MEET THE BYB FAMILY: INTERVIEW WITH ALEXIS GARCIA

We continue our MEET THE FAMILY Series today with another one of my favorite writers, Alexis Garcia.

Alexis started writing for Bleeding Yankee Blue last year, and while her schedule is busy, she always finds a way to deliver something great.  Alexis handles the MLB beat focusing more on MLB as a whole rather than just the Yankees.  That's because ultimately, she's a Dodgers fan.  But Alexis and I are friends, and she's a dynamic writer and so, I wanted her to write for us.

So, without any more hesitation, I bring you my interview with Alexis.  I hope all you readers enjoy this, and be sure to read our other interviews with the BYB crew as well:

• Meet Erica
• Meet Ike
• Meet Jeana
• Meet O'Hara
• Meet Steve
• Meet Suzie

Now, I want you to meet Alexis:

BYB: Alexis, I know you for a long time. Why are you so passionate about baseball?

Alexis Garcia: I think Tom Hanks said it best in A League of Their Own—"If baseball was easy, everyone would do it."  It's the 'hard' that makes it great. I love that it teaches you failure and perseverance. The game also teaches you to be present and that is a skill that carries on through life. As a spectator, it's also a great excuse for day drinking. 

BYB: You played ball yourself. A lot of people don't know that. Tell the BYB audience about your upbringing and where you played.

Alexis Garcia: It all started when I was six years old and my mom accidentally signed me up for Little League instead of Bobbi Sox and I ended up being the only girl on the All-Star team.  After a couple years in rec leagues, I made the jump to travel ball and softball became my life for the next 16 years.  I eventually got a scholarship to play at the University of Texas where we made it to the World Series a couple times. Not bad for starting out as the only girl!

(In Photo: Brett Butler)
BYB: What players did you admire growing up and why?

Alexis Garcia: My favorite players growing up were Brett Butler and Mark Grace. I loved their quiet leadership and their mastery of their respective positions. They weren't the flashiest guys on the field, but they consistently produced and were good ball players.

BYB: Tell the BYB audience about your love for the Dodgers. When did it start for you?

Alexis Garcia: I was born and raised in Los Angeles so it was never really a question—going to games and watching the players was just something my family did together. My first real memory of the Dodgers was Kirk Gibson hitting his famous home run in the 1988 World Series—it was the stuff of legend.  It was also great growing up and having five consecutive Rookie of the Year players! And then we traded Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields.

BYB: Mike O'Hara, a fellow BYB writer hates the Dodgers.  Can you convince him to give them a shot?

Alexis Garcia: Mike, I would say hating the Dodgers is about 95% of being a Dodgers fan!  Some of my best memories of going to games was jeering that bum Kevin Brown while stuffing Dodger dogs in my face. We have the money, we have the talent, we have the best weather in the country, and yet we still manage to choke in the off-season. We develop some of the best talent in the league only to trade it away for players past their prime.  It is this frustration of constant under-performance that unites all of us Dodgers fans! Also, we have Vin Scully.

BYB: How do you feel about Don Mattingly as the Dodgers Manager and remember, you're answering in Yankee terroitory now...

Alexis Garcia: Look, Mattingly is Donnie Baseball and he is a talented player. But sometimes I feel like he has trouble keeping control of the clubhouse. That's because we do have a lot of egos to manage after all.

That being said, I think the new front office has brought a new attitude to the club and with the trade of Matt Kemp in the off-season, I'd like to see how things go this year. The vibe in Spring Training already seems much improved.

BYB: Tell the audience about your passion for writing and how much fun it's been for you to write for BYB.

Alexis Garcia: Writing is very therapeutic for me and it's awesome to get to shut everything else out every once and a while and write about baseball.  I also love the BYB community because they are passionate about the Yankees and really get the human aspect of the game.  Sabremetrics is great, but this sport is more about people than numbers.

BYB: Name 3 players around the American League that you absolutely love watching and why?

Alexis Garcia: One player close to home that I enjoy watching is Mike Trout. It's incredible to see the numbers he puts up and he's pretty grounded.  I also really like Ichiro Suzuki. 

Again, he's a solid player with a lot of hustle. Lastly, I would have to say the entire Oakland A's team. They are like the dirty hipsters of Major League baseball.  I love watching those weirdos!

BYB: When did you first discover BYB?

Alexis Garcia: I moved to New York a couple years ago and my friend helped me discover it.  It was a great way to get updated on the Yankees scene and I love the passion and knowledge of all the staff and fans.

BYB: You've been with us for a year now? How much are you liking this family and how am I doing as the Chief? Am I a true pain in the ass?

Alexis Garcia: It's great to be part of the BYB family and get to talk and read about baseball. It's a community with a lot of heart. And Robert is the BEST EVER! My check is in the mail, right?

How about a BYB Tank Top? Boom.

Alexis, you're the best and thanks for being apart of our family.

Who's next? Wait and see...




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THE 90's, THE CUBS, & WHAT I DID WITH MARK GRACE

Youth is wasted on the young. And for a period in the late 90s, I wasted part of my youth as a rabid Cubs fan. Instead of spending the summers watching MTV’s Beach House like any normal teenager, I had a compulsive need to watch every Cubs game broadcast on WGN. Harry Caray and Steve Stone became my deliciously weird guides on my journey of Cub-fandom.

How does a California girl become a fan of one of the worst teams in baseball? It was partly my inherent masochism, but a trip to Wrigley Field in the summer of 1996 sealed the deal.

Wrigley is a magical place, surrounded by history and smell of beer and bratwurst. I would highly encourage any baseball fan to make the trek before it’s gone forever.

Aside from the historic ballpark, the Cubs have Bill Murray, the seventh inning stretch, the fans throw it back—hell—they even have a curse involving a goat. What’s not to love?

I happened to visit during a softball tournament when the Cubs were facing off against the Dodgers.

I sat in the stands with my parents before the game when someone from the front office approached us asking if we were Cubs fans. “Why, yes,” I lied. My first little league team had been the Cubs and I knew of Mark Grace, so I felt that was enough to qualify me as a fan.

This affirmative answer qualified me for the “Fan Take the Field” experience and I naturally chose to take the field with my new Cubs favorite Mark Grace. After all, he was a first baseman just like me.

What I did not know was that Grace lets you throw the ball around the horn, and it was truly an experience I would never forget. I was rifling the ball to Shawon Dunston, Ryne Sandberg, and Kevin Orie and they were catching it.

I met Mark Grace again when the Cubs played at Dodger Stadium and he was nice enough to sign a picture of me on the field with him. It was then that I turned—I was now a Cubs fan for life. Or so I thought. My infatuation with the team ended as soon as Grace was traded away at the end of his career.

This week the Yanks are engaged in inter league play with a three game series against the Cubs. And though the players have changed, the results have stayed remarkably the same—at 15-27 the Cubs are dead last in their division.

But this match up made me curious to check in on my adolescent heroes. Here’s what I found:

Ryne Sandberg

Ryne has had one of the more successful post-career runs. He’s now the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Doug Glanville

Glanville is an MLB analyst for ESPN and contributes written articles to the NY Times, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine.

Shawon Dunston

After finishing his career in San Francisco, Dunston is now special assistant to the Giants and is still rocking a bad ass ‘stache.

Sammy Sosa

I had forgotten that Sosa even existed until last week when the Phillies celebrated the Phanatic’s birthday by having a Clammy Sosa mascot eat an umpire. (It appears the Cubs organization has forgotten about him too.)

“Whatever happened to that guy?”, I asked. The only thing I could remember about Sosa post-retirement was his 2009 appearance where—after trying to pull off his best Michael Jackson impersonation—he appeared to have a MUCH lighter complexion. (He says it was due to skin creams.)

He now heads a company that is developing technology for needle-less drug injections. I kid you not.

Mark Grace 

My once favorite player retired in 2003 as an Arizona Diamondback. He became an announcer for Fox Saturday Baseball and was signed as a commentator for Fox Sports, but took a leave of absence after the 2012 season. Shortly thereafter, Grace was arrested twice for driving under the influence and found himself juggling time between being an inmate in an Arizona desert tent prison and as a hitting instructor with the Diamondbacks organization.

I remember as a youngster writing Grace a fan letter thanking him for signing my picture and begging him not to star in any Pert Plus commercials a la Mike Piazza.

Looking back, I probably should have just told him to lay off the sauce.

--Alexis Garcia, BYB's "Eye on MLB" Columnist
Twitter:  @heylexyg



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JAY-Z IS NOT STEVE BARTMAN: A FAN'S TAKE

Earlier this week, Ike Dimitriadis wrote a piece titled: JAY-Z: THE YANKEES STEVE BARTMAN. The reviews were mixed, but it was insanely popular. But in the spirit of fan fairness, I wanted to present another side to it.  Enter Lisa Bernikowicz, who took issue with our piece.  We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue are for the fans... and so, here's Lisa's take. It's quite different than Ike's.  I thank you Lisa... 

Here it goes Ladies and Gentlemen. -C

If Jay-Z is the Yankees' Steve Bartman, then what's next? Is Robinson Cano the Yankees version of "the Curse of the Billy Goat"?  That second sentence sounds truly absurd, and yes, there is no real correlation between the two. Look, it's just as absurd to the Jay-Z / Bartman comparison. 

Jay-Z has been a loyal die-hard Yankee fan for his entire life. Steve Bartman is a loyal die hard Cubs fan as well. But that's where the comparison ends.  Steve Bartman would bring his radio to games and listen to the play-by-play as he sat in the stands straight out down the 3rd base line. These are tickets he had always had and were some of the best seats in the house. Jay-Z, I believe, sits in the very expensive "Legends" seats near home plate in Yankee Stadium. Now here's the difference...

Steve Bartman  was at a game where the Chicago Cubs were on the verge of going to the World Series for the first time since 1948. He reached over, he deflected a foul ball at the NLCS in 2003 and ten years later, that man is still the pariah of Chicago and Wrigley Field.  Steve Bartman had to leave town. He went into hiding. He had to give up his tickets and his Cubs.  Jay-Z on the other hand, won't have to do any of that.

Many believe that that foul ball defection spelt the demise of the Cubs and has become yet another curse to the organization. Chicago fans have been talking about this since 2003.  As a matter of fact, the fans are still talking about "the Curse of the Billy Goat" from 1948 as well. Even Mark Grace referenced the story one year ago on the Jay Leno Show. This is what Cubs fans do. Whether it's because it's something for them to hang onto and blame their lack of winning a World Series since 1908, who knows, but it's there.  

Look, in 10 years or probably even 5, Yankee fans will not be sitting around discussing Robinson Cano OR Jay-Z and how that ONE loss of a player is our curse. In other words, this signing of Cano to Seattle, will not be our demise as Yankee fans!  What we will more likely be saying is "Hey the Yankees are playing the Mariners tonight. What's their lineup? Does Robinson Cano still play for them? Haven't heard much about him in years."  With luck on our side, we will have won #28 and he will not have seen a World Series since his signing.  We Yankee fans won't be sitting on corners selling shirts saying "The Curse of Jay-Z. Re-sign Cano so we can go back to the post-season!"  As Yankee fans, that is not how we roll, nor will it ever be! 

The final comparison that was referred, is that Steve Bartman had to have security escort him out and that Jay-Z will need that the next time he comes to Yankee Stadium. Forget that.  Jay-Z is a multi-millionaire. They guy has his own security, of course.  Steve Bartman? That guy has never been heard from again. But Jay-Z we'll unfortunately see again. 

Robinson Cano will become one of my mom's funny one-liners. She says,  "Robinson Cano. When did he start playing for Seattle and why would he leave New York?"

Yeah... that's about right. 

--Lisa Bernikowicz
BYB Guest Writer




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NOT AT YANKEE STADIUM: THINGS I DON'T UNDERSTAND

There are many  things I don't understand. I wish I was all knowing. But in this case, there are a lot of baseball oddities that I am trying to make sense of. I spent the weekend at Chase Field the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks....and let me tell ya, my head is still spinning from some of the things I saw.

I have been to a lot of baseball games over the years. I have been back and forth to the Bronx, and then there is Chase Field here in my own backyard. With just a short drive down the freeway I am there and checking out the scene. As close as I am to the stadium, the differences between what I see here and what I see in New York couldn't be more opposite. It's not even apples and oranges. It's like comparing a kid's toy dump truck and gelato.

To understand what I am talking about you just have to be there and look past the whole "National League vs American League" thing. You have to look deeper at what happens when the cameras are off. Let me tell you....it was weird. On Saturday I went to a night game with BYB friend Dave Goode. We interviewed him in THE VENDOR FROM THE HOUSE THAT RUTH BUILT... and these are some of the things we saw....

First things first here.... The Hot Dog Derby. Yes, you heard me. It's a cute idea for the kids, but wow....what the fans saw on the screen versus what as happening on the field was strange. I know other teams do this but, the Diamondback take kids from three different sections in the stadium and dress them up in a hot dog suits. There is one person racing for team relish, one for team ketchup, and one for mustard. You watch the kids run in place as the animated hot dogs jump up and down on the jumbo tron across popular downtown Phoenix sites until they cross the finish line. As I am watching team relish jump up and down feverishly, ketchup looks like he is skipping yet he wins the race. Go figure. Oh and the prize for team ketchup was everyone sitting in that section won a coupon for a free hot dog from Circle K. Seems odd to me.....

Then came the Legends race. The Diamondbacks send giant bobble head looking "legendary" players and race them halfway around the stadium. The crowd watches to see who gets out of the bullpen gate first as Luis Gonzalez, Randy Johnson, Mark Grace, and Matt Williams will try to trap the other players behind the gate. They hobble halfway around the stadium until one of them crosses the finish line. Then they make their way into the stands and walk through all of the seats. They keep score throughout the year of who has the most wins. Interesting stat here....Grace has never won a race and he spent most of his years on the Cubs. Dave and I were wondering....were we the only ones questioning why the Diamondbacks are clinging so closely to their association with Mark Grace given his recent DUI charges? Hmmmm....

Sunday was just as strange. This time though, I went with my Diamondbacks and Mets loving father. I was curious to see who he was going to be cheering for. Just so happened he was on team Dback as I was cheering on the Mets. I can't believe I just said that, but I did. We saw some more strange games.

The Diamondbacks play a roulette game where they spin this over sized wheel and wherever the "coin" drops in you get a prize. They chose a season ticket holder to play. Cool, right? So they start talking to the guy and they zoom in on him. They ask him how long he has been a season ticket holder and he says "since the very beginning." Awesome, right? Dude was wearing Milwaukee Brewers gear. Really? I don't get that at all....

Then came "The Bongo Game!" Sounds odd already, right? So the announcer puts on music with a conga beat to it. The jumbo tron will show the drums and they pan the stands looking for someone that looks like they are drumming to the beat. What happened to player trivia?

This one was my favorite....let's play Float or Sink! How do you play, you ask. Let me tell you! So Chase Field is known for their exclusive section in the outfield that has a swimming pool. It comes in very handy down here. So during the game the people in those seats have to guess if the randomly chosen object will "sink" or "float" once thrown in the pool. Winners get a $25 gift card. This weekend they threw a full bottle of ketchup into the pool. My dad guessed it would float. I said sink. The bottle did sink but really....again I ask, what happened to player trivia?!

Another thing to add to the list....I don't understand is WHY every year when the Mets come out here David Wright is on the disabled list? I always buy tickets just so I can watch him because I think he is a good player, and I respect him for the way he plays. Every year though....he's unavailable. Are you allergic to the desert, Wright? If you are, I guess I can't fault you too much but come on!!

But the kicker for me, and not even my dad can explain this one to me....why on earth did the Diamondbacks change their colors? When they first came out here they were looking to make a statement and set this team apart from the rest. The turquoise and purple colors did just that. It was unexpected, and unique. Here we are years later and now they are red and black. Maybe I shouldn't question this because they haven't won since so maybe it is bad luck for them and good luck for me.

Now if someone could just explain the mascot thing to me, I could let all of this go. The mascot's name is Baxter....and he is a cat. A CAT! The team is named after a snake. It is even in the logo and part of their rally sound over the intercom is the rattle sound a snake's tail makes before they attack their pray. So why the cat?! It makes no sense, Arizona....no sense!

Yankee Stadium is like a whole other planet. I now step off of my soap box and return you to your usual, very logical BYB reporting.....

--Jeana Bellezza, BYB Senior Writer and Editor

Twitter: @NyPrincessJ

 

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THE YANKEES NEVER QUIT & NEITHER DO YOU

There’s too much reporting stacked against the Yankees. It’s always been that way.  Sports writers are not supposed to be fans, they’re supposed to report, or, be a critic in order to sell newspapers.  That’s their job.  That’s why Pete Caldera is so refreshing, because while he does some of the best Yankee reporting in the business, he leaves a nugget that every Yankee fan can latch on to.  Hence, a simple sentence that I read in his Sunday edition of a piece titled Pettitte: Yanks team to beat in AL East (HERE)… writing “If the Yankees have any advantage over their division foes, it’s a healthy trio of CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Pettitte as they head into April.”

Stop and think about that for a second.  We’ve all been so wrapped up in the moves the Yankees DIDN’T make this off season (Suddenly we signed Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay, HERE), and we’ve been so wrapped up in the brainwashing of the NY sports media telling us day in and day out about how "old" our team is, that it will drive anyone to drink. I'm here to tell you that I don’t care about any of those reports.  I want the positive right now and that's why I highlighted Caldera's piece. Look, we are just a few days away from April 1^st… that's Opening day against the Boston Red Sox.  The season is here!  We have CC Monster, Andy and Hiroki… I feel pretty damn good right now knowing that's the top 3 of our rotation. 

Caldera goes on: “It’s the same front three that went to battle last year and ‘We came four games away from going to the World Series,’ said Pettitte, whose hopes aren’t dimmed."

Well, when you put it that way, you can't help but get excited.  It’s true, it was damn close and I am of the belief that when Derek Jeter got hurt, the walls crumbled around us. It was like the balloon deflated.  If he didn’t, I wonder if the result would have been different. We’ll never know, but I do think about it, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. 

But truth be told, we have a good club.  Sure, we have a few older guys, Like Mariano Rivera, like Ichiro, like Vernon Wells, but every team does.  Sometimes the best teams are the teams with a few veterans, and a few youngsters mixed in with the core.  It’s happened for years on many great clubs. 

I often think about our Yankee clubs and think about other teams... like the Dodgers back in 1988 with "old man" bad-knees Kirk Gibson.  Look at the Diamondbacks in 2001 with those "old timers", Mark Grace and Luis Gonzalez. That still stings by the way... but the point is, sometimes veterans who have been there before shine and age really doesn’t matter.  They are there for the big moments. Age becomes irrelevant and experience takes hold.

As it starts to get warmer in New York, I see trees blooming and baseball being played and my Yankees are days away from their run for #28.  And you know what? Reading Caldera… reading Yankees.com, or Bleeding Yankee Blue or the YESNetwork.com, you start the realize that maybe all that negative press around us isn't giving us the full story and that's why we're here. That's why you read the positive stuff on YESNetwork.com, or with Caldera.  Instead of us fans being depressed with those angry, critical editorials, get the full story! We're the Yankees... and we have a great club going into April! I believe that. Think about our team and what we have and sure, there are injuries, but every team has a few.  All you can do is suck it up, strap on the gear and grind it out.  That goes for us fans too.  

Do you think I just put my Posada Jersey in the trash after they lost to the Tigers last year? No.  I wore it bed and the next day, I wore my Yankee cap as I trekked into work.  Because one thing my Yankees aren’t are quitters… and I’m not either… and neither are you. 


In the end, we’re Yankees, be it fans or players… and we push to the limit and never quit… and this year will be no different... I swear.

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