JOEY GALLO NEEDS TO STOP CRYING

Baseball is hard.  It's hard to get to the Major Leagues. My kid's in college ball right now and it's hard there. You play with competitors, and you play against competitors too. And the goal? The goals to win.  Joey Gallo knows this.  He's a major leaguer. Suddenly he's upset about the shift. Maybe that's because he's batting a career .206. 

He can't get doubles; he can't get triples.  You know what Joey? You can't hit... let's keep it real.  Read this:

He spoke to the Athletic and this is what he said:

"I get the defensive strategies. I do. I am 100 percent not against that… But I think at some point, you have to fix the game a little bit…" Gallo said. "I don't understand how I'm supposed to hit a double or triple when I have six guys standing in the outfield."

Look, the shift does suck, but you ever hear the expression, "Hit em where they ain't?" You still need to go up there and try and do the job. The other team? They'll do whatever it takes to keep you from getting on base. It's just the name of the game. I hate hearing people complaining about not getting on base and yet, that player won't make adjustments. It makes no sense to me. You have to adjust. It's just part of the game. 

Now I'm not telling Joey to hit the ball the other way, but for God's sake, make some kind of adjustment to build some confidence and help the Yankees. Example... my kid in college has been drilled to go opposite field in practice. Every single day. He's a lefty and he is working on hitting ropes left center. All that is good, but as he says to me, "Dad, it's great for practice, but depending on what the guy's throwing, you just can't do that automatic... you have to make adjustments and many times it just doesn't go to the left center gap on a hard liner. Sometimes it's a flare, sometimes I really need to pull it because it's where the ball is placed. It's the game. It's the battle. It's the count. It's where the ball comes in. It's what I guess the pitch will be. Do anything you can to get on base."

Is my kid smarter than Joey Gallo? I'm not saying that. I am simply saying adjustments need to be made in the box no matter what. 

I leave you with this, from the great Fred Lynn who put this out on Twitter:

I believe they shifted on Ted Williams and didn’t he hit 406? https://t.co/WQ6U5U5H71

— Fred Lynn (@19fredlynn) February 24, 2022

Think about that.

Adjustments.

THE HUNT FOR A RED OCTOBER

I’m a big fan of the good, old-fashioned street brawl.  It has a certain honor to it.  No weapons, just mano y mano.  Once upon a time the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox scheduled these types of knock down drag outs as a matter of principle…are those days gone. 

Have we seen the last Red October?  I don’t mean the Sean Connery (forgoing all attempt at a Russian accent) skippered submarine; I mean an honest to goodness Sawks and Bombers prizefight.

The Red Sox are no longer the club we love to hate.  They spend lots of money; make bad deals that they can now eat if they don’t work out.  They sort of remind me of the Yankees of the 1980’s in a way.  Boston itself has undergone a change.  They have gotten fat and lazy.  The angst that once permeated the town is long gone.  They won a few and now…well, the anger has faded away. 

Yes, they still have Pedy who is truly a throwback player and would’ve done well in the late 70’s.  He is cut from that Pudge Fisk, Yaz, Freddie Lynn mold…but he is the last burning ember on a fire that has been extinguished. 

The Sox just don’t have that piss and vinegar anymore…it saddens me.

Just down I-95 we have the new New York Yankees.  The Ghosts are younger…not that they’ve join Babe, Lou and Mickey on the Great Diamond in the Sky…but the spirit they brought to the Bronx is gone.  O’Neill, Tino, Goose, Jeet, Willie, Nettles, Gator, Coney and so on.  They were just different.  They truly had a blood lust to beat Boston…these Yankees? 

Well, they play in a super nice mall.  They don’t WORK for a BOSS.  They are like a cover band in a way.  They know the tunes…but they don’t have the voice.

Now, hope springs eternal.  The youngsters on the near horizon seem to have done their homework.  They watched the old guard play and seem to want BRING BACK THE FIGHT!  They feel like the underdog to the corporate Red Sox.  It’s is the only thing that keeps me engaged lately.

Look, I appreciate ARod, CC and the older guys.  They were truly great players.  Now they are “We HOPE they can give us” type guys.  They are looking to go out with class and dignity…and I hope they do.  But I miss the guys that went out battered and bloodied.  I miss the guys that didn’t play vanilla baseball.  They were punchers.

The Yankees made the Wild Card Game this past year…super.  They got beat by the Astros.  It was like watching the Star Wars Prequels.  Yeah, it’s Star Wars…but it sucked.  The Sox?  They were just lousy…and it didn’t seem to matter so much.  They figured they just finish it out.  Let their younger guys play (which they did very well) and break out the checkbook…and they CERTAINLY did that.  Now they have a BIG TIME ace. Super.  David Price is great, but hardly a “I WANT TO DESTROY THE YANKEES” type. Price is a nice guy.  I’m bored.

What will it take?  Maybe the first game the two clubs play Nasty Nate earns his nickname and puts Big “I WANT TO BE HONORED” Papi on his pants and points at the Red Sox dugout as if to say, “You country club mutts ready to go?”  That I’d dig.

I have no idea what 2016 will bring.  I must admit my expectations are lower than Stephen Drew’s batting average…. BY THE WAY, HEY NATIONALS!  WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS THINKING?  Was he hired as a vendor?

Happy New Year.

** Is this a shameless plug?  Nah, I ain’t in the band any longer.  I just wish the Yanks and Sox were like ol’ Slugger.  **

 
 
 

--Mike O'Hara Senior "Features" Writer
Twitter: @mikeyoh21
















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BASEBALL-REFERENCE.COM: THE INTERVIEW

Millions of baseball fans and baseball "insiders" from around the world use Baseball-Reference.com as their source for statistics and everything else baseball related.  I know I do, and every time I write a post for you to read, I link to them. Baseball-Reference.com allows BleedingYankeeBlue.com to appear on the player's pages that we link to.  It's a nice little give and take and the brains behind it is a guy named Sean Forman.

I chatted with Sean a few years ago and I was always fascinated with the empire he created and I decided to reach out and ask him for an interview.  He agreed and I'm thrilled about it.  So, while it's not Yankee related, it's baseball related and applaud this guy, because he's done something pretty impressive.

So here it is, our interview with Baseball-Reference.com guy, Sean Forman. Enjoy this... I did...


BYB: Sean, hundreds of Baseball writers everywhere use Baseball-Reference.com as their source for stats of all players current and past... how the hell did this all happen for you? Break it down.

Sean Forman: It was really just me scratching my own itch 13+ years ago.  I had a website for minor leaguers called the Iowa Farm Report and thought that the web would be a great format for an encyclopedic site, so I built it using a database put out by Sean Lahman based on Pete Palmer's MLB data.  It wasn't really my intent to make it a business at the time, but within a year or two we were making some money and six years in I was able to do it full time.

BYB: I know you have Basketball, Football, Baseball-Reference among others.  Which was the first?  Take the BYB readers into your world. How many people work for you and how many reference sites are there? How does it work?

Sean Forman: The order was Baseball (2000), Football (late 2000, started by Doug Drinen), and then Basketball (2004, started by Justin Kubatko). We formed a company together in 2007 and then Hockey and Olympics in 2008, CFB and CBB in 2010 and probably a Q&A site and maybe a soccer site this year or next.

We have 4 employees.  We license most of the data, so we don't do a lot of data entry.  It's really mostly about programming, so we have 3 full-time programmers (myself included) and a user affairs coordinator who if you've e-mailed the site has answered your questions.  It's all pretty automated.  For instance, over the weekend, I didn't do anything other than check for my update text each morning, and since everything worked fine I didn't have to do anything.  I had to do some work for the All-Star game, but usually we are able to work on adding new features rather than maintaining what we have.

(In Photo: Jim Rice)
BYB: What's your favorite baseball team and why?

Sean Forman: I'm a Red Sox fan who grew up in Iowa in the mid-70's.  Looking back on it I think I'm a fan of the Sox due to Fenway Park's batting park factor.  I'd check the Sunday paper for the stats every week and see Dwight Evans, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Wade Boggs, etc. near the top of the batting stats and latched onto them.  I couldn't figure out why they could never find any pitching.

BYB: Growing up, what player, in any sport did you idolize the most and why?

Sean Forman: I was a big Rickey Henderson and Wade Boggs fan.  I'm very slow, but would steal as many bases as possible and drew a ton of walks.  I was a very patient hitter all of the way through high school.

BYB: Random question now, but something I picture you doing, being a man of statistics...  Have you ever played Stat-0-matic or Micro League Baseball from the 1980's? And a follow up... what made you interested in what you do?

Sean Forman: No, and it's probably for the best as I would have never gotten through high school or college most likely.  I was a very active fantasy player and that is how I got into all of this as I was in a very competitive ultra league (think entrance interview and deep minors selections), so I started tracking minor leaguers and started my minor league site.

I've always loved sports stats.  My dad is a high school football coach and as long as I can remember I would ask to see the stat book when he got home after the game on Friday nights and kept the tackle chart in elementary school and junior high before I could play for him.

BYB: OK, there are 3 athletes that you can meet, past and present. Who are they and what is the first question you ask each of them?

Sean Forman: Tough question.  I've never placed a lot of importance on interacting with the players.  I enjoy watching the games, but don't go out of my way to meet them or get autographs, etc.  I'll assume that my questions can be indelicate, and that the players wouldn't worry about being embarrassed about answering.

 

(In Photo: Collegiate Wrestler Larry Owings)

I'd ask Larry Owings if he ever wishes he hadn't beaten Dan Gable and Gable how often he still thinks about that match.  Does it eat him up or has he moved past it? (Read about Owings, Gable HERE)

I'd ask Joe Morgan what he believes are the reasons he was such a valuable player and tell him how stat-heads think he was a magnificent player.

(In Photo: Glenn Burke) I'd be curious to talk to Glenn Burke about what it was like being a gay ballplayer and how many other players were gay.

BYB: Hypothetical... Jon Heyman of CBS Sports or Buster Olney of ESPN... who would you rather have save you from a house fire and why? You have to pick one...Let's have alittle fun.

Sean Forman: Olney just looks a little bigger and stronger to me.  I'd also worry that Heyman would ask me to admit Miguel Cabrera was better than Mike Trout in 2012 before taking me out.

BYB: Who is your favorite baseball broadcaster of all time and why?

Sean Forman: I think Jon Miller is phenomenal.  I loved his book.  He has a great anecdote about he and Cal Ripken playing strat-o-matic on the team plane, beating Ripken and Ripken going over the scorecard with his dad to improve.  

And having baseball-reference.com mentioned by Vin Scully is probably the apex of my career.

BYB: Free plug, what would you like to promote right now?

Sean Forman: Try the play index!  Search through nearly 100 years of MLB game logs and 60 years of mlb play by play.  It will make you more powerful than the Elias Sporting Bureau.  http://bbref.com/play-index/

BYB: Final question... Luckily for us, we are linked daily on Baseball-Reference.com because you are nice enough to allow blogs to be apart of your success.  Have you ever laid eyes on BleedingYankeeBlue.com?  If so, what do you think?

Sean Forman: I've been there.  The writers are writers par excellence and additionally, they are devastatingly handsome.

Thanks bro... and thank you for taking the time to talk to us.  I always wanted to know how it all started for Sean Forman and I admire him for creating such a terrific source for so many of us.

I hope you guys enjoyed this interview and if you liked it, let Sean know... comment or send him an email!

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: BOB LORENZ

(Photo credit:  Ellen Wallop/YES Network)
Over the past few years Bleeding Yankee Blue has interviewed a lot of New York Yankees.  But we've also interviewed our favorite journalists and TV & Radio personalities. For me personally, Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record and Jack Curry of YES were my favorites...even before our interviews with them. But over time, Yankeeland has become obsessed with the likes of Meredith Marakovits, former YES talent Kimberly Jones and most recently... Bob Lorenz.

That's right, Lorenz, the guy with the the great sense of humor, terrific ties and a dynamic delivery for the YES Network.  Bob can pretty much handle anything for YES and does it with grace.  So we went for it, we reached out and got our interview with Bob and may I say, it may be our greatest achievement yet.  Sure we love all our interviews, but Bob is a lot of fun and his personality shines through in this interview. It's an interview you will not see anywhere else... and that's because no one probably wants to interview him. THAT is a joke... and Bob of all people can handle alittle "busting of chops."

I am very thankful for the wonderful relationship we have with the YES Network and right now, it's my pleasure to bring you our interview with Bob Lorenz... enjoy this... we certainly did!

BYB: Bob, you've been part of the YES Network team for 10 years now. What was it like to join the cast, and how has it changed over the last decade?

Bob Lorenz: I’ve actually been part of the YES Network team since nearly it’s inception 12 years ago.  I guess I didn’t make much of an impression on you as I’d hoped the 1st 2 years!  I knew I should have worn my lime green & canary yellow leisure suits more often.  Anyway, it was great joining the YES team…a bunch of total professionals, and that has not changed to this day.  When you ask what HAS changed, I’d say the technology, maybe.  But the commitment to be better every day has not.  That was instilled since Day One. 

BYB: The banter between yourself and your co-hosts, most notably Jack Curry, are hysterical. How much of that is rehearsed, and how much of it is just plain "good chemistry"?

Bob Lorenz: The chemistry between Jack Curry and myself is TOTALLY rehearsed…then placed on cue cards, word for word.  Kidding!  Jack and I, along with our producer Jared Boshnack, usually have a brief pre-show meeting so we know what topics we want to cover and I can get an idea of what Jack wants to talk about.  But other than that, it’s all “good chemistry” between Jack and me…not rehearsed…we just kind of wing it and see where it goes, especially on the post-game show.

BYB: So, Bleeding Yankee Blue is curious - who makes your ties?

Bob Lorenz: Ah, my ties.  The regular ones or the clip-ons?  Ha ha.  I tend to favor Hickey Freeman ties.  I found a long time ago that they have top-quality construction and materials, and tie a great knot.  But I’m always on the lookout for great colors or patterns, too.  So I have other ties from Armani & Hugo Boss.

BYB: Most of your time on the air is studio work - Pre and Post Games, and other shows on YES. But you've also spent some time doing play-by-play. Is that something you want to do more of, and should we expect to see you calling games in the near future?

Bob Lorenz: I do enjoy doing play-by-play, if for no other reason than it allows me to get out of the studio for a bit of a break.  I also enjoy the challenge of it because it’s far different from the regulated work in the studio of “fill 30 minutes pregame & 45 minutes to an hour post game.”  That’s finite.  Play-by-play really is more of an art form.  You have to fill anywhere from two and a half hours on up, while trying to make that entire amount of time entertaining and interesting for the viewer.  Again, far different from trying to do that for 30 minutes.  As for doing more of it?  Perhaps one day, but I’m quite happy with my studio schedule and the opportunity to call 2 or 3 regular season series a year.  However I can help the team, in that regard. 

BYB: Some who have seen "Yogi and a Movie" are jealous of the time you got to spend talking with Yogi Berra. What's he like to talk to? Did he share any Yogi-isms with you?

Bob Lorenz: When YES asked me to host "Yogi & a Movie", that was my first thought…”I hope this makes people insanely jealous!”  Ha ha.  I was flattered and excited because Yogi Berra is such an icon.  But far more than that, he’s such a gentleman and one of the most humble people I’ve ever met.  Talking to Yogi was a lot like talking to my Dad.  They were both World War II veterans, part of the "Greatest Generation", who gave so much sacrifice and service for the good of our country.  The impression I got from talking to Yogi is that, he views himself as a regular guy who grabbed his lunch bucket and went to work…it’s just that his work happened to be playing for the Yankees and winning World Championships.  And yes, throughout the course of our shows, Yogi would throw in some of his famous Yogi-isms.

BYB: Many of us grew up hearing Phil Rizzuto on TV during Yankee games and fondly remember his humor and fun demeanor. For the kids who are growing up watching you on TV, how do you want them to think of you when they get older?

Bob Lorenz:  I love the fact that some announcers past and present are fondly remembered for their work, their style, their flair, etc.  But I have to be honest, I just don’t ever think “how do I want to be remembered when I get older”?  I don’t have a signature or catch phrase, never felt the need for one.  I guess the only thing I could say is, I hope if kids watch what I do, they get the impression that “Hey, Bob looks like he has a lot of fun doing what he’s doing…I might like to do that someday, too.”

BYB: How did it all start for you, meaning, is this something you always wanted to do? Did you go to school for it?

Bob Lorenz:  I was very lucky, in that, I knew from the time I was in 11th grade what I wanted to do.  My best friend, Mike Kirsch, and I…between football & baseball seasons, would take his small Sony tape recorder to our high school basketball games and do play-by-play and color commentary of the games, while walking around interviewing our friends to get their thoughts on the game.  That planted the seed.  Ultimately, Mike & I played baseball at Cal Poly Pomona.  He transferred to USC a semester ahead of me.  During that time, I helped him with one of his TV production classes as an on-air talent.  It was then that I knew…USC is where I had to go to further my career in TV.  So I talked to my Dad, and he said, “Bobby, if you can get into USC, we’ll find a way to make it happen.”  I did, and he made it happen.  And I graduated with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.  I also found a full-time job writing for a tele-text service known as CBS Extravision.  And I got an internship on-camera with the City of Torrance, which had just started it’s own local cable production company.  A lot of my first resume tape had work that I did for them.

BYB: Growing up, who did you admire in the broadcast industry and why? 

Bob Lorenz:  Growing up, I admired the older school style of broadcasters…Jim McKay, Curt Gowdy, Keith Jackson…guys who could do it all.  And, of course, growing up in Los Angeles, I had the pleasure of listening to Vin Scully on Dodgers games, and I still do to this day.  I catch as much of him as I can on the MLB Extra Innings package when I get home from work.  In fact, one of my college papers was titled “The Day By Day Plan of a Play By Play Man” and it was based on Vin Scully’s preparation for a broadcast.



BYB: As a kid growing up, which baseball player did you love to follow and why?

Bob Lorenz: As a kid, and an avid baseball player growing up in LA, the Games of the Week were broadcast at 10am and 1pm on Saturdays our time.  And usually before or after, NBC broadcast This Week In Baseball, hosted by Mel Allen.  I loved that show because it exposed me to all the great plays and players in the game, far beyond the local reach of the Dodgers and Angels.  I’ve never really been a die hard fan of one team.  

Rather, I rooted for the hard-nosed, get-dirty kinds of players I’d see on TWIB…Fred Lynn, Robin Yount, Paul Molitor…in this day and age, the Jeters, Pedroias, Trouts & Harpers…guys who’ll crash into a wall or get dirty to make the play.  Love those kinds of players.

BYB: Did you collect baseball cards are a kid? Football cards? What was your favorite? Do you still have them?

Bob Lorenz: I was not a hardcore collector of baseball cards.  I loved them and would buy them, but to this day, I think my brother Tom has what’s left of our collection at his house.  So, no I didn’t really have a favorite. 

BYB: What's the biggest challenge in preparing for a game... and "John Flaherty" is not an answer...ha ha

Bob Lorenz:  The biggest challenge in preparing for a game?  And I can’t use John Flaherty as an answer? That’s not fair!  Ha ha.  Flash is as easy a partner to work with as they come.  I think the biggest challenge in preparing for a studio show is figuring out how to fit in as much good content as possible in the limited time we have.  

In preparing for play-by-play, I’d say weeding out the good nuggets and information, stats, etc. that you want to use to enhance the broadcast, and then figuring how to make all that time entertaining but not overbearing.  I am a believer in many cases in the old adage that less is more.

BYB: Free plug... what would you like to promote and where can people find you?

Bob Lorenz:  Free plug?  Hmm…my weight loss program really isn’t working out for me, so I probably shouldn’t tout that.  How about this?  Spend a lot of time watching our shows on YES and reading & viewing our content on YESNetwork.com, especially Jack Curry’s JCTV episodes.  


Really insightful stuff beyond the realm of baseball with celebrities, actors, musicians and athletes.  Also, read Bleeding Yankee Blue!

BYB: Final Question... Have you ever read Bleeding Yankee Blue? If so, what do you think?

Bob Lorenz: Have I ever read Bleeding Yankee Blue?  Yes, and I find it up to the minute and worth a read…at least, I DID…until you asked me to be an interview subject.  Now, I’m kind of questioning your logic and integrity.  But thanks for the interview, it’s been fun!

Many, many thanks to Bob for taking the time to speak with Bleeding Yankee Blue and a shout out to Ike Dimitriadis, one our BYB's top writers for helping to make this interview happen for BYB! Great work!  Also, shout out to Eric at YES... you're a man of your word and we appreciate you.

Finally, for all of you who love watching the YES Network and want to catch up on some of our other past interviews with the YES talent... check out the following:

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: MEREDITH MARAKOVITS

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: JACK CURRY

Great stuff... and we look forward to more! Hope you all enjoyed it.
 

-Robert Casey, CEO & Writer for BleedingYankeeBlue.com
Follow me: @BleednYankeeBlu



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



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