BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE'S FAVORITE 5 INTERVIEWS

Because there is literally no news, except for the pandemic... I thought we'd have some fun. In the past we have done a ton of great interviews here at Bleeding Yankee Blue.  I was just reading through all of them.  I want to right now take a moment and share the people, the links and my favorite quotes from those interviews. Also, keep in mind, these are my 5 favorite interviews.  Mine... Robert Casey's... the BYB Chief.  I have great writers and if they want to make an extra companion piece follow-up  to this with their favorite 5, I will welcome it. It can be fun.  Anyway... here it goes.

NUMBER 5:

My 5th favorite interview from BYB has to be with CC & Amber Sabathia. These 2 are amazing people, and they agreed to do an interview with us for a Christmas morning release back in 2013.  Please read: CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR: INTERVIEW WITH THE SABATHIAS.

Here's a great quote from that interview: 

CC Sabathia: "I enjoyed my years in Cleveland and they will always be a part of my baseball family, the city is great and the fans are great. It's never easy to leave an organization you played with since day one…but I was traded to the Brewers and though I was there for only a few months, I enjoyed my teammates, and the fans were very welcoming. But nothing can compare to New York. It really is a family organization, with great players around you and you have a chance to win every year, and that’s what you want as a player. The fans are the best, very passionate and knowledgeable and we’re playing on the largest stage….We love being here in NYC!" 

NUMBER 4: 

My 4th is with Paul O'Neill. A class act all the way. Loved that he took the time to chat with us, and always wanted to interview him. This interview was done in December 2011. Please read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: PAUL O'NEILL. Here's a great quote from that interview.

Check this out:

BYB: My son once asked me why you got so angry if you got an out in a big moment. I told him because Paul O’Neill wanted to hit the ball every time. Would that be a safe assessment of your passion for the game? 

Paul O'Neill: That’s half of it. I tend to be a perfectionist, hating failure. That may have started long ago as the youngest of six. There were so many of us, you sort of had to vie for dad’s praise and attention. But baseball is a game where great hitters get beat 7 out of 10 times. Where a guy could play fifteen years and feel accomplished because he has two World Series rings. Over 95% of roster players go home losing every year in baseball. I probably needed a thicker skin. I spent too many sleepless nights going over strikeouts or popups. 

NUMBER 3:

My 3rd has got to be our first interview on BYB ever... back in May of 2011, and it was with my man Steve Karsay who was candid and honest and awesome. Please read: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: STEVE KARSAY.

Karsay helped get us some exposure and we will always appreciate him. In fact, I may reach out to him again and do a follow-up, this time by podcast on BYB Media. Anyway, this is my favorite quote from him:

Steve Karsay: Growing up and enjoying the game, I had many favorite players. There were so many it is hard to choose just one. I'll do my best. From the time that I was young, I always liked Thurman Munson and Ron Guidry. Goose Gossage was a favorite to watch as was Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, Oh and you can't forget Gary Carter. The last one I would have to clump in there would be Roger Clemens and the reason was, I liked to watch him play and compete. For me, to be able to watch these guys and be able to meet them and to actually have a chance to be their teammate was definitely something special. 

NUMBER 2:

My next favorite is Nancy Newman. She's smart and sexy and just the best and appreciates us and we appreciate her! And by the way, we love Bob Lorenz, Meredith Marakovits, Kenny Singleton, Jack Curry too.  All I'm saying is Nancy was just a smidge extra special for me personally. We did this interview with Nancy in January of 2015. Please read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: NANCY NEWMAN

Here's my favorite quote and a fun one for me:

BYB: I just want to say, chatting with you over the past few weeks, it's refreshing to know that I am not the only one who still uses a Blackberry. Apparently you do too, huh? Random I know, but explain to our audience why you like it when it comes to correspondence... Frankly, I'm tired of explaining myself... ha ha 

Nancy Newman: I find myself explaining my Blackberry status to people, too!! I just love my Blackberry and have not been able to "consciously uncouple" with it ! You can't beat the security features and that classic keyboard! Glad to have you with me on that! I'm a Blackberry and iPad girl.

Nancy and I will always have the Blackberry bond.

NUMBER 1:

Laura and Jorge Posada of course. Love these 2 and always have.  They are good people, private and family oriented.  Laura is building a successful career these days now that Jorge is retired and these 2 have always been amazing with it comes to support for Bleeding Yankee Blue.

Please read THE FULL POSADA INTERVIEW. 

Here's my favorite quote from each of them:

BYB: We have to know... How did you and Jorge meet? 

Laura: We met when we were teenagers on a baseball field where he was the umpire for my softball game. After the game ended, we both went our separate ways until we met again at a restaurant in Puerto Rico. After a mutual friend introduced us, he remembered he had met me at the softball game and told his roommate I was the girl he wanted to marry. 

BYB: Jorge, how do you feel about the phrase "Core Four" describing you, Jeet, Mariano and Andy? 

Jorge: It's an honor because they are my brothers. We grew up together and spending so many years as teammates is something I will never forget. 

I hope you all enjoyed this. Hey, Suzanne, Jeana and Missy... you guys go next!

IN THE MIDST OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WE REACHED 7 MILLION STRONG

These days, every single day is like a blur to me. I mean sure, we do our 'work from home' routine, exercise and in some cases help our kids with their school work, but this "Stay at Home" stuff is for the birds.  Does it save lives? It does. Is it working? It is, but it's amazing. Never if my life have I ever seen such an incredible thing in my world. Never, ever.

But in the midst of this tragedy, a glow of light.  Bleeding Yankee Blue has done it again. We have reached a new milestone, something to be proud of. We have reached 7 million views on our pages, and that is all because of people like you!

Over 7 million views is not only historic, it makes me all fuzzy inside. That means that since September of 2010, we have built an audience and found a way to deliver news and information to our audience in a unique way. And I say unique, because there were already so many Yankee blogs out there. But we do it differently. We are honest.

We don't kiss the ass of the New York Yankees. I mean yes, we are fans first, but if someone in the Yankee clubhouse is blowing it or saying the wrong thing, we're gonna tell it to you straight.  We've done it over the years and continue too... even when it comes to guys like Sonny Gray or Giancarlo Stanton or even Joe Girardi. Whomever. That's one. 2... our writers don't need to agree with each other to make a solid product. Look at the spats between Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa and Mike O'Hara when it comes to a player like Mark Teixeira for example. One loves him... the other... not so much.

We started after a bad game back in 2010. BYB built from there.  Our first interview was with Steve Karsay. That was in 2011. It was awesome and helped put us on the map. (Read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: STEVE KARSAY).

Years later, our first podcast interview was with Ty Hensley. He gave us stability and there will be more podcast interviews as we move forward. (Check out A BYB PODCAST INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVE WITH TY HENSLEY ). We love this dude and let me be honest... we were the ONLY blog that was consistently following him throughout everything he's been through. And now he's back on top on the verge of signing with a Major League club again.

My point is, Bleeding Yankee Blue has evolved for our audience, because our audience is the foundation to this entire process.

💚 GREEN I 💚 It’s my favorite color and the color of revitalization and rebirth. Hopefully, after this passes we will be better as a partner, mom, sister, friend, human being and we appreciate even more how important it is to be healthy. 💚 pic.twitter.com/QlMdSjbgVE

— Laura Posada (@PosadaLifeCoach) April 10, 2020

We've met and got the know many people over the years.  Laura and Jorge Posada. Clay Rapada. Marci Hensley, Joba Chamberlain, Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record and others.  They are loyal to us... we are loyal to them.

My writers don't stop. I mean some do, but my staple Managing Editors do not. Suzie and Jeana are unstoppable and unique and important to our brand.  We need them on the pages of Bleeding Yankee Blue, and love them very much here.

And finally to our readers, our freaks, our friends, our loves and our loyal crew.

We do this every day for you because you come to us for information, smiles and news when it comes to the New York Yankees and of course the despicable Houston Astros, which, if you know us, has been incorporated into our daily routine.  We fight for justice, and the Astros need to be buried for what they did to this great game.

But you, our readers are our base and our rock and our voice of reason if you agree or disagree with what we put out.  You are the reason we exist.

Thank you. Thank all of you for being there and for supporting Bleeding Yankee Blue.

Wow... 7 million views of our pages.  More than 10,000 stories on our website since it all began in 2010.  That means something. That means we are relevant.

We appreciate you being with us on our journey. Let's continue to blossom.... together.

--Robert Casey
BYB Chief & Head Writer
Twitter: @BleednYankeeBlu

YOU'VE ALREADY HAD 9 YEARS OF BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE!

It's hard to believe, but September 14th was the 9 year anniversary of Bleeding Yankee Blue.  Back then I was just a fan who had some problems with the way Joe Girardi was handling the Yankee bullpen and how the idea of "winning at all costs" wasn't about sitting a better player for a worse one, but WINNING with all you got! And so, frustrated, annoyed and aggravated... I make a blog and posted a story.  The story was titled WHY LAST NIGHT WAS IMPORTANT.

That story was then sent to a few friends that had no idea that it was me.  With that, a few shares and when I woke up the next day, nearly 30 people had read it. I didn't know them, but it just goes to show that the power of social media is important.

Since then BYB has seen writers come and go, we've sold sweatshirts, shirts, underwear... we've interviewed Yankees present and former... we even built solid relationships.  I consider people like Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record a friend.  I can email Jack Curry whenever I want. I am friends with Ty Hensley and his lovely family. Mike O'Hara and I are like brothers at this point. Clay Rapada and I keep in touch, Brendan and Sharyn Ryan are my friends... just good people.  And being fans of the Sabathias is one thing... but knowing them personally and seeing just how sweet Amber truly is...is just dynamic.  I will also always be grateful to Laura and Jorge Posada, who, not only supported BYB back then, but we can still stay in touch and Laura is making her own career now, while Jorge can retire.  Hey... and how often do you get to break chops with Bob Lorenz?  I know I can whenever I want.  Same with Nancy Newman... one of my favs and just an incredible person to boot! Nancy, I owe you a text!

The point is, it may have taken a while, but Bleeding Yankee Blue is legit. We found friends through trust, and that's what we wanted. We wanted our audience to first love us, but then share us, talk about us, all the while allowing us to build solid relationships with regular folks as well as the Yankee family.  We wanted a piece of it to call our own, without being snobs... without being ego maniacs.

We've done that!

September 14, 2010 is our 9 year anniversary, but we wouldn't still be doing this if you didn't believe in us.  We wouldn't be a thing without my truly diehard writers in Suzie Pinstripe, Jeana Bellezza and Ike Dimitriadis and of course newcomer Missy O'Rourke.  They've helped push the brand forward. They've helped find our audience of die-hard readers.

Thank you.  Thank you to our amazing audience. You wow me every time.  Without your opinions, your likes, you disagreements, your shares and your banter with us, we would not be here.  But while blogs like River Ave Blue have called it a day, we don't and that's because of you.

I am forever grateful for your passion for the Yankees and for us.  My friendships, even with many of you readers is so incredible to me.  Becki, Jessica, Charles, Joey, Rose, Deb, Joan, Doug... and so many of you have made me blessed.  I love you all for that bond. It's tight... tighter than I could have ever imagined! I appreciate you.

Life goes pretty fast... but with a bond, friends, I will never feel rushed. It's a steady pace... and we hope to keep going. Why? Because you deserve it and because we love to deliver it to you.

Thanks for being loyal.  Happy 9 year Anniversary to us.  Wow.

--Robert Casey
BYB Chief and Head Writer
Twitter: @BleednYankeeBlu

LAURA POSADA STANDS UP TO THE HATERS!

We all love Laura Posada here on BYB anyway, but this one takes the cake!

Laura took a moment on Twitter the other day to stand up against the haters out there that were going after her.  And I love it! Read her tweet...

This video is for all the haters that suggested I edited my body in the picture I posted yesterday! At 47 it takes discipline and hard work to stay healthy and strong. With 40 is the new 20 the goal is to inspire, motivate and lead by example. I love sharing my experiences and.. pic.twitter.com/Og5Mq8pMyH

— Laura Posada (@PosadaLifeCoach) September 7, 2019

As you all know, I think Twitter is a pretty awful place. Facebook too.  A lot of people out there think that they can bully, bash, humiliate others with different opinions or views or appearances, because of jealousy or pure hate or just to stir the pot. And the reason is simple... they aren't identified or know that because they're not face to face, they have some sense of empowerment or something.

People disagree with BYB a lot and we welcome that. But it's when you get hateful or disrespectful that I have a problem.  And that's what Laura is doing here.  I applaud her! More people should stand up to the haters.  It will make for a better world.

We need to stop the hate. Respect each other. Love one another.

THE GORGEOUS LAURA POSADA IS BUILDING HER EMPIRE!

Quick note about BYB friend, Laura Posada, wife of Jorge. She's amazing and never stops working.

We became friendly with the Posadas a few years ago and Laura and Jorge were nice enough to contribute to a great interview with us here on BYB. Read that here:

THE FULL POSADA INTERVIEW

And as we got tight, I would always let Laura voice here thoughts on good living and life here at BYB. There are several great interviews she's done with us. But one thing I remember her telling me was now is her time to shine.

La hemos pasado de show en el evento de wellness de @inprmag Me encantó poder compartir con ustedes en nuestro #FITSPIRATIION class de #40isthenew20 pic.twitter.com/Qu93Z4YTBL

— Laura Posada (@PosadaLifeCoach) June 2, 2019

That always stuck with me.  She's an amazing person and she's doing her thing on Twitter and on her website as a life coach.

It’s always really important to warm-up before your workout. Here I show you a simple way to do so with 4 moves you can do wherever you are. #leggings and #sportsbra @bumbumbacana #40isthenew20 #40isthenew20fit #warmup #workout #fitspiration #saturdayvibes pic.twitter.com/MZZigwVK2f

— Laura Posada (@PosadaLifeCoach) June 29, 2019

She's extremely inspirational, she works her tail off and she really just needs a Saturday Shoutout as she is truly an inspiration to not only women out there, but to everyone. She never stops working.

If you get a chance, be sure to give her a shout on Twitter and let her know how special she is! Also, be sure to check out her website. It's HERE.

Happy Saturday everyone!

2018: A BIG YANKEE FUTURE & GRATITUDE

I'm ready for this New Year.  I'm ready for 2018.

Many of you don't know it, but in 2017, I dealt with many things that were unpredictable and beyond my control in my life.  It was a scary year for me.  But as the year went on, I recognized that there were a few important things in my life that I could always cling to... and those things would always welcome me no matter what. In essence... those 'things' were my safe place.  The places I could go when things around me got tough and way too chaotic.

For one, my family.  I mean my actual family.

My family is growing up... and as I look at my sons mature, I could not be more proud.  They are smart. They are active... hardworking and determined to be great people.  My wife and I are proud of that.  We push them to make smart choices, to communicate with us if there is ever a problem in their own lives, and we are always there for them, putting their lives before ours to make sure they get what they want out of life. 

You want your children to be successful. You want and hope that your own kids secure better and more prosperous careers than you do and have success and love throughout their own lives. And you hope that they remember how they got there, and always come home when they need to, no matter how old they are... no matter how successful they have become.  My family is my safe place.

And then there's my BYB family...

You know... it's funny.  I received a text from Mike O'Hara yesterday.  That text simply read, "I've been with BYB now for 7 years. Could that be right?" I thought about it.  I created Bleeding Yankee Blue in September 2010.  He started with me the summer of 2011.  Hard to believe... but it's true. These days, Mike and I are very good friends.  I confide in him, we talk a lot of about life. It's good. Not only that... I'm besties with Suzie Pinstripe. She and I talk a lot about the BYB product, ways to move forward, family, pushing each other. It's great.

I communicate regularly with Jeana Bellezza. A lot actually. She's a smart chick, she's got her head on straight, has an amazing future husband, a terrific family and a lot of guts and strength and determination in that heart of hers. 

I like her very much and often think back to the day she and I decided that she was going to write for BYB.  She'd never been published before and wanted a chance.  She got her chance and she's got a following.

Mike Carnesi and I are friends because I am trying to guide him to become a better writer. He's improving every day, and I love that he doesn't give up on himself.  No other blog would do that.  BYB does.

And then there's Ike, Erica, Dan, Barry, Doug, Steve and Chris. And even though they are not regular writers for BYB any longer... we're friends, good friends, and I appreciate them very much.

And it stretches beyond our writers.  The BYB audience is incredible... loyal.  I speak to many of you offline because over the years, we have become good friends because you understand that I am a regular person with simple opinions and thoughts about our Yankees.  Many of you have the same thoughts that I do. Others disagree, but the dialog between us is never hostile.  Because in the end, it's just baseball... and there's no room for hate and disrespect.  More on that in a moment... but the reality is, we learned to bond through our love for the Yankees. It's terrific stuff.

(Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News)

The Yankees in 2017 was a big, big year.  We saw something happen that no one expected.  We were supposed to be in a rebuilding year.  We had just let go of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. Joe Girardi is gone. Aaron Boone is back.... and a few years before all that, the Core Four slowly retired from the game. 

Derek Jeter is now an owner for the Miami Marlins.  Mariano Rivera is building churches. 

Jorge Posada and his wife Laura are doing good deeds for the people of Puerto Rico and still looking fabulous in whatever they do.

Photo: Getty Images

We officially met Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge this year. Saw the kids make an impact over the past few years.  But nothing prepared us quite like 2017.  Because 2017 we saw hope.  As Yankee fans we saw hope for our Yankee future.  We are young again. The fan base spoke, and Cashman and the Yankee brass did the best they could to get the kids to play and move on from the old timers.  There was energy again.

The New York Yankees were 1 game away from going to the World Series this year. We lost to the team that would ultimately win it all.  But we were never supposed to be there.  We weren't supposed to make the playoffs. My God.  If that doesn't make you smile, how about this?

Credit Kim Klement/USA Today Sports, via Reuters

We got Giancarlo Stanton.  We re-signed CC Sabathia, a big lug with a huge heart and a reinvented delivery bound to make an impact in 2018.  And we have a lineup full of youth and a desire to win the whole damn thing because we were close enough last year.

The New York Yankees are exciting again.  But with that excitement comes overexcited fans.  Fans that think they know everything.  Fans that believe that being nasty, disrespectful behind their computer screens is OK. Well... it's not.

We as human beings are taught all our lives by our parents to respect your elders, respect each other, not to be fresh, don't be obnoxious and to treat people how you would like to be treated.  But somewhere along the way, some snarky adults have forgotten all of that.

I'm tired of it.  I think hate and disrespect is a terrible thing.  I believe that people sometimes are too sensitive, yes, but I also believe that if you are trying to have an intelligent dialog, or have an opinion on something... it's very important to try and respectfully get to the bottom of each person's thoughts. Everyone has a voice, but that voice needs to be intelligent.  Calling people 'stupid', 'assholes'.... even 'retarded' is so unacceptable in my eyes, you really need to evaluate who your friends are and who you're speaking to.

I hate, hate and name calling.  I hate disrespect.  And so in 2018, while you and I root for our New York Yankees together, Bleeding Yankee Blue will also do something quite significant.  We're going to call out the haters.  We're going to make examples of those foolish disrespectful people. We're going to feature them on our pages, with their names and avatars and show everyone just how disrespectful they are.  It is a truly uncomfortable and sad day in our lives that people who stand behind their screens need to be so hateful and angry toward others just because they have a different opinion of a story... or of a person.  Negative words should no longer be a thing.  Calling people 'gay', and 'douchebags' and 'dumb' just because they don't have the same opinion as you is wrong. It has to stop.

We are all in this together, folks. Baseball is a beautiful thing. And that brings me back to the great fans of Bleeding Yankee Blue.

The Yankees are how you and I came together. That is how Bleeding Yankee Blue was started. Good people. Smart dialog.  Great conversation. Friendships. Love. Respect.

As we head into 2018, I look forward to more intelligent dialog. More rooting hard for our New York Yankees... and celebrating life with my family in real life... as well as you guys here at BYB.

Let's turn the page.  Let's look forward.  This is a new beginning and it starts right here in 2018...right now.  I cannot wait for the 2018 New York Yankees.  I cannot wait to spread joy and respect with all of you again.

Finally... let me say this... I appreciate you all.  My writers are incredible. My readers are wonderful. I appreciate the banter, the love and support and all the good that comes with it. 

I never in my wildest dreams thought I would ever have such a terrific group of people my life, but I can honestly say you are that.

Thanks for allowing a dream like this to flourish.  That's for being there, supporting this product... and thank you all for being my friend. 

It makes me extremely happy, and it is something I will never forget as long as I live.

Happy New Year. Bring on 2018!

--Robert Casey
Founder & Chief of Bleeding Yankee Blue
Twitter: @BleednYankeeBlu



You wanna write for BYB? Send me a note on Twitter!

THE POSADAS ARE EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE! DONATE!

I'm touched by what Jorge and Laura Posada are doing for Puerto Rico.  It's Hurricane Maria disaster relief, and you need to get on board to help if you can.

Sports Illustrated writes:

"Jorge Posada and his wife, Laura, are spearheading a fundraising campaign to aid hurricane relief in Puerto Rico.

The fundraising page on YouCaring has raised over $68,000 of its $100,000 goal from 408 donors in less than 24 hours. "

And by the way, they are already over $100,000 at this very moment and it's still growing.

If you can, look at their YouCaring page and donate.  So many were devastated by that storm.  People like the Posadas, the Molinas (Yadier and his wife are doing something similar ) are amazing people with big hearts.  You gotta love and appreciate that.

Once again, the Posada's donation page is HERE.