GOING OFF ON THE NEW YORK YANKEES

Or as I said the other night on Twitter... the Zombies.

They're a loser.

Fans are pissed... even now.  I mean what an embarassment that this team couldn't get it done.  But look, this is what happens when teams are streaky. You never know what you're gonna get.  Now look, I blame Boone. Not just for the Wild Card game, but for the entire season.  I mean, being honest here, the players have to be responsible for a one game loss like that, it's embarassing, but I have always said and I will always believe that if you don't have the right leader leading the ship to victory, you ain't gonna win anything. 

Joe Girardi was a pretty damn good manager, but even he was let go because he couldn't win in the playoffs. It comes down the leaders. 

We've seen Michael Kay launching on this team and on guys like Joey Gallo for weeks.  I'm thrilled he did because it needed to be said.

Gallo was the wrong guy to pick up and now it looks like we have control for him for next year. OMG. Sure, defense is solid with Joey, but that's about it. He was exposed in New York. You gotta wonder what will happen to this guy.  The city is too big for this guy and will literally eat him alive. And it showed... he was cracked.

Suzyn Waldman went off the other night.  Audio here, but here is what she said:

"If what they think they're doing offensively is the right thing, then they either have the wrong players or they aren't paying attention.  We can go through this pitching staff, who did what and who didn't do what. The thing that happened this year Sweeny to me, is they did not hit. And we saw this at the beginning of the year, they were supposed to pummel everybody... "

"Did you not see how good this offense was when they didn't have big people in there? When Giocarlo Stanton is at his best, he can't be pitched to, but that is not all the time. I'm not saying you have to lay down a bunt, I'm really not, but there's gonna be other things that you can do. Look at the Red Sox. Look at Tampa Bay, they hit. They have scored more runs than anybody, so they're not just sitting there and playing small ball, but when they need it, when they get men on and they get them in. And there were stakes tonight, why in the world would anyone send their runner, just from third base? You play at this level, you're gonna make mistakes you're gonna lose."

"How long do you do this with Gary Sanchez? How many years do you do this? They keep bringing in people, and look, we love Gary Sanchez, he's trying, they change his catching every single year, they bring in a new person. How many catching instructors? And if they're gonna go with the way they're doing, that alot of veteran catchers won't do, this together, knees down cause you can't move, alot of veteran catchers do not do it. If theyre gonna keep changing him. I mean maybe, and it's too late now, I thought they were gonna have a great offensive catcher. If he isn't Johnny Bench who cares if he hits 40 home runs. We've seen that before and it works. But if they're gonna do the same kind of offense, who knows what they're gonna do. I dont know how along with the same thing, banging your head against the wall."

I mean Suzyn came off hot and she should. Someone within that Yankee group, announcer or management needs to be HONEST. The team is trash with the exception of a few guys.  But this is a perfect example of failing up.  Guys in high back office positions that are more fascinated with a big name than actually winning are in charge.  We need a change and we need it fast.

Even CC Sabathia was going off.

Larry Brown Sports writes:

"He questioned how the Yankees could lose to Boston in 2018 and 2021 with the same core, while the two Red Sox teams were radically different and overhauled.

“Our core lost to a team in ’18 that’s not even the same Red Sox … Mookie (Betts), Jackie Bradley, (Andrew) Benintendi … they traded all them,” Sabathia said, via Chris Bengel of CBS Sports. “We still have the same core. We come back to Boston four years later and lost to a completely different core … What the f— are we doing wrong?”

The bottom line is enough is enough. The Yankees are a winning franchise, but it's clear that while many of the players must go, we must find and weed out the weak thinkers in the front office and managerial role.  I gotta be honest, I don't know if I can fault a guy like Brian Cashman here.  He has put a decent team on the field with a few big duds, but no one really thought those duds would be as bad as they have been.  On paper, this team has what it takes, but that's on paper.

Someone with balls needs to make swift changes. If that means Hal fires Aaron Boone, PLEASE DO IT. If you look at this coaching staff and really thinks they are a winning combination, here's a crack pipe... smoke deep.  Phil Nevin is the most experienced coach we have on the Yankees coaching staff... AND EVEN HE BLEW IT THE OTHER NIGHT SENDING AARON JUDGE HOME. You need to clean house... you need experience.  Perfect example? 

Look at Tony LaRussa.  I know... people think he's abrasive, he's crazy. Guess what... he's also experienced.  The White Sox are in the playoffs.  Look at Dusty Baker... experience? Yea. Are the Astros in the playoffs? Yup.  Alex Cora is a piece of garbage, a total clown, but he does have a decent baseball mind, much better than Aaron Boone.  Playoffs? Yup. Dave Roberts. Kevin Cash. I mean... HEY YANKEES, ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?

Boone doesn't have what it takes to be a leader, but let's go deeper.  Yankee brass needs to start vetting their front office folks.  Give a long hard look. This isn't about collecting players for photo ops. This is the MLB. We are watching teams pass us by and we are the laughing stock of the league.

I have news for you... if Boone and this coaching staff isn't fired this off season, I will for the rest of my time start watching these games on TV. I will not pay a dime to go to that ballpark.  Not worth it for me... not until they ditch this coaching staff with Boone out the door first.

Inexperience has been exposed. You're losing fans in droves, Hal. You're even losing your loyal broadcasters around you too!  You need to fix it.

MARK PRIOR IS STILL IN BASEBALL

Can you believe it?

Now Mark Prior is retired, but I was happy to see that he just secured a gig with the Dodgers.  Check this out. It's from the Los Angeles Times...

(Cataffo/News)

"Mark Prior, a former All-American pitcher at USC and an All-Star for the Chicago Cubs, will be the Dodgers bullpen coach in 2018, according to people familiar with the situation. The organization is expected to announce Prior’s hiring on Wednesday. Prior will replace Josh Bard, who departed manager Dave Roberts staff after two seasons to become bench coach of the Yankees."

And there you have it.

Enjoy your cold, unpleasant weather if you are in the Northeast. We are getting shellacked!

Stay warm.

YANKEES WOULD LIKE TO REPLICATE DODGERS MANAGERIAL SUCCESS

Source: Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

Dave Roberts...2016 MLB Manager of the Year, a title the Dodgers' manager is a contender for this year as well.  He was "plucked from a broad pool of candidates", unexpectedly two years ago, a move that has served the growing franchise very well.  Perhaps it is all in the job description, one that the NY Times says could read like this, " a mega market, a marquee franchise and an immediate World Series contender looking for a deeply engaged clubhouse presence."  I like that sound of that.  How about you?

Source: Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports

As the Times reports, "While Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman promised a diverse group of candidates for his club, he was mum on many of the qualities he is looking for in a manager. But his main reason for not wanting Joe Girardi back was that he preferred someone with a deeper, stronger connection to his young players."  This connection is one that age really does not play into; it is more about the relationships this millennial-focused manager brings to the clubhouse.  Perhaps he is a playful guy who can engage young players in chess, cribbage, or banter on Instagram.

Source: The Chicago Tribune

"It should be noted that last year’s World Series managers — the Cleveland Indians’ Terry Francona, 58, who regularly plays cribbage with his players, and the Chicago Cubs’ Joe Maddon, 63, who dresses up in costume along with his players — had no problem engaging players young enough to be their grandsons."  Grandpa Yankee Manager may represent the type of mentor the Bombers need to carry them into the postseason, with more than just stress and statistics.  He needs to have a certain chemistry that keeps the players loose, calm but focused on one thing: Winning!

Source: NJ.com

"During his hour-plus long chat with reporters on Monday, Cashman mentioned that it wasn’t a requirement for his next manager to have had a previous connection to him. External candidates will be considered as well as those with no previous managerial experience," reported NJ.com.

Source: NJ.com

And with the MLB GM Meetings less than a week away, sources say that Yankees will not have a manager in place until the Winter Meetings, which is less than a month away.  I hope the job description grabs a great baseball mind with an calm spirit to take the helm of what could be a new dynasty of championships in the Bronx.

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @suzieprof

ERIC YOUNG JR IS A NEW YORK YANKEE!

The Yankees made a nice move. They traded for Eric Young Jr.

NJ.com has the story:

"The Yankees acquired outfielder Eric Young Jr. from the Brewers on Wednesday. They sent Milwaukee cash, which owner Hal Steinbrenner has plenty of. 

Here's what you need to know about the acquisition of Young: 

WHEN: He'll come up Friday. Rosters expand Thursday, but that's an off day for the Yankees. 

RUN! Young will serve as the team's pinch runner extraordinaire. 

HISTORY: In 179 attempts, Young has 144 steals. That's a (Larry David voice) pretty, pretty, pretty good success rate. He led the National League in steals with 46 in 2013. But back then he was 28. He's 31 now. So he's probably lost a step or two but he's still fast."

NJ.com's Brendan Kuty has some good stuff here, and I'm kind of psyched to see how it all works out with Young.  Kind of reminds me of a Dave Roberts during his playing days.

Anyway, I'm happy about this. Welcome aboard, Junior.

WHY FANS WILL MAKE THIS YANKEES, RED SOX RIVALRY BLOODIER THAN EVER

Growing up, the Yankees and the Red Sox were always a good ticket. I never went to a Yankees/Red Sox game until I was in my 20’s. To be honest, I never pushed to go, not because I didn’t want to, but I’m a strange Yankee-being, I would rather watch a big game in the comfort of my own home. Unlimited beer and my own bathroom for starters, but then, if I wanted to scream at the TV, I’ll do it, then sit back on my couch and relax. Don’t get me wrong, Yankee Stadium is the greatest place on earth, but that’s me, what can I say.

I remember for a while there in the late 70's and the early 80’s when I was younger, the Royals and the Yankees were a big deal. Led by George Brett, who I was convinced hated us, I wanted to beat him every single time. I remember the pine tar game as clear as day and I remember the rest of that makeup game. It was clear then that it was war.

I but it always went back to the Yankees and Red Sox. The games were a bloody battle. Some we’re blowouts over the years, but others were always close. Dave Roberts still haunts me to this day... we saw it unfolding before our eyes… we were all yelling at the TV at the same time collectively knowing that a steal was coming, but the mighty Yankees couldn’t hold on.

We got them back good in 2006 with the Boston Massacre when we beat them 5 straight and that was glorious of course. We also had the year Pedro Martinez was a real SOB and hitting our guys and god forbid we retaliated, it would be considered intentional. In 2009, the Yankees won it all and it finally felt great again. 2009 clicked, much like 1996 for me personally. 2011 was great for New York fans simply because the Red Sox weren’t good enough to get into the playoffs and even though we lost, we still believed and we do again right now.

2012 will be a big rivalry year. Sure, Bobby Valentine tried to stir the pot, but it won’t be the Yankees that blink with his blabber, it will be the fans. The Yankees and Red Sox will play hard every time they go out there, but this year, because of Bobby Valentine, the sock puppet of misrecollection, it will form a much more vicious fan base; Yankee fans and Red Sox fans alike. Sure, I remember many fights when I’d visit Fenway park in the past, and same with Yankee stadium, I even remember beer getting cut off in the 4th inning of the ARod, Varitek fight game. But for the most part, I get the Red Sox fans are just as passionate as us...they just love their team. I get it. This year however, everything will be bigger and more important. The Red Sox need to prove themselves and the Yankees need to show Valentine he doesn’t belong in baseball any longer...that's he's irrelevant. The fans will ultimately make this a season the rivalry will never forget... it will be a true bloody battle. May the best team win... Go Yankees!!!

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