REGGIE JACKSON CONTINUES TO RIP THE YANKEES!

The Yankees have many problems, we all know this. Now, we are seeing how bad the CULTURE problem is more and more. This isn't going away any time soon.

Reggie Jackson went after the Yankees a few weeks ago... read REGGIE GOES OFF & HE'S RIGHT. Well... he's continuing. That's when you know it's bad.

Look, the Yankees didn't need a "deep dive" ordered by Hal Steinbrenner to see it. There's a massive disconnect between the people who call the shots and those who actually play or used to play the game. Instead, analytics from yahoos influence everything....and has broken the whole thing.

Two things stuck out to me over the weekend, one Aaron Judge's meeting with Hal and Brian Cashman. We all know Judge is right, the Yankees place value in the wrong data. Their obsession with launch angle is fruitless and insane, meanwhile Judge told Cashman the Yankees need to value batting average and RBI's. Let's add basic baseball fundamentals into that and by golly, I think the captain may be on to something!

What Judge values is what the Yankees should value because they contribute to scoring runs, which helps win baseball games! Of course, that is paired with good fundamentals like knowing how to bunt and running effectively on the bases. It sounds so basic, but he isn't wrong. Too bad I have zero faith that Yankee brass will actually listen to what Judge has to say and make the changes. After all, the Yankees goonies know better, right? (Sarcasm). The Yankees have a history of not listening to the right people.

But Judge isn't the only one who is pointing out what hasn't worked. Have you seen what Reggie Jackson had to say? Read it HERE. If this doesn't put a bad culture problem on display, nothing will. Reggie doesn't hold anything back. His Amazon Prime documentary that was released back in March, said the team made him feel like "a hood ornament" back in his playing days. Note he said that before the Yankees had their epic failure of a season. So, this wasn't Reggie shining more light on a bad season.

But seriously, Reggie is talking A LOT, lately. NJ.com also released THIS last month. It's pretty shocking to hear him say "opinions really don't get valued" within the organization considering he was so respected as a great Yankee. Pair that with his tweet from Sunday morning and it just adds more fuel to the fire.

Reggie's X post about Rob Thomson hits home for me. I was a big fan of Thomson during his bench coach days with us. I really liked him, and I did want him to be the new Yankee manager after Joe Girardi was fired. I get why he wasn't given the opportunity, because the Yankees wanted to go an entirely new direction and now in retrospect, we see that we got Aaron Boone, I hate that he is gone now even more!

I will admit, I am not as much of a fan of Carlos Mendoza as I was Thomson, but I agree with Reggie that he will be a big loss for the Yankees. I think he is smart to leave and go to the Mets and honestly, I hope he exceeds all expectations there because if he does, it's more proof that the Yankees are clueless and only know how to screw everything up. Both of these guys are great baseball men and I wish them luck in their managerial roles going forward.

Mr. October has spoken...and so has Judge. The Yankees would be wise to start listening and making some real changes before they destroy the entire organization.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

THE WORD "OFFER" IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KILLING MOMENTUM & EXCELLENCE

Bryce Harper is one of the most injured guys around.  But yet, he's a star player always making things happen for the Phils. I found this headline super-interesting and I wanted to delve into it a bit with my thoughts on managing and trusting abilities and momentum killers and all of that.  First, see what I grabbed from Facebook just a short time ago:

Now I don't know what the Liberty Line is, and I'm reading this story, but I was taken by the part on top.  "Rob Thomson offered Bryce Harper a rest day today."

Now I want you to think about Aaron Boone and the Yankees and for this exercise, Aaron Judge will be part of this example.  

Day after day we'd have a guy on a hot streak and then out of nowhere... Boone decides to rest the guy.  Here are just 3 headlines of Boone resting Judge... without offering, without asking... just doing it... even during hot streaks, even when the team needed him.

And so, lets get back to that word OFFER.  For me, it comes down to bad personnel decisions by Boone. He never offers, he just does it. To me, I observe Boone as a guy that doesn't think big picture... that doesn't understand the true dynamic of a hungry ballplayer, or trust of talent and the irony is that is WAS a ballplayer.  Now this is the best part... Bryce Harper's answer:

"Absolutely not. We're in the middle of this thing. Trea's not here. We've got to go."

Do you know what happened next? Rob Thomson played Bryce Harper.  Why? Because he offered with the idea that he trusts his players, understands momentum, ability and the hunger to want to go out there and win.  

We have Aaron Judge on our team, in many regards the leader of the team like Harper is to the Phils.  They both get hurt a lot yes, but they both mash the ball and lead their respective teams.  But the difference is the manager, isn't it?

Aaron Judge can try and back Aaron Boone all he wants.  But that's because he's got a friendship with the guy. It's not because he's a good manager, trust me. Boone isn't a true manager or baseball guy, is he?  You don't shut guys down for rest if they don't want to rest.  Thomson gets it... why doesn't Boone?

Offering star players rest is much better than making them rest.  It allows streaks to be extended... momentum to continue.  Making players rest during hot streaks kills momentum.  I mean... it's common sense. What's he missing?

WAIT. EXPERIENCE IS NOT NEEDED FOR A BENCH COACH?!

"“Experience is important, but it’s not the be all, end all. I want smart sitting next to me. I want confident sitting next to me.” -Aaron Boone

SAY WHAAAAAT?!

That is an interesting quote that has stuck with me after the Yankees officially announced Aaron Boone as their new manager. The Yankees are going through a lot of changes with the younger players and now a brand new manager and soon to be coaching staff. It's a lot all at once.

Photo: New York Yankees

So when Boone said that and said experience wasn't exactly necessary I had to go back and re-read the quote. I am still getting used to the idea of Boone as our next manager. I said previously that if the Yankees brought on an inexperienced manager that an experienced bench coach and coaching staff would be important and for more than one reason.

To succeed in New York you absolutely need the confidence factor, so that I completely agree with Boone on. However, if he wants "smart sitting next to me" I really think that is an experienced coach here. The idea of the blind leading the blind scares me a little. Boone has a lot of baseball knowledge but calling a game on ESPN and being the guy that makes the moves during the game are two very different things.

John Connolly/NorthJersey.com

The Yankees have a roster of young kids. Some of them got a full year under Joe Girardi and now Aaron Boone is going to introduce his own approach and way of doing things which I am guessing will be extremely different that how Joe did things. The Yankees clearly wanted that difference from the old regime, so much that some of it's key figure heads are gone.

Photo: Getty Images

Some people may not care, but I am going to miss Rob Thomson. I really think he is one of the best bench coaches in baseball. He's got a lot of pride, he cares about his guys and he was the mastermind and organization when it came to being ready for Spring Training. I really wish him luck in his new gig as the bench coach for the Phillies. I just wish he was still here in some capacity to help.

At least the Yankees will have the familiar face of Larry Rothschild still around now that the Yankees have officially announced his return but the Yankees will now need to turn their attention to hiring a bench coach, hitting coach, first-base coach, third-base coach and bullpen coach, and there are indications that Mike Harkey could return as bullpen coach according to the New York Post HERE.

Photo: Getty Images

But what about Tony Pena, Marcus Thames and Alan Cockrell? Who knows. It would be weird to not see Pena anymore but that could be a reality. Rumors are already swirling and so far Reggie Willits (Angels minor league coach), Carlos Mendoza and even Carlos Beltran are being considered for coaching staff positions. Mendoza has been with the Yankees since 2009 in a variety of minor league coaching and managerial roles and is well liked by executives in the front office. Could any of these guy be one of Boone's new managers?

I don't know. Brian Cashman said that choosing the rest of the coaching staff could take a couple of weeks. It will be interesting to see who he picks, and depending on who he does pick the explanations could be even more intriguing.

Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com

I just hope Boone rethinks his whole philosophy to the bench coach. He needs a strong staff around him and so will our young up and coming team. Just like many jobs out there.....the quote here should read "HELP WANTED, EXPERIENCE PREFERRED."

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

HURRY UP & WAIT! YANKEE MANAGER INTERVIEWS CONTINUE

Photo: New York Daily News

This is a slow Winter so far. There's been only one noteworthy free agent signing and we are now five weeks from the Yankees cutting ties with Joe Girardi and we still have no new manager. I was restless a while ago but now I am just losing my mind. Give me some action, somewhere! The lack of movement has me coming up with too many theories.

My latest theory? Maybe the Yankees aren't sold on any of the managerial candidates they have interviewed so far.

Photo: NJ.com

As of yesterday's interview with Carlos Beltran, the Yankees have interviewed six people. I have faith the Yankees will choose the best man for the job but I have to admit that as much as I REALLY like Beltran I am not sold on giving him the job UNLESS he has an incredibly strong bench coach and coaching staff around him. He's a great clubhouse presence, a good communicator and a leader but....does he have his finger on the analytical piece?

Photo Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

Maybe he does and I am not giving him enough credit but obviously the Yankees have enough confidence to give him the opportunity to interview. Considering that there are analytical guys out there that haven't been given the opportunity to interview yet and may still be waiting like David Cone. According to a recent update HERE he hasn't been contacted.

(Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire)

The Yankees seem to be looking for some quality that they just haven't found yet. Even if they were intrigued by something in Beltran's interview it sounds like the Yankees have one if not two more candidates to interview before making a decision according to the NY Daily News HERE. If that is the case, could the Yankees go into the Winter Meetings STILL without a manager?!

To add to my theory, even though Rob Thomson is considered a favorite for the job given his good reputation within the organization maybe the Yankees are ready to part ways with him too. He got the first interview and has said he even wants to stay within the organization even if he isn't the next skipper but he's already looking at other opportunities.

Photo: New York Daily News

According to the New York Post, the Phillies are interested in Thomson and they interviewed him for their bench coach position yesterday. Is he just being proactive or did the Yankees already hint to him that they wouldn't be interested in him as a manager? You can't blame the guy for looking for a job, even though he is well liked, he's not guaranteed to even get his bench coach position back.

I don't know if there is any truth to these theories, but it has to make you wonder exactly what direction the Yankees will go and what they are looking for. Have they even interviewed our future manager yet? The Yankees said they will interview "less than 10" candidates. We're already at six.....

So Is Beltran our next manager? Will David Cone wait for a phone call that will never come? Is Rob Thomson done with the Yankees for good?

I hope the answer to that last question is "no" but I guess we will have to wait and see.

Stay tuned.

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

LARRY ROTHSCHILD TO RETURN

I have no problem with this. Do you? By the way, this photo above is Larry Rothschild way, way back in the day.  Love this shot of Rothschild, he's bad ass.  Here's a recent photo...

Photo: USA Today

Now, for me, Larry Rothschild has done a fine job, and having him back in pinstripes is no issue for me at all.  More from MLB.com:

"Rothschild will return as the Yankees' pitching coach in 2018, regardless of who is hired as the club's new manager, a source told MLB.com on Monday. The club has not confirmed.

The Yankees have not made any official announcements regarding their coaching staff. Rob Thomson, the team's bench coach, recently interviewed with general manager Brian Cashman for the managerial position."

And so we still wait for an idea of who will be the Yankee manager.

Photo: NJ.com

Watch, it will be some random move, and right before Christmas the Yankees will announce it's Rickey Henderson or some crap like that.

AARON BOONE AMONG YANKEE MANAGERIAL CANDIDATES

This is just getting weirder and weirder.  ABC News er... Buster Olney of ESPN, is reporting that Aaron Boone, the 3rd baseman that helped the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox back in 2003 with his historic home run is one of the candidates for our new manager. 

Allen Kee/Getty Images

If I had to flip a coin between Wedge and Boone, I'd pick the coin.  What are the Yankees doing?

Buster Olney writes:

"Aaron Boone...among the candidates to be the Yankees' next manager, according to sources. An interview has not yet been scheduled.  The only candidate to interview for the job thus far is longtime Yankees coach Rob Thomson, who met with team executives for between five and six hours Wednesday."

Now Buster is wrong about 1 thing, Wedge did interview with the Yankees yesterday making that 2, Thomson and he.  In fact, rumors are flying.  At one point mid-week there were as many as 20 managerial choices rumored to be part of the Yankees plan.  I was able to confirm that that number is down to 12... or Eleven.

Photo: Eleven from Stranger Things

This is Eleven. See what I did there?

The point is there are several choices, but not as many as other sports writers are saying.  I personally would love to see a guy like Tony Pena or Raul Ibanez at the helm, but I guess we wait and see.

And for now, Aaron Boone is yet ANOTHER name thrown out there.  Stay tuned.

GOODBYE ANNOUNCING BOOTH & HELLO YANKEE SKIPPER?

I have to admit that since the Yankees are in full on Manager search and the Hot Stove rumors haven't been able to fire up yet I have been following all of the Yankee manager search rumors. Since I don't have a "favorite" at this point and all of the connections floating out there have me fascinated especially since we are the only team left looking for a new skipper.

So here is yet another update....Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman have a list of  "about 20" candidates and now two more names have popped up, take a look at this from the New York Post. Interesting leak on the day that bench coach Rob Thomson is the first candidate to interview for the job, huh?

No, your eyes do not deceive you. Supposedly David Cone and John Flaherty have both reached out to Cashman to let him know they are both interested in the job. Is it possible that we see one of these guys step down out of the YES Network booth and into the dugout? It's hard to imagine at this point but both of these guys are intriguing options.

Personally, I have a biased that believes catchers make incredible managers thanks to the experience they have with pitchers and working through an opposing lineup. They just have tap into a lot of strategy that transitions well into management so Flaherty is an interesting choice. He's no stranger to New York either and he was part of Yankee teams that had some success but also had some moments that I am sure he wishes he could forget too (2004, anyone?) He says he misses being on the field and he is in a good place in his life to take on that kind of commitment but is he the guy to connect with our youth on the team? Can he be a successful manager? I dunno...

Then there is David Cone. Now I must admit, I have always had a soft spot for Coney...yes Coney that's what I have always called him. There are many reasons why I have liked Cone but one of them would be his personality. I don't know why but he has always been one of my favorite YES Network personalities.

As I think more about Cone I see a lot of advantages and could see why Cashman would consider him, if he is. Cone certainly knows what New York expectations are. He had to manage those for both the Yankees and the Mets so he gets not only the fans, the media but also the organizations.

Photo: New York Daily News

We aren't big into Sabermetrics here at BYB. We understand it but we aren't that kind of blog. Cone is like that too. He gets it because he studies it and can talk about it on TV but he could blend new school and old school together and not lose sight that as much as the game is changing there is still a human element to all of this. Maybe he could connect with the kids and still use those analytic skills of his in games and make them a winning combination. Again....I dunno.

It will be interesting to hear about all of these "20 or so" people managerial candidates as the Yankees get closer to looking for their new skipper. Are Cone and Flaherty one of these names? I guess we will have to wait and see.

I'm not a very patient person though and especially not right now. Would you give either of these guys a chance?



--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor 
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

BYB Posada Original
This is a wonderful image I took of Jorge Posada, available on Laptop cases and Phone cases.

THE NEWEST MANAGERIAL CANDIDATE IS SURPRISING...

I didn't see this one coming.

This new possible manager candidate comes out of left field.....literally, he used to play left field. Now the Yankees are tied with Jerry Hairston Jr as the newest possible skipper on a seemingly growing list. This list should be called the "Everyone but Joe Girardi" list since it's growing by the day. I don't think anyone even thought about this name...

It has been widely reported that the Yankees new manager will be someone that Brian Cashman has a relationship with already. If that really is the plan Hairston Jr doesn't even cross my mind as a possibility just due to the limited tenure he had as a Yankee. Back in 2009 he helped the Yankees get their World Series ring BUT.....he only played 45 games. Since his days as a Yankee he played on four different teams before retiring as a Dodger and has since been an analyst as SportsNet LA as a pregame analyst.

Photo: New York Daily News

I don't see the big connection there with Cashman, at least not compared to other candidates for the job that have long Yankee ties like Rob Thomson, Tony Pena and especially Joe Espada. If Cashman does prefer to have a manager that he has a relationship with already then Espada sounds like a more obvious choice. He has worked with Cashman in the front office, knows all of the young kids the Yankees have and he is an analytical guy that can help the Yankees in the coming years.

Photo: New York Daily News

Hairston is a third generation major league baseball player so he certainly has baseball in his blood. His grandfather Sam Hairston, father Jerry Hairston Sr., uncle Johnny and brother Scott Hairston were also all major league players along with several other family members who played in the minor leagues. Hairston's experience in both the infield and the outfield could give him an advantage if he does want to transition from commentary to managing since he has a lot of knowledge. His experience could help the Yankees in their youth movement but his lack of managerial experience though could also be a disadvantage considering how deep of a talent pool the Yankees have to choose from.

I guess since I have no personal favorite to fill Girardi's shoes at this point I just don't see anyone as the perfect fit. Maybe I am still in shock over it. I'm no expert, and maybe I am not giving Hairston Jr enough credit. Maybe his younger mindset could give the Yankees new life. It looks like we are behind the times here because I found an old ESPN article HERE from 2013 and he was considered an intriguing name for a managerial role years ago.

Maybe I am just wrong....or not willing to accept any name at this point. Who knows where the Yankees search will lead them as they look for their new skipper. Could it be Hairston Jr? I guess anything is possible at this point.

Stay tuned.




--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor 
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

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