JEREMY GIAMBI SUICIDE IS TRAGIC

Yankee fans all remember Jeremy Giambi as the guy that was thrown out on the most incredible flip play from Derek Jeter to Jorge Posada at home plate in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS... Yanks vs. A's. 

But Giambi has a career, and of course was brothers for Jason Giambi.  In short, hearing about Gerald Williams death was tragic enough. Cancer sucks... but learning that Jeremy Giambi killed himself is equally tragic and just not right.

You don't have to like the guy, but Jeremy was a competitor. He played 6 years in the bigs, but the other day his life was ended forever in what appears to be a suicide. The New York Post writes:

"Law enforcement was reportedly called to Giambi’s parents’ Southern California home at 11:40 a.m. Wednesday to find him deceased.

Giambi’s agent, Joel Wolfe, said in a statement Wednesday that the family requested privacy...

“We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of a member of our Green and Gold family, Jeremy Giambi,” the A’s wrote on Twitter at the news of his death. “We offer our condolences to Jeanne, Jason, and his family and friends.”

Suicide is a terrible thing. Prayers go out to the family. So sad.

THE GERALD WILLIAMS DEATH IS SHOCKING

When I saw Jorge Posada's Instagram the other day, I got very sad. I could not believe what I was reading. Unbelievable.

Gerald Williams was a guy that had a decent baseball career and was always around. Especially with best friend Derek Jeter. It's one of those guys that you just assume will be around forever.  When I saw Jorge's post, I was pretty upset about it.  

Cancer is a bitch. It takes people too soon.  Such a shame.

The New York Post writes:

"Close friend and former teammate Derek Jeter announced Williams’ passing in a message tweeted by The Players’ Tribune:

“Gerald Williams passed away this morning after a battle with cancer. To my teammate and one of my best friends in the world, rest in peace, my brother. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Liliana, and their whole family,” Jeter said.

Williams, a speedster who could play all three outfield positions and had a cannon for an arm, spent 14 seasons in the majors after the Yankees drafted him in the 14th round out of Grambling State University in 1987. Although he didn’t reach the majors until the age of 25, he spent parts of seven seasons with the Yankees in two separate stints from 1992-96 and again from 2000-01. He also played for the Brewers, the Braves, the Rays, and the Marlins before finishing his career with the Mets in 2004 and 2005."

Prayers to the Williams family... to Jeter and to the baseball community.  Death is a terrible thing, especially when it goes after the good and the young.

Gone too soon. Rest in peace friend.

JETER FIRES 4 MORE, MATTINGLY COULD BE NEXT

Business is business and while I personally don't like to see how Derek Jeter is handling the Marlins early on here, that's his business, and he doesn't care what I think... and to be honest, I know that after I wrote DEREK JERK-ER, neither do you.  But I have a platform and you don't.  Conversation and debate is healthy though.  My last Jeter headline was provocative, and you guys pounced on me like I pounced on DJ.  All good... as long as the convo is healthy and not hateful... I'm all in.  Thanks for the banter.

Here's the latest from Miami Herald:

"Jeter asked Samson to dismiss vice president of player development Marc DelPiano, assistant general manager Mike Berger, vice president/player personnel Jeff McAvoy and vice president/pitching development Jim Benedict. All were informed by Samson in recent days."

But here's what got me next...

"Jeter has not informed manager Don Mattingly if he will be retained, but that is widely expected by members of the organization."

Now while this line doesn't say Donnie will be canned... there's no way of knowing until it happens. 

But then that got my mind starting to think about Jeet and the Core Four and the Yankee connection in Miami, if any, and wondering... would long time friend Jorge Posada be a guy that Jeet would hire for that clubhouse?  Gerald Williams?  Hell... what's Andy Pettitte doing these days?

I know Jeter wants to impress in Miami, and get a winning team and all of that, but I was annoyed originally when he canned all the former Marlins "icons" and Hall of Famers because for me, that was part of the charm and marketing of the Marlins.  Is Jeet gonna replace them with personalities or will it be more old white guys in charge? I wonder if Jorge is coming? I wonder if there is a meaning to his madness.

Who knows... I just find his new job interesting, and it's strange, but fun to watch.

DEREK JETER MAY HAVE HAD HIS BACHELOR PARTY IN VEGAS

I hate these stories, because when it comes to Derek Jeter, let's face it... we need to write about it. It's amazing... the guy's been married and re-married at least 5 times in his career just to find out that he didn't get married at all.  So, when word spread today on People.com that they were speculating that a Book signing in Las Vegas could actually be a bachelor party... let's just say, I didn't believe it. Yet, I HAD to tell you... I feel like a Gossip bitch.

Anyway... here it goes.  The report comes from Mark Gray of People.com:

"Did Derek Jeter disguise a bachelor party as a book signing?

The retired major-leaguer was in Las Vegas on Monday for a private book signing. But also with him? A group of 12 guys.

Dressed casually in jeans and a black leather jacket, Jeter and his crew dined at the Bellagio's FIX restaurant, enjoying a pre-fixe menu of steaks, salads and side dishes. He later ordered extra dishes of most of the menu."

No doubt Gerald Williams was there.  If Gerald Williams, his best friend, no doubt his best man, ISN'T there... it ain't no bachelor party. TMZ will find out People magazine... you guys need to get to the source man!

Anyway... if this rumor turns out to be true, we will follow up.  It's interesting, but there are many things that can happen when 12 guys get together in Vegas.  Maybe a pool tournament. Maybe a poker tournament. Maybe a visit to the Moonlite Bunny Ranch... or hey... maybe they're all just gay checking out some shows. I know that's what you were thinking.  IT'S A JOKE! Chill.

Oh yeah... and the most obvious reason... Maybe it's a night in Vegas with the boys for crying out loud!

You're Money, Derek... MONEY!



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THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF A BITTERSWEET SEASON

It is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since the most recent Yankees dynasty began its incredible ride. The 1994 season was the first season for the Yankees in recent memory when they finished first in their division after a terrible stretch of years where they struggled even to be competitive.

Buck Showalter, in the third season of his tenure as the Yankees manager, was finally realizing success with his rebuilding efforts with the Yankees. Working with GM Gene Michael, they traded for talent like Paul O'Neill and Jim Abbott the year before. They acquired veteran talent like Jimmy Key, Wade Boggs, and Steve Howe through free agency. They also recognized the value in their farm system, developing rookies like Bernie Williams, Scott Kamieniecki, and Gerald Williams.

Jimmy Key was the outstanding ace of the pitching rotation. Through 113 games, he posted a record of 17-4 with a 3.27 ERA. He came in second in the Cy Young voting, and sixth in the A.L. MVP voting. He had 18 quality starts out of 25. He was the most significant contributor to the success of this team.

Paul O’Neill, at age 31, provided the most firepower from the lineup. He led the league with a .359 batting average. He led the team in home runs (21), RBI (83), and tied for the lead in runs scored with Danny Tartabull (68). The team had five everyday players hitting .300 or better, which included Paul O’Neill, Wade Boggs (.342), Don Mattingly (.304), Luis Polonia (.311), and Mike Stanley (.300). All this helped the team come in first in the league in OPS (.836) and second in the league in runs scored (670) and batting average (.290).

It is hard to appreciate, in retrospect, how much excitement this team generated for the fans. New York Yankees baseball had fallen into major disrepute, and the fans stopped coming to the games. Through the second week of August, Yankee Stadium attendance was just less than 1.7 million. To put that in context, this year Yankee Stadium attendance passed 1.7 million in attendance on July 2. Nevertheless, this was the first time that the Yankees would finish first in the division for the first time in 14 years. It was only the second time in those 14 years that they finished with a W/L percentage above .600.

There was also heartbreak that year. In spite of their success, the season tragically ended on August 11 due to the baseball players’ union strike. Compounding the tragedy was the fact that for the first time in a long time, the Yankees were legitimate contenders. They had a division lead of 6.5 games, and were a virtual lock for the playoffs. The AL West leading Texas Rangers were 10 games below .500. Hard to believe, but true. The expected wildcard would have been the Cleveland Indians, against whom the Yankees had swept all nine games. They were 2-4 against the AL Central leading Chicago White Sox, but they had only faced the Jimmy Key once (which the Yankees won) and they drew the bottom of the rotation in both series. A World Series was within their grasp.

As I said earlier, it is hard to believe that it has been 20 years since the recent magic started. Despite the strike and the frustration, they proved to themselves and to the world that they had a strong team and they could win. They would eventually win it all in 2 years, and would start the storybook dynasty of the late 90’s. Good times.

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

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JETER & AROD EXCHANGE TEXTS

Jeter: Bro. you're doing it wrong!

ARod: Huh?

Jeter: you're supposed to bag the babe first, then you give them the autographed ball

ARod: dude!!! thats story is bogus. NY press hates ME!!!

Jeter: lol i don't know how you do it man. 

ARod: i need to go to Kansas City or something. I am a lightning rod

Jeter: well, keep striking out and maybe you will be in KC lol

ARod: F off

Jeter: im playing around

ARod: the funny thing is, everyone thinks you and me hate each other too!

Jeter: wait, that's not true?? haha

ARod: DJ, i need support bro. HELP ME

Jeter: just relax. kidding

ARod: how you feeling

Jeter: waiting to see if Ill need surgery. i cant believe im not playing 

ARod: we all cant believe it

Jeter: the team needs to win this bro

ARod: I know, but its like a cancer right now, slump happening at the wrong time for everyone

Jeter: don't talk slump, believe! Thats half the problem

ARod: I know your right

Jeter: and stop thinking about boobs bro. thats for the offseason lol

ARod: always the jokester

Jeter: Im also the freaking Captain!

ARod: whoa. ok man

Jeter: and don't you forget it junior.

ARod: OK OK. dude

Jeter: DONT DUDE ME!!

ARod: DJ why you yelling at me??

Jeter: HAHA. bro it's Gerald, i grabbed Jeets phone from him. he can't chase me he's on crutches. HAHAHA

ARod: Hahaha that's hilarious! Gerald Williams?

Jeter: yeah! Hey,my name is jeter and im a gimp!

ARod: lol. bro he's going to kill you!

Jeter: Im back. I dont know why I'm friends with Williams. he's a jerk lol

ARod: lol

Jeter: do me a favor. talk the team up, get them moving. we need to win this

ARod: OK bro. you have my word.

Jeter: thx man. go Yanks!

ARod: go yanks DJ, Go Yanks!

(NOTE: THESE ARE FAKE TEXT EXCHANGES. THIS IS ME USING HUMOR AND MAKING A GUESS OF HOW THE PEOPLE INVOLVED WOULD SPEAK TO EACH OTHER VIA TEXT. THERE IS NOTHING REAL ABOUT THIS. IT IS DONE STRICTLY FOR LAUGHS. ENJOY)

 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.

WHY HBO'S "DEREK JETER 3K" GOT IT RIGHT

"At least I'll have it for my kids one day, because they won't believe me when I tell them." --Derek Jeter

Maybe because it's fresh in my mind or maybe because I like to teach my kids the way a true professional baseball player should be like, but I must say, Derek Jeter may be the classiest and non-selfish ballplayer of our time. He is truly loved by the world of baseball, because he plays the game hard everyday, he understands people, respects them and of course has pride for the pinstripes.HBO really handled the 3K documentary well, and while I was worried it would be a rush job, I was happy to see that that wasn't the case at all. I loved that he was followed around in Tampa during his rehab and I love the fact that I now know where Gerald Williams is. He's one of Derek Jeter's best friends and I am thrilled to tell you, Gerald Williams is alive and well.I talked about Derek's upbringing and his family in WHY JETER IS EPIC FOR 1 GOOD REASON. He's learned from the best, his parents, and when I sat down last night to watch this special event in my home, my sons were sitting with me.

Extended Tease

My kids saw a guy, who may not be the biggest guy on the field and he may not be the strongest, but he is in fact still larger than life to so many kids and adults out there. Derek Jeter represents determination and persistence. Derek Jeter represents class.

HBO will be running it over and over again I'm sure and all I can suggest to you is to really sit and watch it, like my kids did. In my house, it will be on a loop if I know the way my 8 year old operates, and I think I do. I always talk to him, who plays baseball, about how Jeter handles himself on the field and I notice he tries to imitate it, saying "good job" to his teammates and tapping them on the helmet when they come into the dugout. My other son is a swimmer and believe me, it translates there too. I use Jeter as a life lesson.

Jeter's toughness and dedication is also important on the field. It helps tremendously with team and with the fans. And all of it starts at home stays with a player, in this case Jeter and you have to give his family so much credit.In the end, Jeter explained how he wasn't sure if he wanted to do a documentary because he's a private guy, but he did it because one day, he'd have something to show his kids. That's the beginning of Derek Jeter learning that it's OK to open up alittle bit. He's achieved something huge, the first Yankee ever to hit 3000. Now that that's over and now that the camera's captured it all, I see a new, relaxed Jeter, the next step in his life, and I like it.

Congrats Jeter, you're the perfect role model for my children and I appreciate all you do.

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