THE BLUE JAYS JUST GOT BETTER

Look, I don’t need to give you a strict talk on how pitching wins championships. If you’ve watched even one Yankees game this season—heck, even just the first inning—you already know. Carlos Rodón and Max Fried have been the two bright spots, doing their best impression of duct tape holding together a house during a hurricane. But the rest of the rotation? Yikes. And the bullpen? Let’s just say "volatile" is a generous way to put it.

Oh, and if Anthony Volpe could go one full week without launching a routine ground ball into the seats, we might not be in this mess. But alas, here we are—half-collapsed, semi-sad, and watching the Yankees flail around like a team allergic to dominance.

Meanwhile, just across the border, the Toronto Blue Jays are out here making big-boy moves.

In case you missed it (or were too busy watching the Yankees strand runners in scoring position), the Jays just landed former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber from the Guardians. One-for-one deal. Boom. Done. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan and MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, Toronto just added a fully rehabbed Bieber fresh off Tommy John surgery—and judging by the early returns, his arm is back and better than ever.

Twelve innings. Two starts. Zero runs. Two wins. This man’s elbow might be made of vibranium.

Bieber’s arsenal is as nasty as ever: fastball, slider, curveball, changeup, and a cutter he sprinkles in just to be rude. None of them blend, all of them bite. And with his elite command, he doesn’t just throw strikes—he paints with them. Think Greg Maddux, but taller and slightly angrier-looking.

And the Yankees? We just watched this whole thing happen like we were window-shopping at Tiffany’s with five bucks in our pocket. It’s not like we don’t need the help. It’s not like the rotation is overflowing with reliable arms. But once again, while the Yankees sit around waiting for Anthony Volpe’s bat to show up and Boone to make a good pitching change, another AL East rival gets stronger.

So now what? The Jays are coming. Actually, scratch that—they’re already here. They’re already beating us. Bieber just gave them a front-line ace, and we’re out here hoping our fifth starter doesn’t trip over his own cleats walking to the mound.

The Yankees had a chance to make a splash. Instead, we’re drowning.

And as always, we end with this: Do better, Brian Cashman. Please. Before we start reminiscing about the glory days of Aaron Small and Shawn Chacón.

THE DODGERS ARE THE NEW EVIL EMPIRE? NOT SO FAST

First, they signed Roki Sasaki. Then came Blake Snell. Next, they brought back Teoscar Hernández. And just when you thought they were done, they went and signed Hyeseong Kim—prompting most fans to Google "Who is Hyeseong Kim?" only to get mad when they realized he was now a Dodger. The reaction across the league? "This is over. It's unfair. One team shouldn't be allowed to sign all the stars!"

If you’re a Yankees fan, this panic should feel eerily familiar. Sound like 1998 to you? The 2024 Dodgers might look like the ’98 Yankees, but they’ve got a bit of the ‘96 Braves in them too—those Braves who boasted a rotation that could strike fear into anyone: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz. A trio so good, they seemed invincible in a short series. Well, until they weren’t. The Yankees knocked them off. Repeatedly.

The '98 Yankees were a different beast altogether, one of the greatest teams ever assembled. With 114 wins in the regular season and a postseason that ended with them at a ridiculous 125-50 record, they were a juggernaut. Their ERA? Sixth best in baseball. Their runs scored. League-leading. This wasn’t just a team—it was a finely-tuned, record-smashing machine.

Now, back to the Dodgers. Their roster? It’s a veritable who’s who of baseball talent. Their rotation? Strong enough that their sixth starter might be better than some teams’ aces. Their payroll? The kind of money that makes other teams weep. But before you throw in the towel, remember this: baseball is wonderfully, maddeningly unpredictable.

The 1996-2000 Yankees were a masterclass in smart team building. They built up to it by nailing their drafts, grabbing Derek Jeter early and finding gems like Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte in the later rounds. They scoured the globe for hidden talent, unearthing Mariano Rivera, and pulled off clever trades like the one that brought Paul O’Neill to the Bronx. Scott Brosius was plucked off the A's bench—no one thought that move was season-defining, but it was.

Clemens joining the squad in 1999 as the moment the Yankees became the baseball equivalent of a Death Star. 

By the early 2000s, the Yankees shifted from precision to sheer accumulation. Jason Giambi.

But back to 1996 for a second, the Yankee build up to their run.  The 1996 Braves were untouchable—until they weren’t. The 2003 Yankees were packed with talent, but they fell to the plucky, wildcard Marlins. Even the Dodgers, for all their might, are vulnerable. Just like the Braves were dethroned by a scrappy, cobbled-together Yankees team in '96, the Dodgers can be beaten.

Yes, the Dodgers have it all: chemistry, depth, star power, and enough financial firepower to outbid anyone. But so did the ’96 Braves. And we all know how that story ended. The season’s not over until the final out. And in baseball, any team can have its Cinderella moment.

So go ahead, be mad at the Dodgers for doing what every team dreams of—stockpiling stars like it's a Black Friday sale. But keep rooting for your team. Because this is baseball, and in baseball, anything can happen. Just ask the ’96 Braves. Or the 2003 Yankees or even the 2001 Yanks. Sometimes, the Goliaths fall. And that’s what keeps the game so exhilarating.

By the way, shout out to Yanks go Yard for keeping us all thinking about stuff like this. Good Article.

--Alvin Izzo
BYB Yankee History Contributor

THANK YOU, MR. T

I’m a creature of habit in so many ways. I go to what I know when I feel off, lost, alone or confused with whatever type Maddux-esq bleeder crosses the plate of life. I make jokes…normally at my own expense. I sing along to my favorite songs…been belting out “House of the Rising Sun” a good bit of late. I’ll watch baseball and I write. Lord knows the Yanks haven’t been a ton of help this season...and I could use those Bomber of the Bronx that’s for sure.

I’ve been lucky to have had so many coaches in my life when stuff goes sideways. Not just skippers on the diamond, field, water or court, but the best ones from the game of life. My old man, lifelong pals or even a fella I met reading a blog about those Pinstriped Players and became fast friends with. These people have been to me what Mr. Torre was to Jeter. Sometimes when you feel like you're last in your own “division”, relating to what you know isn’t just a good thing to do, it’s the right thing to do.

I’m here at the end of the bench beating myself up for everything like Paulie would do after missing that 3-2 limper that passed over the dish and wink at him on the way by. I’m angry, confused and utterly spent…but KNOW I must play on. There are people that count on all of us and to say, “Bulls**t I quit!” just isn’t what you do. If you truly have heart, you know you can’t quit on anyone that needs you.

So why Mr. T? Why bring up Stoic Number 6? Because of something he told Jeter. I’m paraphrasing of course, as I wasn’t on the roster or in the clubhouse to hear it. “We play the game with all we have. We
play it heart and soul…but it isn’t ours. We are charged to return it to the next generation better than we were given it.”

That’s something I’ve thought about a lot lately. The way Joe Torre was a Yoda-like thinker is why, in my opinion, he is a Hall of Fame Manager and person. 

I try to play the game I was given by my folks, family, the old guard with respect and with my heart and soul. Having good manners, good intentions, trying to be a hero as my grandfather, the good Cop from Bay Ridge was to the people in the neighborhood he patrolled. I owe that to them.

My time as a kid enjoying the everyday fun of school, little league and carefree summers is over. I need to turn over the game to my kids (the next generation) and steward over it like the Old Timers watching this current group of young Yankees. There is something in Torre’s message that shakes you out of whatever is dragging you down. It is like hearing Mickey Goldmill screaming his war cry of, “Get up! Get up you son of a bitch! One more round…cuz Mickey loves ya.”

We all must find the message in what Mr. T said. He wasn’t just about Baseball…it was about so much more, and he knew it when he said it to that skinny shortstop from Kalamazoo.

I write when I’ve lost my way and can’t see how things will work out. It helps to see my words on the page. Whether it be a post, song lyrics, a reminder…do what you know. Remember you are important to so many, and so many loved to watch you play the game. Now it’s your turn to give it back better than you received it. That’s how it’s done the right way.

Not a song that fits the post…but it’s a great one nonetheless.

--Mike O'Hara

BYB Contributor

Twitter: @mikeyoh21

THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL HALL OF FAME BALLOT IN YEARS FEATURING ALEX RODRIGUEZ!

I've been going crazy not having a the usual winter routine. There's no Hot Stove. The signings and trades are on pause thanks to the lockout and I've been going crazy. Then I realized, well I could just focus on this years Hall of Fame class and that's when it hit me like a ton of bricks.....

The most controversial and scandalous Hall of Fame ballot of my life is here. Remember when Derek Jeter received 396 out of 397 votes in his first year on the ballot? You also can't forget about guys like Mariano Rivera, Cal Ripken Jr, Ken Griffey Jr and Greg Maddux. Those were no-brainers. Those were the easy votes. Those days are gone.

Now welcome to the world of the steroid ballot era. There are 30 players on this years ballot, and nearly a third of them are tied to steroid use. Let that one sink in. You know the names forever tied to steroids: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Manny Ramirez and.....Alex Rodriguez just to name a few. Yeah, now we get to talk about A-Rod again.

It's the age old debate that will never go away. How do you weigh in on this logically? Do you vote for any of them at all? If so, how do you separate and justify the ones that you do pass through to the hall? 

A lot of baseball writers that I interact with will say that their vote is determined by baseball's timeline. It is the fine line in the sand that can't be crossed. In 2003 MLB conducted a drug survey after MLB players agreed to it in an effort to determine if a need for a firm drug policy was needed. If more than 5% of the tests came back positive then mandatory drug testing and penalties for infractions would begin in 2004. Spoiler alert....more than 5% came back positive which brought us down the road to the system MLB currently uses.

So if a player was punished or suspended after MLB implemented its drug policy after the 2004 season, that is the deciding factor for a lot of writers. That could be bad news for repeat offenders like Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez who is eligible for the first time this year.

I think Alex sabotaged himself on this one. Is it possible that he EVENTUALLY years down the road gets elected into the hall? Sure. Someone was dumb enough to vote against Jeter so I can see someone voting for Alex but that would be a real tragedy for the game.

But that's just my take on it.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

YANKEES LOSE PATRICK CORBIN TO NATIONALS

Source: USA Today

I couldn't believe it.  I guess I am not used to it.  But, the Yankees did in fact get outbid as the New York Times stated in its headline last night.  According to the Times, "When the first big free-agent domino fell on Tuesday, the biggest surprise was not that Patrick Corbin landed a six-year, $140 million contract, it was the team with whom he signed it."  And that team was not the Yankees nor the Philadelphia Phillies, Corbin's biggest suitors, but the Washington Nationals who had a pot full of money with "the expiring contracts of Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, Gio Gonzalez and Matt Wieters free nearly $62 million from their payroll — and probably fueled by last season’s collapse, they were willing to outbid the competition by adding a sixth year to the offer," reported the Times.

Source: AJC.com

Being on the losing side of the bidding war feels, well, defeating, but more than that, it feels awkward as it's not something I was expecting.  "The Yankees have occasionally lost out on free agents over the years — Greg Maddux didn’t care much for New York, and Curt Schilling was intrigued by the possibility of ending the Red Sox playoff drought — but it is exceedingly rare for them to pursue one of the top players on the market and be outbid," reported the Times.  Yes, that's exactly it.  We don't lose out like this.  It is just not typical.

Source: Sports Illustrated

Who will they pursue next?  Well Brian Cashman does not seem worried with his comment that there are plenty of great players out there on the market that can improve the team and lift them to the top of the AL East.  It is just a matter of at what cost?  Clearly, the Yankees need more than the rotation they currently have in Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and newly acquired James Paxton.  They could augment the team of starters with other big ticket free agents including Dallas Keuchel, Nathan Eovaldi, J. A. Happ and Corey Kluber.

Source: Philly.com

The Yankees lost one big fish, but there is always today, tomorrow and the next day. It is very early in the off season and with the Winter Meetings heating up in Las Vegas on Sunday, there will be a number of good opportunities coming their way.  Corbin to Nats.  Okay, onto the next candidate for Yankee starter in pursuit of #28.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

OCTOBER 26, 1985

The title of this post is also the date on the console of Doc Brown’s infamous Time Machine in the 80’s hit “BACK TO THE FUTURE”. A young Marty McFly finds himself caught up in a bizarre trip back in time once the good Doctor’s invention hits 88mph on the speedometer. Today, in New York City, we are also rocketing toward the past. And just like that night in Hill Valley it’s 1985 all over again. The 1985 Mets came in second. In '86, they won the championship.  The Yankees back then? Yikes.

I hated the mid 1980’s as a baseball fan. The Yankees were lousy and the Mets (who I looked at as a USFL team) were the toast of the City That Doesn’t Sleep. I saw friends start wearing light blue and orange caps on the school bus. I remember walking into my buddy John’s room (a pal I went to many a Yankee game with) to see a Dwight Gooden poster on his wall. WHAT?! How did this happen?

The Yankees were the other team in New York and the Mets were the hot ticket in town. I would actually get ribbed by other kids for wearing my plastic Yankee batting helmet to school. (Side note: that was actually OK when I was little). This was Bizzaro World! The Mets were created to give Dodger fans something to root for when Brooklyn’s Pride caught a train to the west coast…they were like “Joey”, the “Friends” spin off.

Now the Mets are back. Their pitching is OUTSTANDING! It’s like Maddux, Smoltz and Glavine good…only will be BETTER! They have a nicer ballpark in Queens. Sorry, it’s true. We got a mall; the Mets built a Baseball Stadium. Their Top Brass suddenly looks great compared to the garbage Lon and Company are spewing. The Mets are fan friendly. They cost less and give more…it makes me sick and what’s more, sad.

Are the Yankees awful? No. They could easily put a good year together if all the pieces fall into place…but that’s A LOT of pieces, gang. We have the same health, age & financial limits, due to albatross contracts, that will make it an uphill battle in the Bronx again this year…but we made our bed.

I don’t know how long it will last. I mean the Mets didn’t actually win the series…their lineup isn’t all that scary…but still. The New York Mets seem to be holding all the cards in the poker game for the city’s heart and dollars.

I’ll hope the ghosts from the Old Cathedral wake up, come across the street and watch over the Yanks again. We need a little help from above, because the teams in Queens are now Kings.

** Here’s a tip of my cap to the New York Mets and their fans. A little ditty from the some local boys, THE GREAT RUN DMC. RIP JMJ.**

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















 
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I STILL BELIEVE

There are few subjects in the Baseball World that I am more passionate about than the vote for The Hall of Fame.  I cannot get past the fact that a player’s fate remains in the hands of Sports writers.  I firmly believe a change NEEDS to happen and fast.  TAKE THE VOTE AWAY from the “writers” and do it NOW.

Recently I had a brief back and forth with ESPN’s Buster Olney on Twitter.  I answered a tweet and made clear that the Baseball writers make their vote personal and therefore shouldn’t have that vote.  Mr. Olney took exception.

@Buster_ESPN Nope. And Sports writers shouldn't have a vote. Have a select HOF committee. You guys make the vote personal too often. Period.

— Mike O'Hara (@mikeyoh21) November 15, 2015

@Buster_ESPN sorry that it doesn't compute, Buster. Sports writers deciding who is worthy and who is not is ridiculous. I enjoy your...

— Mike O'Hara (@mikeyoh21) November 15, 2015

@Buster_ESPN coverage of the game, but don't feel any of "you guys" should hold sway on a player's road to Cooperstown. Just my opinion.

— Mike O'Hara (@mikeyoh21) November 15, 2015

@Buster_ESPN and if you are convinced that there are baseball writers that don't vote with personal bias...well, agree to disagree. Thanks.

— Mike O'Hara (@mikeyoh21) November 15, 2015

He didn’t like being lumped in with all writers.  I was wrong to make a sweeping statement.  Maybe Buster is completely on the level.  Maybe he is truly an exception to what I STRONGLY feel is becoming the rule.  I can’t know for sure.  When he challenged me to pick one of the votes he cast for personal reasons, I couldn’t…but is that to say he never has had a bias in who he believes is Cooperstown worthy?

You don’t have to look hard to see the “US vs. THEM” feeling in the player/writer dynamic.  More and more writers seek their own sad, celebrity status.  They seem to have desperate need to rival the players in terms of notoriety.  They aren’t writers any longer they are “Insiders” or “Experts”.  And as ALL KNOWING MASTERS OF THE BASEBALL UNIVERSE they get to decide who is celebrated and who is not.  With all do respect to those who still cover and love the game, it’s time to knock these guys down a few pegs.  Take away the Hall vote.

I feel that the best way to protect the Hall of Fame and the induction process is to select a committee comprised of former managers, Hall of Fame players and even distinguished umpires.  (Example: Joe Torre, Mike Schmidt, Rod Carew and Jim Joyce).  Only players, managers and umps KNOW the game and all it’s aspects. We need those who truly see the numbers, the clutch performances as well as the intangibles.

Take a player like Jim Thome.  In my opinion he is a class act and a 1st ballot Hall of Famer.  He hit 600 dingers (clean), played the game the right way and respected his teammates and opponents alike.  THAT is who should be in Cooperstown.  However, Baseball writers will find every reason under the sun to hold Jim back a few times.  Is it for the right reasons?  NO WAY IN HELL if you ask me.

Think about Greg Maddux.  There are actually writers out there that will not vote for him.  GREG MADDUX!! Jeter and Mariano also will fall short of 100%.  Why?  Because the writers will say Mo only closed out 1 or 2 innings.  That isn’t as hard as it was for the guys who closed 3 to 4 innings…which is nonsense in the grand scheme. 

And Jeter…well, there are actually grown men that won’t vote for him because he was a lousy sound bite or simply because they still live in a “High School World”.  Derek is the popular jock that dates the prom queen…of course they’ll find some number that they say proves he wasn’t that good.  It’s total Bovine waste.

Once again, I fully admit that tossing Buster in the bind with every writer was a mistake.  I was wrong and often am (See my Plate of Crow with a side of Humble Pie on Tex’s season).  But to think that writers don’t bring all sorts of personal baggage to their vote is silly.  Some look down on the players as idiotic thugs below their educated minds.  Others see a big ol’ Texas fireballer, who hunts and prays and see them through socio-political glasses.  And still others are self-righteous, and believe they drive on the “High Road”.  If there is a hint of a player being near the Juiced up days of the late 1990’s they are out of the running.  It doesn’t matter if there is solid proof…like in Mike Piazza’s case.

I’m not the Commissioner.  I have no way of fixing the problems I see.  All I can do is write down my opinion…and it is just that, an opinion.  I root for players.  Their stories and the work they put in to play the game at the highest possible level.  The sacrifices they, and their families, made to get where they are.  Baseball is a living thing.  By that I mean it cannot be taken on numbers alone.  Yes, a player MUST put up great stats to be a candidate for the Hall, but there is more to it than that.  Players understand that…writers don’t.  For them the Hall of Fame Vote is pretentious Country Club.  For a growing number of Baseball writers the vote is not about the game or the men who play it, it’s about them.  It’s about grabbing a headline or a bit of spotlight.  They abuse the PRIVILEGE and it’s time to take it away and do it differently…in my opinion.


** My buddy Frank Turner.  I STILL BELIEVE **




 

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















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!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

THE BEASTIE BOYS VS. 3rd BASS

I truly love baseball and music.  Here at BYB, my Skipper has been good enough to let me tag my posts with a little bit of Punk, Hip Hop, Metal, Ska or other.  These are two topics I could literally talk about forever and never get tired of either one.

The 2015 METS AND YANKEES have stirred my memory of an old beef in the Rap World. This old school feud has some striking similarities to the rivalry between the Empires City’s American and National League clubs.  1st, it all started in the GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD.  Both of these Rap acts got their starts on the streets of New York.  One was a groundbreaking juggernaut and the other was 3rd Bass.  Hey, MC Serch, Prime Minister Pete Nice and DJ Richie Rich (the band’s members) are a solid crew of MCs (and DJ).

Their first record “The Cactus Album” was a really good record.  I have it and still listen to it today.  “Licensed To Ill” on the other hand was an all-time great record, and the Beasties followed it up with what I consider one of the Top 5 greats records in Hip Hop History, “Paul’s Boutique”.

The tension between the Yauch, Diamond and Horovitz and the members of Def Jams second attempt at a white rap group started when the Beastie Boys left the Seminole Rap Label and took their act to Capitol Records.  Def Jam executives saw the opportunity to attack one of the groups that put the company on the map with the band that was created to replace them…the alternative or second string if you will.  It was the understudy that was taking shots at the lead actor.  It was sort of sad in a way.  3rd Bass could stand on their own as artists.  They didn’t need to drum up a needless rivalry to try to sell records…but they did.

Are you starting to see the similarities? The Mets and 3rd Bass, both products of the Borough of Queens, are second on the depth chart.

The Beastie Boys and the New York Yankees are the starters.  The Metropolitans are a really good team this year and have had runs where they’ve grabbed a bit of spotlight…the 1980s were a great time for the Mets and their fans.  They had a really strong club in 2000 and at various other times in their history…not to mention the Miracle Mets.

The Yankees are just on another level.  Even when the team is fairly lousy they still are the Yankees.  They float above the sport itself.

When someone says, “White Rappers” the BEASTIE BOYS are the first to come to mind (sorry Eminem)…3rd Bass…well, if you really follow Hip Hop music you might remember them 3rd of 4th.

When someone says, “Major League Baseball” the New York Yankees instantly come to mind…even the biggest anti-Yankee person would HAVE to admit that.

Mets’ fans want this rivalry…Yankee fans only think about the Mets when the Yankees play the Mets.  Did they win last night?  I don’t know until I listen to the WFAN in the morning.  I simply don’t care.  I don’t hate about the Mets.  I don’t sweat them.  They are the other team.  Their fans can lose sleep over the Yankees or hope for a Pinstripe collapse…but like my Uncle would say, “Wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which one gets filled first.”  In other words, go waste your time I don’t care.

So the Mets are a good club and have the pieces in place to make a big October run.  They have young pitching and those guys might be better then Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz when all is said and done…but the Mets will still be 3rd Bass and the Yankees will still be the Beastie Boys.

** Like I said, 3rd Bass is a good group and I like some of their stuff.  Here’s one for you guys out in the Royal Borough.  Best of luck…try to enjoy yourselves. Or don’t. **





** Yankee Fans!  MAKE SOME NOOOOISE!! **




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



 
    
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PITCHERS & ARMS: WHAT NOT TO DO

We all remember the now infamous “Joba Rules”, right?  They were limits placed upon the hard throwing right-hander to protect his powerful arm for the future.  As we now know this ridiculous practice did more harm than good and helped unravel a very promising career for the Nebraskan Man-child.

In Washington DC the brain trust decided to do a similar protection program with their “Can’t miss” prospect Stephen Strasburg.  How’d that work out?  Well, it has hurt the young hurler.  It was thought he’d be lights out the way Kershaw is…but he’s not.  He is a good pitcher…not a great pitcher.  The over babying of Joba Chamberlain, Stephen Strasburg and many others directly cause their arms to suffer.  Period.

Can we name one over protected pitcher that has benefited from being treated like the living room at your parent’s house?  You know the “nice” room for special occasions and important company.  I can’t.

Anyone who has ever worked out knows that muscles build through proper diet, PROPER rest and exercise.  If you are on a strenuous workout regiment and then stop abruptly or scale back in an extreme way you are MORE LIKELY TO SUFFER AN INJURY WHEN YOU BEGIN WORKING OUT AGAIN!  In plain English, LET THE YOUNGSTERS THROW!  Let them eat innings and develop their arsenals.  Whoever came up with this way of developing pitchers should be banned from the game.

Here is a tip.  If you have an 11 year old that really loves the game and dreams of being a Big Leaguer someday, DON’T TEACH HIM TO THROW BREAKING STUFF!  Let the child (and that’s exactly what he is) learn the game, throw the ball to the glove and play every position on the field.  More and more we have parents and coaches telling their young athletes to toss a curveball or change up.  NO. NO. NO! They aren’t built for that yet.  They need to grow and strengthen.  By the time they reach High School they have already begun to damage their elbows and are more likely future candidates for Tommy John.  Why not do it “Old School”? Allow the kid to play the game, learn the ropes and focus on the enjoyment of competition.  They will learn the slider and spilt when their bodies are mature enough to handle the strain.

The practice of babying pitchers has changed the game is a very profound way.  Gone are the days when a pitcher aimed to give his club 7 to 8 complete innings.  Now a quality start is 6…or 5 and 2/3rds.  If we stay on this path teams will have to carry an insane amount of arms.  We’ll see Starters to go 3 to 4, then mid relievers, a few bridge guys and a closer or two.

I wonder if Ron Guidry, Steve Carlton and even Greg Maddux sit at home in disgust as the pitching coaches walk to the mound to check in on their Ace in the 4th while the manager calls the pen because the pitch count is nearing 55?

Scouts, GMs and front office types are too smart for their own good.  A weapon unused becomes a useless weapon pure and simple.  Recently there have been rumblings of reversing the position on Luis Severino, and possibly easing back his workload.

Don't you dare, Cashman!  If you ruin the best arm from the system in decades you’ll be chased from the Tri-State Area with clubs and torches.  Let the young man rumble!

The truth is this whole thing goes deeper than MLB.  It is a sad state of affairs in the country.  We protect kids from the possibility of losing.  We fill their heads with promises and give them a trophy for just showing up.  Then when they actually have to go it alone failure upends their entire world.  They don’t know how to deal with it and therefore they call it a day.  Stop it and quick.  We learn for try and fail.  We learn to try again.  We improve for the next game, match or at bat.  A hard fought victory (or loss) is worth 100 times more than a meaningless participation ribbon.

There was a quote written on the wall in the weight room at my high school.  It is something I’ll never forget because it cut to the quick of the game of life.  No matter what you do.  It read:

“An athlete works hard to create the chance of winning.  A champion works harder to eliminate the chance of losing.”  – Pat McPhillips

Let the youngsters work.  Let them bring what they have to the field and give it all they got.  Allow them to learn from failures and strive for victories.  Holding them back or overly protecting them will rob them of valuable lessons and possibly outstanding careers in whatever they chose to do with the talents they were blessed with.

To quote a Scotsman portraying and Irishman, “Here endth the lesson.”

** Saw this band live recently and absolutely love them.  What’s the plan for tomorrow?  Who cares PLAY ALL OUT TODAY!  Tomorrow will take care of itself.”





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



 
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!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!