YANKEES WON'T WIN PLAYING CASHBOONE BALL!

This just is not Yankees baseball. This has been an abysmal failure of what was hoped for and even predicted for this season. Even if you didn't agree with the favored Yankees for the AL East you at least had more expectations than this. The Yankees just got swept by the Detroit Tigers for crying out loud....

Something's got to give here, but it hasn't. It's June, and in April we all heard Brian Cashman talk about how he believed in this team and that we had magic HERE.....blah blah blah. There's no magic when you are in third place in the division and you were just EMBARASSED by the Detroit Kitty who are just as pitiful as we are. But let's stick with the "MAGIC," right?

WRONG. This is insanely stupid. This ladies and gentlemen is what I call CASHBOONE BALL. It doesn't resemble baseball at all. It's INSANITY and we see it every game because we just wait for the "MAGIC" to appear and catapult us back into first place. No one has a LOGICAL solution for it though.

I mean, have you read Ken Davidoff''s latest piece HERE? Maybe he missed his calling in comedy because his first and second solutions do not work. It's more of the same. It's Tyler Wade's SIXTH go around here and he hasn't been a difference maker before, but he will now over Brett Gardner? Yeah, track record says NO but that's a good one. Use him, sure but who really think Wade is the everyday centerfielder and a productive one? Please. Oh and give Delino DeShields a chance because the Rangers aren't using him and after he tanked with the Rangers in 2020 it's a better bet than what we already have? Okay....that's a whole lot of crazy logic.

The only two things Davidoff said that make any sort of sense are Yes, the Yankees offense is as absolute horror show. Agreed there. If the Yankees want to give Chris Gittens a shot at first base instead of Mike Ford, go for it. It's still a gamble though. He's been productive at Triple-A and might be a sparkplug BUT it's still not a long term solution. No disrespect to Gittens but he's 27 and never played about Double-A until this season....there's no reason to believe he's the answer to a season long problem.

So this is the CASHBOONE BALL I am referring to. The reality is that there isn't any long term help that the Yankees have in house that will fill all of the holes in this lineup for the remainder of the season. The Yankees will need to be open to making meaningful additions by the trade deadline. Keyword meaningful and there will need to be more than one. A centerfielder that can hit does not completely change this team and make it a winning team that contends. The problem is....the Yankees have already said they do not want to spend the money that it will take. They have $3-$4 million to play with before going over the luxury tax and that doesn't fix every problem we have.

So for the time being we have Cashman's MAGIC to rely on and Aaron Boone's lack of management because he's just Cashman's moving mouthpiece that talks everyday and doesn't actually manage. Then we just slap together a lineup and hope for different results than the game before. It's CASHBOONE BALL....and this is a problem that doesn't help us win.

And yeah....I'm beyond irritated and past the point of frustration with it.

  --Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

     BYB Managing Editor

    Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE AROLDIS OPT-OUT DEBATE BEGINS

Now we can all start getting anxious and excited about the trade deadline. The Yankees have sixteen days left to make some moves for the remainder of the season. We all know Brian Cashman wants another starting pitcher, but what about another closer?

Another good starting pitcher would put the Yankees in a much better position for a postseason run. But adding another closer could set the Yankees up beyond 2019, especially if the Yankees are worried about keeping Aroldis Chapman long-term.

In case you missed it, Ken Davidoff had an interesting piece this weekend about Chapman. He has an opt-out option coming at the end of the season. Question is....what are the odds that he takes it? If he does, is it bad news for the Yankees?

At this point I think the odds of Chapman opting out are 60/40 that he does. Even with the last two off seasons being incredibly slow, it's possible. Who isn't motivated by the idea of more money? A lot of players (not all) are looking for the most money at the end of the contract. Sure shorter term deals with more money per year are nice but the grand total can be more enticing especially for guys that are older.

The real question is does Chapman want to test free agency after watching the last two off seasons move so slowly? Some say he may never get the type of contract that the Yankees initially gave him. It could be another Dallas Keuchel or Craig Kimbrel saga from this past winter. You also have to
consider that Chapman would be one of the most attractive arms available. Right now he has 2 years and $34 million to last until he is 34. He could keep that or opt out and try to get a three year deal for more money at age 31. Considering he is still coming off of a very good season, it's possible he gets it if he doesn't collapse down the stretch or suffer an injury. It's hard to say he wouldn't opt out in this scenario. A big second half for Chapman could make the opt-out possibility more likely. If Kimbrel got 3 years for $43 million after missing 1/3 of the season there's a good chance that Chapman could beat that offer on the open market.

It's also possible that the Yankees don't wait for him to have a chance to opt-out. I could see Chapman's situation being something similar to CC Sabathia. CC had an option to opt out years ago but the Yankees gave him an extension to his existing contract to convince him to stay. Granted, CC has a tenure with the Yankees and unmatched leadership that the Yankees have loved and respected throughout the years but, a good closer also cannot be overlooked or easily dismissed.

Chapman said he hasn't thought about his opt-out option. No surprise there, all players say that. Maybe he stays after all. We all thought Masahiro Tanaka was going to opt-out of his contract back in the 2017 off season and that didn't happen either. So who knows what will happen, but no matter what happens I am sure the Yankees will be prepared for any scenario.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

JUDGE INJECTION!

Photo: Getty Images

That title sounds weird. Not at all.  There's new life with the Yankees right now, and much of it has to do with the fact that Aaron Judge is back!  

Ken Davidoff starts off his article wonderfully:

Photo: Getty Images

"When was the last time anywhere a standing ovation saluted … a defensive replacement? More to the point, when was the last time Yankee Stadium felt so electric? 

Certainly before July 26, when Aaron Judge fractured his right wrist and altered the trajectory of this Yankees season. So now that Judge has returned to the active roster, his cameo in the field Friday night highlighting his team’s 11-0 thumping of the terrible Blue Jays in the opener of this season’s final homestand, can the Yankees’ leaky ship be righted in time to avoid a season-ending, Bay Area beatdown? 

Photo: Getty Images

'Pretty crazy,' Judge said of the standing O that greeted his jog to right field in the top of the eighth inning. 'We’ve got the best fans in the world.'” 

It sounds nuts to think about... but now that Judge is back, I have to say... WHAT THE HELL WAS WRONG WITH US FANS? We were like a kid who lost their puppy.  We were like zombies when Judge was out.  We were crossing our fingers hoping for wins, when reality is, it's not just one player that wins a game, it's all 25.

Photo: Anthony J. Causi/New York Post

But here's something important about baseball which I love... a player with life, brings life to a club and we love Judge. We love him out there on the field, we love him in the clubhouse.  But with him NOT there... we clearly can't function, and neither can the Yanks.  Leadership is evident. Judge is larger than life and he leads this club.  Maybe a future captain, who knows.

Much like when Jeter busted his ankle... without that presence of leadership, our team died.  With a leader present, a team can feel and do anything.  Not the way it should be, but it is.  We love leaders and leadership... and Judge is that!

Love that Judge is back! Maybe we can make that run for the playoffs after all!

Welcome back Aaron. Go Yanks!

SOURCE ON ROCKIES: "THEY KNOW WHAT THEY WANT"

That title's about as cryptic as it gets.  I know... I apologize in advance.

Look, when it comes to Troy Tulowitzki, I'd love to tell you that I know something big's about to blow the doors off and the Yankees will get Troy and the Rockies will get players that we Yankee fans don't think we'll need.  That's not necessarily the case. There is no deal.  What IS the case however, is that I promised you I'd be with you throughout this rumor, good or bad. 

Well... this is what I can confirm;  Despite what you're not seeing, we at BYB can confirm that internally, the Rockies are discussing and HAVE discussed a way to move Troy.  I also know that they like some of the Yankee prospects.  In fact, that is confirmed as well. We're going over old ground.

But, there is some interesting... and yes, cryptic information is coming from our BYB source tonight.  In fact, I'm waiting on a followup... but here's what I received right now...

When I asked about any new information about the Yankees, the Rockies and Troy Tulowitzki, I received the following text:

"Re: Tulo. The Rox know what they want. It's really up to the Yankees as to how much they feel Troy is worth."

I am very curious... "WORTH???"

"Health and price", they wrote back.

Seems obvious, but there's a code in there, or that's what I thought. It begs a bigger question... Was an offer actually made to the Yankees? What does "It's really up to the Yankees..." mean?

I know, Ken Davidoff said in his report the other day that General Manager Jeff Bridich said:

 'There’s been the regular checking in with teams just like all teams do... But there have been no sit-downs or any meaningful discourse on anything.'

I'm going to state that I do not believe that.  Part of the game of a General Manager is to never show your hand.  Brian Cashman does that better than anyone.  I stated this passed weekend that I strongly doubt that Jeff Bridich would ever tell a New York beat writer anything truthful.  That's not an attack on Bridich or Davidoff... it means simply this... it's Bridich's job to lie.  NEVER SHOW YOUR HAND.

Now, let me state for the record, we here at BYB are doing our best to get you the right info on Troy Tulowitzki.  As you know, "sources" are not our thing. but we have one, and we're doing it the correct way.

As we stated in earlier posts, this could turn out to be nothing, but it will turn out to be nothing if the Yankees pass. That's our take right this moment.  We know for a fact that the Rockies want who they want in the Yankees farm system. Like we stated late last week in: SOURCE: ROX WANT "A LOT" OF TOP PROSPECTS FOR TULO:

"According to our guy, the Rockies are interested in Luis Severino 'as well as Rob Refsnyder or Greg Bird... (and) Shane Greene or a Manny Banuelos,' he said."  That's confirmed. What we couldn't confirm until tonight was whether or not the Yankees were approached.  It appears they have been. Maybe more will come out about it this week. We will see.

In the meantime, know this;  BYB is doing our best, and I received a lot of notes from many of you about our Tulo story. You gave us props and showed your support and you asked many questions. Some even don't believe us. It makes no difference to me. I know the info is solid. Bottom line,  we have been honest with you the whole way.  We'll continue to be.

Will Tulo be a Yankee? My gut says he will be if the Rockies and the Yankees can negotiate professionally and not get their backs up at the table. If they can do that, a deal would be made. If one team appears to want WAY more... forget it. They will part ways.   Either way, BYB isn't going anywhere until we know...

Stay tuned...




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THAT "BASEBALL INSIDER" TITLE DOESN'T MEAN MUCH, YOU KNOW...

I respect all these "Baseball Insiders", but I gotta tell ya, it's a racket.  You can be given the title of "Baseball Insider", but what does it really mean if you tweet out info after the fact, or, you put out info just to get it wrong later? 

Hell, think about this for a second; When the information on Giancarlo Stanton broke last week, no "Baseball Insider" had any of  the contract information.  You know who did? Some dude named Christopher Meola.  He tweeted this before anyone:

@Deadspin @TMZ_Sports Giancarlo Stanton deal official 13 years 325 million full no trade clause can opt out when he's 30.
— Christopher meola (@DfineNrmLC) November 14, 2014

The funny thing is, now he's somebody. You know the other funny thing?  Jon Heyman and Jim Bowden are suddenly following him. Damn... you can't make that up.

Now comes word that Russell Martin is a Toronto Blue Jay. It broke today. But do you realize that, for about 48 hours, the Chicago Cubs were gonna get him?

That's not BS, it was reported that way by many "Baseball Insiders". In fact, this was Ken Rosenthal's report yesterday:

Executives involved in bidding for Russell Martin believe #Cubs are clear front-runner. Deal expected to be in four-year, $64M range.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 17, 2014

Today Russell Martin's with the Blue Jays, with more money and 1 more year. Did I mention before that you can't make this stuff up? That's because you can't. 

What's this post all about? It's about the grind.  No longer is it about getting it right. It's clearly about getting it first, and God forbid a guy named Christopher Meola beats you... well, then you either follow him so you can at least be ahead of your peers, or maybe you can at least guess, with the hopes of getting it "close to correct." 

Look, the idea of Martin to the Cubs was pretty solid for a while there... until it wasn't today.  Now, trust me, no one will remember Rosenthal's tweet, and that's fine, but the fact of the matter is, there aren't truly "Baseball Insiders" then, are they?  In other words, the term is dumb.

Now, that's not a slight, it's the reality.  There are guys like Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record that get plenty of items correct on the daily. But he does his job, he doesn't need the world to know.  He doesn't need to be first... he needs to be right.  Hey... maybe that's why I respect him so.  Maybe that's why I respect guys like Ken Davidoff and Pete Abraham, Jason Keidel, Wally Matthews and Andrew Marchand... they make sure they're right.  Hey, maybe that's why I've been smart not to give away too much in my own BYB endeavors.  Let's not forget, Bleeding Yankee Blue was the only one that said Ichiro Suzuki was coming to the Yankees, read HERE. 

I was also the only one who has an exclusive message from Joba Chamberlain to the Yankee fans thanking them for being so supportive when he went to the Tigers, HERE.  Jon Heyman would never follow me... it would destroy his rep.

Now...Do I brag? No. Am I sure I got it checked out before I spill the beans? You're damn sure I do. 

And that's why I'm extra careful with my Troy Tulowitzki "Source." I'm giving you just enough, but not too much to screw it up.  I'm handling it with care, because... let's be honest, I don't know what the hell I'm doing. I want to stay with your guys throughout the journey. I want to see it through.

In the end, it's just baseball.  It's not brain surgery.  From my experience, as long as you're honest. As long as you put up good work... the readers will follow.  We here at BYB... we're rarely ever first.  We do however make sure we laid out the full story for you, whatever it is. 

This "Martin to the Cubs" story should be a lesson to us all.  Patience is key.  Fact checking... key.  Good Journalism... check.  Getting the story right? Priceless.

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SORRY KEN, YOU GOT THIS ONE WRONG

Recently Ken Davidoff of the New York Post wrote a piece presenting his argument that Derek Jeter is a hypocrite.  In the article, Davidoff – a columnist we here at BYB respect a great deal – argued that the Yankee captain has been participating in “spectacle-like actions” all the while presenting himself as a humble, attention-shy, team-first face of baseball.



Davidoff gives as examples the “over the top” Gatorade commercial, as well as an appearance at a Manhattan theater where patrons paid as much as four-figures to pose for a photograph with the future Hall of Famer.  In Davidoff’s words, Jeter “pointed out the absurdity of the memorabilia industry while both elevating it and profiting from it, too. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his inept, arrogant team of public-relation gurus should study Jeter to learn the art of verbal pirouetting.”

I couldn’t help but think that Ken’s article lacked both sides of the story, and took to twitter to question his piece.  What bothered me most what his labelling of Jeter a “hypocrite”.  That’s a pretty harsh word to use based on one man’s perception.   I asked “....and how much of what Jeter makes off these media spotlight deals goes to his "Turn 2" foundation?”, and continued my argument that unless you know what Jeter is doing with the money he makes, you can’t call him a hypocrite.

Ken’s response to my statements caught me off-guard.  He told me that the point was moot because the end didn’t justify the means.

How can the end – turning a kid’s life around – not be justified by using your fame to maximize the funding of a cause you believe in?

Clearly Davidoff’s article was written to generate readership and discussion.  What better way to maximize that than to write something disparaging about a beloved Yankee?  I fell into his trap.  Only isn’t he doing EXACTLY what he’s accusing Jeter of?  Write something with a sensational headline going against the mainstream in New York City and you’ll get a boost in site hits. 

Mission accomplished Ken.

When asked about how his day was going by our esteemed founder, Robert Casey, Ken replied:

@BleednYankeeBlu Doing great! Feedback was about 50-50.
— Ken Davidoff (@KenDavidoff) September 23, 2014

Look, clearly some people are tired of seeing the Jeter tributes and media tsunami heading into his final at-bat and that can give explanation to the rather high negative number of Ken’s estimate.   Sure many could perceive the blitz as being “over-the-top” but calling him a hypocrite on a nationally read site is just plain wrong.

Webster’s dictionary defines “hypocrite” as:

     A person who claims or pretends to have certain beliefs about what is right but who behaves in a way that disagrees with those beliefs

What about Jeter has been pretended?  What has he claimed that his actions have countered?

While I will always respect Ken Davidoff, and will continue to read his column as there are few better, in this particular instance I disagree with him.  If what Derek Jeter is doing “uses” his fame to garner funds for his foundation (The Turn 2 Foundation), then you cannot call him a hypocrite.   He’s harnessing his fame to better a child’s life, and there simply is nothing nobler than that.  On top of those things the media reports and glorifies, Jeter has been known to do even more off the camera and behind the scenes.  To ignore those things and ignore the way Jeter conducts himself when the lens isn’t pointed his way all in the name of making a point (that the Yankee captain is a hypocrite) either represents laziness, or slander for the sake of getting a good “hit count”.

I’ll give Davidoff the benefit of the doubt because it is clear to me that he is a quality writer.  In this instance, I’ll chalk it up to a misguided effort to create enthusiasm outside of the mainstream.  In other words, I’ll respectfully disagree and say “You got this one wrong, Ken”.


    

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


 
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PETTITTE, GIAMBI & THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

I love when older players still play this great game.  It's hard when players don't know when to say when (Read CALLING IT QUITS: WHEN IS ENOUGH ENOUGH?), but for the guys that keep plugging away, like Andy Pettitte and Jason Giambi... you have to respect that.  I love it actually.

Wally Matthews has a piece on Andy Pettitte where he talks about still loving and playing this great game and coming back to baseball: "I’m loving being back... I’m excited about the season and this organization and trying to help us win another championship. If I stay healthy, I feel like I can pitch for a long time. It doesn’t mean I want to, but I feel like I could."  Read Matthews HERE.

Now in fairness to Ken Davidoff, Wally wasn't the one that first reported this story, Ken Davidoff did and he did a terrific piece from March 1st titled Retirement not obsession of Yankees' Pettitte anymore. Read it, it's brilliantly done, especially the way Davidoff sets it up, writing: "The “Yankeeography” footage looks ancient, with Andy Pettitte strenuously working out alongside two men — Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee — whose association with the franchise has been wiped out. 'I can’t wait,' The Rocket tells his left-handed protégé, 'to come back and do this with you when you’re 40.'

Cut to a close-up of Pettitte, dated March 30, 2003, at the then SkyDome in Toronto, with these words: 'When I’m 40, I don’t think I’ll still be playing baseball. I’m not quite that inspired.'

And yet here we were yesterday morning at George M. Steinbrenner Field, a 40-year-old Pettitte preparing for his 18th major league season and smiling upon hearing his words from nearly 10 years ago. Acknowledging his 2011 leave of absence has dramatically changed his career outlook."

I knew I read Wally's story before... Kudos to Ken Davidoff... and Andy Pettitte of course.

And there's more... Jason Giambi is kicking ass in Cleveland Indians camp and he has a very good shot of making their club at the ripe age of 42.  The Plain Dealer's Bud Shaw (HERE) writes of Terry Francona liking Giambi around, "He sounds almost that cheery every time Giambi’s name is mentioned. The way Francona talks about him, Giambi would have to accidentally get run over by a Vespa peloton not to make the Indians’ roster out of spring training. 'He has a presence about him,' Francona said when asked about Giambi’s at-bats in camp. 'He doesn’t swing at bad pitches ever. He’ll take a walk. He still has his bat speed. I’ve been very impressed.'"

I love it. You have to appreciate these guys, you really do. 

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.

KEN DAVIDOFF IS DOING HIS JOB & DOING IT WELL

Let me chime in on the RA Dickey-Ken Davidoff charade.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Ken Davidoff wrote a piece over this past weekend where he characterized RA Dickey as a “handful” in the Mets clubhouse.  You can read it HERE. Here is a quote from that piece:

"Dickey can be a handful. He clearly has enjoyed his rise from the ashes into a Flushing folk hero, and while he deserves praise and riches, there’s also the matter of him having to coexist peacefully in a workplace. His gift for self-promotion and his love of attention don’t endear himself to most teammates. Instead, his durability and outstanding results led him to be appreciated but far from beloved.

If Dickey can’t control his verbiage at a holiday party — “Folks, not today, not with the kids here” was all he had to say to reporters — then how would a full season of uncertainty feel? How many times would Dickey spout off publicly? Or work behind the scenes to make the Mets look bad and boost his own brand?"

I've heard this before.  Lately when Dickey and the Mets were trying to work out an extension deal, it was reportedly getting heated and it was revealed that the Mets didn't like the way Dickey was handling his new found fame, so to speak.  Read WHY I'M COMMENTING ON RA DICKEY, I'LL NEVER KNOW for guidance on how I felt about the situation.

Now... after that piece, there are plenty defending Dickey and slamming Ken Davidoff.  The question I have is "Why?"  Bottom line, as an outsider and absolutely nothing to gain writing about the Mets or Dickey for that matter, Ken Davidoff can write anything he wants from his perspective, because, quite frankly, Davidoff probably knows alittle something more than we do. He's the baseball insider.  He’s able to hang around the Mets players, the brass, and he can probably get any “off the record” or on the record conversation he wants with any player he wants, at any time... many of us can’t.  Maybe Davidoff is getting us a perspective that none of us know about. Did anyone think about that?  It’s unfair to attack Davidoff in that regard and for the record, I have no beef with Dickey either.  Davidoff does incredible work and Dickey can feel good about himself after his fairy tale season, I give him that. My beef is with the Mets. But more about my opinion on the Mets in another post, this one is about Davidoff who deserves props for doing his job!

Now, Davidoff put together another piece yesterday after the whirlwind and explains the basis for him criticizing Dickey (HERE). Why? Because he's not a coward. Davidoff's a good writer and always chats about his columns.  He's probably one of the most interactive writers out there. He doesn't post something and then, when he gets a million questions asked to him, he doesn't ignore those questions. Some do. He actually communicates, he gets it.

Look, my take is simple; RA Dickey’s moved on, he’s a Toronto Blue Jay.  The reality is, this story is over.  One can make an argument that no one should “care” about Dickey and his “antics” if there were any, that's where I fall. But, the other thing is, from my own perspective, I was clear when I wrote that if Dickey feels good about himself, winning a Cy Young award and 20 games, let him enjoy himself a bit, he deserves it.  Lord knows the Mets didn’t do anything for him to help win 20 games. I wrote: “He won the Cy Young award.  Sure, the Mets can say that RA Dickey is enjoying his new found fame alittle too much and acting too arrogant, or whatever they seem to be doing to attack this guy's character, but hey, if RA Dickey feels good about himself after the season he just had, and the mountain he just climbed, let the guy ride the wave man!"

The best part about Dickey was that today he said this about being a Toronto Blue Jay: “I can’t tell you how excited I am to be a part of an organization that’s committed to winning.” In other words, F Off Mets! (Read HERE.)

But back to Ken Davidoff... Lay off him. Or, stop being jealous.  The guy is one of the best out there, and he went the extra mile most likely to get the story that none of us had.  You can’t get angry at him for doing his job, that would be ridiculous. It’s the holiday season, lighten up. As far as I can tell the story is over... with Dickey getting the final word in. 

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JOE GIRARDI & BILLY MARTIN; MORE SIMILAR THAN YOU THINK

I'm not going to lie to you. I never ever thought that there was any similarities between Joe Girardi and Billy Martin...EVER!  These are 2 guys that had totally different lifestyles off the field, they played the game at different times and Billy came and went constantly during the Steinbrenner era.  No comparison right? Wrong.  There are people smarter than me that come up with this stuff that totally interesting to look at stats, well, like the one below from Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.  He Tweeted the one below and I was impressed, in fact, I loved it so I kept it and I wanted to share it with you.

So there you go, a great stat I would have never thought about if Davidoff didn't put it out there.  No doubt it's impressive.  Could that similarity between Billy and our current be the end of it? Not so fast.  I have to tell you, the other night in Detroit when Joe Girardi ran out of the dugout and started screaming at the umps and was booted from the game, I had weird flashbacks of Billy Martin running out like a crazy person, kicking dirt on the umpire. 

In fact, my wife and I were watching and said "Who was that manager the Yankees had that used to get nuts?" "Billy Martin," I said, Alfred Manuel 'Billy' Martin," I said.  When Billy did it, he usually had a strategy and I thought the same thing with Joe the other night.  Sure, Billy was looking for a fight, but he was clearly getting his team pumped up and more times than not, he'd get booted.  It was pure comedy, but if you know me, I appreciate the umpires as well because I know being an ump can be a thankless job. So yeah, arguing is fine, but there needs to be some kind of respect too. 

 Billy Martin was back and forth on the Yankees so many times, I almost thought he had won championships with the Yanks 2 times, not 1 like Davidoff tweeted.  But Ken's right, Billy won as manager of the 1977 Yankees and in 1978, it was Bob Lemon.  Hey, sue me, sometimes I forget.  That's why Ken's stat was so great. Obviously we know from recent history that the Yankees didn't make it to the playoffs in 2008 and then won it all in 2009, Girardi's second year as manager...he too, one time, so far at least.

Billy Martin's career as Yankee manager over all was 556-385. He had 2 pennants and 1 World Series title.  Billy was a gem, he was aggressive and he knew the game cold, better than alot of other managers.  Ironically, many great managers are catchers. Look at Joe Torre for instance? But Billy aggression goes back to the days when he played for Casey Stengel. 

It's been documented for years that Stengel loved Martin's aggressiveness and Billy clearly carried that over when he became a manager.  And see... that's where I find Joe Girardi and Billy Martin's managing style very different. I don't feel like Joe is aggressive enough on the base paths, I want to see more running, more hit and run, more manufacturing runs and less solo homers.  Sure, I love Joe pumping up his team and jumping out of the dugout to argue a call, but when he's in there, thumbing through the binder, sometimes I wish he'd just close it and go on instinct and strategy much like Billy did.

Look, people don't care for Joe as the Yankees manager. I'm not one of them. I like Joe, and sure, I wish he'd walk away from the binder once in a while, but he's getting there.  I'd much rather he be more aggressive, but hey, what the hell do I know?  After all, Davidoff's stats are pretty damn impressive if you think about it; Girardi 412-288 and Martin 410-290 in the first 700 games as manager. 

Hell... Joe's clearly doing something right...

 ORDER A BYB SHIRT NOW, DROB WEARS ONE! Also, Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

UPDATE ON JOSE CAMPOS

As you know from our previous post titled:  WHY JOSE CAMPOS IS ON THE SHELF, Campos got injured and we wanted to get BYB readers an update on his injury when we knew something.  Well, now we know something.  Jose Campos went for an MRI and the results was elbow inflammation. There's no timetable for his return, but it could take a week or so before we see him back on the mound.  Read Ken Davidoff HERE.

Luckily... it's not serious.  Thank goodness. If anything else develops, we'll let you know.



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Lead Staff Writer
Follow me on Twitter @SchindlerJesse


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