STANTON DOWN! STANTON DOWN!

Quick note because we all knew it would happen eventually, but he was doing so well that I guess we all just got greedy. Giancarlo Stanton is out... down... injured and on the IL.

Our fave Nancy Newman has the story with Bryan Hoch:

Giancarlo Stanton is placed on the 10-Day I.L. and Oswald Peraza is called up from AAA. @BryanHoch joins @NancyNewmanYES and gives us the latest on the Yankees slugger. #YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/xpkDlPgp64

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) April 16, 2023

And so this means Stanton to the 10-day IL and they will call up Oswald Peraza from AAA. So, a corresponding move and our power hitter on the IL and getting an MRI today. 

Better this in April than in September! 

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!

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

SHOUTOUT TO KELLY NASH.... SHE'S ADORABLE

Quick post just because when it comes to watching sports, sometimes you don't wanna hear from former players and men baseball analysts.  Sometimes you want smart, interesting and attractive women bringing you the news.

That's why I love and appreciate Nancy Newman at YES so much.   It's why we all appreciate Meredith Marakovits.  Sam Ryan...

Trenni Kusnierek… I could go on and on. But there's a point. SHOW THEM!

This world is men driven. We're seeing it change, but not nearly as much as we'd all like.  The other day I simply tweeted to MLB Network to show me more Kelly Nash.  It was clear it was a Memorial Day highlight show and it was looped all morning, but there just wasn't enough Nash. When Kelly was on, they showed her next to the big Television.  Hey, MLB, I have a television, why are you shooting one! Show your host... and not the size of an ant.

Yes, we all tune into baseball highlights, but you have a highly qualified talent there. Some of us want to see who's sharing the witty lines to our audience.  Sure, guys like Sean Casey are great, but how much of that guy do we need to see... no offense to Sean Casey.

Kelly, so her credit, responded to one of her fans this morning.

That’s nice of you to say

— Kelly Nash (@KellyNash) June 1, 2018

And now I'm a fan for life.  But only if MLB shows more of Kelly Nash. Get it together MLB Network. Come on.

Keep grinding Kelly.  You kick ass.

Happy Friday everyone.

EVEN GOOD JOURNALISTS MAKE MISTAKES

Bleeding Yankee Blue has been in existence since 2010.  If we were "poor" journalists, as David Cone says, we would not be here today. He apologized for overreacting, we appreciate it... but I need to get this off my chest.

Thanks for the correction. Sorry if I overreacted

— David Cone (@dcone36) May 16, 2018

If you read BYB, you know I HATE, hate on Twitter. You know I hate misinformation here at BYB.  As Bleeding Yankee Blue Chief, I am happy to call out mistakes and BS.  Today we wrote a story and one of my top writers made a simple mistake.  In fact, in life, we BYB writers are constantly running around like crazy, work schedules, crazy kid schedules, dinner, homework with the kids, events and who knows what else.  And then... and then if we're lucky, us fans with our FAN site BleedingYankeeBlue.com... try to watch a few innings of a Yankee game, hoping to form some type of opinion, or get a nice idea to write about for the many fans we have. Almost 6 million clicks since our beginning. Not too bad.

Last night, we did made a mistake.  What happened next was unnecessary.

David Cone, we at BYB apologize for the misinformation in a world of fake news and bologna with no fact checking every single day.  But one thing you cannot do is call Bleeding Yankee Blue that poor journalism. It was borderline bullying. My opinion. We made a simple mistake.

I know these people that write on our pages. I know them well. They work hard to give our fans interesting stories, valid opinion and yes... disagreements with even the top dogs at the YES Network. Debate... Conversation IS what makes fan be fans. No hate... just disagreements.

Updated post & humbly apologize for the miscue; my son & I watched game but tuned in late; this was the 3rd time we heard that Austin was in a slump over the last couple of games yet he has had little playing time- honored you read us & caught this.; sorry for attributing to you

— Suzanne (@suzieprof) May 16, 2018

While we misquoted you and apologized, let me remind you that my writers are smart, hardworking and reliable.  They are good journalists. They are also not perfect, but neither are you. 

We've been on the fields getting the story over the years. We've interviewed your peers, gave credit where credit is due. Applaud great players, blast bad ones. And you know what else we do? We make mistakes sometimes.  Good Journalists do that sometimes.  Poor Journalists fade away.  Sorry... poor journalists ain't us.

But there's more to it.  The story wasn't ever about David Cone. He made it about David Cone.  It was actually a story about Tyler Austin. And that's where our fandom comes alive here.

Photo: NJ.com

Bleeding Yankee Blue loves Tyler Austin. We have been on his journey since day 1.  We want him there. We don't want to see him get sent down.  That is the crux of the story. That was always the crux. That was what Suzie Pinstripe was trying to portray.  I give a helluva lot of credit to Kim Austin who came out swinging earlier.  She's momma bear.  She didn't do anything wrong.  I'm glad she tweeted what she tweeted.

First of all, I was only tagged in this, secondly, I have no idea who was broadcasting because we can’t get the game on tv here in GA, and third don’t accuse me of being salty when I support every player whether they are hitting or not.

— Kim Austin/ Kimberly N. Dean (@austinmom03) May 16, 2018

My bad, I misunderstood your response. I thought it was directed at me. My deepest apologies.
I agree with Mr. Cone also. I am an author and I will not upload without fact checking.

— Kim Austin/ Kimberly N. Dean (@austinmom03) May 16, 2018

But let's keep it real. While we appreciate honesty, we aren't fans of what appears to be bashing of Tyler Austin in GENERAL.  It could be Cone, Kay, Leiter, random Yankee fans or Tony Gallucci from Fran's Auto Body down the street from me.  We reacted... and yes, we got the voice wrong last night.  But I have to wonder if it would have really escalated if Coney didn't say what he said to us about poor journalism... and sure it wouldn't even have been "a thing" if we got the quote right in the first place.

Furthermore, It's strange to me that some BYB fans that have read us since day one, know us well, know what we're all about suddenly have chosen sides because the "great David Cone" bashed a fan site.  Wrong. You know who you are.  Bottom line, thanks for your loyalty.  Not cool.

We are sorry to Coney. We love YES. We love all those peeps. We listen to them most nights, tweet with them. Enjoy them. We enjoy Bob and Jack and Flash and Love Nancy and Meredith and Paulie and Kay and Kenny.  We've interviewed many of them here.  It's our family. We appreciate you guys.  Love you guys.  BUT... we fans... and good journalists... and we blew this one. We regret that but we seriously need to move on.

Sorry for the misquote. Sorry it escalated. And Coney, thanks for apologizing. 

Let's move forward.  OK?

--Robert Casey
BYB Founder & Chief
Twitter: @BleednYankeeBlu

MY MINI-CRUSH ON NANCY NEWMAN

Brains, looks and just really great news items and coverage. She's the full package. Who doesn't love Nancy Newman and all she does?

I always tune in for Nancy Newman. If you don't you should.

I got to know Nancy a few years ago when BYB did an interview with her here. Read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: NANCY NEWMAN. Every once in a while we chat. Usually just to check in, sometimes it's just to say Happy Holidays or something.

In the cage with @Giancarlo818 #MVP #BattingPractice #YankeeStadium #Yankees -- it's a beautiful day for baseball @YESNetwork pic.twitter.com/25rZ6YVlQl

— Nancy Newman (@NancyNewmanYES) April 23, 2018

Truth be told, it's been a while and so I thought I'd surprise her this morning, but I was recently watching her Twitter and just so impressed with her career and her gig at the YES Network now.  She does some really great stuff.



And you know what I love? The evolution of YES in general. Throughout the YES Network's history, they did something great.  Sure we have the staples in the booth like Kay, Singleton, Lorenz and Flaherty, O'Neill, but their studio is always tops, and in their 2018 promo, EVERYONE is represented!  This shows the value of all of these folks and Nancy is huge part of that.

So this is my Sunday morning message! Hey Nancy! We love you at Bleeding Yankee Blue. We love all you guys!  Keep up the great work!

And big shoutout to my man, Jack Curry! I didn't forget you pal!

LUCKY 7! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BYB!

“I love you guys! The greatest Yankee site I've ever read! It's in my bookmarks!"

--BYB Reader

I woke up looking at my clock today.  6:35am... and September 14th. I literally stared at it for a moment. I felt like I had something to do today, my mind was a fog. I got up, grabbed my clothes and hit the shower.  Then I remembered... today's BYB's 7th birthday.  I cannot believe it.

It's an amazing thing when you think about it.  Some of our readers have literally been with us since the beginning, and they're still here.  But luckily for us, they aren't just readers now... they are our friends these days.  They root us on, support us, share us and wear us.

We have newcomers coming in once in a while. They ask questions, sometimes they hate because they just don't understand what we do here on Bleeding Yankee Blue. A lot of times they just come into our site and expect us to spew our opinions and to hell with everyone else. 

Never been the case here... and once they recognize that... the banter starts and relationships form.  We are here for the fans... we're not here to try and be right.  Opinion matters... all of it, and that is what I have put together here.

My writers are tops.  No one better in the blog community and the reason why I know that is because readers tell us, like... almost every day.  I love that. It gives me chills, because what started as a toy for me and my friends really became an appointment for all of you. 

You look for the latest from Suzie Pinstripe or Jeana Bellezza.  You like to hear the harsh and sometimes true opinions of Barry Millman. You enjoy Michael Carnesi and always want check in on Mike O'Hara, because, well... he's Mike O'Hara, and while he's not writing a ton these days, trust me, he is still a vital piece of the BYB community.

BYB is 7 because you guys didn't give up on us.  Through our rough patches... through the times where we were rolling and readership was up.  Some how, some way we did it our way and gained success.  Remember, I know nothing about the Internet. I learned.  I started this blog on September 10, 2014 with not a clue in the world of how it worked. But I did like to see that people checked in on my opinions. Next thing you know, I did another story, and it happened again.  And then more readers, and suddenly I was on my way. These days, we are on our way.

It's been quite flattering and amazing actually.  We have interviewed top Yankees, top YES network talent, and for me personally, there are big time people in my own life that I have always admired and always wanted to meet, and over time, through this "train that could" of BYB... I was able to shake their hand in person and let them know face to face that I admire them.  It's quite wonderful.  It proves something very significant to me;  while not as big as Beacher Report at this very moment... we're huge among the grassroots and loved by many of our readers.  Not only that, we are respected.

Photo: Bergen Record's Pete Caldera

Respect is a powerful thing.  It's that thing that lets me know that there's a stature that now comes with BYB.  Guys like Jack Curry and Bob Lorenz and Nancy Newman and Pete Caldera and Bryan Hoch follow us.  They like to read and sometimes laugh, but they can dig in on our "fan anaylsis" as well. Again, we're honest, and I think that's refreshing. It's real. It's very real.

Thank you.

I mean that from the bottom of my heart.  As I write this I get emotional.  You are the reason we write this blog every single day.  You are the reason we wake up early or stay up way to late.  You like our product, and we love that you love it.  That means we have connected.

I was told so many times that this was "stupid".  "Why would you have such an ugly blog with a family underlining message. IT'S ABOUT THE YANKEES! Don't insert yourself!"   True email by the way who no longer writes me.  And to respond here publically... Why? Well, because the Yankees ARE family, and if you see baseball and life as being very similar, you will understand the universe. I swear to God.  Baseball and life share the same highs and lows, and if you understand the stepping stones, you will get it.  And while BYB didn't start that way, there is no question that this is what we have evolved into.

Vintage photo of Marci Hensley, mother of Ty Hensley

Family.  That's us, folks.  7 years on the map is no joke, and it's a perfect combination of timing for us here at BYB.  My writers have come and gone, but the ones that left still support us, and we have very solid friendships. The writers we have now are bonding like crazy with our readers.  I have regular pow-wows with my own writers. I answer questions, have done seminars for Suzie Pinstripe, made speeches for small groups of bloggers that want to know the "secrets". Here's the secret, folks... be honest, be nice and work hard.  That's what my writers do here.  If you can't do that, good luck.  That's the formula, write it down.

I leave you all with this, a story I wrote in 2014 that will forever stay close to my heart. It's titled I THINK WE HAVE BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE FANS NOW! Here's a portion of it:

" Recently I was out with a friend of mine and we literally ran into a guy wearing a Bleeding Yankee Blue “What’s your blood type?” Shirt on the streets of Manhattan.

I nudged my buddy and pointed over at the guy.

“Holy Shit, go tell him who you are?”

“No. What the hell does that even mean?” I said.

“Do it, I want to see his face!”  Now look, I’ve known this guy for 20 years.  He’s a ball buster and a trouble maker and I should have dropped him a long time ago. But he’s a loyal friend and so, we see each other once in a while.

Anyway, I refused make a scene. Besides, it's more gratifying for me to see you guys wearing my BYB stuff and me sitting back and enjoying it. I’m a regular dude with a regular life and I don’t need the fanfare.  I do however, appreciate you wearing us and supporting us.

As the guy was buying a pretzel, my buddy went over to him. “Where’d you get that shirt?”

“BleedingYankeeBlue.com!" He rattled it off the tongue like he knew it was coming.  “I gotta get me one of those”, my buddy said with a smirk. The guy turned around quickly. “You can’t get this shirt anymore. I’ve been reading them for years. It’s vintage now.”  He started to laugh.  My pal, always the jokster, laughed harder, and patted him on the back like they'd known each other for life. They looked like 2 old friends or something.  “See that guy," he pointed at me, "He’s Casey.”
“Crap”, I said under my breath smiling.  I knew it was coming.

“Get the F**k outta here!”  The man walked over to me. There was pretzel mustard in his mustache. He was happy to see me.

“Are you F**king with me right now?”

“No, it’s me," I said, "Nice shirt!” We shook hands.

“I love you guys! The greatest Yankee site I've ever read! It's in my bookmarks," he said."

My fondest day as the BYB Chief.  And today's a happier one.  Happy 7th birthday to Bleeding Yankee Blue.  A special thanks to my writers who never quit on me or you... and a huge thank you to our readers who read us, share us and wear us... and most importantly... talk to us about what we've written every single day.

You guys made this. We appreciate you dearly.

Thank you. God Bless.




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

65% OFF Aaron Judge Rookie Season Game Used Baseball Fan Box with 2017 Random Locker Room Nameplate. Just $149.99 at SteinerSports.com, no code needed.

IT'S RIDICULOUS... AND I CAN'T STOP WATCHING IT!

I know you've seen it already.  I have, once... twice... like about 75 times by now.  It's Brett Gardner Bird watching.  And that bird... is Greg Bird.  And while the production is brilliant, the acting is super silly, and strangely addicting. 

Just a quick post. I needed you to see this if you haven't already.



Now to be honest, if we are ranking these Yankee videos.  My favorite of the season is by far the Yoga one.




You guys all know how I love Jack Curry and Bob Lorenz and Nancy Newman.  The rest of the gang makes it equally brilliant!

My Goodness. How excited for the Yankees are you right about now? I cannot freaking wait!

LOVING WADE BOGGS

Every Yankees fan alive in 1996 will forever remember the Yankees first World Series win in almost two decades. Many will remember Jim Leyritz’s huge game tying home run in Game 4 in Atlanta. Many remember John Wetteland jumping into Joe Girardi’s arms following the final out.
 

But everyone surely remembers Wade Boggs riding on the back of the police horse as they did a victory lap around the perimeter of Yankee Stadium after he earned his much deserved, and only, World Series ring.

The YES Network and one of BYB’s favorites, Nancy Newman, recently did a story on Wade Boggs for Yankees Magazine and what he is currently up to with his life as part of their year-long 20th anniversary of the 1996 Championship.



Boggs is the baseball coach at Wharton High School in Tampa, Florida. As he said in the YES Network piece, he joined the coaching staff in 2002, leaving his job as the Tampa Bay Rays hitting coach, when his son entered high school and loved it so much he never left.

But what stands out to us Yankees fans is the undeniable contribution he had on the 1996 World Series team, and the years prior to that, as the Yankees went from bottom dwellers to champions.

We all know that Wade Boggs signed with the Yankees prior to the 1993 season after playing for the arch rival Boston Red Sox from 1982-1992. The Red Sox are honoring Boggs this summer by retiring his number, just the tenth number to be retired in Red Sox history. But don’t worry Wade, we don’t hold being on the Red Sox against you. You deserve the honor of having your number forever retired.

While with the Yankees, Boggs was one of the cornerstones of the lineup. While he never hit for a lot of power, Boggs was a hits and on base machine. He batted .311 with a .383 OBP during the Championship season and finished his career with .328 average and a .415 OBP while joining the exclusive 3,000 hit club. During his tenure with the Yankees, Boggs also won two gold gloves and made a diving stab I’ll always remember seeing in person during Jim Abbott’s no-hitter, keeping the no-no intact.

Beyond what he did on the field, one of his greatest attributes was what he did in the clubhouse. Boggs was revered for his leadership qualities and his approach at the plate was an everyday lesson for the younger Yankees as they began their climb to greatness. Boggs was named to his 12th-straight All-Star Game in 1996 as well.

I remember Boggs for his great, patience at-bats and terrific defense over the years. I was just a youngster when Boggs was with the Yankees, but as a fellow lefty, I always admired his ability to go deep into counts and hit the ball the other way. He and Tony Gwynn are two of the hitters that I remember being very controlled and simple with their approach. Boggs is a player you should want to emulate your game after.

Who knows if the Yankees would have achieved their late 1990’s success if it weren’t for Boggs being a clubhouse leader from 1993-1997. Luckily we never have to ask that question. Boggs was a great Yankee, a great Red Sox player and I’m sure a great baseball coach.

If it weren’t for him, Paul O’Neill, David Cone and the other vets, the Yankees may never have developed the team, from the clubhouse to the field, that won them four World Series Championships over just six seasons.

Wade Boggs was truly one of the great players and baseball people of his generation and watching him win the World Series while in pinstripes in something none of us will ever forget.



 --Dan Lucia
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia


   




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BYB HAD THE BETTER PIECE ABOUT BRENDAN RYAN

Let me ask you something... do you want some newspaper reporter telling you that a player is funny... or do you want to hear directly from that player's wife and the player himself? You do? You mean you want to hear about the "behind closed door" antics and stuff they do in their personal life that make their home jovial?  I thought so. Me too.  I pick the personal story any day of the week.

Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal piggy backed off of our BYB interview with Brendan and Sharyn Ryan this week to talk about the looseness and fun of Brendan Ryan in the Yankee clubhouse and with the YES production crew.

While the article is good... I couldn't help but wonder why he chose to do it just a few days after Bleeding Yankee Blue ran our interview.  (By the way, read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: BRENDAN & SHARYN RYAN if you haven't already, but based on the readership... you have.)

In it, Barbarisi quotes Ryan:

‘There’s so much serious stuff in baseball. You can’t say anything controversial, you have to be in character. And I don’t want to be that. I want to be open and honest. Most guys just stay in their box, because that’s the safe way. ’

And there's more from the piece:

"Ryan feels a responsibility to connect with fans and to try to keep the clubhouse light, so just like in Seattle and St. Louis, he can constantly be heard joking with teammates, reporters, clubhouse staff—anyone who will talk to him. Everything he does seems to be engineered to make people smile or laugh, from his walk-up song (1980s hit “Relax,” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood) to his expanding mustache, which has aspirations of becoming a Rollie Fingers-esque handlebar."

We went to the real comedy critic though... Sharyn Ryan:

"BYB: Sharyn, you mentioned to me that Brendan is very funny.  Expand on that for the BYB audience?

Sharyn Ryan:  I don't even know how or where to begin with this question. That was actually one of the things that attracted me to Brendan, besides his handsome good looks!  Rarely is there a dull moment in our lives, there's always laughter going on in our household. I know at the moment Brendan is known for his mustache but he really should be known as "The Man of a Thousand Voices". We all know he loves to do impersonations but the voices and characters he comes up with on his own are pretty special.  "

Plus, where else did you learn about Ryan's evolution of his impersonation of Harry Caray? Huh?  BYB:


3 days later  though, a full Brendan Ryan manifesto comes out about Ryan's comedy from the Wall Street Journal.  Coincidence? Should I be flattered? I am, trust me.

Hey no matter... the more positive press that comes out about Brendan Ryan, the better. The Ryans are terrific people, a terrific family, and they need people to learn about what makes them tick. I like them.

Oh yeah, and notice what I did here; I gave alittle shoutout to Barbarisi.  Instead of taking full credit, like there was no other article out there that was similar, I linked to his, because it's a courtesy... because it's the right thing to do in journalism.   Sure, he can tell you that "he didn't know our Ryan interview was out there", but that interview with the Ryans is the most read interview in BYB's history in just 1 week... bigger than Paul O'Neill (HERE), bigger than Meredith Marakovits and Nancy Newman and Bob Lorenz and even Scott Brosius (HERE).  In short, I don't buy it.

Anyway... I found the whole thing peculiar and wanted to bring it to my BYB family.  I like ours better, that's the bottom line.

Happy Monday.



You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store! Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook! Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub! 

WHEN THE SUPER BOWL ENDS, BASEBALL SEASON BEGINS

I love Super Bowl Sunday... and for me personally, it has less to do with the game and more to do with 2 things... the food and baseball season.

I've stated this here from time to time;  I am not a big football fan.  I watch it, I like the game, but I have no real allegiance to any team other than rooting for New York and making sure that anyone who plays the Patriots... well...wins.

I was taken by Russell Wilson last season.  A kid with a dream and I remember seeing him beating the Broncos last Super Bowl and thinking to myself, what an incredible, young man.  He had the will to win and he was the underdog.  I wrote "I JUST NEEDED SOMEONE TO GIVE ME A CHANCE." on February 2nd last season. Check it out if you can.

Russell Wilson inspired me. And when it was clear the Seahawks were competing again for the Lombardi trophy, I'd be lying if I didn't think about Wilson winning it again.

It started off simple for me today.  Slow cooking the buffalo wings and preparing the meals that me and my family would eat;  Burgers, Nachos, Wings, Sausage, hot peppers and goat cheese.  Sure, there was plenty of veggies, but there was also margarita.  And yes... tomorrow, the plan is to burn it all off.

We set up Super Bowl boxes for the kids.  Alittle fun ritual we do.  My 5 year old won $3 bucks in the first quarter... 0-0.  We watched the commercials, some of us rooted against the Pats and we enjoyed the day as a family.  But more importantly to me, a Yankee fan... a true New York Yankees fan... I look forward to what happens next... after the Super Bowl.  It's baseball season.

We can all sit here and think that the Yankees have a mediocre team with not a lot to offer.  I say this... bring on the season!  Bring on Spring Training!  I want to see Brian McCann walking out on Steinbrenner Field smiling and feeling good. I want to see game play, the new guys dressed and ready to go; Andrew Miller... Didi Gregorius.  

I want to smell the grass through the TV... watch Yankees Magazine as Nancy Newman recaps the weeks leading up to Opening day.  And in the end, I want the season to start and I want my team to play ball! I love baseball season... but we only get there after the Super Bowl ends.

So enjoy the game tonight. Be smart, don't drive drunk... and root hard!  But if you're me, a non-football fan, you're not rooting for a winner tonight, as much as you are for baseball season to begin.

Damn... I can't wait.

Go Yanks.

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!