CASEY & O'HARA WALK INTO A BAR...

Stop me if you've heard this one...

So Casey and O'Hara walk into a bar.  The bartender says, "What can I get ya?"  Casey quickly replies, "A big, future Hall of Famer, lefty on a one year deal pitcher."  The bartender looks puzzled, grabs a plastic pitcher and asks, "Is that an IPA?"

(DRUM ROLL, RIM SHOT!)

Yes, not a good joke... not even a joke really.  Hey, what do you want from me? I gave it a shot.

(Sept. 10, 2017 - Source: Steven Ryan/Getty Images North America)

In all seriousness though, I did have a few pints with Casey recently and mentioned that I believed CC Sabathia had more than earned a one year contract with the Yankees.  The big lefty is really starting to develop into a crafty pitcher.  He, like Andy and Coney, has found new life in the twilight of his standout career.  

Photo: Getty Images

CC can find the 93 heater at times, but really knows how to change speeds, pitch to the spots and keep hitters off balance.  He is a perfect fit to be the Bombers' 5th starter in the 2018 season.  And now, there are reports that it may happen, read HERE.

Now there are those who will want to turnover the old roster and it's awful contracts completely and focus on the future.  But with Sabathia, you can get a guy who can take the ball every 5th day, mentor the younger arms, the way Andy did before him, and it won't break the bank to bring him back.  

CC has been a great Yankee.  He gets it.  The Yankee Way is his way.  He takes the Pinstripes and the tradition they bring very personally.  CC is a leader.  The young stars of tomorrow NEED a leader today. 

Casey agreed.  We believe that the best teams have a solid balance of youth and energy coupled with veterans that know how to focus the group and show them the ropes.

Photo: Getty Images

On a personal note, we both just really like Sabathia.  No, that's not a reason to sign him...hell, I liked Luis Sojo...but CC brings a lot to the table.  He earned this contract.  At bare minimum he earned an offer from the Yankee brass.  A fair offer.  Not the Randy & Lon "Take it or take the bus" nonsense.

If Sabathia decides to walk away from the Bronx to end his run out west, I won't blame him...but I'll miss him...we all will.

Trust me & Casey on this one.

** From one classic BIG MAN to another. Thank you, CC. **

 
  --Mike O'Hara
BYB Contributor
Follow me on Twitter: @mikeyoh21

A TRUE YANKEE

When the Skipper picks up the bullpen phone and tells the coach, “Get O’Hara up and throwing”, you do hop to. (Read #MILLERISAYANKEE for more.) So let me warm up the ol’ soup bone and flex the so-called “O’HARA WISDOM” (not sure that is a real thing, but I dig it.)

What makes a TRUE New York Yankee? Is it just wearing the famed Pinstripes? Nope. Is it saying all the right things at your introduction presser? Nah uh. Is it being a homegrown, core 4-type player? Well, that helps, but it’s not what makes a Yankee. What makes a Yankee is a combination of things. Andrew Miller possesses ALL of them. He buys into the tradition. He is selfless and cares about one thing, winning. He LOVES being in the Bronx and wants to stay above all else. He has OUTSTANDING warm up music (That’s a personal note. Johnny Cash? I’m sold.)

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)
In all seriousness I wish we had a team of Andrew Millers. He is cut from the mold of a Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez or David Wells. NONE were homegrown Baby Bombers, but I dare you to say none of them are TRUE YANKEE BLUE! Hell, the Boomer wore Babe Ruth’s cap, took the silly fine and would have played for free if THE BOSS asked him too. That’s what makes a Yankee to me. It’s not about the accomplishments right away…no, it’s that desire to accomplish for the team, the fans and the city. It’s to be a part of something bigger than yourself. 

Andrew Miller embodies that. When the Yankees made the move for Chapman did Miller fuss like a Papelbon? No sir! Did he ask for more money or to be traded? Not on you life. Andy simply said, “I want the best for this team.” Kids, grab a pen and take notes. That’s how you do it. On top of everything else Miller is also OUTSTANDING! He is filthy and is the best of the 3 Headed Monster called NO RUNS DMC. 

Being a true Yankee is not an easy thing to be. There have been really good players that I think are truly forgettable in the grand scheme. Tex. Not a real Yankee (despite the ring). I’m sorry. He isn’t a Yankee the way Paulie, Tino, Coney or Boomer were. HE. JUST. ISN’T! Yup, Mattingly was his hero. Sorry, still doesn’t cut the Guldens. I’d say Jason Giambi was more a true Yankee than Tex. Or here, think of it this way. I think Luis Sojo was a Real Yankee. What did he accomplish? He was a ride along guy on some great teams, but Luis was an awesome addition to that clubhouse during his time in the Bronx. He gave all he had to the uniform.

It’s an exclusive club. Talent alone won’t get you access. To be a True Yankee you have to be a Yankee Fan in a way. You see the club for all it stands for and are willing to do all you can to be sure when the PA plays NEW YORK, NEW YORK the scoreboard shows the Bronx Bombers with the W. Andrew Miller is that kind of guy. Let’s keep him here…trade the guy with the rental sign on his back and 103mph on the radar gun.

** Let’s hope Andy Miller runs on as a True Yankee for a long time. **

  
  
--Mike O'Hara, Senior "Features" Writer 
Follow me on Twitter: @mikeyoh21

SQUEEGEE TO AROD: "ADMIT TO WHAT YOU DID!"

I got an email the other day and it was important.  It was from an old friend, Luigi Squeegee, the author of the book Clubhouse Confidential and the former bat boy of the New York Yankees.  Luigi supported Bleeding Yankee Blue back when it was literally 4 of us, and we always stayed in touch. But under the circumstances of Alex Rodriguez and he being a former bat boy in the clubhouse... I knew this message was different.

You see, Luigi is a father like me. We've talked alot about how our kids see these big baseball heroes doing big things and now, all of them are under the cloud of suspicion, all because a group of individuals over the years decided that cheating and using PEDs was the way to go.

In short, it's out of control and for Squeegee, a guy that stood in the same clubhouse with the likes of ARod, Derek Jeter, Roger Clemens and Chuck Knoblauch, it was clear... he had enough.

So I did my best prep work for an interview that needed to be done, but Squeegee was so fired up, I scratched my questions and let him go.  This ladies and gentlemen is real.  You want to talk about frustration as a parent who doesn't know how to explain PEDs and cheating to their son or daughter? You want to talk about the loss of integrity in this great game because of liars and cheaters in baseball? Squeegee had plenty to say about it.  And before you think he irrelevant, understand this; Luigi Squeegee saw more stuff going on in that clubhouse than anyone I know.  Now sure, I'm not about to taint the Yankees, I love my team. The point is, he knows things and he's frustrated all these years later with Alex Rodriguez and his steroids charade.  So here's what Squeegee told me in his own words... and he's sharing it with my Bleeding Yankee Blue audience...  Enjoy this, I did:

Luigi Squeegee: "I left the Yankees in 2005. Steroids in baseball were going on then and today, all these years later, it is all people talk about.  No longer do people talk about just going to a game with their mother and father.  Instead, they talk about who's using and who isn't. It's a terrible message these cheaters are sending and steroid use is slowly becoming a virus.  It's disappointing."

BYB: This is clearly driven by you being a parent. You're pretty angry...

Luigi Squeegee: "Of course! I was in Yankees Spring Training sitting with guys like Derek Jeter watching Congress question Rafael Palmeiro and all those guys.  I was 18 years old, a bat boy for the Yankees and I was skinny and I was thinking to myself then, how can I get big? Is this the way?"

BYB: Right, because you're seeing players getting bigger, but denying their usage.

Luigi Squeegee: "Yup and all these years later, those players have all used even though they denied it. Look, I have kids and they look up to guys like Derek Jeter.  But they also looked up to ARod and Big Papi and when they see those players, they says to me, 'those guys hit the ball far!'  When they're on the field, my kids just want to hit it as far as them... when they can't, so they get upset.  So I ask you, when my kids are old enough and they're in the same situation, are they gonna think about wanting to use? You see what I mean?"

BYB: I hear you.  And when a player is playing well, my son will say, 'He's great... is he on drugs?'

Luigi Squeegee: "Right! Look at Ryan Braun. I thought he was totally honest with me and America and he lied to my face and I'll never trust him again.  I know I've made mistakes, but I admitted to my mistakes in my book. These people still deny."

BYB: I know, but Braun's disappeared now to serve his 65 games and he'll come back and continue racking up his numbers like nothing happened.

Luigi Squeegee: "And then you have all these players that play the game clean and now they are either accused or become frustrated because they can't compete with the cheaters.  

Look at a guy like Enrique Wilson.  He didn't make a lot of money but he was able to crush a guy like Pedro Martinez. He did it clean.  People forget what baseball is all about.  It's not about the mansions and the private jets, that's the wrong message.  It's about loving the game. Baseball is no longer loved, it's tainted."

BYB: Did you see physically see PEDs in the Yankee clubhouse?

Luigi Squeegee: "No... but I saw the size of these guys and how they got bigger from year to year, and even teams and owners know it's happening.  Look at a guy like Jason Giambi.  

He got real big in Oakland, but the Yankees still signed the guy. He ended up admitting to using something, but he's 41 years old and he's still playing.  It's crazy to think about this, and this is where I defend ARod and the ONLY time I do;  There are several guys that had admitted using and nothing happens to them.  Like Andy Pettitte for example. Meanwhile, ARod gets 162 games. There were others, why just him? Major League Baseball needs to go after everyone equally.  See, this is what I'm talking about. Everyone is focused on steroids for over a decade and it's sending the wrong message to our youth."

BYB: Yeah, Alex is the big fish. What was he like when you were the bat boy in 2004 and 2005?

Luigi Squeegee: "He's selfish. I wrote about it in my book! I remember in Spring Training 2004, I was assigned to be his personal assistant. But he didn't want the Yankees to give him an assistant. He wanted his own and he was trying to get the Yankees to give him someone from the Texas Rangers. The Yankees refused and so they eventually agreed on another guy. It was just this thing about him, he usually did things alone.  You wouldn't see him and Jeter hanging out other than a "Hi". Same with Ruben Sierra, they weren't "friends", just teammates. ARod did hang out with Robinson Cano or Melky Cabrera or Luis Sojo a bit.  But even in the plane, I remember we were flying home and Ruben (Sierra) and I were watching a movie and ARod was alone asking, 'Hey, what are you guys watching?'  Always alone.

The worst though had to be in 2004. I remember we lost to the Red Sox. Alex was sitting in his locker wearing his pinstriped pants and his blue Yankee shirt... and he's smoking a cigar talking to reporters.  WE JUST LOST TO THE SOX! I will never forget that. And now, years later he's banned for PEDs for the whole 2014 season."

BYB: I can tell you're pissed...

Luigi Squeegee: "That's because it's taking over baseball.  I used to be known as the bat boy of the World Champion Yankees.  Now I'm known at the bay boy of the steroid era.  People have recognized me from my book Clubhouse Confidential and said to me, 'the Yankees cheated when you were with them.'  I hate hearing that."

BYB: But what's the solution?

Luigi Squeegee: "One failed test and you're out of baseball.  If you're going to cheat, you're going to cheat again. I'd rather you're banned from the game if you fail a test 1 time."

BYB: And what's your message to Alex Rodriguez?

Luigi Squeegee: "Just admit to what you did!  That's my piece of advice. Alex, you’re already suspended so just come out an admit you cheated like you did back in 2009.  Apologize...  and maybe America will forgive you.  Maybe God didn't actually put you on this earth to hit 800 home runs.  Maybe God put you here to fix this wrong.  You could actually be the baseball player that fixed the steroid era. You still can make a change. Maybe you can come out and educate kids on the dangers of PEDs.  Maybe this is what God sent you here to do... Save baseball."

That's real. That's a conversation between 2 dads.  I particularly like his closing quote to Alex.  Fix the wrong, admit it. Educate kids.  I like that.

More importantly, it is what Luigi is doing for kids that I also found very noble and I spoke to him about that too.  Squeegee started a foundation called Squeegee’s Childrens Literacy Foundation. It's a not for profit foundation geared toward educating kids on the importance of education and reading.  We have part 2 of our interview with Luigi coming soon.  Look for it here on BYB.



Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted 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.

VERY SUPERSTITIOUS!

Baseball is America's sport. It is also a sport of superstition. We have rally caps when your team is down, you don't call a perfect game, and you never, EVER call a win before the last out. Some fans even have their own little rituals they perform at home, believing it will bring their team luck. Some are more bizarre than others. Here are five of my favorite, and possibly the strangest, superstitions players ever had.

 #5- You do WHAT?

It's a well known fact that batting gloves are important in the game. They were an absolute for me, when I played. The result of not wearing them are callouses, and blisters. As a ball player, those things suck. Of course you could always pee on your hands to toughen them up. Wait... what? Yup! Some players have been known to pee on their hands to toughen up the skin, and alleviate callouses. Jorge Posada among them. Et tu, Jorge? Apparently, he followed the advice of Moises Alou. Thankfully, the beautiful Mrs. Laura Posada found out, and put a stop to it. Well done, Laura! The Boston Globe had a pretty funny article on this a while back. You can read that HERE. The lesson here is, if a player doesn't wear batting gloves, think twice before shaking their hands.

#4- Leyland's Dirty Laundry

In August of 2011, the Detroit Tigers went on a twelve game winning streak. This is often credited to Jim Leyland, and his underwear. I wish I was joking. When the Tigers were on the tear that gave them a 13-1/2 game lead, Leyland not only wore the same underwear until they lost, he didn't bother to wash them. And before he becomes the BUTT of any STINKY jokes, he wasn't the only one. His hitting coach, Lloyd McClendon joined him, wearing his own pair of unwashed undies, until the team finally lost.

#3- The Inspiration for Sisqo's Thong Song

Speaking of underwear, and stinky situations, let me tell you the story of a glorious golden thong. Unlike the golden fleece of Greek mythology, it did not grant eternal life, nor was it protected by dragons. It was a slump buster, though. And it was worn by Jason Giambi. The best part here? Giambi, knowing how important it is to get out of a slump, shared it with his teammates. He's just a nice guy that way. In an article in the New York Daily News (HERE) I learned that even our great captain, Derek Jeter, admitted to wearing it. "I was 0-for-32, and I hit a homer on the first pitch," he said. Well, I guess being incredibly uncomfortable gives you something else to focus on, huh? The better question here is, did he wash it, or was there a Leyland like quality to it?

#2- What's up with that Necklace?

I couldn't possibly write this without adding Turk Wendell. Talk about seriously superstitious. Turk had several little quirks. He would squat when the catcher stood, and stood when the catcher would squat. He jumped over the foul line when walking on or off the field. He would make the ump roll the ball to him, instead of throwing it. And, of course, there was the necklace made of claws, and teeth from the animals he killed. I wonder if it was a signal to the hitters, like "I'm a bad ass! I kill things. Don't mess with me." Of course, this is the short list. There is also the thing with licorice, and brushing his teeth in the dugout. Turk was full of strange little oddities.

#1- The Chicken Man is Full of Life

While Turk was strange, I think Chicken Man, Wade Boggs was borderline OCD. Besides eating a plate of fried chicken before every single game, he also woke up at the same time every morning, took exactly the same number of ground balls during practice, took batting practice at 5:17, and ran sprints at 7:17.  He also wrote "Chai," the Hebrew word for "Life," in the batter box for every at bat. The most interesting superstition he had to me was his not wanting Sherm Feller, Fenway Park's public announcer, to say his uniform number. He did this because he broke out of a slump one night when Feller forgot. In a Sports Illustrated article (HERE), Boggs insisted that his habits were part of the routine, like every player has. The only difference is that his routine took over 5 hours to complete.

Most players have their own superstitions. Some are as simple as wearing two different socks, like Mark Teixeira, and others involve shaving in the dugout, after a bad at bat, like Luis Sojo.  One thing is for sure, if a player thinks it works, and makes them play better, by all means, keep doing it. Hard to argue with the Chicken Man's .328 career BA.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer
@e_morales1804

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DESPITE THE ATTACKS, ALEX RODRIGUEZ IS A YANKEE

This will sound incredibly strange considering the circumstances.  I am now an unconditional Alex Rodriguez fan.  Yes, he sucked in the playoffs, but he showed an amount of class, dignity, responsibility and accountability that were truly, well, what we expect from real Yankees. 

I have been incredibly critical of Alex throughout his career in New York.  I used to believe that he was all about his own numbers and didn’t understand the Yankee standard – winning championships.  But since 2009, we all saw the change in his attitude.  He became a team player.  He finally understood that he gets a bigger ovation for hitting a sac-fly to tie a game than he does for hitting a 3-run homer to put the Yanks up 12-1.  He finally understood that it is the Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte attitude – do whatever it takes to win as a team even if it diminishes your own stats – that Yankee fans love.

Okay.  He stunk it up.  But he wasn’t alone.  The entire team with the exception of Jeet, Ichiro, Mark Teixeira and Eduardo Nunez amassed more whiffs than any of us have ever seen.  And yet the media flat out attacked Alex.  The hypocrisy here is breathtaking.  These were the same writers who thought we were all too critical of Alex when he was turning in MVP seasons that ended with early October exits.  These were the same pundits who criticized us fans when we booed Alex for batting under .200 with RISP after the 7^th inning year after year.  “Come on,” they’d say, “What do you want?  The guy hit 50 homers and drove in 125 runs!”  and we would laugh at them because we could care less about garbage home runs and RBIs. For the record, BYB was maybe the only website defending him in THE ALEX RODRIGUEZ PILE-ON IS RELENTLESS.

(In Photo: Luis Sojo)
Sure, at the end of the day, we want the old Yankee magic! We want the Luis Sojo single that drives in the winning run in the 9^th.  We want the Paul O’Neill 11-pitch at-bat that ends in a walk that starts a rally in the 8^th.  We want guys to do whatever it takes to win.

Alex was clearly not himself this year.  And he may really be in an irreversible, physical decline.  Of course, that’s what everyone said about Derek Jeter after last year… 

Before the Game 4 rain out on Wednesday, Alex stood on the field and took what seemed to be about a zillion iterations of the same 2 questions:  “Alex, why are you sucking?” and “Alex, has the benching poisoned your relationship with Girardi and the Yankees management?”  Alex could have walked away after one or two.  But he stood there, accepted responsibility and didn’t throw anyone under the bus.  He talked about coming together like a family.  And after yesterday’s loss, he was a class act again. 

Well, Alex, welcome to the family.  I’ve got your back.  I may yell at you from time to time until the day you finally hang up your spikes, but hey, that’s what real families do. We argue, we fight, we can even occasionally say hurtful things to each other, but when the going gets tough, we stick together, form a protective wall around our hurting brothers and sisters and support each other.  So go home for the winter, keep your head down, rest, relax and get back in shape.  We’ll be waiting to see you at 3^rd base in Spring Training.

--Chris Kram, BYB Contributor



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WHY THERE'S A FORMULA FOR A PERFECT YANKEE TEAM

I’ve always believed that the perfect combination of a true championship team is a mixture of gritty veterans with young guys that come together as 1. the old timers play the way they've always known being around the game for so long, and the young guys are anxious and willing to learn like a sponge and do pick up everything they can from the older guys. Yes, it sounds pretty obvious but let me explain.

I remember 1996 with the Yankees and specifically thought about guys like Mariano Duncan and Cecil Fielder. For those you who don’t remember, Mariano Duncan was our second baseman and Cecil Fielder was playing a hell of a lot more than a younger, Tino Martinez.

Mix in guys like Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter and you saw a team forming. We reached the playoffs and I remember no one in the media believed in Joe Torre and his past losing managerial record. We were all but written off when we finally made it to the World Series. At that point, the mighty Atlanta Braves were king of the mountain... they were Goliath and we were David. But, with the mixture of our guys like Jimmy Key and David Cone and Cecil Fielder, Jeter, Rivera and even guys like Luis Sojo… a championship happened.

(In photo: Tino Martinez, left, Chili Davis)

I think back to 1998 and Chili Davis. Another veteran on the downside but he rode the bench and hit when we needed him, all the while being a mentor to younger kids coming up in the Yankees organization like Ricky Ledee and Shane Spencer. There were guys that had been around the block like Darryl Strawberry who were given a second chance... well, the Yankees rallied and we won again, and again, and again in 2000.

You can talk about the Pittsburgh Pirates of the 1970’s and Willie Stargell bringing a true Pirates championship together and all that is true, he brought a whole group of young and old together and won big, but the Yankees won too... 4 championships in 5 years was no fluke. George Steinbrenner helped by putting the best guys on the field and a lot of what Cashman did worked. Bringing in older guys that could contribute here and there and teach the young guys a thing or 2 helped a lot.

Which brings me to 2012, another year of Yankee baseball and the team is different, but the formula and tools are always the same. Eric Chavez may be on the down side of his career but there is no doubt his toughness is needed to prove to kids that you just have to love the game and work hard and you can succeed. Andruw Jones was a kid when he homered against the Yankees back in 1996 and now he is a Yankee and happy to be there. Eduardo Nunez knows he’s sitting with greatness and no doubt will ask questions and learn from these guys, like the king of New York himself, Derek Jeter and leaders like Robinson Cano. There is no doubt in my mind that the Yankees can win it all this season. The formula works and has always has worked in baseball history, brains and experience of the veterans mixed in with athleticism and hunger of the kids and just a true grittiness to get their team there every single time. You have to understand it, know it and feel it… I like what I see this season in my New York Yankees... it reminds me a lot like the teams of years' past, the teams that made it all the way....a perfect formula.

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