WELCOME TO THE HALL OF FAME, ANDY!

OK, so maybe not Cooperstown, but it is still worth mentioning. It is debatable if Andy Pettitte will ever make it into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown when he is eligible. The fan in me hopes that he does, but even if he never gets the votes he will still be included in another Hall of Fame, and it is still pretty damn cool.

It may not be New York related, but our beloved left handed starter is going to be inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame next week. Andy pitched for the Houston Astros from 2004-2006 and he pitched in the 2005 World Series, where the Astros lost to the Chicago White Sox. He may have pitched most of his career in the Bronx, but he is just as admired in his home state of Texas and this is a special achievement for him.

Who knows if he will ever make it into Cooperstown, but regardless he has some amazing stats. His resume includes the Yankees pitcher with the most number of strikeouts with 2020 and he is ranked third in most number of wins at 219 just behind Red Ruffing and Whitey Ford and that is some amazing company to have. I can only imagine how those stats would be different if he hadn't left the Yankees for those three years.

Last season Andy shared a special season with Jorge Posada when their numbers were retired in Monument Park. He truly was a special player. I will always remember his time as a Yankee, and I will never forget that stare he had. It was bone chilling and down right intimidating. He was a gamer and I miss that spirit. His last game will forever be burned in my brain. I'm sure it was hard to walk away from the game he loved a second time. The most poetic part of that though is he left it all out on the field. 

I can't imagine a better ending than throwing a complete game in your last game in your home. It couldn't have been scripted any better even if it was in a movie. It is nice to see Andy get some recognition from an organization other than the Yankees. It is well deserved. So congrats on your special day next week, Andy. You deserve it!



   
--Jeana Bellezza, 
BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ 
 





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THE YANKEES MUST BEAT THE JAYS, NOT THEMSELVES

It's time to knock down the Blue Jays.  That's it.

Ken Davidoff writes a terrific piece in the New York Post today, and it's obivous, but he had to do it. Still, it's well done.  I want to give it a forum here... some good stuff. Here's a few portions of it:

"'We’ve run into a lot of teams who have been extremely hot at the given moment when we’ve hit them,' (Chris)Young said, 'and as you play those teams, play things out throughout the year, you realize that none of that stuff really matters when you’re in the heat of battle. The run that you’re on doesn’t matter. It’s irrelevant.'

His words came laced with the hope that the Yankees could once again cool off the hot opponent arriving Thursday. Yet by the end of Wednesday’s work shift in The Bronx, you could have attached a different meaning: The wish that the Yankees can shrug off their last two days...

For sure, the Yankees can take pride in slaying some monsters this year. Remember when they ended the Mets’ 11-game winning streak by beating Terry Collins’ group two of three times April 24-26 in The Bronx? Right before that series, they beat the Tigers three straight times to deflate Detroit’s 11-2 launch (including a win over the Yankees) to the season, and set them toward a course of massive disappointment.

And when they temporarily disrupted the Jays last month, they ended Toronto’s 11-game winning streak.

'If you’re able to stay on that run, then more power to you,' Young said. 'But nothing’s given. Nothing’s predicted. You can’t be a fortune-teller and tell the future of how our last 25 games are going to be, no less how their 25 games are going to be... Runs are amazing. Twenty-nine and [nine], that’s amazing. The only thing that matters is the end-of-season record. It doesn’t matter how you get there.'”

Chris Young has been a good Yankee, and that's why I chose some of his quotes from Davidoff's piece.  Young was dead with the Mets, alive with the Yankees and has done his job well. 

But it's more than that. He brings confidence to an unstable Yankee fan base.  Many fans are worried.  I don't worry, I just get aggravated. I get aggravated when our big boppers get hurt at the wrong time and I get annoyed when we can't consistently win, especially with the players we have. 

There is no excuse for bad play actually. You're a professional, suck it up and play hard. You get paid a lot of money to do it.  Hit the ball, HARD.  That's how you make your money.  And that brings me back to the Yankees and their next 7 games against Toronto.  Our approach needs to be strong. Go up with an approach at the plate, execute. We can't just go up there hitting solo shots, that does nothing.  We need runners on, and then those same runners scoring. It starts with us.

Baseball cannot be predicted.  We've seen underdogs win over dominant teams before.  The Yankees must win against the Blue Jays. That's it. They know this.  What we need right now is alittle help from the Ghost of Babe Ruth, Red Ruffing and Thurman Munson combined right about now.

That's right, alittle superstition helps. We need Derek Jeter to text the team. We need a Jorge Posada closed door player meeting.

We need a smashing of the Paul O'Neill water cooler. We need energy from within as well. We need to get angry out there.  We need to start winning ladies and gentlemen...that's the bottom line.

And through it all, I need the Yankee fans, BYB readers to do me a favor;  Get loud, but be the smart fan.  Don't go bitching about the Mets winning... that's them, they deserve to win, especially when they play hard. 

 Don't go giving excuses about how we're injured and we need Mark Teixeira healthy.  We still need to play... forget that crap.  No excuses.  We have the team. We have the pitching, we have the ability. 

I leave you with a very important quote from Chris Young, "The only thing that matters is the end-of-season record. It doesn’t matter how you get there.”

So, let's get there. Go Yanks!




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PETTITTE DESERVES TO BE THERE

We learned Sunday through Andy Pettitte’s very proud son Josh on Twitter that Andy will receive his plaque in Monument Park and No. 46 will be forever retired by the Yankees on August 23, 2015. I for one could not be happier. The lefty, born in Baton Rouge, LA, was a fan favorite throughout his career. Although he was never a huge super-star, he was the epitome of consistent and went out every fifth day, nearly year in and year out, and did his job. As a 22th round pick out of Deer Park (Texas) High School, the Yankees, and baseball, couldn’t have asked for more.

When Andy Pettitte made his Yankees, and major league, debut in 1995, I was just 10 years old. As a huge Yankees fan growing up through today, I essentially grew up with the Yankees and their core four. While Derek Jeter, Mo and Jorge all are looked up to by Yankees and baseball fans alike, there was always something about Andy that stood out. Maybe it was the way he looked over his glove to get the sign with the hitter being able to see nothing more than his two eyes staring down on him as he prepared for the pitch by pitch battle. Maybe it was his fantastic pickoff move. Maybe it was he came to play every time he got the ball.

When it really mattered, Pettitte was the Yankees workhorse. He earned 19 career postseason wins, most in the history of baseball. He liked the big spotlight, on the big stage, in the Bronx. That’s one place where Andy truly thrived. Andy was 12-2 during the five postseason’s in which he and the Yankees would win the World Series during his career. Even leading up to the playoffs, Pettitte was 142-72 with a 3.77 ERA in July, August and September for his career.

Although by all accounts Andy Pettitte is a Yankee, he did spend three years in Houston pitching for the Astros from 2004-2006. The Houston area is where Pettitte makes his home, so it made sense. Family is important too. But he returned where he belonged. He belonged in the Bronx with his second family. He belonged in the only true pinstripes.

Pettitte played 15 seasons for the Yankees during his 18 year career. He pitched 185+ innings in 13 of his 18 seasons. As for all time Yankees pitching leaders, Pettitte ranks first in strikeouts (2,020), tied for first in starts (438), third in innings pitched (2,796.1) and third in wins (219), behind Hall of Famer’s Whitey Ford and Red Ruffing. If anyone (insert a grumpy, jealous former second baseman who forgot how to throw the ball to first here) has any qualms about Pettitte’s number being retired, just look at the stats above.
 

Pettitte was a true Yankee. His stats prove he was a true Yankee great. Having a plaque in Monument Park is one heck of an honor to have bestowed upon you. Next to being elected into the Hall of Fame (which is a debate for another day), having your number retired by the most storied franchise in the history of baseball, if not all of professional sports, is about as good as it gets. Thanks for the memories and congratulations Andy. You earned it.



  
Dan Lucia
BYB Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia

 

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WHY MARIANO IS THE BEST

So Bleeding Yankee Blue readers have spoken and hands down, Mariano Rivera is your favorite Yankees pitcher ever....EVER! In it’s rich history, Mo is the man you chose. You know what? I tend to agree with that. He’s electric. Without a doubt I still go back to the old school guy choosing Ron Guidry myself, but let's face it, it's a personal choice when choosing from our poll this time. Picking Mariano is not a wrong answer. In fact there was no wrong answer. So let’s analyze the poll. Here are the results:

Out of 127 people that voted, Mariano Rivera received 44 votes. That was followed by Andy Pettitte with 24 and in third place was Ron Guidry with 19. It’s good to see that my fluff piece on my love for Gator didn’t sway you, Read WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE PITCHER OF ALL TIME? I'm not going to lie, I was surprised that someone like Whitey Ford only received 15 votes and someone like CC Sabathia, or Waite Hoyt or Red Ruffing received less than 3 votes. I mean Ruffing was a terrific pitcher back in the day and Whitey was one of the greatest. Sabathia is pitching now and clearly in everyone’s view every 5th day and he's awesome to see perform, plus he numbers reflect that. It’s interesting and the only thing I can think of is maybe because of the Yankees incredible run since 1996, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte just stick in our minds as being part of some of the greatest Yankee teams ever in the modern era, am I right? Even someone like David Wells received 4 votes and Mike Mussina received 7 too, so clearly these guys may be more popular because of their recent history. I get it, I'm just saying...

Now I chose 15 pitchers for you to vote from, and yes, there are plenty of guys I left out and they were write-in votes and they should have been...people like Orlando Hernandez were mentioned on Twitter and Tommy John was suggested in our comments section of the poll post. Again, no pitcher is the wrong answer, it's a personal choice. I could have made the list 40 guys, but then it just gets out of hand. I wanted to keep it to 15 and when that happens, guys don’t make the cut. It wasn’t a slight, it was just the way I conducted the poll. Hell, someone may have thought Rick Rhoden was their favorite, but he wasn’t on the list, see what I mean?

So yeah, hands down Mariano is the greatest, even without the poll I think it’s safe to say coming off a season where he became the All-time Saves leader, he’s truly the man, but it was just shocking to me that guys that were part of the Yankees rich history didn’t get too many votes. Goose Gossage only received 2 votes... I expected more. Lefty Gomez received 1, I expected at least as many as Whitey, and Roger Clemens received 3. Oh yeah...Allie Reynolds only received 2. Very interesting.

In the end, I hope you had fun with this poll and we’ll be conducting more very similarly to this one soon. Look for it and thanks for participating.

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WHY WEARING PINSTRIPES DOESN'T MAKE YOU A YANKEE

Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome a new writer to the BYB family, Moonlight Graham will be sending over pieces from time to time about his thoughts on the New York Yankees. It's a hard look and will bring you more of the historic perspective a lot of you have been asking about. Enjoy it, and welcome him. --The Mighty Casey

There is a HUGE difference between playing for the New York Yankees and being a New York Yankee.

I think this dramatic difference can best be explained by two players who ironically play closest to each other on the field: Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

As for Jeter, well, it’s obvious he’s a Yankee. He bleeds Yankee blue. Even if he burned Yankee Stadium to the ground, and traded pinstripes for prison stripes, he’s a Yankee, Forever. Now, as for A-Rod, I’m not saying that he can’t become a Yankee, but right now, he’s only playing for the team.

Think about it this way, Derek Jeter, even if he did something terrible, it wouldn't matter, #2 will be automatically retired in his honor when he hangs up his spikes. He will be forever remembered as the Captain, no doubt. But, do you think #13 is as automatic? With the career numbers A-Rod should put up, it should be automatic, yes, however, the reason it’s not automatic is because he plays for the New York Yankees. He’s not a New York Yankee. Again, that can change.

What makes a Yankee? Pride, game play, championships. Some have it, some earned it, others were just there to receive it. Some, never earned it.

Now, here are players who have become Yankees. Think Paul O’Neill, Reggie Jackson, and for you old-timers, Red Ruffing. But some players will always remain as someone who played for the Yankees. Think Wade Boggs, Darryl Strawberry, and Rickey Henderson.

So, why did I make the distinction between being a Yankee and playing for the Yankees?

Because in the coming weeks leading up to Opening Day, I’ll be naming the best three Yankee players to play each position. I’m going to start with catcher, working my way around the diamond, ending with pitchers and finally managers. Please feel free to send in your suggestions. It's a hard look and I'm happy to hear you all out.

Oh, and allow me to introduce myself officially. My name is Moonlight Graham. If my name sounds a bit familar, it may be because my career was a bit unique. You see, my Major League Baseball career consisted of only playing two innings in right f ield. I never got a chance to come to bat. So if you have some time, drop me a line. Until the season starts, this cornfield out in Iowa is a little lonesome. If you know who I am, you're a true baseball fan.

--Moonlight Graham BYB Staff Writer





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MY ALL-TIME YANKEES TEAM

I wanted to put together an All-Time Yankees team. At the time, I figured it would be a piece of cake. It's not, It's very difficult. For instance, a lot of great players played the same position, plus I needed to fill a 25 man roster with no extras, so players like Paul O'Neill or Jorge Posada didn't make the list. Crazy I know, but I did what I could.

Before you jump down my throat and tell me I missed this guy or forgot that guy, try it yourself. It's almost impossible to put all the greats in a 25 man roster. Here's how I broke it down:

1B: Lou Gehrig: The Iron Horse. Of the All-Time Yankees, he and Babe are 1 and 2 for sure. A career .340 Hitter.

2B: Robinson Cano: He's proven to me that he's the real deal. The test of course will be whether or not his can continue his 2010 crusade and keep his numbers over .300. My guess is, he will. Based on that and that alone, he beat Tony Lazzeri as the starting second baseman. Lazzeri will ride the bench on this team, but believe me, it was a very tough call.

SS: Derek Jeter: How can you not choose him. He led the Yankees to 5 championships, is respected by everyone and will forever be known as the Captain.

3B: Graig Nettles: Based on pure grit. Nettles played third like no other, plus he had a bat. He didn't mind popping the opponent in the nose if they talked trash and always protected his teammates. Again, very close contest between he and A-Rod, but Alex made the team too and is a bench guy. Alex clearly has better career numbers, again, rough decision.
Outfield:
Joe DiMaggio: Joe D hit better than anyone. .325 career average. He served his country from 1943-1945 and still managed to put up numbers like he was always there. A patriot and a hell of a ballplayer.

Rickey Henderson: Odd you're thinking, right? Not to me. This is based on speed and power and also because he was my idol growing up. 1406 stolen bases in his career. He set the tone every time, plus, his body was his temple for years. No one ran as well as Rickey and no one ever will.

Mickey Mantle: Could you imagine what he would have been if he was 100 percent. For years he was injured and had alcohol problems but functioned to become one of the greatest hitters in the game, because he loved baseball.

C: Yogi Berra: It's Yogi. He was small, ugly and shut up all the doubters with some amazing ballplaying, for 19 years. By far, one of the greatest catchers to ever play the game. A .285 career average and 358 home runs.DH: Babe Ruth: An outfielder but there was no room on this team and lord knows the Babe wasn't a bench player. He was never a great outfielder, but one of the greatest hitters ever, so I'm utilizing his bat. If they had a DH back then, he may have been it. The hitting numbers are amazing for the Babe. A .342 Average and of course, 714 home runs.

Bench:
Don Mattingly (1B): Leadership, leadership, leadership. There wasn't a man with more heart than Don Mattingly and to this day I am still disappointed he didn't win a championship with the Yankees as a player.Thurman Munson (C): His life was cut short but he was on his way. Only 11 seasons in the bigs, imagine if that plane crash didn't happen. Thurman was tough as nails and part of the Bronx Zoo.

Reggie Jackson (OF): Mr. October. Another Bronx Zoo member and no one had an audience bigger than Reggie. Anyone who has a candy bar named after him is kind of a big deal.

Alex Rodriguez (3B): It was a tough call between Nettles and A-Rod. Alex has the better numbers. Nettles has the better defense. I went with who I liked more to start at third, Nettles... but it's close.Tony Lazzeri (2B): Probably the greatest Yankee second baseman ever. The problem is I can only go on numbers for Lazzeri and I see Cano play. I went with Cano starting at second base and anticipating a amazing career. It's probably not fair, but that's what I did.

Dave Winfield (OF): Larger than life, had an exceptional career in New York. A .290 Average with 205 home runs and 818 RBIs in his 9 years with New York.

Starting Rotation:
1. Whitey Ford: Hands down the best. Just click on his name to see his numbers.

2.Ron Guidry: I wanted to be Guidry after he went 25-3 in 1978. I was lefty and small and I imitated his pitching style, he was great. He just chucked it. Overall he was a great Yankee pitcher and I feel as though he belongs right up there with Whitey.

3. Red Ruffing: 273-225 with a 3.80 ERA. Played 22 years, 15 years with the Yankees. even served time in the service. His best pitching days were with the Yanks and that's good enough for me.

4.CC Sabathia: CC is a new Yankee but I love the guys heart. He never let's you down and 2 years with the Yankees he's impressed me. I have to put him on the list even though it's only been a short time. Big things will continue to happen for CC and the Yanks marriage.

5. Andy Pettitte: Maybe it's just me giving Pettitte a proper dedication to greatness but I've always love Pettitte. Truly dominant in the post season with 19 wins...he leads all of baseball. Got to love Ol' Reliable.

6. Lefty Gomez: 14 years with the Yankees and was 189-102. If that's not a record I don't know what is.

Relief:
1. Ryne Duren: He played just 4 years on the Yankees but Duren was a bad ass relief pitcher. He was an intimidating pitcher. He walked slowly to the mound after jumping the bullpen fence. You knew you were about to get struck out.

2. Sparky Lyle: Normally a closer but you know the closer on this team. Lyle was good with the Red Sox but he became something better when he came to New York. He was Mariano before Mariano.
3. Rich Gossage: Goose... always number 54. If I hit against him, I'd crap myself. Arms and legs flying all over the place, the Goose brought heat. Here it is, try and hit it. Got to love that.

Closer: Mariano Rivera: The king. If he stays healthy, he will be the all-time saves leader ever. It doesn't get better than that. Currently has 559 Saves.

So, let me know what you think. Believe me, I wish I could have them all on this team. It was absolutely crazy. Give it a shot. Let me know how you do.

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