WALLS CLOSING IN ON CHEATING ASTROS

That little Jose Altuve dude isn't as adorable anymore these days, is he? That's because he's a cheater.

Looks like everyone is piling on the Astros and for good reason. That's because everyone can see that what they did, and yes, there is no "accusation" here, they did it, is considered actual cheating.  It's not sign stealing. It's sign stealing with a twist.  They need to be punished severely.

Now Fay Vincent is getting into the mix. I love this story so much.

The Pittsburgh Gazette here, and Fay writes this, giving many historic examples.  Guess what? The Astros are a big part of corroding the integrity of the game. They need to be punished severely:

"I do not know the full story of the Astros' alleged sign-stealing or what the defense to the allegations might be. Thus, I begin with that disclaimer. But one thing I do know is that sometimes the lessons of baseball mean drawing solid distinctions. cheating casts a shadow over one of the most famous moments in all of sports. 

In the 1951 National League playoff game between the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, according to a 2001 Wall Street Journal article in which several Giants players finally came clean, the Giants used a telescope perched in their center-field clubhouse at the Polo Grounds to steal the opposing catcher's signals. 

"...when physical steps are taken — whether it's a team using a telescope or video camera in center field, or a pitcher using Vaseline (Gaylord Perry) or an emery board (Joe Niekro) to alter the surface of the ball — the sport descends into cheating. "

"When A. Bartlett Giamatti was the National League president — before he became MLB commissioner in 1988 — he confronted the issue of what the punishment should be for scuffing a baseball. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Kevin Gross in 1987 was caught with sandpaper attached to his glove, presumably for roughing up the ball, which can dramatically alter the way pitches move.
Giamatti seized the case to make a serious point. Mr. Gross received a 10-day suspension..."

'Cheating has always been considered destructive of the essence of a contest designed to declare a winner,' he wrote. 'Cheating corrodes the integrity of any game.'"

Fay is one of the most respected baseball men out there.  If you can't take his word for it, you're delusional.

Manfred isn't in a tough spot here.  This is a slam dunk.  Crush the Astros. Take everything away from them.  No 10 game suspension. No fine. Ban these players for life, fire the coaching staff, remove the Astros front office. It's over.

HERE WE GO. METS LOSE & SALVADOR PEREZ IS CHEATING NOW

I watched last night's World Series, Game 1.  The Mets and the Royals are 2 great teams.  It was a truly great Game 1, with a crushing loss to the Mets in the 14th on a Royals walk-off.  Hey, that's baseball. But here's the good news for Mets fans, and I said this when I went to bed...

"deGrom goes Game 2. It's gonna be a see-saw all Series."

My statement wasn't unusual.  It's pretty accurate seeing what I saw in Game 1.  Plus, deGrom's freaking great, better than that chubby Harvey guy. 

I woke up this morning with Mets beat writers all up in arms because Salvador Perez, the Royals catcher is apparently a cheater now, and I guess when the Mets lose, New York's supposed to get into a tizzy and blame someone.  Just stop... PLEASE!

Last night Salvador Perez "appeared" to have something on his shin guard.  It could have been dirt, which, if you look at the picture above, it clearly is. It could have been a foreign substance.  Here's what it wasn't...ILLEGAL. You know what's illegal? When you scuff a baseball in the open like Joe Niekro did back in the day. 

Does anyone remember Gaylord Perry? He doctored better than anyone... AND WE ALL KNEW ABOUT IT. He's also in the Hall of Fame.

You know what's illegal? Having a goop of pine tar the size of a small car on your neck like Michael Pineda did and then act like Jeter put it there.   When pitchers doctor the ball, it's illegal.

You know what isn't? When a catcher is rolling around in the dirt for 9 innings, or in last night's game... 14, and getting filthy and trying to get his pitchers to do their best.  And you know what? Sometimes in the transfer or the game itself, there may be something on the catcher's shinguard. This isn't Watergate ladies and gentlemen.

Zach Braziller of the New York Post, a Mets beat writer and clearly siding with the Mets, writes:

"A mini-controversy appears to be brewing after Fox cameras caught Royals catcher Salvador Perez with some kind of brown substance on his shinguards.

Perez didn’t speak to reporters after the game and manager Ned Yost correctly pointed out that there is nothing wrong with the catcher — or any position player — having the substance, believed to be pine tar, there.

'It’s not illegal,' Yost said. 'I don’t know what it was. It was brown. It’s not illegal for a catcher to have it on his shinguard. It’s illegal for a pitcher.'”

Ned Yost ladies and gentlemen, a former catcher himself. Trust me, he knows a few things about catching and he is definitely not a bullshit artist. He tells it to you straight.

Let me be crystal clear on this; The New York Mets were in that game hard all night last night.  They were, and ARE fighters, but so are the Royals, and the Royals won. That's it.  There is NO controversy. There's no nothing except for the Mets being in a 0-1 hole, and trust me... this World Series might be the most action packed ever. It will go back and forth. The Mets are still in it.

Everyone in New York that's a Mets fan needs to freaking relax.  Trust your team. Stop looking to blame someone.  The Mets are good... so are the Royals.

 Here's a bigger question... anyone concerned about where that small portion of Perez's thumb went? It's alarming to me.


 

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HISTORY OF THE FUNNY BALL

If you Google ‘history of doctoring the ball in baseball’ you get incredible results.  The top five specifically are Whatever Happened to the Spitball; Biggest Cheaters in Baseball; Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz accused of doctoring ball; Gaylord Perry; and Spitball.

Even if we didn’t go any further into the controversy behind the funny ball, you can deduce that doctoring the ball involves spitting, cheating and pitchers.  But it is much more than that.  It’s something that has always been a part of the game and it is never going away unless it is successfully proven to hurt the game of baseball and its integrity much in the way PEDs has.

According to BaseballReference.com, “Doctoring the baseball is altering the baseball in some way so the pitchers are able to create unusual amounts and types of movement on pitches.” Not really a big fan of that definition frankly because one could say that Mariano Rivera “created unusual amounts and types of movements on pitches.”  He virtually patented the infamous cutter and he did so without doctoring.

Then there are the knuckle ballers like RA Dickey and retired Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield.  These guys get lots of movement on the ball but they are not doctoring the ball, they are gripping it in an intentional way. 

But whatever happened to the spitball, greaseball, shineball, slimeball?  Why is it so bad?  Who are the worst offenders?

The shineball made famous by pitcher Eddie Cicotte of the notorious Black Sox, was created by lathering “special oil used to treat infields onto the ball, creating a shine on one side and making the ball move in ways that confounded even the best hitters. Depending on what they smeared on the ball and how good they got at manipulating oozy substances, pitchers could make pitches drop, fade away, or ride in on hitters, all while using their same old throwing motions,” stated Jonah Keri in his 2012 Grantland blog post picked up by ESPN.com.  There were a number of pitchers over the years who were accused or even suspended for doctoring the ball. 

Guys like Gaylord Perry, Joe Niekro, Whitey Ford, Don Sutton and Don Drysdale all spit, greased and applied a foreign substance on the ball.  Four out of the five pitchers listed are in Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

In more recent years, we saw Kenny Rogers, Clay Buchholz and now Michael Pineda get caught with their hands in the mysterious substance goo jar.  But why do it if it is considered illegal?  It helps pitchers grip the ball in cold spring and fall games.  It gives pitchers more movement on the ball.  According to Keri’s post, doctoring the ball has helped “extend the careers of countless fading arms throughout baseball history.”  Can it hurt the batter?  Sure it can, much like an inside pitch that gets away from a hurler.  A spitball even killed a batter (before helmets were mandatory) in 1920.  Incidentally, it was Yankee pitcher Carl Mays. 

Why did the spitball go away for a while?  "Pitchers got reluctant to do it simply because they didn't know how to do it," said Jim Hickey, pitching coach for the Tampa Bay Rays and a former minor league pitcher. That knowledge base eroded so badly that today, "it's like a hitter trying to change the way he positions his hands. He's afraid to do it, even for one at-bat, because he doesn't want to go 0-for-1. Pitchers now are afraid of using an experimental pitch, getting whacked, and losing the game because of it,” stated Hickey in an interview with ESPN.com.

The spitball also is said to have disappeared for a while when Bruce Sutter developed the now famous splitter or split finger fastball, which gave the ball the magical movement that the spitball can give.  The spitball may have gone away for a while but guys like Gaylord Perry brought the demon back in the 70s and early 80s.  You never knew if or when he would throw it and Perry liked having that reputation.  I have to be honest, it was kind of cool to watch him pitch because there was always some sort of controversy and I guess some anticipation in wondering when the funny ball would come.

The difference between what happened with Pineda recently and what happened with Rogers and even Buchholz is that Pineda was blatant and about as subtle as a bull in a china shop.  Sure, we didn’t have HDTV when Niekro and Perry were pitching but use a little discretion.   Accusing Buchholz of throwing a spitball in the a game last season, Blue Jay analyst Jack Morris stated that he “found out because the guys on the video camera showed it to me right after the game," Morris said. "I didn't see it during the game. They showed it to me and said, 'What do you think of this?' and I said, 'Well, he's throwing a spitter. Cause that's what it is,” according to MLB.com. 

Umpires are trained to watch a pitcher very closely.  A pitcher has to step off the rubber when he puts his hand to his mouth or grabs the rosin bag.  And if managers or coaches draw attention to something suspicious with their pitcher or the opposing team’s pitcher, it can throw of the pitcher’s game and rhythm, which is never a good idea.

I am not advocating spitting, ever.  Not on the ground, not at someone and not on a baseball.  But, if guys are going to doctor the ball to get a good grip or feel more confident about their performance, then okay, but don’t flaunt it and don’t be stupid about it.  Two words- Be Discrete! Throw hard but don’t get so wrapped up in wanting perfection that you forget to keep your eye on the ball.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof



 
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CHARLESTON RIVER DOGS WILL HONOR PHIL NIEKRO

I just wanted to bring this to your attention.  I turns out that the Charleston River Dogs will be honoring Hall of Famer Phil Niekro & Atlanta Braves All-Star Javy Lopez at a "Hot Stove" Banquet. That's pretty cool.

The event is sponsored by Tom McQueeney State Farm Insurance.

According to the press release sent to Bleeding Yankee Blue:  "Niekro and former Atlanta Braves All-Star catcher Javy Lopez will be the featured guests at the Charleston River Dogs 10th Annual Hot Stove Banquet & Auction on January 31 in Charleston."

The Hot Stove Banquet is an annual event hosted by the Charleston River Dogs that brings all baseball fans together to celebrate the magic of America’s Favorite Pastime. These standouts will share behind-the-scenes stories, answer questions and pose for pictures all of which will create memories that last a lifetime."

If you are in the Charleston area,  the reception begins at 6 pm with the dinner starting at 7 o’clock. Tickets are $65 per person and include dinner, a table gift and autograph or photo opportunity. Tables of eight with preferred seating are available for $550. That's pretty cool if you can get a group of baseball fans together.  Sounds awesome actually.

As many of you know,  Niekro  had a 24-year career playing for the Braves, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays. His lifetime record of 318-274.

We are big Niekro fans here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. We recently had an opportunity to interview Natalie Niekro, the daughter of pitching great Joe Niekro to talk about her father and make people aware of brain aneurysms.

Read it here in ONCE A YANKEE, ALWAYS A YANKEE.  It's eye opening.

Anyway, for tickets to the River Dogs event and additional information, please contact the River Dogs at (843) 577-DOGS (3647).

Tickets may also be purchased online at www.riverdogs.com or www.rileyparkevents.com.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN BOSTON...

 ...when Clay Buchholz is pitching at least. What do I mean? This...

Great piece by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports yesterday (HERE) about the overwhelming controversy or lack there of (depending on how you feel about a spitter), when it comes to Buchholz and his glistening arm. According to Passan, sources have spoken:  "Two veteran pitchers and one source close to the Red Sox told Yahoo! Sports that about 90 percent of major league pitchers use some form of spray-on sunscreen – almost always BullFrog brand – that when combined with powdered rosin gives them a far superior grip on the ball.
 
'Sunscreen and rosin could be used as foundation for houses,' one American League pitcher said. 'Produces a tack, glue-like substance that engineers would be jealous of.'"

Could Buchholz be one of those pitchers? Hey, maybe.  One things for sure, that arm is shiny as hell.  Now look, that accusation by those "sources" is kind of a big deal... if it's true.  I don't like cheating, let's be honest, but when it comes to the old days of "real" baseball, you might find this weird, but I have a different opinion on it all.  I don't care... to a certain extent. But let me explain what that mean. First off, there are rules right? So we need to follow them if we are pro baseball players. If a rule states for instance that you can't use a foreign substance and sunscreen and rosin makes a "real good" foreign substance, that's a pretty big problem, don't you think?

Now Buchholz is not a dumb guy.  He can easily come forward and say, "Hey, I wear sunscreen, I don't want to get burned in the sun! (even in night games?) How was I supposed to know that accidentally mixing sunscreen and rosin was affecting my pitching?" All Major League Baseball needs to do is come back with "Well, it did and you're fined."  That would be it. Now look, again, is Buchholz doing that like Passan suggests he "could be" doing? We don't know yet, but again, I just keep going back to that glistening arm.

But look, think about the whole situation, meaning, look at all the great cons of the past. How about when Joe Niekro scuffed the ball years ago and got caught when he was with the Twins? Cheating, clearly.  Look at Joel Peralta with the Rays last year when he had pine tar on his ball and was suspended for 8 games. Cheating, clearly. Read HERE.

I would even go as far as complain about Jose Valverde and his saliva trick on the ball last year that was caught on tape. Considered cheating, but and you're not going to believe this... I've softened on my stance on saliva on the ball. Yes, it's true. Actual spit on a baseball never hurt anyone. That's "old" school and it's my opinion, that if your not being obvious, give it a shot. I almost feel like that's part of the game. Pitchers lick their fingers, you know what I mean?

 (In Photo: Gaylord Perry)
I have a much bigger problem with Crisco, or Vaseline or yes,  even sunscreen. These substances would have been purposely brought onto the field for a very unique use. I say if you're gonna loogy on the ball...just don't get caught, don't make it obvious. That's the difference in my strange mind.

So what should happen? A fine for Buchholz and we move on, especially if we find out it's true.  What can you do? Sure, I'd like him to come clean officially, but will he?  Look, Buchholz is a good pitcher, he probably didn't need to doctor the ball, but it appears that he may have and if Passan's sources are telling the truth, Buchholz needs to answer some questions, don't you think?

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.

THANKSGIVING WITH THE HENSLEYS

If you know BYB by now, you know we love the Yankees, we love baseball and we celebrate family.  Last year on Thanksgiving day we had the privilege of interviewing baseball great Joe Niekro's daughter Natalie in a heartfelt interview titled ONCE A YANKEE, ALWAYS A YANKEE. Many applauded Natalie and her work with the Joe Niekro Foundation and we support her work and strength as well.

This year, we are thrilled to bring you an interview with Marci Hensley. She's Ty Hensley's mother and more importantly, a true family person, just like us here.  I was thinking about Ty and his crazy year, and his interview he did with us at BYB titled EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: TY HENSLEY: YANKEES 1ST ROUND PICK. I got to thinking, "How does a family who is surrounded by baseball all their lives change even more, now that someone like Ty has become a New York Yankee?"  Marci was nice enough to help me out with this interview and send a few pictures. It's a very special Thanksgiving interview,  so keep reading... find out what it's like to sit at the table with the Henlseys on Thanksgiving. It's full of encouragement, smiles and love.

Enjoy this... I did.
 
BYB: What's a typical Thanksgiving for the Hensley family?  

Marci Hensley: Ha! Well, really the words "typical" and "Hensley family" don't normally go together, and Thanksgiving is really no exception.  I don't think one Thanksgiving Day itinerary has ever been the same. We have spent Thanksgivings traveling to be with family. We have spent Thanksgivings with good friends and we have had a few on our own. We have even spent a couple on the road when Ty was being recruited for football, which weren't our favorite since we are not fans of anything but home cooked meals on that day.  An interesting note is that Thanksgiving Day 1992 is the day I found out I was going to be a mother for the first time. Little did I know 20 years later, I would be doing an interview with Bleeding Yankee Blue because that baby was to become a New York Yankee.  

BYB: What's a typical Thanksgiving knowing Ty is a New York Yankee?

Marci Hensley: Actually, just until a few days ago we were all set to go to Iowa this year.  Ty's 15 year old brother JR, who is a 6'5' 250 lb left-handed sophomore, is being recruited for football and we were headed there on an unofficial trip. 

 

(In Photo: JR & Ty Hensley)

But plans changed when Ty's call time for a PSA shoot changed to 7:00AM on Friday morning.  We are now spending the holiday with friends and family.

BYB: What's the most important part of Thanksgiving for you as a mother?

Marci Hensley: Giving thanks to our Lord, family and cooking a few of my favorites.

BYB: Ty is a kid with a lot of confidence, heart and talent.  How did you focus him to shoot for the stars as a kid?

Marci Hensley: Thank you for your kind words.  I don't know if I focused him or he focused me, but the love and support we have in our family allows us all to believe that with hard work and sacrifice anything is possible.

(Photo Credit: Marci Hensley / a young Ty Hensley)
BYB: Did you always know Ty was going to play professional ball? What is your earliest memory of him playing baseball?

Marci Hensley: Professional baseball?  No.  In fact, I was not a fan, and until his sophomore year in high school, I avoided the thought of it.  I lived through it with my husband, Mike Henlsey.  

(In Photo: Mike Hensley)

I lived through the highs, the lows, the injuries and his heartbreak when he was released. We worked 4 jobs between us to allow him to finish school, most of the time not knowing where our next dollar was coming from.  It's different now, signing bonuses are bigger and back then the scholarship program didn't exist.  That piece made me much more supportive of Ty's career choice.  My first memory of ball was tee ball of course, cute but incredibly boring by the second hour.  Being the son of a baseball coach, he had a terrible time with tee ball.  He threw a fit because "they didn't play it right."  One should only get three strikes and there are three outs.  He didn't understand why everyone got to bat, and there was no winner.  It drove him nuts.  He actually got into a fight with another boy over the fact that he thought his team had won and the little boy told him nobody wins. Yep tee ball was a struggle.

BYB: Describe the scene when you were waiting for Ty to be drafted? Where were you, how did you and your family feel before his name was read?

Marci Hensley: We were at a restaurant in Edmond.  We had about 100 friends and family there. It was pretty intense starting at about 6 PM.  I was not really in favor of having a "draft party" but Ty was confident and that was what he wanted to do.  Mike, my husband was in the back watching on TV and on the phones in the office talking with our advisory team and team reps.  I was running back and forth. We really felt for a week or so we were going to the Rockies at 10.  In fact, for those that are interested, there is a MLB Network draft documentary on You Tube on the Rockies 2012 draft.  They actually filmed in the draft room on draft day and when they reached to pull David Dahl's name off the board, Ty's name is right underneath it. After that pick, we had some teams that surprised us by not picking him, and some we turned down.  When Mike came out off the office right before the Rangers picked, I knew he was coming up.  I thought "Here we go, he is going to be a Ranger." Then, they didn't call his name and everyone in the room was taken back.  Ty put his head in his hands and I started to cry.  I looked at my husband and he had a big smile on his face... I mouthed "Yankees??" and he nodded his head.  It's a blur after that.  

CC and his son on the TV, hearing Ty's name and then screams and hugs.  I can't tell you how many conversations Mike and I had leading up to the draft about the Yankees being the right fit for Ty.  It was just something we felt from the many meetings we had with them and the kind of person he is.

BYB: You called me out the other day on Twitter when I wrote a piece critical of the Yankees handling of minor league talent in MAYBE THE GROOMING OF YOUNG YANKEE TALENT AIN'T WORKING. Fair enough. You quickly came to the defense of the young kids who put their everything into this glorious game.  Was that your motherly instinct coming out or what? 

Marci Hensley: I guess I'd be lying if I said there wasn't some momma bear reaction that caused me to reply, but not just because of Ty.  As I stated above, I lived it with my husband.  I don't know anymore then what I have read about the Yankees development of players, but I do know that making it to the majors is more about a bunch of factors such as health, opportunity, and work ethic coming together.  That doesn't happen in one season with kids coming out of high school. It takes some time, in pinstripes or in some other jersey, it doesn't matter.

BYB: How important will this journey for Ty and the Yankees be for your family from this point forward?

Marci Hensley: This one is hard to put into words.  Our son's happiness is what is important to us.  Right now, playing baseball and being a Yankee makes him happy.  The story of this relationship is being written and we are only just beginning the first chapter.  I am looking forward to the rest of the story.

BYB: The Bronx is one of the toughest places to play.  Many succeed, but some don't. If you had 3 magic words to push Ty to succeed what would those 3 words be?

Marci Hensley: "Believe In Yourself"  He writes it under the lid of all his ball caps.

BYB: If you could have 3 people at your dinner table on Thanksgiving, which 3 would you choose and why?

Marci Hensley: Could you ask a more difficult question?  If I have to narrow it down to any Yankee, I would say CC Sabathia because I would like to hear him talk about his PitCCh In Foundation and how he and his family gives back.  They are so wonderful at it and the conversation would be very appropriate for the day. 

Next would be Jackie Robinson so we could talk with him about overcoming adversity to achieve his dreams.  The other seat would be for two people, I couldn't have one without the other.  Ty's Grandpa Bill and Grandma Judy, my husband's parents who have passed away.  They were the most wonderful, giving people I have ever known.  They helped shape Ty to the young man he is today.  We would only need one seat because Bill would let Judy sit on his lap.

BYB: Do you read Bleeding Yankee Blue? If so, what do you think?

Marci Hensley: Yes I do read BYB.  I enjoy it because the content is heartfelt and honest, with many different opinions of the subject matter represented.  The writers obviously have passion for the game and their team and strive to extend that connection to the reader.

Marci, I cannot thank you, your husband Mike and Ty enough for being such generous people and giving our readers alittle taste of what it's like to be part of the Hensley crew.  You are all part of our BYB family and I truly appreciate this wonderful chat with us on this special day.

Thank you. The best of luck... and Happy Thanksgiving.

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.

BYB TURNS 2 YEARS OLD. HOW WE DOING?

I'm no dummy. I don't walk around with a big head, ego, attitude or strut. My day stays the same no matter what happens. What I mean is, I know that if tomorrow came along and there was a better Yankee blog out there that you heard about, I'd be left in the dust and life would still go on. I don't get myself over excited, yet, truth be told, I am excited.   I have been smiling a lot lately and it's all because of our Bleeding Yankee Blue readers... you guys and gals who come to us after you wake up in the morning. You sip your coffee while clicking through our morning news and entertainment, and you do it because you like us...you really like us!

Liking someone or something happens when what you find is appealing, or you agree, or maybe that person or thing is so damn adorable, you can't get enough of it. I'd like to think that BYB is all of those things and it's because you come to our site and click away and share with friends that we've gained a lot of popularity over the past 2 years. I honestly don't know what to say...I am blessed. Thank you.

I should write Sergio Mitre a thank you note, because Sergio Mitre has brought us all together. It was September 14, 2010 that BYB was born in a piece titled WHY LAST NIGHT WAS IMPORTANT.  Since then, you found us on your own, through a friend or even by accident. Why? I'll tell you what I think the reason is; we bring you stuff the others don't...we're honest, we're funny and we're a fan site. We're you! I could sit here and Sabermetrics my ass off, what would that offer you?  I'm not in the "know it all" business. I am in the interactive business and I cannot get over just how amazing you readers are. You are all simply terrific.

Since we started and built our mini-empire, I wanted to bring all my favorite people together and over the past 2 years I've compiled some pretty fun stuff here.

(In Photo: Pete Caldera / Courtesy, New York Times)
If you read us every day, you know that I've always admired the works of Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record for years as well as Jack Curry of YES. Luckily,we were able to speak to each of them and bring you some great info too. Thank you both. Here are those interviews:

NO ONE DOES THE YANKEES BETTER THAN PETE CALDERA

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: JACK CURRY

By the way, not only is Caldera is writing stud, he's a singing one too.  I thought our interview was great, I failed to mention the New York Times piece on Caldera by Corey Kilgannon.  read that HERE.  You gotta love this guy.

I've been obsessed with former Yankees public relations guy Marty Appel for as long as I can remember and BYB has 2 Q and A's with him, because after all, he knows everything about the Yankees. Read those here:

YANKEE STORIES REVEALED BY PR GIANT MARTY APPEL

MORE YANKEE HISTORY WITH MARTY APPEL

I've met some pretty incredible people the past 2 years; Beth Hucke, who heads "We Want Nick Swisher to Host SNL", Dave Goode, a former vendor at Yankee Stadum and a guy I can now call a friend (Read THE VENDOR FROM THE HOUSE THAT RUTH BUILT)... Carol, the biggest Yankee fan I've ever met on Facebook. Carlos who was one of the first guys I met through BYB and he runs an amazing travel site called America Trek too. Go there, read it, it's awesome. Andrew Condell who's a true Yankee fan and makes me laugh more than anyone... Watch this:

Kristen Meriwether and Dave Martin of the Epoch Times who are some of the best underrated writers in sports and featured BYB in their Opening day piece on baseball back in April. They could have interviewed anyone... but they asked me. I will always be grateful. Read Baseball season kicks off in New York.

(In Photo: Luigi & his son)
I've met Luigi Squeegee, the author of Clubhouse Confidential who has become a close friend of ours here at Bleeding Yankee Blue.  Squeegee, you're the man! Doug Drotman of Drotman Communications of New York, a Public Relations firm. Doug is the most courteous and organized PR guys in the business. Don't remember who he is? Does The Runyon 5K run ring a bell? Without Doug, we don't have our interviews with Roy White, Mickey Rivers and Ron Blomberg promoting the Runyon 5K run. Doug is the best!

(In Photo: Charles & Joey Moses)
To my pals Charles and Joey Moses... from Australia (Read BYB, THE BIG APPLE & AUSTRALIA.) If you ever get a chance to have a pint with those 2, do it, they'll change your life.  Even Nicole Hart of WINK, who was formerly of WKTV and supports us 100% and we love it!

And finally, to Debi and Jen and Kiley, Krissy, Stefie and Donna and Evelyn... you guys are the greatest group of Twitter "chicks" ever, we love your support! To Fox and Joe, thank you so much for always re-tweeting our stories, you guys rock.   The point is, The Yankees and BYB has brought many of us together. It's incredible. I would love to mention you all, and if I forget anyone, I apologize...know this though, we're one big family and we appreciate your help...all of you.

How about them Yanks? Paul O'Neill's interview with us is the most popular interview ever on Bleeding Yankee Blue, read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: PAUL O'NEILL.  Scott Brosius, Chuck Knoblauch, Homer Bush and our first Yankee interview with Steve Karsay...damn, they all chatted it up with "little" us!  What about current Yankees Nick Swisher and David Robertson? We helped promote their charities in the process and Lord knows, you help people that are in need when you can.  I appreciate all the Yankee players that spoke to us, you guys are great!

And a big Thanks for the Bichette family and the Niekro family. I reached out to Dante Jr and his mom, Mariana for interviews and they were nice enough to give one each! Couple that with one of the most emotional interviews we've ever done, a Thanksgiving release with Natalie Niekro, the daughter of pitching great Joe Niekro. I have to say, I was touched by both of these terrific family units.  Please take a moment and read those three interviews below:

Dante Bichette Jr: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Mariana Bichette: MOTHER'S DAY WITH THE BICHETTES

Natalie Niekro: ONCE A YANKEE, ALWAYS A YANKEE

And what about our writers at BYB? They've become personalities to you all.

• Mikey Blue is my friend for over 20 years. He's my right hand man, best friend, brother and I can't take a leak unless he assures me it's the right move. 

• Jesse Schindler, one of the best sports writers on the web, hands down.  Don't believe me? Believe this, remember Schindler's name in 8 years when he's the guy you'll be searching for to provide inside baseball information.

(In photo: Jeana, Ivan Nova & Erica)

• Jeana Bellezza and Erica Morales kick ass. 2 women writers with more spunk and baseball knowledge than anyone. I like spunk and I love having them on the BYB team.

• Our recap writers, Frank Gentry, Ike Dimitriadis and Sam Thaler. They are great, thorough and each do their recaps in their own unique way.  Who needs ESPN's Rapid Reaction when you have these guys. We make it fun and dare I say, you should come to us first. After all, wasn't it Ray Negron, the author of Yankee Miracles who said, "You guys are just as good as the regular beat writers." I'll take that. 

•  Lem Allen always has another take that I admire, so I am thrilled that he can bring us a unique perspective once in a while! Thanks man.

• Kate Munrow does my Yankee Shorts and it's become insanely popular overnight. A fun top 10 list isn't easy. Combine the Yankees and great nuggets and Kate pulls it off beautifully every time. By the way Kate, you're past deadline... send it on over!

• Let's not forget Steve Skinner, a guest writer who puts in 110 percent, not because he has to, he doesn't. He does it because he wants to...for you.

And yeah... me too. Look, I've written hundreds upon hundreds of pieces for my BYB baby. Sure, call me the Godfather, but the reality is, I usually don't put my credit at the end of my posts only because that's how it started for me here. Let's not forget, Bleeding Yankee Blue started with just me. As writers were added, I didn't want you thinking I wrote their stuff, so I gave them credit... it's the right thing to do. I just never felt the need to change that routine and so, there you have it. So yeah, if there isn't a author credit...it's me just like it was on September 14, 2010.

Finally, to celebrate our birthday, we have a few messages from people who have supported us, check it out: 

"Happy birthday wishes!  Two years of innovative, clever, breakthrough material that helps nourish the unending appetite of Yankee fans for more, more and more.  Don't know where the Internet will be taking us, but I suspect you'll be ahead of the curve for a long time." 

 --Marty Appel, Former Yankees Public Relations Guy & author of Pinstripe Empire 

"Thanks for putting so much time and effort into the success of Bleeding Yankee Blue. You started this purely for the fun of it, and it turned into something much bigger than that. You really transformed this into a really powerful, respected blog among Yankees fans. You do it for the readers, and I am here with them thanking you first hand. I'll always stick with my favorite Yankees blog. Here's to many, many more to come." 

--Will Cohen, the first BYB Writer 

"Happy Birthday BYB!! The 'go to' place for info!!"
--Rose Passantino

 "HAPPY BIRTHDAY BYB! My go to place for everything Yankee! A big thank you from a mom of one of your writers to have found a place to let her creative juices flow! I know there will be many more birthdays to celebrate and this happy and proud Yankee fan will be along for the ride!"
--Linda Bellezza 

"Happy Birthday BYB!"

--Lori Vargo Heffner

"I am very happy I found BYB this season to have a unique insight to the Yankees. Many awesome stories with current and former Yankees. I have said it in other posts but a HUGE THANK YOU... to you and ALL the WRITERS at BYB ...Happy 2nd and many many more."
--Dave Goode

"I've been following you guys from (nearly) day 1 and I don't think I've missed a day since! Awesome blog, awesome people! Long may it last!"
--Danny O'Broin

 "Happy Birthday Bleeding Yankee Blue!"
--Charles Moses

At the end of the day, something happened to BYB in the past 2 years, we became relevant. You turn to us for information, opinion and humor. It's not only flattering, it's humbling. You don't have to, hell, there are a ton of places you can go for Yankee info, but you don't wander, you stay loyal and it may be the nicest thing that's ever happened to me.Thank you for understanding us. Thank you for knowing that we don't believe we are the only answer out there...hell, you understand that we're just having fun, and we appreciate you "getting it."

Years ago I thought to myself "I feel like I'm supposed to do something". Granted, I didn't know what that was, but I've always been a creative person, so something was bound to come to me...and it did. BYB was born. From there, an audience arrived, and my baby is 2 years old because of you.

By the way, a special thanks to Rob at Bronx Baseball Daily, Mike at Bronx Goblin, Greg from Sliding into Home, Rasheeda from Bomber Boulevard, Lisa from Subway Squawkers and Matt from Yankees Fans Unite. You all have been a great to me. I appreciate you guys. Thank you.

So happy birthday to BYB and to you guys too, the best readers in the world! It's been an incredible journey for me, but it's not always easy. I am always working on BYB. Sometimes it's not so fun. Sometimes I want to pack it in... that's the truth.  One night I said to my wife "I may need to close up shop, I'm very, very tired." She looked me dead in the eye and said "Your readers would be upset. You can't do that."  It's right then that I realized why I married this woman...she's right...she's always right. I can't do that, and I won't.  I'll do this as long as I can because I want to and because I know you'll be looking for it. At the end of the day we're family right? We support each other, a pretty important and significant action in life.

Support, love, life and Yankees.  It's our birthday and damn...it feels good to be 2.