BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE GEAR & A TERRIFIC DASHERY SHOP!

Let’s get something straight right out of the gate—we’re not casuals, we’re not bandwagoners, and we’re definitely not here to sugarcoat anything. We are true Yankee fans. Established, September 2010.

And we have been making shirts for a while, and we make these designs because we love the New York Yankees. Not “kinda like them when they’re winning” love. Not “I own one hat” love. We’re talking full-blown, emotional-investment, yell-at-the-TV-like-it-owes-you-money love. So yeah—WE LOVE THE YANKEES.

But loving the Yankees in 2026 also comes with a side effect: chronic frustration with Aaron Boone, Brian Cashman, and the front office brain trust that’s currently treating a historic franchise like a group project nobody wants to do. Watching them run things sometimes feels like watching someone try to fix a Ferrari with duct tape and vibes.

And yet… Bleeding Yankee Blue is still here. Because that’s what real fans do. We stick with the players, we ride every high, suffer every low, and convince ourselves this is the game they turn it around (it usually isn’t—but hope is a powerful, irrational thing).

That passion is exactly why Bleeding Yankee Blue puts real thought into its gear. This isn’t generic merch you grab in a panic before first pitch. It’s a curated lineup of Yankees-themed apparel—tees, hoodies, tanks and accessories—available through Dashery, built for people who actually get it.

The designs? Not boring. Not safe. Definitely not something your uncle picked up at a gas station on the Jersey Turnpike. We’re talking a mix of vintage throwbacks, bold graphics, and creative concepts that actually feel alive. Classics sit alongside abstract takes and retro styles that look like they’ve got stories to tell.

And the references go deep. Obscure player tributes, forgotten seasons, and inside jokes only real Yankees fans would appreciate. A Dale Berra shoutout? Of course. A Captain #2 tank throwback? Absolutely—because that's how we roll.

Then there are the themed collections: nods to the Negro Leagues, Highlanders-era history, and even some well-earned satire—like the “Manfred Special,” because if Rob Manfred is going to mess with the game, we might as well get a t-shirt out of it.

Bottom line: Go check out the Dashery shop. The designs are sharp, the deals are legit, and the whole thing is powered by the same chaotic mix of love, loyalty, and mild rage that defines being a Yankees fan right now.

BELLINGER IS WAY TOO EXCITED TO BE A YANKEE & I LOVE IT

Move over, utility players! Cody Bellinger is here to prove that being a team-first superstar is the ultimate flex. The Yankees’ shiny new slugger brought a mix of charm, humility, and pure versatility to his introductory press conference on Thursday. If you weren’t already excited, well, buckle up—because Cody isn’t just joining the squad; he’s ready to be the squad.

“...Wherever y’all need me, I’ll play,” Bellinger said with the kind of swagger that makes you believe he actually means it. “Left, center, right, first base—heck, if [Aaron] Judge wants to take a DH day, I’ll grab a glove and cover right field. It’s about winning, and I enjoy doing whatever helps my team.”

Team player? Understatement of the year. In 2024 with Chicago, Bellinger was a defensive chameleon, seamlessly transitioning between center and right field while sprinkling in a little first base action. Why? Because he could—and because he’s a guy who understands that winning is a team sport.

Bellinger credits former teammate Kiké Hernández for inspiring his Swiss Army Knife approach to the game. “Kiké’s probably the best I’ve ever seen at playing anywhere on the field and making it look easy,” Bellinger shared during a Zoom meeting. “He showed me it’s possible to be excellent at multiple positions. So, I worked at it, nailed the footwork, and now, wherever they need me, I’m ready to roll.”

And let’s not glaze over the family legacy—Cody’s Yankee connection runs deep. His dad, Clay Bellinger, was a proud member of the Yankees’ World Series-winning teams in 1999 and 2000. Cody and Clay now join an elite club as the fourth father-son duo to don pinstripes, standing shoulder to shoulder with names like Yogi and Dale Berra. Talk about carrying the torch!

But if you think Cody’s just here for the nostalgia, think again. He’s here to win. When he got the news, he’d be joining the Yankees, Bellinger called his dad, who was over-the-moon excited—even if he tried to play it cool.

So, whether it’s robbing home runs in center, snagging liners at first, or giving Judge a day off in right, Cody Bellinger is ready to do whatever it takes. Because in the Bronx, it’s not just about the player—it’s about the team. And Cody? Cody’s the guy.

Welcome to the Bronx, Cody. Let’s win some games.

THE WORST YANKEE RUNNING PLAY EVER STILL RIDICULOUS ALL THESE YEARS LATER

In the annals of baseball history, certain moments stand out for their sheer improbability, and then there’s the August 2, 1985-debacle involving the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox. This incident, which saw Bobby Meacham and Dale Berra both tagged out at home plate by the indomitable Carlton Fisk within seconds of each other, is often hailed (or rather, lamented) as one of the most spectacular running blunders in Yankees history.

It all began with Rickey Henderson at the plate, the Yankees’ formidable speedster. Henderson had already established himself as a prolific leadoff hitter and base-stealing legend. On this particular evening, however, his role in one of the Yankees' most calamitous plays would eclipse his usual on-field heroics. With Meacham on second and Berra on first, Henderson cracked a deep drive to center field. The ball looked poised to cause trouble for the White Sox outfielders and, indeed, it did.

As Henderson’s hit soared, Meacham and Berra took off like they had rockets in their cleats. Third base coach Gene Michael, affectionately known as “Stick” for his lanky build, saw an opportunity to get both runners home. What ensued was nothing short of a circus.

Meacham rounded third with Berra hot on his heels. At that moment, it became clear that the communication between runners and coach had gone disastrously awry. Michael, in a decision that would be questioned for decades to come, waved both runners home. As they neared the plate, Carlton Fisk, the White Sox catcher, stood like a fortress ready to thwart their attempts.

Outfielder Luis Salazar relayed the ball to shortstop Ozzie Guillén, who in turn fired it to Fisk. Meacham arrived first, sliding into home where Fisk applied the tag with clinical precision. Before the crowd's collective gasp could dissipate, Berra barreled towards the plate. Fisk, still firmly in possession of the ball, made a swift pivot and tagged Berra out too. Two Yankees out at home plate in the span of mere seconds – a sight so rare it left spectators and players alike rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

The reactions from the Yankees dugout ranged from stunned silence to exasperated facepalms. "I've never seen anything like it," said Yankees manager Billy Martin, shaking his head. "It was like watching a car crash in slow motion – you know it's going to be bad, but you just can't look away."

Don Mattingly, who had a front-row seat to the chaos, quipped, "I thought I was seeing double. It’s like a bad dream you just can’t wake up from."

This play, despite its comedic appearance, became a somber lesson in the importance of communication and timing in baseball. It also underscored the unpredictable nature of the sport – where even the most seasoned professionals can find themselves part of a moment destined for blooper reels and trivia questions for generations.

For the Yankees, it was a stark reminder that even with talent and speed, the game can humble you in the most unexpected ways. For fans, it remains a legendary tale, retold with equal parts amusement and disbelief.

As we look back, we can laugh, wince, and perhaps learn a little something about the intricacies of baseball – and life. The double-out debacle of August 2, 1985, is a poignant reminder that in the game of baseball, anything is possible, even the patently absurd.

--Alvin Izzo

BYB Yankee History Contributor

HERE COMES THE AROD CRUCIFIXION

So Brian Cashman came out yesterday to tell all of Yankeeland that there is a "chance" that Alex Rodriguez could miss the entire 2013 season, read HERE.  Half of you weren’t surprised.  The other half, or more than half... got pissed.  Am I right? Me? I sighed, then grabbed my lunch at the deli, sat down and ate it.  I had forgotten once I tasted my hoagie.  You can’t hang on everything Brian Cashman says, he’s just covering his ass and I get it. The reality is, There's no news to this story, it's a nugget and we will have no idea of ARod's recovery, until he's, well, recovering. Don't sweat it.

Look, it has become crystal clear to me that Alex Rodriguez is now a broken down, average, baseball player that has an injury that may in fact end his career, or at least slow him down.  For me personally, I'd be bummed if Alex missed the year, but look, anything can happen, know that!  Alex could come back this season and be perfectly fine after the All-Star Break.  Now, for me, when talking timeline, I’m thinking more like September, but for the sake of argument, let’s just say he misses 2013.  I don't believe it, but say he does... What the hell are you going to do? Scream? Punch a kid? No, you can’t freak out about it.  But people will.  People will scream that Alex Rodriguez was the biggest waste of money ever.  People will Tweet that he’s robbing the Yankees, that he destroyed the franchise, that he’s a waste of space and a piece of shit.  He’s not.  It’s actually my opinion that he’s made some stupid mistakes and he’s legitimately injured and the 2 together is a coincidence.  Sure, I sound naive, but that’s just me, thinking simply, like I always do. I’m not getting heated about this.  

Back when Alex Rodriguez signed with the Yankees, it was a big deal.  I knew at that moment, Alex was the best player in baseball and so did the New York Yankees. But many hated him because of his inflated salary.  But I have always thought this way, and I'll say it now... how do you blame a guy who was able to negotiate a huge contract? Blame the dudes with the dough. Anyone who could see dumping that much money into a player like that seems silly, but whatever…it happened.  At the time, I understood the Yankees marketing scheme was all coming together… get the best player in the game to hit the most home runs ever in baseball, hence, bringing the all-time home run record back to the Yankees, hopefully forever.  It really didn’t matter if it was Alex Rodriguez or Dale Berra, if that player could do it and if the Yankee could own that crown again, it would put butts in the seats, and merchandise galore.  They were set.   

But they didn’t know they’d have a PEDs problem with Alex and when that happened, the trouble seemed to start.  Now, there are plenty out there that speculate that PEDs killed Alex’s hip.  I’m not smart enough to know that and I’m not going there.  I will say that it’s been a battle for years to get him right, and 2009, it all came together perfectly.  But then, injury happened again.

Now we sit here wondering, will Alex come back in 2013? I can’t answer that and you know what? I’m not going to. I’ll leave that to you.  I made a vow to myself that it’s not worth getting angry about the Yankees anymore.  It’s clear times have changed things and as far as I’m concerned, I’m going to root for my team, root for my players and then shut the TV off and go to bed, win or lose, because, to be quite honest, there’s a lot more important crap going on.  Sure, I’ll take it all in and I’ll watch a game with my kids, but wondering about the health of Alex Rodriguez or Kevin Youkilis is exhausting. It’s also not my job.

I will say this, I’ll write about it. I’ll take a jab once in a while. I’ll laugh about my Yanks when I see fit, but note to self, "No need  to get upset, it just ain’t worth it."

I wish Alex well.  I have always liked the guy.  I felt like he finally “got it” in 2009 and I’ll continue to root for him as long as he plays.  But what once was a great, great game has been tarnished by a lot of nuttiness. Sooner or later, you need to step back and just watch and sure, make a comment once in a while, but don’t take it personally.  I promised myself I’d do that in 2013… you know what? I’m going to.

How do you feel about Alex? Comment and tell me.

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

"WHO ARE YOU...BOBBY MEACHAM?"

Bobby Meacham was never a huge success story in the Yankees organization. Let’s face it, if you look through your baseball cards from the 80’s, you have dozens featuring Bobby Meacham who posted a career .236 average. It’s hard to believe that he was a Yankees shortstop and second baseman, but if you think about it, for many years, the Yankees really didn’t have a solid shortstop. Sure, we had Tony Fernandez in 1996, and he was great, but his career was over at that point. Before that, one of my favorites, Andy Stankiewicz, but it was clear back in 1992 that the Yankees were just using the scrappy shortstop as a place holder, there was never a long term plan for Andy. That being said, before that Spike Owen was there and before that there were others, but there was also a guy named Bobby Meacham who was given a shot to be an infielder for the New York Yankees.

It doesn’t matter what conversation I’m having with my buddies about the 80’s Yankees, no matter what… Bobby Meacham’s name always comes up. It’s usually in a comical discussion, for example, if we were playing softball and one of my bud’s is sluggish in the field, we’d yell “Who are you Bobby Meacham?” because if you remember Bobby, you remember he was never an All-Star. He tried and the Yankee fans embraced all their Yankees, even Bobby, but it was never a good scene when he was out there.

(In Photo: Bobby Meacham being tagged by Carlton Fisk)

I remember he and Dale Berra rounding third base one game and one after the other, they got tagged out trying to cross home plate like it was little league. Billy Martin later said "I’ve never seen a play like that in grammar school, let alone the major leagues." Yet, the New York Yankees held onto Bobby, believed in him and always hoped he’d turn it around, at least that’s what it looked like to me.

Years later Bobby Meacham was a coach for teams around Major League Baseball even becoming a third base coach for the Yankees and Girardi in 2008, but when the Yankees didn’t make it to the playoffs, he was cut loose. I haven’t seen him since. It doesn’t matter, he’s still the name that pops up whenever me and my buds talk 80’s baseball trivia and will always be.

One thing you have to give credit to Bobby for though is never giving up, and maybe that why I was fascinated with the guy. Bobby Meacham may be the brunt of our jokes when it comes to non-Yankee greats, but the guy had the courage to never quit and that says a lot when you wear the pinstripes. Sure he wasn’t a Hall of Famer, but he was a New York Yankee and believe it or not, that says a lot, you have to break through a lot of layers to make it to the Bigs and he did. So, while this post sounds like a negative, it’s far from it. A salute to Bobby Meacham, long retired, but not forgotten. Thanks for the memories Bobby.

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WHY WE NEVER GIVE UP ON OUR YANKEES

(photo: NY Daily News)
There are plenty of things that happen around Opening Day. Raw fan emotion for 1. For 2, raw player emotion, yes, it's just a job to them, but they still want to win.

For the fan watching, we anaylze very simply. We look at the at bats for instance. In 4 or 5 plate appearances, us Yankee fans get a batch report of what a player may or may not do that season. Yes, it's a small batch, but put simply, this is where fans gauge players. It's not fair, but that's how our minds work.

The reality is, anything can happen after Opening Day, but comfort level of an individual player is tested and the fan knows that. Butterflies are in everyone's stomach on Opening Day, and as days move on into weeks, comfort becomes dominant in a player's psyche. That confidence at the plate usually will translate to the fan, hence, jersey's are purchased, kids formulate who their favorite player is, females want to marry that player.

Sometimes as the season progresses, certain players can't get that confidence. The mind doesn't sync up with the body, they're slow at the plate, they're booed at the plate. Fans leave, and no one's asking for autographs anymore. Bottom line, you see that happening a mile away, the player knows too, but sometimes you have to just chalk it up as a slump.

One thing I've noticed as a Yankee fan though, We never give up on our guys, EVER. Yes, we get hasty, we want the big hit, but we never ever desert our players. We love our Yankees. I've seen crappy players come and go but whenever they come back, Opening Day or Old Timer's Day, there's alwayshuge applause.Look, I rooted for the Yanks when Bobby Meacham and Dale Berra were the left side of the infield. Those were dark days. But no one faults a bad Yankee player. They may be bad sometimes, but he was qualified to wear the pinstripes, so over time, he's embraced. We, the fans love our Yankees and if you wear the pinstripes and get out there and do all you can do, we salute them... Why? Because Yankees keep fighting, no matter what.I joked about how bad Sergio Mitre was for us. Well, he was, but he gave it his all, it just turned out, he wasn't terribly good, but he never gave up. Remember Kevin Maas? He was crushing homeruns early on in his career, then, once teams figured out he couldn't hit anything but fastballs, he eventually vanished, but he never gave up. And still, to this day everyone remembers Maas, and if he showed up at Yankee Stadium, people would love to see him.

How about Glennallen Hill, or Jack Clark... maybe Matt Nokes. All these guys were Yankees, all had flashes of greatness for the Yanks, but none of them panned out the way we wanted, yet, Yankee fans know those players, and we love our Yankees. Why? Because they never gave up.
There's something that happens to players when they put on the pinstripes. They become super heroes to us all. They are leaders, they walk with pride, they never stop fighting. That's what I grew up watching. Today, nothing's changed, except of course the athletes themselves. At the end of the day, It's the unique history and a unique pattern. Yes, it's great to win every year, but year after year we remember every player good or bad who ran out on the field as a New York Yankee. Because when you wear the pinstripes, you never give up and the fans never give up on you.

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