SOMEONE LEFT THE CAGE OPEN...

And I love it.  Hank's on the loose!

   (Christian Red/New York Daily News)

New York Daily News has some great quotes about the Yankees and Hank Steinbrenner and his thoughts on their fight to win a championship this year and what will be needed!  Love when Hank speaks to the media!

Here's a portion of that:

"Hank warned not to count the club out of contending for a World Series title in 2017.

Photo: SI.com

'I wasn't dis-confident for this year. I've told everybody, 'Look, we're going to do alright this year. We're gonna be even better next year. Maybe by a mile.' As it turns out, we're doing really good this year with a mix of the young players and the veterans who we have now,' said Steinbrenner, the older brother of Hal Steinbrenner, who is the organization’s managing general partner and the more visible Steinbrenner face with regard to ownership. “'I still think it will be even better next year. But that's not to say, ‘You never know.’ I mean even though Houston right now looks like the '27 Yankees or maybe the '65 Dodgers, you never know this year. I'm not saying it couldn't happen this year. It sure as s--- could.'...

'We're greedy. We want to win this year. It'd be great to win the championship this year. Obviously we're (32-22). They're playing great as a team'...

'We'll never (trade away prospects). I didn't want to do that in the '80s. But there was somebody that disagreed with me,' Steinbrenner joked, referring to his father. 'Yeah we lost (Doug) Drabek and (Jose) Rijo and guys like that that I loved. That happens. I've always been against that. We traded a ton of prospects away in the '70s too.'”

Look, it's clear that Hal and family don't let Hank out much, because there is one thing that Hank does that not a lot of the others do... and that's be open and honest.  That's what gets the guy in trouble.  But I love it once in a while... it's refreshing.

I had to share this. Hope you enjoy it.

THE GRASS ISN'T ALWAYS GREENER: PART 2

I recently wrote an article titled THE GRASS ISN'T ALWAYS GREENER regarding the Yankees’ - as well as some of their fans - habit of looking at what other teams have as being better.  My argument was that we have some in-house proven talent that can fit the holes we are looking to shore up if just given the chance.

Greg Bird, Luis Severino, Rob Refsnyder, and Slade Heathcott were examples of that last season.  To some extent, so was the recently departed (traded) John Ryan Murphy.  All came up through our organization and all were successful not only in the spring, but when given their opportunities in the Bronx; either via injury or just plain necessity.

It could be argued that only Severino was a planned introduction to the big leagues.

Those who do read my articles know my opinion of GM Brian Cashman’s idea on how to build a winning team.  He employs a strategy similar to that of the 1980’s George Steinbrenner; acquire once-proven veterans either via free agency or through trade – using the minor league system stars as bartering chips.

(In Photo: Jack Clark)
As I watch Cashman every off-season exercise a worn business model that yields 85 – 87 wins per season and only teases us with memories of players never to again see their peak, I can’t help but remember names like Jack Clark (signed in 1988 at age 32, hit .242 and was traded to Padres at end of season), Rick Rhoden (acquired in trade from Pittsburgh in 1987 at age 35 – for 24 year old Doug Drabek who would go on to win a Cy Young in 1990.

(In Photo: Doug Drabek)
Rhoden would go 28 – 22 with a 4.09 ERA and allow 42 HR in 2 seasons with Yankees), or Rafael Santana (30 year old shortstop acquired in trade from Mets, hit .240 in 1988 and then released the next season).  While only a small representative sample, they characterized Yankee clubs that averaged a little more than 82 wins per season and never finished above 4th place in the A.L. East.

(In Photo: Derek Jeter, 1996)
It wasn’t until young, home-grown players like Don Mattingly and Bernie Williams came onto the scene – to be followed by Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte – that the Bombers emerged from that “dark period” of their history.

Cashman’s line of thinking has only worked once over the past 15 seasons – in 2009 – and the club has played just one playoff game (last season’s loss to the Astros in the Wild card game) over the past three.  At what point does the recent success of the Royals and Giants - teams laden with young, home-grown stars given their chance on an everyday basis – finally sink in?

Lately, there have persistent rumblings about opportunities to fill second base (yet again) with either a position-transplant from another team (Castro of the Cubs – bumped from his starting spot at shortstop by Addison Russell, or a 30-something veteran (Kinsler from the Tigers).  These rumors persist seemingly oblivious to what the Yankees had in the Ackley / Refsnyder combo over the final crucial weeks of 2015.

 As I wrote in my first THE GRASS ISN'T ALWAYS GREENER article:

“Only, what they seem to overlook is that once Drew was out of the picture, the team’s forced reliance upon Dustin Ackley and Rob Refsnyder created a productive combo at second.  From September 16th (when Drew stopped playing on regular basis) until the end of the season, the two “replacements” for WHSBIYH (Worst Hitting Second Baseman In Yankees History) hit a combined .303 with 4 HR, 11 RBI and 6 runs scored.”

The Yankees went from ranking dead last at second base to top 5 at the position simply by going with what they had on hand to replace Drew.

My point of all of this is that, sure Kinsler might be an upgrade at second base, but not a significant one and he is an older player with a much larger contract to eat.  Castro is young, but he isn’t a natural second baseman (Refsnyder, long criticized regarding his fielding, actually had a higher fielding percentage at the position and had no errors down the stretch when the Yankees needed him the most), and he has a large contract to boot (8 year contract through 2019, $60 million).  We have more pressing issues at other positions (starting pitching in particular) than to worry about second base (now that the stiff Drew is gone).

My esteemed colleague, and BYB Founder, Robert Casey wrote articles about both Castro and Kinsler that are well worth their read (you can get them Here and Here).  Along with what I’ve said above, he makes the point that – in the words of Lloyd Dobler from the iconic movie “Say Anything” - “You…Must…Chill! “.  Look at what we already have and relax.

Stephen Drew can’t burn us anymore (unless “Dimwit” brings him back again, which I am certain he doesn’t want to bring that upon himself for another season) and we have capable hands already under contract to adequately represent the position. Let’s let Ackley and Refsnyder grow at second base.  They’ve given us a pretty nice glimpse into what they are capable of providing.  After all, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side – or in this case – with the other options.


    

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


    

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BUONA PASQUA!

Okay, it's a few weeks early for that. But when Yankee fans hear "Pasqua", of course they think of Dan Pasqua. There was a special feel for the Yankees of the 1980’s – where the hits and home runs were more valuable than the fastball and strikeout. I feel a personal attachment to some of the names of that time, and Pasqua was no exception. He came out of the Yankee farm system as a young power-hitting phenom, and he made strong early impressions.

In his first major league game, manager Billy Martin put him in the lineup in the sixth spot. Clearly, he had confidence that this 23-year-old could hit for power. He rounded out the heart of the lineup that read Don Mattingly, Dave Winfield, Don Baylor, and Dan Pasqua. He did not betray his manager’s confidence. In the 5th inning of the game, he drove a ball deep into the right field seats for his first major league hit and home run. He ended up playing 60 games that season, with 166 plate appearances and 9 home runs.

He ended up playing two more seasons with the Yankees. In his time here, he played in 275 games and hit 42 homers in 860 plate appearances – about one home run per 20 plate appearances. He had a batting average of .251 and OPS of .805, which is impressive even by today’s standards. His play in the corner outfields and first base yielded only four errors in his three seasons on the Yankees’ roster.

It was a sad day on November 12, 1987, when I picked up the paper and read that the Yankees traded him, along with pitcher Steve Rosenberg and catcher Mark Salas, to the White Sox for Scott Nielsen and Richard Dotson. By that point, the Yankees realized that poor pitching did not yield much success over 162 games, so they traded some power for some pitching. It is too bad that they did not get much pitching. Dotson, who was past his prime, had a combined 5.13 ERA over 2 seasons with the Yankees. Nielsen’s career 5.49 ERA tells you what you need to know about him.

Pasqua went on to play seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox, before calling it quits early in the 1994 season. He went on to start his own construction company, and later reconnected with the White Sox for various projects (read HERE).  To those of us who remember him in pinstripes, he is a beloved member of the Hall of Bad 80’s Yankees Trades, where he keeps company with Doug Drabek, Jose Rijo, Al Leiter, and many others.

He was a great player, with good power and a good glove, and a guy we all missed as a Yankee.

Also, you can read a very OLD BYB post about Pasqua here... check out: WHY I ROOT FOR THE ITALIANS from June of 2011.

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!

BURNETT'S THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING IN PITTSBURGH

I trailed my toddler son as he barreled toward the playground in my New Jersey town. A group of elementary school kids were hanging out there, arguing about the Yankees lineup, midway through another magical season for the Bronx Bombers. They asked my opinion about a recent lineup change.

“I’m not really a Yankees fan,” I said.

 “Oh,” the neighbor boy who knew me best replied. “Who do you like?”

“The Pirates.”

The kids burst into a fit of laughter, falling over and howling with delight. What kind of sucker would like the Pirates? For their whole lives, the team I grew up in Pittsburgh watching win and contend for World Series had been a joke – perennial losers. Now, those kids are recent college graduates. My toddler is in high school – and the Pirates have still not had a winning season, their 19th straight losing campaigns a record not just in baseball, but in all North American team sports.

It’s a history of loserdom that is hard for Yankees fans to understand. You just don’t know how badly our sports psyches have been beaten down, but you have to try to imagine so you can understand how we feel about A.J. Burnett, your reject who has thrived in black and gold.

I was excited to hear last winter that the Bucs were trading for A.J. Burnett. Then I began to feel ashamed about being excited about Burnett; had my baseball manhood been torn so asunder that I had to get pumped about feeding off these scrappiest of Yankees table scraps? The Yanks were so happy to see Burnett go that they basically gave him away and agreed to pay most of his salary.

When Burnett fractured his orbital bone during a spring training bunting exercise, our most fatalistic visions seemed to have come true; of course the guy would come to the Pirates and fall apart, completing his disintegration. It seemed perfect in its awfulness.

But a funny thing happened on the way to Burnett’s implosion. He returned to action earlier than predicted and almost immediately calmed down and anchored a young pitching staff. As of this writing, he had won 8 straight decisions and the Bucs have not lost one of his starts for months. He’s also become a welcome veteran presence, nailing teammates with shaving cream pies after wins and, crucially, taking young pitcher James McDonald under his wing and helping him transform from a tantalizing, inconsistent thrower with great stuff into a staff ace. I would call McDonald the team’s stopper – but that role clearly belongs to Burnett.

Manager Clint Hurdle’s explanation for Burnett’s turnaround was surprisingly metaphysical: “Everyone wants to be loved.” No doubt my hometown is a gentler place to play sports than my adopted home is. It’s well documented that some athletes just can’t thrive in New York – and no team’s fan base is more demanding and holds higher expectations than the Yankees’.

I never fully understood the venom towards Burnett I heard dripping out of my car radio and right now I could care less just why you all hated the man so much. The Bucs currently have a better record than they have had in 20 years, since the end of the 92 season, the last in Pittsburgh for Barry Bonds and Doug Drabek.

If the magical season continues and this cursed streak comes to an end, Burnett will have earned place in the Bucs pantheon, regardless of how he performs the rest of the year. That he’s doing it on the Yankees dime makes it even sweeter, but really it’s all about stopping the laughter and becoming a real team again. You can’t put a price tag on that.

Alan Paul, author of One Way Out: An Oral History of the Allman Brothers Band and Big in China: My Unlikely Adventures Raising a Family, Playing the Blues, and Becoming a Star in Beijing. 
Follow him on Twitter: @AlPaul, or visit http://www.alanpaul.net.



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WHY YOUNG YANKEE FANS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT "REAL" LOSING

(In Photo: Al Leiter, left, and Mike Pagliarulo)
Not too long ago, at my day job, I was having a conversation with an intern. She was about 20 years old and somehow the conversation turned to music. In the course of this conversation it came out that she had never heard of Kurt Cobain or Nirvana. Immediately, 2 things popped in
my mind:

1. I feel old.
   
2. I’ve turned into my parents for saying things like “back in my day…” or “you kids these days….”

But I digress; this conversation got me thinking back to the late 80's and early ‘90s of Yankee baseball. In those days, the Yankees were AWFUL. I remember going to games with my dad, buying an $8 upper deck ticket and moving to the 3rd base boxes in the 2nd inning because the Stadium was empty. Watch Yankeeography or YouTube Don Mattingly clips – check out all the empty seats.Now, you kids who grew up becoming fans of the Yankees in 1994, 1995 and 1996... that's when the Yankees started getting good...you definitely missed the dark day. I’m sure some of your first memories were making the playoffs in ‘95, or winning the World Series in ‘96. Your biggest disappointments are watching the 2001 team lose Game 7 of the World Series to the Diamondbacks or choking to the Red Sox in 2004... I still have nightmares about that one.

Me? I remember some pretty horrendous years before 1996. How about watching George Steinbrenner trade away all of our young prospects in the late 80’s for over-the-hill veterans? Anyone remember Mariners star Jay Buhner? He was a Yankee; traded for Ken Phelps. How’d that work out?(In Photo: Doug Drabek)
Doug Drabek had a decent career with the Pirates but he had potential with the Yankees before that. That's OK, we traded him away for Pat Clements, Cecilio Guante, and Rick Rhoden. Terrific move that turned out to be.

This one was my favorite from the early 80's: Fred McGriff for Dale Murray. McGriff who went on to be a 5 time All-Star and Murray was 3-6 over his 3 year stint with the Yanks. This went on year after year.

When the Yanks were bounced from the playoffs last year, I heard many complaining and deciding that change was needed. You kids don’t know about change and losing. Try being a Pirates fan, or read about the Yankees when they finished in 5th place in 1988 or 7th place in 1990...and change happened... that's losing.

Finally, my message is this: Enjoy these good times, but don’t forget the bad times. Take heed when taking shots at Mets fans. Why? Because you never know when the dark days may return...let's hope they never do.

--Lem Allen, BYB Contributor

Email me at:bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com

ORDER A BYB SHIRT NOW, DROB WEARS ONE! Also, 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.