JASSON DOMINGUEZ PLAYED LIKE A TRUE THROWBACK

Maybe this is the old man in me talking, but baseball today feels a little… moisturized. Everybody’s worried about “load management,” preserving bodies, launch angles, recovery days, sleep metrics, hydration charts, and whether a guy’s heart rate got too high jogging to first base. Somewhere along the way, baseball stopped looking like a game played by maniacs and started looking like an HR department seminar.

I grew up watching players who treated the warning track like it was optional and basic human safety like a rumor.

Pete Rose didn’t slide into bases — he tried to assassinate them. The man played baseball like he had unpaid parking tickets waiting at every bag. Headfirst dives, dirt in his teeth, jersey permanently stained brown. Nobody ever accused Pete Rose of “taking a smarter angle.” The only angle he knew was full speed.

Then you had Ken Griffey Sr. and Dave Winfield scaling outfield walls in Yankee Stadium like rent was due at midnight. Those guys didn’t jog toward fly balls calculating risk assessment percentages. They went after baseballs with the kind of recklessness normally associated with action movies and bad financial decisions.

And don’t even get me started on Derek Jeter launching himself face-first into the stands against Boston. The man basically became an airborne folding chair just to record an out. Bloody face, bruised shoulder and Yankee fans still replay that clip like it’s the Zapruder film. THAT was baseball.

And honestly, that’s why I’m rolling my eyes at everyone ripping Jasson Domínguez for smashing into the wall making that catch against Texas. People are calling it stupid. I’m calling it beautiful.

The kid ran 81 feet tracking a rocket off the bat, went full speed into the chain-link part of the wall, got absolutely detonated on impact, lost his sunglasses, lost his hat, probably briefly lost contact with several ancestors — and STILL held onto the baseball.

That’s not stupidity. That’s baseball DNA. That is why you play the game. That is why Sportscenter invented the 10 ten plays!

That’s “the run doesn’t score because I’m catching this ball no matter what happens afterward.”

And yes, he got hurt. Shoulder sprain. Concussion protocol. He’ll miss a few weeks. But since when did effort become something we criticize? Since when did “he played too hard” become an insult?

Baseball was built on lunatics doing unreasonable things for outs. Why? Because it's the greatest game ever made.

You know who else played like this? Aaron Rowand. That man once smashed face-first into the center-field wall in Philadelphia so hard it looked like he got hit by a city bus, then walked away bleeding because he caught the ball anyway. ESPN literally dubbed players like him part of the “All-Run-Through-A-Wall Team.” Aaron Rowand played center field like every fly ball had personally insulted his family.

And then there was Jim Edmonds — a human highlight. The guy treated diving catches like performance art. Half the time he’d leave his feet so dramatically you’d think he got launched out of a cannon.  Jim Edmonds basically created baseball pornography for SportsCenter. Before every phone became a television studio, people waited all night to see the SportsCenter Top 10 because some lunatic center fielder sacrificed his skeletal structure robbing a double in July.

That stuff MATTERED.

Now everybody immediately turns into a risk-management consultant.
“He should’ve protected himself.”
“He needs to think long-term.”
“He’s too valuable.”
“He shouldn’t risk injury in May.”

Man… what happened to us?

 

You play to WIN THE GAME. You play to steal outs. You play to make the pitcher walk back to the dugout screaming into his glove because you just erased a guaranteed extra-base hit.

And what makes Domínguez’s play even better is this: the kid easily could’ve coasted. He JUST came back from an elbow bruise. Nobody would’ve crushed him for pulling up a step early. Most modern players probably make the “business decision” there, let the ball bounce off the wall, and jog after it while pretending they almost had it.

Not Domínguez. He went full-send. And that’s why I respect it.

That’s also why I’ll always love guys like Harrison Bader. Sure, the guy gets hurt a lot. But every inning looks like his mortgage depends on making the next catch. There’s something refreshing about players who still play with chaos in them. Because baseball is supposed to have some chaos.

It’s supposed to have dirt-stained uniforms, guys crashing into walls, catchers blocking the plate, infielders diving into the hole, and outfielders running like their cleats are on fire. Not everything needs to be optimized by a sports scientist with an iPad and a protein shake.

Of course players should be smart. Nobody’s saying careers should end for one catch in May. But there’s a massive difference between being smart and being soft. And lately, the line between those two keeps getting blurrier.

So no, I’m not criticizing Jasson Domínguez. I’m applauding him. Because for one play, baseball looked dangerous again.

It looked emotional again.
It looked gritty again.
It looked like the game I grew up loving.

And honestly?
We need more of that.

--Alvin Izzo
BYB Yankee History Contributor

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: BILLY SAMPLE

I love and respect the grind.  I know it's hard to make it to the major leagues and stay there and I admire many of the great ball players past, present and future for being able to make it and stay along as long as they have and will.  When I was growing up, there were many guys that played the game with the same club for a long time.  There were others, that as a Yankee fan, you wanted on your club, be it because of their talent, scrappiness, toughness, whatever it was.  One of those guys that I always admired was Billy Sample. 

Now, full disclosure; Once my first son was born, I made it a mission of mine to send out baseball cards to players present and past to get their autographs. The goal was to give each of my kids a binder full of baseball card autographs when they were old enough to enjoy it and understand the game. It was something I did as a kid, and something I hoped to pass onto them. One of those players was Billy Sample, and for a short time, we wrote letters back and forth to each other.  He answered my questions openly. He was, and is, a great, honest man and we became "friends"... in my head.  Now, years later, we met up again, this time because of a movie he put together called Reunion 108.

I recently wrote A SAMPLE OF BILLY SAMPLE. I wanted to share my recent connection with the BYB audience, an audience that didn't exist when I started my baseball card collection for my children. Now, these days, it nice to tell the stories to our audience, and so, when I asked Billy to do an interview with us, he agreed, and I was thrilled.

So here it is. A great interview with a smart baseball mind, a former pro baseball player, a movie maker and my friend, Mr. Billy Sample. Enjoy this ladies and gentlemen... I sure did:

BYB: Mr. Sample, you played 1 season with the Yankees, 1985. Tell the audience about playing for Billy Martin.

Billy Sample: In my opinion and that of others, Billy was a tremendous tactician, and he played an aggressive, small ball type of game.  Not that he shunned the three run homer, but he would force pressure on the defense by maximizing the smaller parts of the offense.

BYB: What teammates were you close with on that '85 Yankees team and why?

(In Photo: Don Baylor)

Billy Sample: By nature I am not a close, "makes friends" type of person.  I dressed on the side of the room with Andre Robertson, Don Baylor and Ken Griffey Sr., so I probably conversed more with them during the day than most.  

Ken Sr., had a fifteen year old son, who turned out to be a pretty good ballplayer too.

BYB: Yogi Berra was also your manager for 16 games in 1985. What was he like in a setting like that?

Billy Sample: Yogi was and is a super respected person.  Similar to what the public sees, he has a very easy demeanor with an understated humor.

BYB: I followed your career before the Yankees, when you were with the Rangers.  Tell me about your experience in baseball back then in Texas. What is your fondest memory of playing there?

Billy Sample: From Texas, I just remember the heat, oppressive temperatures. It was hard to maintain weight and energy. I believe one year we had forty-three consecutive days of over a hundred degrees.  The newer stadium, with its better infrastructure can shield the players better than the minor league stadium that the team inherited after its move from Washington

BYB: Growing up, who did you idolize in baseball and why?

Billy Sample: I didn't have any baseball idols growing up.  My models were people of whom I had interacted; like teachers, Cub scout leaders, coaches, etc.  I did admire the quiet dignity of Roy White. 

When I was traded to the Yankees, while Roy was in some front office capacity, I called him to my locker one day as he was walking through the clubhouse and told him. He didn't believe me... ha ha.

BYB: You shared a great nugget about Don Zimmer recently and we printed it on Bleeding Yankee Blue. Any other stories you want to share about the great Mr. Zimmer?

Billy Sample: Rangers' management had decided to replace Don Zimmer mid-way through the 1982 season, but as this was happening, Amon Carter, one of the minority owners of the club, died unexpectedly.  Owner Eddie Chiles didn't want the firing of Don to overshadow the homage paid to recently departed part owner, so he asked the manager to stay on through the weekend, even though he had been unofficially fired. Let's just say that press conference after the weekend was priceless.

Post by Reunion 108.

BYB: We recently chatted about the movie "Reunion 108" you put together.  Tell me about it, I'm sure the BYB audience would love to hear about it.

Billy Sample: I wrote a script. It's an edgy, satirical, R-rated comedy with a baseball clubhouse backdrop.  I submitted it to the Hoboken Film Festival and it took top honors in it's category and then I decided to produce it.  The jury is still out on that decision, but it's what I wanted, and now I have the task of getting it into as many theaters as possible and educate the audiences while eliciting quite a few laughs.

BYB: Is making movies something that you always had in the back of your mind, even when you were a major league ballplayer?

Billy Sample: No, not at all. I thought about journalism from time to time, but never thought about a movie during my playing days.  I doubt if making a movie even entered my mine before the last five years or so.

BYB: Billy, who was the 1 pitcher that you hated to face the most and why?

Billy Sample: I had trouble with a number of pitchers; Shane Rawley, Dave Stieb, Neal Heaton, Paul Splittorff, Jack Morris, Sammy Stewart. How did I stay in the league? Ha ha.  However, the late Tom Underwood and I both knew that I had trouble with him.   Once I got a cheap infield hit off of him in Baltimore. He with the Orioles and me with the Yankees. We both nodded because that's the only hit I remember getting off of him.  Officially I was 2 for 21 off of him.

BYB: Finally... anything you want to say to Bleeding Yankee Blue?

Billy Sample: Continued success with Bleeding Yankee Blue.

Thank you Mr. Sample, and all the best to you sir.  I would like to help promote Reunion 108 right now ladies and gentlemen.  Billy Sample is on Facebook.

I suggest you reach out to him.  Tell him you want to help him promote his film.  It's takes alot of courage and confidence to step out into a brand new field after baseball, but Mr. Sample is doing it, and I tip my cap.

I truly appreciate Mr. Sample taking the time.  And Billy, if you need anything, you reach out to us at BYB. You are now, officially, part of the Bleeding Yankee Blue family.

PASSION-BASED BASEBALL: THE SECRET TO SUCCESS

With the Core Four down to one, I ask you all to think long and hard about what you would like to see in your 2014 team. Leadership? Absolutely! Innovation? For sure! How about passion? How about that? Who is the heart and soul of the new Yankees? And with this heart and soul, who will lead the Yankees to a championship? The only two guys that have the heart for it are on the auction-block with another outfielder added to the roster! Ichiro Suzuki and Brett Gardner are our quiet champions; they play hard, give it everything they have and if we give them up, then who has the heart to lead and strengthen this team?

The Cano debacle is still haunting me. Money flaunting, only doing what's necessary with no additional effort- Robbie Cano! Don't ya know we were counting on you? You break my heart Robbie! Would your name-sake do the same? What would Jackie say?

OK, back to passion: Brett Gardner, the young, spry, center field bleeds Yankee blue and we have him hanging on a limb like bait on a hook. And Ichiro who always wanted to be a Yankee, the ultimate professional, let's throw him out to the trash too! Really? Did we really need Carlos Beltran if that means we need to give up Gardy and Ichiro?

Dick Vitale, who I admire for his passionate calls and undying enthusiasm for college basketball, tweeted this today:

Yes, if we give up another young player, we could make that B.S. statement a reality. "Or are the Yankees of this decade just going to be a better and far more expensive version of the Yankees of the 1980s, another time when they wandered aimlessly from plan to plan and brought in Jack Clark and Ed Whitson and Dave Collins and Ken Griffey and, well, Yankee fans know that’s the short list," according to the Mike Lupica in the New York Daily News on Sunday.

Did we overpay for Jacoby Ellsbury at the expense of Gardy? I think so. Remember Jacoby started in the Red Sox organization just like Gardy. And he doesn't have even a quarter of the passion that Gardy does! And Beltran was always whining and crying in New York while he was with the Mets. Have you heard even a peep from Ichiro?

To say I'm disgusted would be an understatement. I suggest you read Lupica's column in The Daily News today and re-read our posts on passion and teamwork because that's what's missing and taking out Gardy and Ichiro is going to kill our chemistry completely. I expect more vision in our front office and less cherry-picking. The secret of success is in the makeup of your team, which includes passion-based ball playing. Let's hold onto what's left of that and seek out those that fit that profile for the sake of our future.

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





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WHY PRECEDENCE HAS BEEN SET

Jorge Posada’s struggles are no secret. And I don’t want to kick a man when he’s down…. But I’m saying it now: Jorge won’t be back in a playing capacity with this organization next year. How do I know? This is the Yankees and we’ve seen this show before.

Exhibit A: Jorge is currently batting .169 (.209 vs. Righties & a whooping .000 vs. Lefties) It's gotten so bad he’s been benched against Lefties.(Photo: Getty)

Exhibit B: Russell Martin is hitting .236 which is on par with the rest of the AL catchers. It doesn’t hurt that Martin is also handling all of the Yankees starters without much issue. Remember Burnett’s issues with Posada last year?

Exhibit C: When the Yankees make a decision that someone is old and expendable, they don’t hide it. When the organization decides someone is “washed up”, they move them to DH and replace them with a younger model. It’s like buying a car or a new electronic gadget.I know you all are saying, “Lem, this is all your opinion” WRONG! Fact: In 2006, Johnny Damon was signed as the new center fielder displacing longtime fan-favorite Bernie Williams. Williams was in the last year of his contract, and the organization determined Bernie was done. 2006
was Bernie’s last year, where he hit .281, 12 HR, 61 RBI.
(In photo: Ken Griffey Sr.)
Isolated case? WRONG! They’ve been doing this for a long, long time.... In 1983, the Yanks had a decent first baseman. Ken Griffey hit .306 and played decent defense. In 1984, Griffey was moved to the outfield and later to DH, only to be replaced by a fresh-faced kid from the cornfields of Indiana waiting to take Griffey’s job. Don Mattingly went on to win the AL batting title in ‘84 and the AL MVP in ’85, while Griffey bounced around the league for another 6 seasons.

Look, I’m a huge fan of Jorge Posada’s. I’ve met him on 2 different occasions and he couldn’t have been nicer. But lets face it, time isn’t on his side and the precedence has been set. I believe he should be a no-doubt Hall of Famer, and at this point might want to consider bowing out gracefully. I thank Jorge for everything he’s done while he’s here, but this is a younger man’s game.

By the way... Jeter, Rivera, A-Rod take notice…..


-- Lem Allen, BYB Freelance Writer
bybcurmudgeon@gmail.com


Please comment and 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.