I'M HERE FOR DEVIN WILLIAMS & HIS RESILIENCE

Let me start with a confession: I love Luke Weaver. Love him. I want him riding in on a white horse in the ninth, mowing down hitters like it’s his divine mission. I want him as the closer, and I won’t apologize for it.

That said… I'm not blind. Devin Williams — yes, that Devin Williams, the one who was serving up ninth-inning heartburn earlier this season — might actually be figuring it out.

After a rough patch that saw him lose the closer gig and, frankly, a good chunk of our collective patience, Williams is clawing his way back into relevance. He’s rocking a 4.75 ERA with 11 saves, and while that stat line might not scream “dominance,” the trend is headed in the right direction. June’s been kind. He’s slowly lowering that ERA and, more importantly, he’s stopped talking about his beard like it’s Samson’s hair.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The man has started calling his own pitches using PitchCom — a bold move that screams “let me cook.”

“I wasn’t comfortable with the way the game was being called,” Williams told the New York Daily News. “So instead of, I don’t know, trying to make other people see what I’m seeing, I took it into my own hands, and it’s been good since.”

I respect that. No more passive-aggressive vibes about catchers or coaches. Just, “Give me the controls, I’ll fly the plane.” That’s the kind of energy I can get behind — provided he doesn’t nosedive into another blown save.

And it looks like he's embracing the modern bullpen philosophy too:

“I feel like the bullpen works better when guys are going one inning,” he said via MLB.com.

Look, we’re not in the Goose Gossage three-inning save era anymore. We’re in the land of matchups, metrics, and max-effort bullets for one frame. If Williams can give us one clean inning — just one — that’s enough. And if he and Weaver can morph into some twisted reincarnation of Wetteland and Rivera? That’s the dream.

So, while I still want Luke Weaver slamming the door more often than not, I’m absolutely rooting for Devin Williams to rise to the occasion. Because if you can survive New York’s back pages, PitchCom drama, and a full-blown crisis of confidence — and still come out chucking gas — you’ve earned a shot.

Let’s get fierce. Let’s get filthy. And let’s hope one of these guys — or both — becomes a lockdown legend. Let’s go Yankees!

ALEX BREGMAN RUMBLINGS & I WANT NOTHING TO DO WITH IT

Alex Bregman to the Yankees? Sure, why not just have Aaron Judge hand over his captaincy and the Yankees officially rename themselves the Bronx Turncoats while we’re at it? If there’s one thing Yankee fans hate more than losing to the Astros, it’s losing to the Astros because of a trash-can symphony. And Alex Bregman? He was front and center, banging the drum (or rather, benefiting from its banging), smugly smirking his way through the 2017 postseason while the Yankees were left wondering if they should’ve just brought their own garbage lids to Minute Maid Park.

Let’s face it: Yankee fans don’t just dislike Bregman—they despise him. He’s right up there with mosquitoes, traffic on the Cross Bronx, and Red Sox fans who won’t stop talking about 2004. Every time Bregman steps into Yankee Stadium, he’s serenaded with a chorus of boos so loud you’d think Taylor Swift just announced she hates the Yankees. Bringing him to the Bronx would be like hiring the Grinch to run SantaCon. It’s madness.

The mere thought of Bregman in pinstripes is enough to give Yankee fans hives. Sure, he’s a good third baseman. Gold Glove winner in 2024, great defensive metrics, solid bat. But does that really matter? Yankee fans don’t want to see his numbers; they want to see him hit by a pitch—preferably while a plane flies a banner over Yankee Stadium reading “2017 WAS A SHAM.”

And let’s not forget why. The Astros scandal wasn’t just any old scandal. It was the kind of betrayal that sticks with you, like spilling mustard on your Derek Jeter jersey. Yankee fans have been stewing in that betrayal for years, forced to relive it every time Houston comes to town and chants of “cheater” echo through the stands. Now, the Yankees are supposedly thinking about signing one of the scandal’s poster boys? Why stop there? Maybe bring back Carlos Beltrán and name him head of player ethics.

Imagine the first time Bregman steps up to the plate in pinstripes. The boos would rain down like they were auditioning for a horror movie. Yankee fans would need their vocal cords insured. The Bleacher Creatures would invent chants so brutal, even Philly fans would take notes. Someone might try to hurl a replica trash can onto the field.

And what about Bregman’s apology for the cheating scandal? Oh, yes, the heartfelt “I’m sorry” that came with all the sincerity of a politician denying a scandal. Yankee fans didn’t buy it then, and they sure won’t forget it now. This is a fanbase that holds grudges like they’re heirlooms. Goose Gossage still complains about pitch counts, for crying out loud.

Look, signing Bregman might make sense in some sterile baseball vacuum where numbers and metrics are all that matter. But this is the Yankees, where tradition, pride, and sticking it to Houston are sacred. Yankee fans don’t want a Gold Glove third baseman if it means they have to cheer for a guy they’ve spent years heckling. They want championships—but they want to win them their way. And that way doesn’t include welcoming an Astro, especially one as synonymous with the cheating scandal as Bregman.

So, sure, go ahead, Yankees. Sign Alex Bregman. Just don’t be surprised if, by Opening Day, the Bleacher Creatures are wearing Mets hats out of spite.

REIGNITING THE YANKEES-ROYALS RIVALRY

Few rivalries in baseball history have sizzled quite like the Yankees vs. Royals showdown of the late '70s and early '80s. This wasn’t just some friendly competition over who could grab more beer sales at the stadium; it was a full-blown, bad-blooded feud that had more drama than a soap opera and more punches thrown than a heavyweight boxing match. For five straight years, these two teams clashed in the postseason, and trust me, if you were a fan back then, you didn’t need fireworks on the 4th of July—this rivalry lit up the skies on its own.

Let’s rewind to 1976. The Kansas City Royals, a bunch of scrappy up-and-comers, made their first playoff appearance, only to find themselves staring down the barrel of the Yankees—who were fresh off an 11-year World Series drought. Talk about bad luck. The Royals were the new kids on the block, thinking they could hang with the big boys, while the Yankees were ready to prove their Bronx swagger was still alive and kicking. And boy, did it all go down in Game 5 of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium. George Brett—yes, that George Brett, who’d go on to terrorize New Yorkers for years—launched a towering three-run homer to tie the game in the 8th. 

But the Yankees were like, “Nah, not today, junior.” Chris Chambliss stepped up in the bottom of the 9th and smacked a walk-off bomb, barreling through a sea of lunatic fans who stormed the field. Classic New York: wild, chaotic, and straight to the World Series.

That game didn’t just crank up the heat; it dropped the match into a powder keg. The Royals were furious, and the Yankees? Well, they were just getting started. Fast forward to 1977. The Royals, still salty, held a 2-1 lead in the ALCS, thinking they finally had the Yankees right where they wanted them. But in typical New York fashion, the Yankees snatched victory out of their hands, breaking hearts and beer bottles all over Kansas City. 1978? Same deal. Brett gave it everything he had—three homers in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium, practically trying to carry the Royals on his back. But Captain Thurman Munson, playing with a bum shoulder, said, "Not on my watch," and blasted a two-run, go-ahead homer. Once again, the Yankees sent the Royals packing.

By this point, the tension between the two teams was hotter than a New York sidewalk in July. The Royals were tired of being the Yankees’ punching bag, and George Brett was turning into a one-man wrecking crew, determined to settle the score. 

And in 1980, he finally got his shot. Facing Goose Gossage—who made hitters wet their pants just looking at him—Brett smashed a three-run bomb into the upper deck of Yankee Stadium in Game 3, sending the Royals to the World Series with a sweep. It was sweet revenge for Kansas City, and Brett probably still has dreams about it. As for the Yankees? Let’s just say the champagne stayed on ice that year, and manager Dick Howser was unceremoniously booted from the Bronx despite leading the team to a 103-59 record. How’s that for gratitude? He wound up in Kansas City, where he led the Royals to their first World Series title in 1985. Oof.

And then... the Pine Tar Game. If you don’t know about this one, are you even a baseball fan? It’s 1983, and Brett, already a nightmare for Yankees fans, steps up and smashes what looks like a go-ahead homer. But hold up—Yankees manager Billy Martin, always the crafty one, noticed something fishy. Brett’s bat had more pine tar on it than a lumberjack convention. Martin waited, patient as ever, for Brett’s homer to hurt the Yankees before pouncing with the protest. The umps sided with Billy, calling Brett out, which sent George into one of the most iconic meltdowns in sports history. The man lost it—charging out of the dugout like a madman, fists flying, eyes bugging out like someone told him the Royals were moving to New Jersey. The clip is pure gold. Of course, the call was eventually overturned, and the Royals were awarded the win when the game was resumed. But by then, Brett's freak-out had earned him a permanent spot in the Yankees-Royals Hall of Infamy.

Sure, the rivalry fizzled after 1980 when the Yankees stopped bothering with Kansas City in October. But those few years? They were electric. Punches were thrown (literally—thanks, Brett), homers flew, and Yankees fans saw their team rise above the scrappy Royals time and time again. Whether it was Chambliss knocking out fans like bowling pins, or Brett’s infamous pine tar tantrum, the Yankees-Royals rivalry will forever be one of baseball’s greatest—and most hilariously heated—chapters.

The Yankees and Royals are back at it in the playoffs, and the rivalry is officially reignited. Sure, legends like Chambliss, Thurman Munson, Hal McRae, and George Brett are long gone, but this ALDS is about to explode with stars like Bobby Witt Jr., Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Seth Lugo, and Salvador Perez. For all the old-school baseball fans out there, let’s hope the Royals can at least keep it interesting—because the Yankees are about to remind everyone who really owns October. Get ready for fireworks, because this one's going to have all the drama and dominance of the glory days!

In New York, we don’t just win; we do it with flair, fireworks, and a little controversy for good measure. 

Royals fans? Thanks for playing.

--Alvin Izzo

BYB Yankee History Contributor

BLUNDERING BOONE BLOWS IT AGAIN

Source: Associated Press

I realize that we are entering the final game of the three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers. And you are not defined by one game. But I am not over Friday night's absolute nightmare. Let's start with, that game was winnable. Secondly, we had the offense and the upper hand the whole game. Thirdly, Aaron Boone has not learned how to manage pitchers. Yes, blundering Boone blows it again and I am not over it yet.

According to the New York Post, "On a night when Luis Gil lasted just five innings, the Yankees (17-10) already had used four relievers to get to the 10th inning, including Clay Holmes throwing a 10-pitch bottom of the ninth. Before Friday, the closer had last pitched on Tuesday, but manager Aaron Boone said he was not going to use Holmes for a second inning given his heavy early-season workload and injuries elsewhere in the bullpen." 

Source: Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

So what does Boone do? He brings in a guy who has been DFA'd three times this season, Michael Tonkin. Tonkin came into the game looking completely confused. Like where am I now? He started the season with the New York Mets, who DFA'd him, went to the Minnesota Twins, who also DFA'd him, and went back to the Mets, who you guessed it, DFA'd him. So yeah, he likely was like, I am in an extra inning game with the Yankees against the Brewers and, go! And he went, right down the toilet, giving up the tying run after the Yankees took a one-run lead in the top of the 10th. The Brewers walked it off on him in the 11th for a 7-6 win. 

I grew up in a time when Goose Gossage was your closer and he pitched multiple innings to do his job as a closer. So, I get really impatient with Boone who thinks his closer can't go more than 10 pitches because he might get hurt. It is April. And he has not even pitched much in the last week. Boone gave that game away. And it is just so ridiculous.

“Definitely a tough spot,” Boone said. “But he’s (Tonkin) got a lot of experience. I thought he threw the ball well and didn’t back down at all. That’s just where we were in the game of what we had left. Not the softest landing, for sure, but thought he came in and got after it,” reported The Post. How about, whoops I made a mistake or something a little smoother than that?

Source: New York Post

Bottom line: the Yankees can't afford to lose games like this. And the fact that Boone has learned nothing from his mismanagement of pitching over the last few years is concerning. He remains a buffoon in my book. And I just can't stand it. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

YOU DON'T PLAY GAME 4 BEFORE GAME 3 IS WON

I'll put this as straight forward for you as I can be. When your own players go to the press and question a manager's decision to win a baseball game, you have lost control as the manager. It means your own players do not trust you with juggling hard decisions in an important series.

This speaks volumes.

Aaron Boone has had a historic problem juggling pitching personnel. It's always been his issue and it's because of this that we are typically close, but short in the playoffs during his time as Yankee manager.

Some Yankee loyalists can't understand why Aaron Boone lost last night's Yankee game. They are loyal to Boone, the machine, and they love to rather point fingers at Brian Cashman or the players. But players are in games because of a manager's decision and in last night's game, we are able to reveal Boone's weakness. He is in over his head when it comes to MUST WINS and Checkers, not Chess.  

Look, I can see when angry fans point fingers at Cashman at times.  But here's the thing; We made it to the playoffs with the guys we had because they had a pretty good run. Cashman brought them in. No, the Yankees didn't end as well as they started, but they did damn good.  You have to applaud that. Players Cashman picked did the job.  But then there's injury sometimes and that was a big issue for us.  You can't blame injury on Cashman or Boone. That's life, that's the game.

But back to Boone for a moment. It's during tough times that a manager must earn his paycheck. Boone is a guy with a small mind when it comes to hard decisions. When these important series show up, Boone plays the game ahead of the game he's currently in.  He thinks ahead without finishing off the opponent we are currently playing.  Last night was a perfect example of this. And it's bigger than that. Aaron Boone knew he was responsible for last night's loss.  But tried his best to skirt the truth to the press, and not be honest to the fans.  Watch his entire presser last night. What he should have done at the very top was say this:

"Listen, before we get into this, I am the manager and this loss is on me, here's why..." and went into detail about bad decisions.  We would have all been in a better place today. Instead, the entire east coast news circuit is calling for his head.

   

Listen to that first question. That questions are direct. The press is looking for answers because we all saw what was happening and no one could understand it. Listen to the questions, listen closely to his answers. He skirts, he dodges, he does NOT take blame. But most importantly, HE WAS SETTING THE YANKEES ROTATION AND BULLPEN UP FOR GAME 4. And he wasn't even finished with Game 3.

QUESTION: Did you have Clay Holmes available?

BOONE: NO. He was available but we would have put him in a tough situation.

Hmm. Weird. Clay thought he was going in last night. Luis Severino was confused why Clay wasn't in. Jack Curry of YES was "baffled" that Clay wasn't in there.

Luis Severino on Clay Holmes not pitching the 9th:

"He's our closer. So of course I was surprised. I don't know if he was down. There shouldn't be people down in the playoffs. That's something you guys need to ask Boone or [Matt] Blake to see what was going on there."

— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) October 16, 2022

Clay Holmes said he was surprised that he was not used tonight. He said his arm is fine. Woke up today anticipating he was going to be on the mound tonight.

— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) October 16, 2022

Wow. That's interesting. What's the tough situation though? Well, it's when there are men on base and the other team is chipping away.  

But that's ok, Clay was "sore", and they didn't want him to blow it. So, what did Boone decide... or should I say what did Boone and Matt Blake decide? They decided to bring in Clarke Schmidt, a guy that fell out of favor with the organization this year alittle bit. A guy that had a ton of potential, but then just fell off, and dare I say, wasn't prepared for this big moment. 

Here's the best part. The press challenged Boone with not throwing Holmes.

"He threw just 16 pitches the day before."

Sixteen pitches. This about that. Hardly a workload.

Boone's answer?  He didn't want to put Clay Holmes in a back-to-back situation.  Ridiculous. Guys like Goose Gossage and Dennis Eckersley are laughing their asses off right now. Boone is JV.

Boone goes on and says it needed to be "an emergency situation".  What defines "emergency" Boonie? Guardians had a couple guys on and Peralta was pulled and you're up by only 2 runs. The next guy up could homer and win right there. ISN'T THAT AN EMERGENCY? It is. You know how I know? Because every analyst out there could see it as well as every fan.

Boone goes on to say that he loves Cole's chances tonight, and we need to get back to New York.  

And say we do win and get back to New York Boone... Yankee Stadium is heaven to many of us, but it's not bulletproofed. We lose there too.  Sure, having Cortes on the mound at Yankee Stadium is perfect for me and many fans, but none of us really have any faith that you can pull it off as manager.  Let's remember something folks, the Guardians were pushovers a few days ago. Today they have the upper hand, all because Aaron Boone is a clown.

I love my Yankees. I want them to get to the next round of the playoffs, but bad leadership never wins if they don't know what they're doing.  Boone made a terrible decision last night and we all paid the price. The Yankees did what they needed to do to win.  You un-did that, Boone.  You better show up with some smarter decisions. Us fans, your players deserve it.

 Clowns should not be allowed to run teams. 

GOSSAGE IS A BAD ASS & MANFRED NEEDS TO STEER CLEAR!

Rich Gossage is pissed, and I love it.  This is a guy that was larger than life back in the Yankees hey-day, a sometimes 3-inning closer with arms and legs coming at you on any given night to close out a game. And he doesn't take shit. He's a competitor. And now... as an old man, that hasn't changed one bit. Rich Gossage is pissed about the MLB Lockout and has a lot to say about it.

This comes from Fansided, who got the story from USA Today. Love this! You Go Goose!

"Gossage went into detail for his disdain for Manfred, revealing that he’s been wanting to punch Manfred since last year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony. “I hate that mother (expletive)” Gossage told USA Today. “You know how much I hate him? I called (Hall of Fame chairman) Jane Forbes Clark before the induction last year and said, ‘Jane, I don’t know where you stand with this guy, but I may punch Rob Manfred right in the (expletive) nose and spatter his (expletive) nose all over his (expletive) face right in the lobby of your hotel.”

The man Gossage holds responsible for this and for literally stopping the game with the lockout is Rob Manfred. Although Gossage held back during his Hall of Fame ceremony, if Manfred continues to ruin the game, Gossage may be the only hope of ending the lockout with a knockout."

I happen to agree with Gossage when it comes to who is responsible for the lockout. In the MLB right now, the game has changed, much of it has to do with Manfred. Out of frustration, I know the players are irritated with Manfred too and that's why there is a lockout.  This guy has been terrible for baseball.

The final straw for me was making the DH universal. I mean, the NL was real baseball and now that's ruined.  He's horrible for the game. Gossage is definitely onto something.

I would pay money to see Goose knock this guy out.  How can we make that happen?

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN

When you're a kid they tell you a lot of things. 

"Have good manners." 

"Play hard, study harder." 

"Eat your veggies so you grow up big and strong."

They give you a basic road map for what is to come and how to deal with it. What they don't tell you is that all of us will tow a "Sled of Sorrow" during our lives. It's always there. Somedays, and hopefully most, you don't even feel it. You skip through the day and feel untethered and easy like Sunday morning. Yet that sled is still very much there. It's looped around your shoulders, invisibly dragging behind you. When we lose something or someone close to it, the sled is loaded up. Suddenly taking a short step forward seems daunting. The heaviness is unbearable. You feel hallow inside and weak with a sick feeling. The sled weighs so much that you don't know how you will advance, or why it had to fill up so fast and often without warning. Each day there is a little change. The reason the sled is heavy doesn't go away, but like weight training you get stronger and learn to maneuver with it. A bit down the road you find that awful sleds a bit lighter. You regain some strength and fight your way back...the thing that filled the sled is still there but it has turned into something new...it's a lesson, love, or peace. That awful sorrow you carried leaves you and you run again not feeling the weight. You never forget that struggle, but find the beauty in the sled. The hard thing to know is that it won't be the last time you tow that Sled of Sorrow in walk through life.

10 years ago I wrote about my best friend in a piece called BYB, THE GOOSE & MY DOG.

My dog was named by Hall of Famer Rich "Goose" Gossage and came to me while I was hosting the MLB Fan Cave in New York City. Thurman Mattingly O'Hara was my bulldog....but he was so much more than that. In our 10 plus years together my buddy saw my life change for the better, and he was such a big part as to why. T (as we called him) saw my wife and I engaged and then married. He was there to welcome my two children. He was the best big brother they could've been blessed with. Thurman, like his namesake, was the Captain of our family. He was the constant that kept us all happy and moving forward through the ups and downs. He wasn't a dog...he was a furry, wrinkled up guardian angel....Yeah, I'm an Irish Catholic and I believe in that stuff from here to eternity.

As a guy that went into the entertainment business (whatever that means), I always found myself trying to make others smile, forget about their worries and just laugh. But when the shows ended, I always found myself down...don't really know why. I struggled with anger and was always tough on myself, and still very much am. Thurman changed that for me. He just knew how to calm me down. I would laugh so loud at his silly bulldog antics...and when he'd jump on the couch and fall asleep on my lap while I was watching the game I was the kind of happy I never knew before. We had a bond where we took care of each other day in and day out. Now obviously my wife and kids make me happier than I ever could've dreamed was possible...this was just different. It was like my own Jiminey Cricket. He was my Chewbacca. He was my best friend and my heart.

Thurman crossed that Rainbow Bridge this past weekend. He was ready and as hard as it was I owed him that. He'd slowed down, was in failing health and didn't have it in him to stay with me any longer. The cruelest thing about dogs is they gain 7 years every trip around the sun to our 1. 

T was named by a Hall of Famer and lived a Hall of Fame life. I can never pay back what he gave to me and my family. I wrapped him up in a Paul O'Neill jersey and a Mighty Regis t-shirt. I hugged him with my very soul and said goodbye. I will never forget him. He wasn't a dog....he was a Captain....MY Captain.

I wrote this to feel better. 

The Yankees are such a big part of my family...and Thurman is now in the Monument Park of the O'Hara Organization. I believe in the Rainbow Bridge. I believe in the heart and soul of everybody...even the furry little guys that take the ride with us for a time....and change us for the better.

I love you Thurman. You are the best.

--Mike O'Hara

BYB Contributor

Twitter: @mikeyoh21

THEY DON'T MAKE 'EM LIKE THEY USED TO

We've all heard it, "I walked uphill to school...BOTH WAYS!" We've all been given the tales of guts and glory from generations past. "In my day..." was ALMOST ALWAYS a better day than today. Music meant something! Kids had jobs at 11 years old and it usually entailed lifting blocks of stone...in short, they were tough and we are soft, self-centered, gimme gimme brats. Ya know what? They're sorta right on the money.

Let's take Baseball as a smaller scale example of the larger problem when comparing generation to generation. In fact, let dial it in further to our oft injured WWE wrestler of an outfielder...Mike "But I go by Giancarlo "Now" Stanton. Yes, he's hurt again. It's his hamstring. He'll be out 4 weeks or so...this song is more familiar than the Piano Man! "Oh Giancarlo at the bar is a friend of mine...he's on the IL again tonight...and he's making big money...so it's not too funny...that he probably will be for life..."

Think of it...a hamstring. Cast your mind back to not even a generation ago. 1996. World Series. Atlanta. Paul "The Warrior" O'Neill chases down a smoked rope to the gap on ONE GOOD HAMSTRING!! The other blew out earlier in the series like the inner tube of an old Schwinn!! Yet O'Neill played. He play his ass off. 

 

Think about Munson, Nettles, Goose, Bucky, Bobby, Mick the Quick...do actually think any of them would've lasted in the Bronx Zoo claiming a tender hammy? NO. A. PRAYER. Am I saying Stanton is soft? YES!! Sure he's a muscle bound adonis, but the guy makes Tex look like a blood and guts type....by the way, Tex wasn't.



We are soft. Why? Because it's all about the image these days. The sizzle more than the steak. We specialize training, celebrate Tik-Tokers, take selfies...we are soft. Nobody is expected to go all out anymore. It's not about the fight, it's about sitting near the ring.

Look there is a much deeper undertone to this post that takes a shot at the lack of backbone in the world on a whole...but let's frame it with Mike Stanton. He's big, he's strong, he's wealthy, he's a handsome cat, seems like a good guy....and he's soft. And don't get me wrong...it ain't all Stanton's fault...he is a product of the environment of today's sports/celebrity culture. 

They get hurt so often because they train to be true specimens of the Greek Gods...it's show in THE SHOW...the game, sadly is no longer the reason...it's making that Nike swoosh flash on the pecks stretched pinstripes. They aren't ballplayers the way we remember ballplayers...they are comic book heroes...

Yes, I'm getting older and becoming my Dad in many ways...and I'm darn proud of it. He taught me things that you just don't see anymore. 3 inning saves...gone. Grinding out innings to save a taxed pen...nope. Playing so hard that you launch yourself, and that moneymaking mug into the stands to catch a foul ball against Boston...thing of the not-so-distance past. 

We won't fight. We won't sacrifice. We won't put ourselves out there....because it's just too damn hard.

Hopefully Giancarlo and this generation of Bombers will look harder....its not just about the pinstriped uniform on the player...it's about the hardened resolve and passion underneath that helps the player make those stripes mean something.

THIS ONE'S FOR THE GUY THAT PLAYED THE GAME ON RIPPED UP HAMMY....BUT MORE HEART THAT STANTON'S GOT MILLIONS!!

Where have you gone Paul O'Neill our NATION turns it's lonely eyes to you!! Atta boy, #21

 

--Mike O'Hara
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @mikeyoh21

LESSONS FROM THE ZOO

It seems that the argument has been around since humans were able to verbally communicate. Were times tougher then or now? Were people stronger then compared to now? Is that generation tough, while this one is weak?

The questions get posed and the answers come rapid fire…but who is actually right?

Could an overweight, orphan kid from Baltimore who became the SULTAN OF SWAT hit a dead, red heater from a guy known as THE CUBAN MISSILE (who once touched 105mph)?  The truth is we don’t really know…we guess. Short of Doc Brown showing up with McFly and the Delorean, that’s all we can do.

In this awful crisis I continue to put life squarely in the spectrum of baseball. This pandemic feels like slump we can’t shake. I mean sure, we got an “oops excuse me” knock yesterday, and seem to be seeing the ball better, but we want that 4 for 4 game with a dinger and 5 RBIs…it’ll happen.

The back of our baseball card will show up. I was lucky enough to experience a bit of the infamous Bronx Zoo years. Yes, I was a little kid, but I remember those guys so vividly. They embodied New York in the 70s. They were a snapshot of the city decked out in Pinstripes…and they were straight up animals.

When I think about Boonie telling that ump last season, “MY GUYS ARE SAVAGES IN THE BOX!” I chuckle a bit.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Aaron. His guys are tough customers in the box…but they ain’t savages like the Yanks from the Zoo. That's the truth! With all their quirky disfunction and infighting, the Yankees of the late 1970s were a magical team. They just wanted to fight for every single win.

They gutted it out day after day and night after night. Thurman, Reggie, Mick the Quick, Catfish, Goose, Nettles, Lou, Gator…they were just what we need today. Guys that didn’t win pretty. They weren’t manicured like ARod. They didn’t have personalized spikes…hell, even the field at the stadium was in rough shape…but they played through it all with fire.

THEY WERE TOUGHER Than our current generation of players.

Image Tex walking into the clubhouse to tell Billy, “Hey, this hangnail is really messing with my swing from the left side. I’m gonna sit tonight.” Martin would have bitten his finger off…not to mention his head.

We are in a spot now where we need that gritty Bronx Zoo head space. It sucks, but we play to win. We’re hurt, but there’s a game to win. We’re down…but we never stay that way. America IS the Bronx Zoo.

We don’t get along all the time. We believe that we are the individual that “Stirs the coffee”. We look to drill Jimmy Rice between the numbers just so Nettles and Bucky can bust Yaz and Pudge in the mouth when the benches clear.

We ain’t perfect, but damn are we great when we want to be. We can learn from the Zoo and we will win it all again.

Be safe, stay well…and KNOW that the streak is coming…and we will see a scrawny shortstop with caked on eye black send one “DEEP TO LEFT!” soon.

Here’s a little throwback from the Zoo to you!

A HIT FROM 1978! "HIS HAIR WAS PERFECT....DIP!"

--Mike O'Hara
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @mikeyoh21

NO ONE BETTER THAN O'HARA WHEN IT COMES TO YANKEE BASEBALL

I can talk to Mike O'Hara about baseball for hours.  He's just that knowledgeable and fun.  He and I are the same age, and so we can talk about 70's and 80's baseball like it was going out of style. We like similar players, we followed them growing up in our living rooms where ever we were at that time.  And when we chat, it just brings us back to a much simpler time, where there was no responsibly.

Only Yankee baseball on WPIX, and baseball cards and fun.

These days Mike and I are grown men, with families and plenty of responsibilities. We're in charge of making things run correctly in our respective households, or at least that's what our wives tell us.  But when it comes to the Yankees.... we'll always be kids and we'll always be in our happy place... and I think that's why O'Hara and I are so tight. We get each other... we have for a long time.

Mike reached out to me around 2011 when BYB was relatively new. He was working and hosting at the MLB Fan "CAGE" as he calls it and I was a fan of his before I even knew he was a fan of Bleeding Yankee Blue.  We started chatting it up and before I knew it, Mike was a staple in the BYB Family, writing unique stuff for our pages.  While Mike doesn't write as much anymore, he still does when he can. And let's not get it twisted... with the Coronavirus lingering, I think it's safe to say that he, and many have a lot more free time on their hands. And so, Mike wrote for us the other day to rekindle his connection with the BYB audience, and I decided that I needed to interview him for the BYB Media Podcast like I did with Suzie Pinstripe (HERE) and Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa (HERE). 


Loyalty runs deep with me... you know this by now.  And Mike? Mike's loyal and like a brother to me.

So give this interview a listen. We talked about everything, from COVID19, actor Bill Hader... to Goose Gossage to Reggie Jackson to the stupid Astros.

We talked Joba Chamberlain, David Ortiz and even Rob Manfred and George Springer.  This guy's real and honest and one of the best when it comes to talking baseball.

Let me know what you think.

And Mike? I love ya buddy. Thanks for taking the time.