"WE CAN'T REPLACE HIM" ATTITUDE PROVES YANKS NOT EQUIPPED WITHOUT JUDGE

Aaron Judge will be out for "weeks".  Because of that, the feeling around Yankeeland has suddenly become gloomy.  Bob Klapisch writes a great column about life without Judge today. In the headline, "It's not pretty" should be enough to want you to dive in.  Bottom line, reading it, you feel like doubt has entered that clubhouse.  There's a void, a dark cloud lingering.  As Bob says "It's grim enough to make Aaron Boone wake up in a cold sweat."  There's some truth to that.  Boone doesn't understand or navigate well when he's challenged as a manager. It's his biggest flaw. Not only will it be a test for the team, it will be a test for our manager, who is unqualified and unsure of himself.  Yelling at umpires does not make you a leader... it makes you a whiner and that's where we're at with this guy. So, in short, with Aaron Judge out, this will be a wacky ride.

With Judge out for what looks like weeks, the Yankees need to step it up, that's the bottom line.  Getting a quote from Josh Donaldson say "we can't replace him" worries me. Look, the Yankees just have to play hard. It wasn't great last night losing to the White Sox 3-2, but maybe that was the "initial shock" of not having Judge there.  It's one game, we need to improve on that.

But I guess the bigger question is these athletes and how they play the game. If I'm paying my hard earned money to see these athletes work their tails off, I really can't blame Aaron Judge for making a fantastic catch and then slamming into a wall to do it. He'd tell you he'd do it again. It's what athletes should do.  

Reminds me a lot of the Robinson Cano debate about longevity in baseball. Top athletes and playing hard, not jogging to first.  It was years ago now that that idiot Peter Keating of ESPN the magazine tried desparaging me writing that my opinion as a fan and journalist was twisted and wrong.  His solution was let them play 162 games at 50% so they can play for a long, long time.  

Everyone knew looking at Cano he was always looking for shortcuts except Keating. In the end, Keating was wrong. Cano banged around the league for a few more years and was even caught using PEDs. He was laughed out of baseball, and Keating was mocked on Bleeding Yankee Blue for years to follow and I will never stop. Dummy.  

But that "not playing hard" narrative continues on Pinstripe Alley, a site I admire, but the thinking is crazy to me:

"I’m not going to file this into the column of “Judge is injury prone,” but it is perhaps illustrative of why guys like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Bryce Harper have largely stopped trying in the outfield. These kinds of players are just so valuable at the plate that the runs they cede defensively are made up tenfold by the runs they produce by being healthy and at the plate. It’s impossible to tell a pro athlete not to try hard, but maybe Judge should have gone less than 100 mph trying to make that play."

The last statement is odd to me. Every athlete knows you can't stop momentum and going "100 mph trying to make a play" sometimes isn't a choice but exactly what it is, momentum.  But more to that, athletes should never stop trying. Athletes need to continue to play hard and no doubt Judge will too. That's what makes him great and the sport amazing. I actually think for the Yankees this is less about Judge's injury and more about how the Yankees and Boone will react.  They NEED to step up. Boone NEEDS to make hard decisions and navigate smarter than the nit-wit he is.  Boone's about automatic, and now he actually has to think.

Can the Yankees do it? Yes, but it won't be easy.

Get well soon Aaron, you will be missed. No doubt Yankee fans will rally. But can your manager? Serious question. Sadly, I don't know the answer.

NO ONE LIKES LACK OF HUSTLE IN A NEWBIE

We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue used to rip on Robinson Cano when he didn't run hard to first base.  Cano ended up leaving New York for Seattle and became their problem. 

Then we heard about Gary Sanchez being in the minor leagues and back then it was reported that he was lazy.  By 2018 I called him out in YES, THE PROBLEM IS SANCHEZ IS TOTALLY LAZY.

Yankee fans don't like lazy players. The thinking is you make it to the Yankees, one of the most storied franchises in the MLB, and jogging is not supposed to be a thing.  Well, enter Jasson Dominguez, who, according to one scout, isn't working too hard in the Arizona League.  Why? Who knows... but one thing I do know is he better turn that shit around quick.

NJ.com writes:

"The 20-year-old Dominican switch-hitter put on a show at the Futures Game blasting a long homer at Dodger Stadium and was the hitting star of the Somerset Patriots’ Eastern League championship run with a .450 average, three homers and 10 RBI in five games...

And now for the cherry on top …

Well, it’s been a little sour because Dominguez hit just .159 with no homers in 20 games facing other blue-chip prospects in the Arizona Fall League, which wrapped up its season this week. Of course, Dominguez was one of two 19-year-olds in the AFL, so he faced more polished players.

However, it doesn’t take experience to hustle, and according to a scout who’s been watching Dominguez in Arizona, running hard to first base on groundballs hasn’t been in his repertoire. Scouts who watched Dominguez the two seasons in A-ball have echoed the same thing.

I just wish he would run hard when he hits groundballs. I timed him one time running just average. First to third? He runs hard. He’ll steal a base. But he doesn’t run out groundballs. He runs his 4.4 down to first. I want to see him go out there and play like his hair is on fire one day... The tools are there, but he’s not close to being Major League ready. I’d start him next season back in Double-A and keep him there the whole year.”

Did you catch that? "...he’s not close to being Major League ready. I’d start him next season back in Double-A". That's significant for anyone who thinks this guy is MLB ready.

Hustle matters.  It's like when I was picked up by ESPN magazine because I said Robinson Cano was lazy, and dummy Peter Keating of ESPN said I was the old man yelling to get off my lawn.  Keating's claim was to give Cano a break... he was pacing himself because 162 games is a lot in a season. Well... this is a guy who works with a laptop. Keating was never an athlete, you can tell. Keating also doesn't compete like these players. He just works on story deadlines. Must be nice to know about nothing you're writing about, huh Pete?

Hustle matters. You Hustle to be the best. You get signed and don't hustle? That is what I call a problem.  Gary Sanchez may have been one of the laziest catchers I have ever seen. And the Yankees saw it too... because he's out of the Bronx.  

I just hope Jasson can turn it around. Seems like he's already buying into his own hype, and he hasn't even played a major league game yet... that's a problem.  Gotta fix that Jasson.

ROBINSON CANO HAS HIT ROCK BOTTOM

I mean how embarrassing!

Exactly how you predicted it with your analysis, right Peter Keating?

Robinson Cano is at the end. It's a shame, but I often think back to that time that moron Peter Keating of ESPN the magazine (Read our 2013 BYB post here) tried to disparage me here at Bleeding Yankee Blue when I ripped on Robinson Cano for not being a hustler and padding numbers.  Here's a portion of that silly article. I will not post the link, because it's really a bad article. But here's the part that's signfiicant.

Keating decided to try and suggest that I was wrong, that Cano was playing, but not playing HARD because he was saving himself... you know, longevity in baseball and all that shit. I guess what Keating was trying to do was suggest that Robinson Cano is SOOO talented that's all he needed to do, pace himself.  

Well, note to every single baseball analyst out there, but espectially to Peter Keating; You're close to idiotic.  We are now 9 years from when you tried to disparage me in your article and Robinson Cano is dresssed up like fucking Spongebob on a minor league Padres ballclub, because, well... it's over. Pacing did nothing Keating. Do you watch sports???  Cano didn't hustle, he didn't hustle for years and when didn't and wasn't performing, he went to PEDs. and when he got caught, he just forgot how to play the game in general. Pacing himself was not part of the equation. Plain and simple, Cano was LAZY. Exactly what I said. He never worked hard and guess what else... Cano won't be in the Hall of Fame either. He's fallen.  

CBS writes: 

"...the Padres have little to lose by sending Canó to Triple-A and giving him an opportunity to get on track. The worst-case scenario is that he doesn't perform much, if any better and that they have to release him again. "

Now with the El Paso Chihuahuas, Cano had an RBI hit.

Notice he gets the hit and jogs to first base. Losers never learn. 

Here's my point. Robinson Cano never respected the game, he cared about himself and 9 years later the slug still jogs and is a minor league baseball player in a spongebob uniform.  Peter Keating who is a freaking analyst couldn't be more wrong about Cano, or, dare I say the athlete in general. You get to the pros to play hard and win. You don't get there to be second, you get there to be first.   

Cano, isn't first... he's like 15th. My has he fallen.  

Hey Peter, I'm still waiting for me apology after you decided to try and embarass me in your stupid stealth-attack publication all those years ago. It didn't work. It just made me angry.

You won't like me when I'm angry.

F off.  Imagine if Aaron Judge or Derek Jeter or Mike Trout jogged to first? You're ridiculous and so is Cano. Maybe you should move in together and talk about loser things.

CANO THE DISGRACE

I remember it fondly. I was merely a little writer in this world of Yankee fans blogs and I wrote a story called CANO: NO LEADER, NO DRIVE. Read it. It was powerful and it was an opinion piece.

In that piece, written in 2013, I stated:

"Maybe it’s him jogging down the first base line. Maybe it’s him NOT fist pumping after a game... Maybe it’s him just making it seem like it’s “too easy"...Cano looks like he’s padding numbers as opposed to leading a club to a championship."

We were all frustrated at Cano. He appeared lazy. He didn't appear like he wanted to be a leader. He appeared as if he wasn't trying. Well now we know why. More on that in a moment.

What happened next was outrageous.  Peter Keating of ESPN decided to try and slam me in ESPN the magazine.

He tried hard to make an argument that players like Cano have to pace themselves to have long careers. He also works for ESPN so he needs to give a blowjob to these players because he needs interviews. I don't. I write for BYB here. We're honest and truthful. You know who's not? Robinson Cano.  

What we know now is that Cano just never had longevity in his career. In other words, Peter Keating picked the wrong horse. While trying to criticize me, he couldn't be more wrong. Robinson Cano didn't have what it took, he actually was lazy and that's why when things got hard, Cano took PEDs and got caught. The first time was in 2018. 

As Deadspin writes:

"In 2018, as a member of the Seattle Mariners, Cano was suspended 80 games for a PED violation. Apparently he didn’t learn his lesson… or just doesn’t care."

I agree, he doesn't care. He was also frustrated and tried to get the magic pill so he wouldn't have to work. But now we're at a more serious part of his career. Now... Cano's body is breaking down because of PEDs. His muscles and bones aren't working right. He's no doubt even more frustrated and maybe dumb... and so he was looking for more magic... more instant gratification... and now, he got caught again. Disgraceful.

 USA Today writes: 

"Goodbye, Hall of Fame.

Goodbye, playoffs.

All of that sympathy toward Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano when he broke his hand Sunday turned to disgust less than 72 hours later.

Cano violated Major League Baseball’s drug testing policy and on Tuesday was suspended for 80 games.

Cano called it a careless mistake, saying he was taking a diuretic called furosemide for a medical condition he declined to reveal, insisting it was not a performance-enhancing drug.

“This substance was given to me by a licensed doctor in the Dominican Republic to treat a medical ailment,’’ Cano said in a statement released by the Major League Players Association. “While I did not realize at the time that I was given a medication that was banned, I obviously now wish that I had been more careful.’’

Note to every player getting medical attention out of the D.R.... DON'T GET ANY SUBSTANCES FROM A LICENSED DOCTOR IN THE D.R.

Dummy. Robinson Cano will never be looked at the same. He's a disappointment.

And speaking of disappointment... here's Peter Keating. Where are you now you stupid moron? Stick to facts, not opinion. You're bad at it.

Can you imagine if Cano just worked his ass off clean? He'd still be playing. He chose the dark path.  Not worth it.

BYB DOESN'T TROLL, WE COMMUNICATE!

I was disturbed by a comment I saw on Bleeding Yankee Blue yesterday.

It doesn't happen often, because the reality is, we have a goal here at my created website. I was tired of the Yankee fan sites that posted propaganda or hard opinion, and then, when a person commented or asked a question to the writer of that post... that writer disappeared, never to return comment or have dialog about something pointed that they wrote. 

It happened to me personally years ago when ESPN the Magazine writer Peter Keating wrote about my opinion on Robinson Cano being wrong and not only NOT having a dialog but publishing about what I wrote. Then, when I asked for interaction about it... the dude ran for the hills. No Interaction. No communication. Nothing. Read HUSTLE TO BE NUMBER 1... NOT 2 for that whole debacle.

I found that cowardly, and so, one of the most important things I ask from my writers was that if you write it, you own it, and if someone has a comment or concern, you don't hide. Instead, you have a dialog in some form and come to a conclusion or closure with the reader. Every reader should be able to be communicated with.  We are a family here. We all have different opinions, but we don't do this carelessly, we do it because we love the banter.  But there's more to it...

You can't have it both ways. That means, that if we are out there making sure there's a dialog as a BYB writer, and there's an attempted give and take, well, our readers need to understand that we are extending that dialog and give it back. 

Well, we've done that at Bleeding Yankee Blue and we've done it for years, but yesterday, someone took it the wrong way. and accused us, of trolling... if you can believe it.

Now I'm not about to brow beat or humiliate or get into a dialog about mutual respect and misunderstandings.  I will however say that we are doing our best here to make sure every writer gets a voice and has a dialog the way it's supposed to be on the Internet. Same for our readers! We are NOT ghosts, we are people and if you don't like something or have a different opinion, we want to know about it and talk about it and we will talk back! That's why there's a comment section. That's why we like to comment back or write a post about it.

We don't troll ever at Bleeding Yankee Blue! All we want to do is keep the conversation going. We communicate! 

If you can't handle that... I have a suggestion, go to the sites that ignore you!

LAST TIME I CHECKED, CHOKING IS AN ASSAULT

Let me ask you a question; If someone is giving you an attitude... if someone is talking trash, maybe calling you names... what do you do?

We are human beings. Human beings get mad, and if someone's giving me lip, I automatically want to give it back. That's me. But I've never taken a swing at a guy unless that guy takes a swing at me. That's just my own rule of thumb.  If someone comes after me because I'm giving them lip back and swings at me, well, it's open season and when I say that, I mean I go for the face and pop the guy in the eye, I give him a shiner and I walk away. Why? Because that's what a fight is.  There's nothing more than that. There isn't a knife fight, sleeper holds, etc.  It's man to man and you hope you win it... that's it.

Bryce Harper is an arrogant player.  He's also the leader of the Washington Nationals whether you believe that or not.  Jonathan Papelbon? He's just visiting. I'm not saying that Harper has the clout where Papelbon needs to sit like a good school boy and not say anything. What I'm saying is, Harper's numbers are there and they are terrific. He's an outstanding player at 22.  If Jonathan Papelbon wants to bitch at Harper for a miss play or not hustling, he is certainly allowed. But Bryce Harper can say his piece as well.  What happened next is not a contained incident that should NOT be joked about or even handled lightly. It should also not be ignored or swept under the rug. It's serious.

Choking is a dangerous act of violence. It's vicious, a symbol of hate and it's unbelievable to me that no one is expressing the tragedy of what Papelbon did. I have news for you, suspension AND anger management is the next step.

You wanna quick history of some choking incidents in our American history in just the past year alone? I'll give you 3 to make my point:

Back in 2014, a man named Randy Lee Parkerson was accused of choking a man to death and dumping his victim's body.

In September 2015, a man named Darren Michael Dobson choked a mother of 2 to death.  He later plead guilty.

In Bayonne, NJ, a woman is being charged with nearly choking her husband to death after an argument over their divorce.

Yup. People die.  Yet, baseball folks like former player, CJ Nitkowski of FOX Sports is apparently OK with this, and writes that after "polling players", the conclusion is simple. Papelbon should not be at fault. Nitkowski had the nerve to write this:

"...The clubhouse is like no other place. It’s not like an office, and it’s not like your weekend softball team. Don’t compare a clubhouse to where you work, it’s completely different. "

So, in other words, the clubhouse is where anything goes... ANYTHING, and we fans wouldn't understand.   Even choking is apparently allowed.

In fact, one of the players he polled, even said: "I am perfectly OK with Pap’s reaction." Are you freaking kidding me?  Choking is allowed and accepted? Notice Nitkowski didn't name a single player he polled. Clearly he knows what he's putting to paper is not very popular. Well, it's also stupid. It's thug culture and it's ridiculous.

Also, lets make note of something pretty significant in Mr. Nitkowski's lame analysis of the Papelbon choke incident.  Nitkowski never once mentions the word CHOKE.  Instead, it was a scuffle between players... and don't worry, it's the clubhouse... anything goes.

Now people will review this and bring up my ripping of Robinson Cano for non-hustle when he was with the Yankees and suggest I'm giving Harper a free pass.  Let's not forget, ESPN the Magazine's Peter Keating thought he was slick when he quoted me in his piece about Cano, I guess hoping to embarrass me. It didn't work: (READ HUSTLE TO BE NUMBER 1... NOT 2):  

"Maybe it’s him jogging down the first base line.  Maybe it’s him NOT fist pumping after a game...  Maybe it’s him just making it seem like it’s “too easy"...Cano looks like he’s padding numbers as opposed to leading a club to a championship."

Keating went on to try and debunk my ripping suggesting "pacing" himself for a long career.  Silly. Here's the difference.  Cano dogged it forever, and his numbers didn't prove greatness. Harper is arrogant, but look at his numbers... he backs it up.  Cano is no Bryce Harper, that's just a fact.

Does it give Harper a free pass to crap around? Absolutely not, but it also doesn't mean he should be choked for it either.  Bryce Harper has the right to fight back verbally at Jonathan Papelbon, because let's face it, Papelbon is the leader of nothing.  What happened in that dugout, if you REALLY want to break it down, should have been a shiner to the eye and then you move on.  Men fight. Men don't choke.  There is also alittle something called Respect in this game. Oh yeah... it's also pretty significant in life as well.  Respect each other.  Sure, players, people will have disagreements over stuff... that happens all the time, but you're going to physically try and choke someone out?  Really?

Jonahthan Papelbon is a loser. That's my opinion.  Bryce Harper is arrogant and a very good ball player.  He was also assaulted.  Bottom line.

CJ Nitkowski is wrong.  It doesn't matter what setting a choke hold is in. You can be in a park or side of the road, in a domestic abuse apartment, or in the clubhouse... the choke does not discriminate... and it's dangerous. Nitkowski can 'wipe it' with his analysis of the Papelbon choke incident... and let me tell you something; In the end, Nitkowski and I disagree 100%, but here's what I know... he's not gonna come after me and choke me out.  Most likely he'll tell me I'm "way off base" and I don't know the clubhouse mentality... and that's fine, I don't.

But clubhouses don't get a free pass for a Kung Fu move that is known to murder people.

That's my take. You may disagree... and that's perfectly fine.

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HUSTLE TO BE NUMBER 1... NOT 2

Many of you don't know who Peter Keating is.  If I attach ESPN to his name, you do.  He's very good.  He writes terrific articles and I've read him for a long time.  But he apparently isn't too big on pushing himself, or, should I say, he doesn't think players should... players like Robinson Cano.

Now, before I go further, let me say this; This isn't an attack piece.  I don't want the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers to go to ESPN and Peter Keating and blast them on Twitter or Facebook or anything.  In fact, I want you to do the opposite.  I want you to thank him. Consider him a motivator. But let me back up a minute... I'm getting way ahead of myself.

Robinson Cano is a free agent.  He may or may not come back to the New York Yankees.  Do I want him back? Absolutely, I like the guy a lot.  Does he present himself as a leader?  He could, but he may not be...time will tell.  That's my opinion.  It's not wrong, it's not right, it's an opinion.

Now Bleeding Yankee Blue was never the first website to ever accuse Cano of non-hustle, but we are one of them.  I grew up being told to work hard and you will succeed in life.  I've been told by my parents, my mentors to give it my all every day I'm out there, be it work, be it sports, be it life.  I've passed that on to my kids.  No, I'm not screaming at the top of my lungs on the sidelines telling them to sprint down the line every single time.  But I am reminding them because showing them and teaching them to strive to be the best is important.  It's called hustle. If you don't hustle, then 9 times out of 10, someone else will take the spot meant for you.  All I ask my children to do is work hard in life, otherwise, they're on a couch in a fantasy land of Halo 4 not trying to be the best in the real world.  Look, no one said it's easy, but you try and hopefully you succeed.  Success is earned.  Don't believe me? Talk to Jorge Posada. Talk to Roger Maris. Talk to the guys who proved the doubters wrong. They succeeded because they hustled.

Enter Robinson Cano who I believe is a non-hustler.  He's still a dynamic player, but when fans pay over $400 bucks to bring a family of 4 to Yankee Stadium to watch their hero in the ball park jog to first base... well, it's aggravating.  And again, I'm not the only one.  I just found this on YouTube. Clearly an annoyed fan wanted someone to see it and feels the same way as I do:



Now, I've simply stated in CANO: NO LEADER, NO DRIVE, "Maybe it’s him jogging down the first base line.  Maybe it’s him NOT fist pumping after a game...  Maybe it’s him just making it seem like it’s “too easy"...Cano looks like he’s padding numbers as opposed to leading a club to a championship."

Not only is that a pretty accurate observation... it's what many Yankees fans believe.  This is an opinion on an athlete.  I didn't say he was a drug user, womanizer, rapist or criminal... I accused him of non-hustle. In the household I grew up in... that doesn't fly.

Peter Keating writes a very good piece in ESPN the Magazine and I'm flattered that he took the time to seek out Bleeding Yankee Blue and use my quote.  Coming from a guy like him, I appreciate it totally.  But even though he makes an argument against mine, coddling Cano for his non-hustle, there's an underlying message that stood out to me as I read his piece. Hustling doesn't seem important to him.  Keating writes this of Cano after my quote:

 

Now, this is where I have a problem.  First of all, the fact that I'm being criticized for suggesting that Cano looks like he's padding numbers isn't wrong, it's an opinion. That's what I feel like he's doing. I'm entitled to that.  Secondly, How do you write an article using quotes from Hank Aaron saying you pick certain days to "turn it on" and not turn it on, and not show the whole story? What about the quotes from people who believe Cano should be flooring it down the line? I'm the only one? That's wrong. I suggest maybe showing the others, the reporters and analysts who also have opinions about Cano's hustle.

ESPN's own Ian O'Connor wrote this of Cano and his "lack of hustle":

"Cano shows up for at the office more than any teammate, but he takes a few too many coffee breaks while there. The Yankees know that's not going to change, so they shouldn't bust the budget for a player who doesn't bust it for them."

Here's Michael Kay from back in August on Twitter:

Here's @RealMichaelKay again jumping on Cano for not running out a routine play. Really couldn't care less.”and here is why u can win.
— Michael Kay (@RealMichaelKay) August 4, 2013

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post brought it to light back in June, suggesting that no broadcaster in the booth that game even said a word about Cano's "non-hustle", but should have: "A tape showed what we’ve come to expect: First, Cano jogged. Next, after seeing Pedroia had to dive, he began to run. Finally, as Pedroia began to throw toward first, Cano resumed jogging. The least he could do was all that he did. Again.  But, again, no one calling the game on TV saw — or saw fit to mention — that Cano surrendered early, that he surrenders early and often."

Here's Andrew Marchand of Keating's own ESPN writing about how Joe Girardi spoke to Cano about his "non-hustle":    "During Joe Girardi's state of the Yankees address, he said during the season he spoke with Robinson Cano about hustling to first.  'I've talked to him about it,' Girardi said. 'He has played every day. He has been kind of nicked up. I've talked to him about it.'" 

Even Girardi is aware. But seriously, above are 4 examples of the "Cano not hustling" story, yet, I'm the guy Keating chose to analyze. Weird.  Now, these are all reporters and I run a Yankee fan website, but the message is clear;  Cano's lack of hustle exists and in this world of pushing yourself to the top, in this world of spending boatloads of money as fans to see our heroes work toward a championship, it's amplified.  Yes, my kids root for Robinson Cano every time he comes to the plate, but they're also confused when they see him jog down the line.  Why? Because when they play Little League, they are taught 1 thing...

"When you hit the ball, you need to run hard down the line. You run, you run through the base on the single and you make the turn if you can make it into a double.  You do it, because you want to win.  The jog you give, is the run your team won't get."

I've heard coaches say this in different ways for many years since I was a kid and I hear them say it to my kid's teams now.  It's called hustle. 

But this is more than just Robinson Cano. This is about life.  Sure, I guess if I taught my children to push to win 2nd place, it would be a helluva lot easier on everyone.  But that's not my nature and it shouldn't be yours.  Working hard is a way of life. You work during the week and you rest of Sunday.  You wake up every morning during a work week and you accomplish something big.  Some days you don't want to, but who the hell coasts through life?  You, Mr. Keating?  Sure, you can take a shot at me as being a "cranky uncle" who whines about baseball players who don't hustle, and you can ask me when the last time I punched a clock 162 times in 180 days. But I'll answer the question, because I'm not a pimple faced kid blogging in my basement acting like I do things. The difference is, I don't act, I do.  I'm successful. I'm successful because I worked hard.  I hustle. I wake up to my young family everyday. I get them ready for school and teach them to accomplish something that day. Then, I trek into work like millions of us, fighting the crowds, dealing with delays, walking 15 blocks, and then doing it again at night after a full 14 hour work day.  And guess what? I still have time to read ESPN and write about it.  That's called life.  No, I don't work 180 days a year, I work about 210 days a year, probably like you and I may be tired, but I don't complain. I also don't stop hustling.

Success is earned.  You know how I know that?  Because if I didn't hustle, you would have never found me, and you would have never put this little website called Bleeding Yankee Blue in your article.  You could have picked anyone, even your own ESPN colleagues, but you didn't.  So yes sir, hustle DOES matter... because I'm in ESPN the Magazine.

Thank you to Peter Keating for choosing me... and I appreciate your piece this week.  We just don't agree... and that's OK.

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