TIME FOR HAL & HANK TO READ BYB!

Well, here we sit... just a 1 day away from the All Star game at Citi field in Queens.  Many of us die-hard Yankee fans have been so frustrated by all the injuries the Yankees have had all season... it's a mess, but BYB gets me up to speed daily.

We look at guys like Joe Girardi and his binder and we want to blame Kevin Long too.  Many of us are outraged because of all the so-called "rejects" the Yankees have picked up off the scrap heap... I think of them as re-treads like in the tires.  Many of the DFA's end up signing and wearing Pinstripes within hours of being let go by their former teams.  You can read the BYB archives about any of these guys. Meanwhile, many of the Yankee baseball prospects are near the top of the list... so why are we wasting our time on DFAs?   I, like many, scratch my head and think about what Brian Cashman is thinking by NOT bringing MORE of these prospects and giving them a shot.

I have stated in some of my past Bleeding Yankee blogs that we pay and develop players have for years. My question is, what does that say about our farm system if they don’t bring these guys up and use them? It's time... it really is.

 

(In Photo: Mark Montgomery)

Now, some of you know that I have attended some AZ Fall League games the last 3 years (Read HANGING OUT AT THE ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE), and I've seen some of the best in the Yankee minor league system play. For example;  Mark Montgomery for instance. I've heard some talk about how he could be our next closer. Montgomery should be up!  How about Slade Heathcott?

Slade should be given a shot... he has great ranger and can hit some monster shots.  The bottom line is we can't do any worse than what we have up here now.  Heck, with all the injuries this season, we then end up rushing Derek Jeter back too fast,  and he pulls his quad the first day back Come on! Now, we're all hoping it isn't too serious, but time will tell.

I, and others feel like Hal and Hank Steinbrenner don’t care about the Yankees and us fans and are laughing all the way to the bank. Cashman's hands are tied with the tightening of the wallets, it's clear aid is NOT on the way.

Sure, if the Boss were around, heads would roll, but sadly, he isn't and his sons now run the show. Man, I truly wish Hal and Hank read BYB, because if they did, they'd see what many fans feel. I wonder if it would change anything?  I don’t know, but if we got some kind of response, it would be nice.  Look, rumors are all around us lately, but will we actually do anything to better ourselves as a team? I wonder.  It's crazy, but this current 2013 Yankee team reminds me of the late 1960's teams when we had guys like Clete Boyer, Tom Tresh, Dooley Womack & Fritz Peterson... remember them?

(In Photo: Tom Tresh)

Now, you're reading this thinking, "Oh great, another Yankee fan giving up on his Yankees!" NO WAY! I am not bailing at all!  In fact, if you check the standings, this 2013 Yankees team has won 50 games before the All Star break. This is the 6th year in a row we have done that!  Check the standings, every team but the Blue Jays has won 50 or more games in the AL East. As I type this, we are currently in 4th place, only  6 games out of first in our division. So, once again we remain in the toughest division in baseball.  But, what am I hoping for? I am hoping the boys and Cashman shock us fans and make some beneficial trades before the July 31st deadline. I am hoping we start obtaining quality ball players, or at least get more of the kids up here to contribute! That's what I want. So folks, while it hasn’t been pretty the first half, we are still in the thick of this race, remember that. We just may need alittle extra to put us over.

As Sir Winston Churchill once said... "Never, never, never give up!" 

 --Dave Goode, Die-hard Yankee fan
Interviewed for his 30 plus years experience as a vendor at Yankee Stadium
THE VENDOR FROM THE HOUSE THAT RUTH BUILT

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WHEN I LEARNED OF MOOSE SKOWRON

My dad grew up a Yankees fan during some pretty incredible moments.  Not sure if you remember, but my father was an usher at Yankee stadium when he was just 15 years old and saw some good and bad teams during his time as an usher.  Sure, he was working at Yankee stadium, so in between seating guests and shaking his pocket trying to get a tip, he'd snag a few eyefuls as the Yankees took the field.  That for him was one of the good times in his life, making a few bucks as well as seeing guys like the Mick, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford.  Read WHY MANTLE & MARIS ARE STILL INTRIGUING TODAY if you want more insight. It’s personally one of my favorite posts on BYB.

Years later, when I was a kid, I heard all about the guys my dad watched play, even long after being an usher.  But the names weren’t as familiar.  Put it this way, as a kid in New Jersey, hearing names like Bobby Richardson and Tony Kubek didn’t ring a bell.  He’d drop names like Clete Boyer and I'm sure you’d catch me yawning.  I had no idea who these guys were, I was busy watching my guys, The Gator or the Goose…or Thruman Munson.  But I remember 1 guy who I was immediately drawn too.  Not Bill Skowron, but instead... Moose Skowron. Maybe it was the name that I loved or maybe it was the way my dad would describe the way fans screamed his name when he went to the plate... MMMOOOOOSSSSEEE, but as time went on, I noticeably found that my dad clearly had a fondness of Moose, just like he did Mickey Mantle.   

Moose Skowron was a good ballplayer and a loyal Yankee and played 9 years with the Yanks.  He was never considered a mean spirited ball player like you’d hear about guys like Ty Cobb.  In fact, it was the opposite.  Couple that with me learning all about good sportsmanship at a young age, and I was drawn to this guy Moose.  I remember I went through a phase as I got older and would collect certain players until I had as many of their career cards as I could find.  I was able to snag a few Moose Skowron cards at an old coin shop when I was old enough to drive and I’d go from time to time and get whatever I could find. 

It wasn’t easy collecting the top vintage cards like Mickey Mantle or Whitey Ford because of the cost and my lack of funds, so if I could snag a Moose Skowron card from say 1961 (above) and believe me, I was a happy camper.  After all, my dad’s word was law and if Moose was the guy he liked growing up, I’d be in good company.

I remember seeing Moose Skowron at Old Timer’s day last year.  He looked old but he was still bubbly and a happy man.  I remember after I saw him interview, one of my friends texted me and told me he was sick with cancer, yet, he still showed up to Old Timer’s Day.  I was blown away by that.  He always had fight in him throughout his entire career, so hearing he was sick and still at Old Timer’s day didn’t surprise me, in fact, in a strange way, it was probably expected, he was a tough guy and never showed weakness in his entire career. 

Moose Skowron died yesterday. The first thing I did was check out my Skowron baseball collection.  The next thing I did was think about my dad telling me about the great Moose Skowron.  Yeah, it’s true, he was never considered iconic in baseball history, but he’s known by so many because of that amazing nickname.  Moose will always live on in Yankeeland.  Hopefully the Yankees do the right thing and wear an armband to remember a great Yankee, nice man and true fighter. Moose definitely deserves alittle recognition.

My prayers go out to the Skowron family, Mr. Skowron did it his way and that’s what I loved about Moose…it doesn’t get better than that.

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