THROUGH GOOD & BAD, THE YANKEES WILL REIGN AGAIN

I've been a Yankee fan for a long, long time. I am also a baseball fan. I love the game and everything about it.

As a Yankee fan, there's been some very interesting moves. I mean, yes, we did get Andrew Miller, and Chase Headley has been signed and that's good.  We signed Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Jones and that's a good thing, although, it will be interesting to see how Eovaldi does in the American League.  He's only been an NL pitcher.

(In Photo: Johnny Barbato)
There have also been a bunch of small moves, and some were surprising.  Manny Banuelos was once the "next best thing" in Yankeeland.  But he's gone done.  We also have been picking up alot of pitching.  And we've been giving away pitching to do it.  Shawn Kelley for Johnny Barbato for instance.  All these moves are interesting and the bottom line, we just don't know what we're getting in return.  For Barbato for instance, he might need Tommy John surgery.  That's the bad news. 

The good news is we traded away a 30 year old pitcher in Kelley for a young kid with a ton of upside.  Many question marks, but moves are happening.  Bottom line, it's going to take a while to see what we get back on our investments. I hope Yankeeland can be patient. I get it, as a Yankee fan, we want instant gratification. We want to be instantly satisfied. Well... that's not how life words... baseball is no different.

My friend Mike said to me the other day, "There hasn't been that signing that will make me say... 'You know what? I'm satisfied. We did good.'"  That's what the off season is all about if you're a Yankee fan  these days. In the past, even last year we would go out and sign whomever we wanted because we have the money to do it. But think about this for a second...  

@SportsCenter @Buster_ESPN how my A's are looking right now pic.twitter.com/3k0ykX9nsJ
— Joe Gamba (@_joegamba) December 19, 2014

As much as we feel that uncertainty and unsureness as a Yankee fan, you gotta feel for fans of the Oakland A's.  Their team will be totally different next season too.  Jon Lester took a walk. Jeff Samardzija is gone, Derek Norris went to San Diego and it just looks like everyone is leaving, hence the tweet above.

Their players are literally leaving Oakland.  At least New York players are intact, we're just adding young talent.  We just need the Yankees to figure out how to play good baseball together.  Buying players is easy. It's cutting through the egos and finding a rhythm to get wins. That's what Yankee fans really want.

A while back, Mike O'Hara wrote  STOP LOOKING FOR THAT TEAM. In it, he wrote the following:

"I’ve seen all the tweets and read the articles and blogs. 'Why didn’t we get…', 'What is Cashman doing?!', 'I can’t believe he left town!'  Well, believe it. The Yankees painted themselves into this corner. They money is locked up in has-been players and the farm is still years away from a crop. The Yankees might not just miss the playoffs in 2015, they may actually have a losing season…no, and I won’t calm down. I’m already calm…and just disappointed."

The piece was full of passion from a long time Yankee fan.  That sparked some pretty passionate comments as well. Here's one you must read.

"...Seriously, go take a look at the history of all teams in MLB and you'll see there is absolutely no reason for your doom and gloom articles. Aside from the early 90's, The Yankees have been competitive and successful. Even rebuilding, they've been well above .500. The media's (and younger fans) negative opinions hold no weight to those of us who have earned our pinstripes by backing 60 and 70 win teams year after year. Sorry, if the vent offends but... be a fan of the Royals, the Pirates or Padres etc. for the past 25 years and then a lot of fans may have some kind of qualifications to back up their whining. You have to live the REAL hard times to appreciate the actual success of this franchise. This is a blanket statement to all whining Yankee fans that have been raised spoiled, entitled, and never really knowing hard times. As a fan since the 60's, we / I have seen way worse Yankee times than most of the spoiled new fans. Now that your getting a small taste ( and I mean SMALL taste comparatively), stop whining like you're in baseball hell. 22 straight winning seasons does not give you any right to diagnose "hard times" in Yankeeland or act as if you've seen the bottom of the barrel.  

(In Photo: Celerino Sanchez)
Try counting on Bernie Allen, Pete Ward, Ron Hansen, 2 old ass Alous and a Celerino Sanchez as your team saviors and praying that you actually finish a season at .500 instead of the cellar."

Black Tiger wrote that. Black Tiger also apologized for his rant, claiming it appeared disrespectful.  I accept.

The fact of the matter is, Black Tiger is right... but so is Mike O'Hara.  In fact, any fan who has a passionate opinion about the Yankees and where they are right now is correct in some way. That's because fandom is personal and specific to that fan.  There is no right or wrong.  We write our feelings about our team, usually because it's driven with pure passion and fuel due to frustration or aggravation, sometimes even happiness.  It's a rant, kind of how Bleeding Yankee Blue was created in the first place.

Look, this Yankee off season has been interesting, but this is what we do know; The Yankees have had good runs in history. They have also had some dark days. 

I'm a Steinbrenner kid. I saw the 1970s championships. I also saw the bad teams in the 80s.  I also lived through Stick Michael and the Core Four and that run in the 90s was amazing.  Guess what else... I could see this coming a mile away.  Us not making the playoffs for 2 years in a row, while strange for the younger crowd and frustrating for me, well... it's all part of baseball.  Sometimes there are good times for your team, and sometimes there are bad... it's just the way it happens.

Here's the thing though; Since Mike O'Hara and Black Tiger wrote their posts and comments, the Yankees have gotten younger.  The Yankees aren't spending on old has-beens.  The Yankees are building for their future. 

Now you can say to me, "We have a bunch of questions marks and we gave away guys like Martin Prado, Manny Banuelos and David Phelps and we let David Robertson walk." True.

Guess what else we did?  We just gave opportunity to new young players that we acquired, not to mention opening the door for the farm. 

Things are happening ladies and gentlemen, and before you get down on your club, know this... there are good times and bad times in baseball for ALL teams.  Yes, we are spoiled Yankee fans.  We want to win 162 games and the World Series every year with top talent... ANY TALENT WE WANT AND CAN AFFORD. But... it's not always realistic.  That's the truth.

Yankeeland is changing again.  Accept it, but keep rooting.  Don't walk away from your club.  In the end, the pinstripes rule and we are a tight-knit group of hungry, passionate Yankee fans. 

We need to stick together here... We will reign again! Promise.

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THE BEST I'VE EVER SEEN

As the season winds down, many of my colleagues here at BYB have written their tributes to Derek Jeter.  Our captain is hanging up his cleats and our great staff will share their memories and thoughts much more eloquently than I could ever hope to do.

(In Photo: Mel Stottlemyre)
I’ve been a Yankees fan all of my life.  My earliest memories are of players like Celerino Sanchez, Jim Mason, Ron Blomberg (who I had the honor of interviewing a couple of seasons ago), Mike Kekich, Mel Stottlemyre (the player), Doc Medich and many others of the CBS ownership era. 

Yeah, those were pretty bad teams.

My favorite Yankees squads – with all due respect to the “Core four + Bernie” – were the 1977-1978 teams that won back-to-back championships.  Guys like Chris Chambliss, Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry, Mickey Rivers, Roy White, Bucky Dent, Brian Doyle, and Graig Nettles will always be among my favorites.

In fact, my favorite player was on those teams.  Thurman Munson will always define to me what the ultimate ballplayer should be.  His grit, intellect, ability, and heart were the epitome of what defines greatness on the field.  I admired his work ethic and his ability to do his job day-in and day-out without needing validation from the media (sorry Reggie and Rickey).

While Munson will forever be in the top spot of Yankees I’ve seen play, as I look back through players I most admired ( Mattingly, Bernie, Mo, Jorge, etc) only one other stands out (to me) in combining all those great characteristics that Thurman had: Derek Jeter.

Derek has been a little flashier off the field, but on it he encompasses all that Munson was.  Certainly his work ethic has always been second to none, and as far as intellect; I’ve never seen a smarter, “headier” player.  Other than the difference in the position he plays, Jeter is Munson-reincarnate to me.   Both were the ultimate professionals that led their teams to world championships, and both did so while keeping their private lives (for the most part) away from the field.

Where Munson’s teams had Reggie Jackson’s constant need for attention, Jeter’s had Alex Rodriguez not trying very hard to avoid off-field drama.  Yet both, somehow, managed to avoid the hurricanes their teammates attracted.  

In my pantheon of Yankees greats – that I’ve seen play – Munson and Jeter stand alone.  While they come from different eras- and played different positions-they are to me the two greatest players of my lifetime.

Both came to play with the same passion for the game on a daily basis and both had the ability to raise the talent of those that played alongside them.

I look forward to the next time I walk through Monument Park and can see the numbers of both of them in their rightful spots alongside the immortals.

    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1


 
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THEY'RE GOING TO NEED TO EXPAND MONUMENT PARK

We had gone 13 consecutive seasons without a playoff berth.  It was a dark blotch on our storied franchise’s history.

Then our version of the four horsemen rode in, and the darkness was gone.

From 1982 until 1994 the New York Yankees were 1064 – 990, a .518 winning percentage.  During that time frame they won 90 or more games just three times.

After Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera arrived in 1995, the tables turned.

Over the course of the next 13 years, the team would go 1252 – 832 for a .601 winning percentage (Including the 114 wins in 1998).  They won less than 90 just twice, and that was only because the 1995 season was shortened due to a strike.

The Yankees made the playoffs every one of those 13 years and won the World Series  in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000, making them the last team to win consecutive world championships and just the second team in the last 40 years to win three straight (the 1972 – 1974 Oakland A’s).

In the years since 2007 the team has won another title (2009) and maintained a .591 winning percentage (479 – 331) while missing the postseason just once.

With the announcement of Pettitte’s retirement comes the official end to one of the truly great eras of Yankees baseball.

With Rivera having already announced his retirement, only our captain Jeter remains as a tie to the Bombers’ most recent championship reign, and his years are numbered.

They should begin work on freeing up room in Monument Park for the latest additions to our pantheon of greats.

The names Jeter, Posada, Pettitte and Rivera belong next to those of Mantle, Munson, Ruth, Gehrig, Ford and the rest that eternally have their numbers displayed beyond the outfield wall.

As a lifelong New York Yankees fan who remembers versions of our club with rosters littered by names like Horace Clarke, Celerino Sanchez and Jim Mason, I feel fortunate to have been able to witness the entire careers of our “core four”.

In Pettitte I watched my generation’s version of Whitey Ford.   While Andy’s nightlife never came close to what Whitey and his pals provided for the tabloids, the big Texan’s demeanor and class were second to none.  With a big game on the line, there was no other starting pitcher I wanted on the mound than Andy Pettitte.

When the camera zoomed in on the southpaw as he stared down at his catcher, you could see what a fierce competitor lied within.  His cap would be pulled down to where only the steely resolve that emanated from his soul could be witnessed in his eyes.

You knew we were in good hands.

In a way it’s only fitting that Pettitte retire with Rivera.  Their careers are forever intertwined by the fact that they are the most prolific starter/reliever combination in the history of baseball.

Think about that, and realize we’ve been witnesses to moments that people will write about a hundred years from now.

Over the last 17 seasons we have had:

• The greatest reliever in the history of baseball (Rivera)
• The greatest shortstop in the history of the Yankees (Jeter)
• One of the four best catchers in team history (Posada)
• The winningest pitcher in baseball’s postseason history (Pettitte)

Normally, a team is lucky to have one or two players with similar accomplishments over the course of 20 years.  We’ve had four.

Decades from now when a new legend in the making is sitting in the dugout and assuring his teammates that they are about to wake the ghosts, he won’t be referring to Ruth, Gehrig or DiMaggio. 

Instead, he’ll be alluding to the greats that now wrap up their careers before us. 

Rather than lament a season which is quickly becoming forgettable, we should all take a moment to comprehend and appreciate that we’ve been privy to one of the truly great teams in the history of baseball.

Sunday will be Andy Pettitte’s final start in the Bronx, and sometime toward the end of next week will be Mariano Rivera’s last regular season save. 

When the final out is recorded in each of those games, a door to a great era of baseball will close.

We have been so lucky.


    
--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

 

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A YANKEE FAN'S TRIBUTE TO HIS DAD

My dad turned 80 this week and the landmark occasion opened up reflection on my part.  I’m 49 so by no means am I a spring chicken, but the baseball memories I have of moments with my father remain crisp and clear.

I am a New York Yankees fan because of him.  Growing up in Binghamton I was able to watch their games on WPIX, and it was a rare day when my dad wouldn’t have the TV tuned to that channel so that we could watch them play.  Whether they were good or bad – and until George took over the team they were mostly bad – we seldom missed watching them from the comfort of our living room.

I can remember the days of Horace Clarke, Celerino Sanchez, Ron Blomberg, and Mel Stottlemyre because of it. I also remember Reggie’s three home runs in game six, Freddie Patek crying on the Royals bench, and Ron Guidry’s 25 – 3 season. I watched them all with Dad.

(In Photo: Ron Guidry)
My memories aren’t restricted to sitting in front of the TV with him though.  There were a number of bus trips to Yankees stadium – excursions that my father booked for us that are forever among my most cherished days.

He taught me how to keep score, and while sitting in the stadium, I would be glued to my seat so that I wouldn’t miss a play in my scorecard.   Afterward, during the three-plus hour ride home on the bus, I’d “review” the game by examining my scribbling in the program, and would tally up each player’s summary (the scorecards had columns off to the right where you could write the total number of AB, Runs, RBI, Hits, Errors, Stolen Bases for each batter, and the Innings, Runs, Earned Runs, Hits, Walks and strikeouts for each pitcher).  I suppose it was an early indication then that I’d go on to be a Math major in college.

The best parts of my childhood aren’t only the ones that revolve around the Yankees.   Actually, the best baseball memories I have of my dad are the ones that had nothing to do with the professional level of the sport.

Instead, the times that I most hold dear include Little League and playing catch in our backyard. My father rarely went to my practices for the local LL team, but I really don’t remember any games where he wasn’t in the stands.  There may have been one or two – I’m sure there had to be scheduling conflicts along the way – but they have long since faded into forgotten moments.

He may not have realized it, but I always felt better in a game when I knew he was in the stands.  I’m sure as a kid I never told him, but I really appreciated coming to the plate and seeing him sitting among other parents and fans.   It made the game, and my performance, more meaningful.

We’d talk about each game afterwards and discuss how I played, and why certain things happened the way they did as the contest ran its course.   I’d never show that I valued his advice.  Heck, I was a cocky, know-it-all, kid and no one understood my game better than me.  Truth is, I took each and every word of his to heart, and loved the fact that he cared.

It is the reason I have tried to be at every one of my kids’ sports events as they have grown up.  In the event that I couldn’t be there, I’d make sure someone who was there would give me updates.

My dad taught me baseball, and his love for the Yankees and the sport found its way into my heart.  More importantly, the example he set as the parent of kids who played sports will forever remain the standard to which I have aspired.

Thanks Dad, and Happy Birthday.

   
--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

 

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