New Era Cap. 'Topps has been a great partner in helping us design and produce these caps that will surely resonate with both longtime and newer baseball fans.'

'The New Era caps are a great way to bring many baseball fans back to their childhoods while showcasing the new technologies that Topps has to offer on modern cards,' said Dan Kinton, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Topps. 'Seeing the Topps designs brought to life on New Era caps has been nothing short of amazing. The New Era caps really capture the essence of the card designs.'

The two iconic baseball licensees also announced they are partnering on an exciting 32-card trading card set that will be available exclusively at MLB ballparks when purchasing select Topps and New Era product beginning on Aug. 1. Fans will receive one pack including eight limited-edition cards when purchasing a New Era cap and Topps Team-Card set at any participating MLB ballpark retail location. Fans will receive one card pack per purchased cap and team-card set, while supplies last.

Fans will also be able to collect cap memorabilia cards in select card packs, as New Era and Topps will be offering swatches of player-worn MLB Authentic Collection 59FIFTY® caps in relic cards (numbered to 99) randomly inserted into the card packs. The relic cards include swatches from caps worn by New Era ambassadors Jose Altuve, Dellin Betances, Mookie Betts, Josh Donaldson, Bryce Harper, Rick Porcello, Buster Posey, Kyle Schwarber, Corey Seager, Dansby Swanson and Noah Syndergaard.

National Baseball Card Day celebrates the fun of baseball and card collecting on Aug. 12. Topps, Major League Baseball, and the Major League Baseball Players Association have partnered to make National Baseball Card Day an unforgettable event with hobby shops across North America and all 30 MLB teams taking part in the festivities with in-store promotions and in-stadium giveaways.

We love to celebrate Topps here at BYB and the beginning of the year we made a commitment to helping promote the Topps brand.  It just makes me feel all fuzzy inside.

For more information, go to Topps.com.

A WILD DAY FROM FORT LEE TO THE BRONX

At 12:33 I was at my son's baseball game in Fort Lee, New Jersey.  By 1:35pm, I was in the Bronx watching today's Yankee / Giants game in literally a last moment decision to take some tickets from my buddy who happened to live in Fort Lee, but could not go to the game. 

He showed up at our field, handed me the tickets, 'Go have fun' was yelled out, and just like that, I pulled my son from his game, and we headed to the Bronx.  Crazy... absolutely crazy, but the timing was right, and my kid seemed kind of psyched.

We showed up late and got up to speed on the game when we arrived.  It was nice that Carlos Beltran cranked it out today.  It was nicer to see Mark Teixeira crank out a solo shot. But as I wrote on Twitter...

Nice Homer #Teixeira don't bust a hip rounding first. #StillNotBuyingit #BYB

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) July 24, 2016

I'm mean. I know it. I'm sorry.  I just feel like Mark's time in the Bronx is up.  My son was quick to remind me to be nice, and "Tex did some good things, and he's still good defensively."  OK, OK... I toned it down, but my tweet was out there, what could I do at this point?

Eovaldi pitched and looked good.  But all I kept hearing from the guy next to me was how it will be his last start in pinstripes, and "Beltran's gone too."  I find that crap annoying.  I just came to watch a game have a few beers and get out of there.  I don't need the bull... it's freaking hot.

The Yankees were up 5-0, but when Chad Green came in, he gave up 2 on a Buster Posey liner up the right field line.  Look, I didn't for a second think the Yankees were going to lose, and my son's a big Posey fan, so that was special, but for the love of God what is it about Green that the Yankees love? I cannot put my finger on it.

@cl8447 He rose to the occasion! Still don't love him... but that's what being a fan is. I'm sure at some point he'll change my mind. #BYB

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) July 24, 2016

Now yes, he got his first career save today.  He helped execute a terrific double play when we needed it most... but as I told this guy... I'm still not there as a Green fan yet.  That's on me... sorry.

On the Jersey side, we didn't miss much.  My boy's team continued to stomp on their opponent and my kid's team got the win.  Pulling him, while unlike anything we've ever done before, was worth it today though. The Yankees are beating very good teams lately.

You gotta wonder what Cashman and the honchos are thinking leading up to the Trade Deadline.

Final: Yankees 5 - Giants 2