WHEN DOLLY PARTON CAME TO THE BRONX

When you've followed the Yankees long enough, you realize that Yankee Stadium has hosted a lot more than baseball.

Presidents have been there. Popes have been there. Prize fights, football games and concerts have filled the old place.

And in 1987, Dolly Parton showed up. Yes, that Dolly Parton. Country music royalty walked into the House That Ruth Built, grabbed a baseball bat and spent some time with the Bronx Bombers.

With the sad news of Dolly's passing at age 80, we hear at Bleeding Yankee Blue found ourselves thinking about that wonderful little piece of Yankee history. Casey asked me to put this together and I was happy to do it.

Dolly came to Yankee Stadium while filming her ABC television variety series, Dolly, which premiered in September 1987. The Yankee Stadium visit was filmed for an "Out and About" segment appearing in the show's third episode. Waiting for her in the Bronx were four pretty recognizable Yankees:

Ron Guidry. Dave Righetti. Rick Cerone. Mike Pagliarulo.

For Yankee fans of a certain age, those names require no introduction. Guidry was Louisiana Lightning and already a Yankee legend. Righetti had gone from Rookie of the Year starting pitcher to one of baseball's premier closers. Cerone had been behind the plate through some memorable Yankee seasons.

And Pagliarulo — Pags — was the Yankees' hard-hitting third baseman.

Then Dolly Parton walked into the middle of them.

Only at Yankee Stadium. And Dolly wasn't content just shaking hands and posing for pictures. She picked up a bat. Standing near the first-base line, Dolly took a few swings and apparently wasn't too bad at it. At one point she wondered what would happen if she actually made contact and whether somebody might get hurt.

Pagliarulo eventually presented her with an official Yankees bomber jacket, which Dolly immediately put on. Then she wanted the cap. There was, however, a slight engineering problem.

Dolly Parton's hair. If you remember Dolly in 1987, you understand. That Yankees cap wasn't going over that hair. It was going to have to sit on top of it. And that's exactly what happened.

There she was — one of the biggest stars in America, standing at Yankee Stadium in a Yankees jacket with a cap perched on that famous blonde hair.

It was a terrific image. But looking back on it almost 40 years later, there's something else that strikes me about the moment. Dolly looked like she belonged there. That's probably because Dolly Parton seemed to belong everywhere.

She could stand on a stage in Nashville, appear in a Hollywood movie, walk through Dollywood or wander onto the field at Yankee Stadium and immediately make people smile. There was no pretense about her.

She was Dolly. The Yankees she met that day have long since retired. The old Yankee Stadium itself is gone. Baseball has changed enormously since 1987. But that's the beauty of Yankee history. Sometimes history isn't Babe Ruth hitting a home run. It isn't Lou Gehrig's speech. It isn't Reggie hitting three home runs in a World Series game or Don Larsen throwing a perfect game.

Sometimes it's something small and sweet. Something you almost forget happened. Like the afternoon Dolly Parton came to Yankee Stadium and took a few swings with the Yankees.

Today, that memory means a little more. Dolly Parton died yesterday at the age of 80, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy as a singer, songwriter, actress, entertainer, businesswoman and philanthropist.

Millions will remember the songs. Others will remember the movies. Still others will remember the enormous amount of good she quietly did for people throughout her life.

Here at Bleeding Yankee Blue, we'll also remember that day in 1987 when a little bit of Nashville came to the Bronx. Dolly Parton was one of us.

Rest in peace, Dolly. Thanks for giving us one more wonderful story from the House That Ruth Built. And somewhere, I hope there's a Yankees cap big enough for that hair.

--Alvin Izzo
BYB Yankee Historian Contributor

OLD TIMERS’ DAY: WHEN BEING A YANKEE ACTUALLY MEANT SOMETHING

There is something about Old-Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium that gets me every single time. Maybe it’s the uniforms, maybe it’s hearing those familiar names announced again, or maybe it’s watching men who once seemed larger than life walk onto the field a little slower, carrying a few extra pounds and a lot more gray hair, while your brain stubbornly remembers them exactly as they were. Whatever it is, the day has a way of getting inside you. And maybe Old-Timers’ Day hits even harder now because it reminds us of something the current Yankees organization seems to have forgotten: being a Yankee used to mean you earned something.

Old-Timers’ Day has always been baseball’s version of a family reunion, and nobody does baseball history quite like the Yankees. The tradition connects generations, reaching all the way back to the emotional days surrounding Lou Gehrig’s farewell in 1939. Over time, it became something uniquely Yankee. The history of this franchise isn’t locked away in a museum or confined to grainy old film clips. Once a year, some of that history actually walks back onto the field, waves to the crowd and reminds you exactly why you fell in love with baseball in the first place.

There was a time when Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio were the final two Yankees introduced. Think about that for a second. The Mick and Joe D. Eventually, that honor belonged to Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra. There were also those wonderful years when Phil Rizzuto and Bobby Murcer weren’t simply former Yankees returning for a ceremony; they were broadcasters who would put the pinstripes back on, wander onto the field and somehow make you believe that nothing had really changed. Of course, everything had changed. That's the cruel little trick baseball plays on us. It moves slowly when we're watching it and unbelievably fast when we look backward.

And now we're apparently living in a world where Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera qualify as old-timers. Are you kidding me? I watched these guys play. I remember Pettitte peeking over his glove, Posada grinding through at-bats and the opening notes of “Enter Sandman” telling everybody in Yankee Stadium that Mariano was about to shut the door. Those guys aren't supposed to be old-timers. They're supposed to be the guys we watched while the old-timers were being introduced. Yet here we are. That happened pretty damn fast, didn't it?

My guys will always be the Ron Guidrys of the world because that was my generation. Louisiana Lightning was one of those Yankees who made baseball feel magical to me. But that is also the beauty of Old-Timers’ Day: everybody has their guys. Your father had his, you have yours, and your kids will eventually have theirs. If we're lucky enough, someday the players our children worship today will walk onto that same field with gray hair while our kids sit in the stands wondering where 30 years went.

Chris Chambliss

That's baseball. It gets handed down. Father to son, mother to daughter, grandfather to grandson. Families once gathered around radios, then televisions, and now they're watching games on phones and tablets. The technology changes, but the conversations don't. We still complain about umpires, argue about managers, second-guess pitching changes and somehow convince ourselves every April that this could finally be the year. Baseball will break your heart one night and give you a memory you'll carry for the rest of your life the next afternoon. That's the deal we make with this game, and for some reason we keep coming back.

But Old-Timers’ Day also reminds me of something else, especially when I look at the way the modern Yankees operate. Standards used to matter, and opportunities were earned. Players earned jobs, earned patience and earned the right to stay in the lineup. Accomplishments felt bigger because everybody understood how difficult it was to get there. There wasn't this endless organizational obsession with proving the front office was right about somebody simply because admitting a mistake might make Brian Cashman uncomfortable. If a guy performed, he played. If he didn't, somebody else eventually got his opportunity. It was a remarkably sophisticated baseball philosophy known as playing the guys who deserved to play. Maybe Aaron Boone needs somebody from analytics to build him a PowerPoint presentation explaining it.

That's what makes Old-Timers’ Day such an interesting contrast to the current Yankees. Look at the men walking onto that field and think about what many of them represented. Toughness, accountability, pride and an understanding that wearing pinstripes didn't automatically make you special. Winning in them did. Producing when the pressure was greatest did. Earning the respect of Yankee fans did.

Today, the organization too often seems to want the uniform itself to provide the credibility. We hear about process, underlying numbers and quality at-bats. Somebody goes 0-for-4 and Boone tells us there were some “really good swings” in there. A player struggles for months and we're assured he's “really close.” The Yankees lose a brutal game and we're told there were still “a lot of good things” happening. Great. Put it on a plaque and hang it next to the championship banners: 2026 New York Yankees — A Lot of Good Things Happened.

The Yankees of previous generations didn't build this franchise on encouraging postgame press conferences. They built it on results. Ron Guidry didn't need the organization explaining why you weren't actually seeing what you thought you were seeing. Mariano Rivera didn't require a spreadsheet to convince anybody he was dominant. Derek Jeter didn't need three years of excuses and organizational spin. Bernie Williams didn't need Brian Cashman appearing in front of reporters to explain that some internal metric suggested Bernie was secretly playing terrific baseball. Those guys played, they produced, and they earned their place.

That's why these old Yankees mean something to us. They aren't simply names on Baseball Reference or numbers printed on the back of throwback jerseys. They're memories. They're summers and October nights. They're your father screaming at the television. They're your grandfather telling you for the 900th time that baseball was better when he was young. You rolled your eyes at him then, and eventually you got older and started telling the same damn stories yourself. Funny how that works.

Saturday also brought one of those moments that reminds us Old-Timers’ Day isn't simply about nostalgia and applause. Sometimes it's about saying goodbye. Tommy John couldn't be there. At 83 years old and dealing with serious health problems in recent years, John sent an emotional message to the Yankees thanking the organization, the Steinbrenner family and the fans who followed him throughout his remarkable 26-year career. He also remembered Dr. Frank Jobe, the surgeon forever connected to the operation that saved John's career and eventually changed the sport.

John thanked the Yankees for giving him an opportunity to say goodbye to everyone, and those words are difficult to hear without feeling something. Forget wins, losses and statistics for a moment. Forget Cashman and Boone. This was an 83-year-old man looking back at an extraordinary baseball life and thanking the people who shared some part of the journey with him. We throw around the phrase “Tommy John surgery” so casually now that sometimes we forget Tommy John is actually a person. He was a pitcher, a Yankee and a man whose willingness to attempt something radical with Dr. Jobe more than 50 years ago ultimately helped thousands of pitchers who came after him.

That's the part of Old-Timers’ Day that matters most. For all the championships and famous names, baseball ultimately comes back to people. It comes back to family, memory and the people sitting next to you while you're watching the game. That's why you can remember a random Yankee game from 40 years ago and also remember exactly where you were, who was sitting beside you and what your father said when somebody hit the home run. Baseball somehow attaches itself to our lives that way.

Maybe that's also why Old-Timers’ Day feels even more important today, because the modern Yankees sometimes seem determined to convince everybody that baseball has become impossibly complicated. It really isn't. Play hard. Perform. Earn your opportunity. Win. And understand what the uniform represents. George Steinbrenner certainly had his faults—and there were plenty—but there was never any confusion about the expectation. Winning mattered to him. Losing bothered him. Failure wasn't endlessly repackaged as progress.

That's one of my biggest problems with this current organization. Sometimes I watch the Yankees and wonder whether losing actually bothers anybody in charge anymore. A terrible loss happens and Boone walks into the press conference sounding like the team just completed a successful corporate retreat. Cashman periodically emerges to explain why the roster he constructed isn't really the problem, and fans are expected to accept it because apparently expecting the New York Yankees to behave like the New York Yankees has somehow become unreasonable.

Then Old-Timers’ Day arrives, and for a few hours all that garbage disappears. 

Guidry walks onto the field. Pettitte comes out. Matsui and Posada appear. Mariano waves to the crowd. You hear the applause and suddenly remember what this franchise is supposed to feel like. There was pride attached to those pinstripes. There were standards. There was accountability. There was an understanding that playing for the Yankees wasn't the accomplishment; what you did while wearing the uniform was the accomplishment.

Baseball has changed tremendously. Some of those changes have made the game better, and some absolutely have not. But Old-Timers’ Day cuts through all of it. For a few hours, nobody cares about exit velocity, launch angle or whatever obscure metric the Yankees have decided explains why the guy hitting .210 is actually doing a fantastic job. Nobody needs Brian Cashman to explain the roster, and nobody needs Aaron Boone to tell us somebody put together a few good swings.

Instead, you hear a familiar name announced over the Yankee Stadium speakers and suddenly you're 12 years old again. For me, Guidry is dealing. Reggie is coming up with runners on base. For somebody a little younger, Pettitte is staring over his glove, Posada is digging into the box and Mariano is making that walk from the bullpen. Somebody younger still will have an entirely different group of Yankees that takes them back.

That's the whole point.

Baseball isn't really measured in innings, WAR, exit velocity or championship rings. In the end, it's measured in memories and the people with whom you shared them. Old-Timers’ Day gives us a few wonderful hours when those memories come walking back onto the field. It reminds us where we've been, who we watched with our fathers and who we'll eventually tell our children about.

And maybe, just maybe, while all those old Yankees are standing out there, the people currently running this franchise should take a good look at them.

Because those pinstripes didn't become famous because everybody was comfortable. They didn't become famous because the manager protected everybody from criticism or because the general manager refused to admit when his plan wasn't working. They became famous because generations of players understood that getting to Yankee Stadium wasn't the finish line.

You had to earn what came next.

That's what made those players Yankees.

That's what made the achievements worth celebrating.

And that's why, every Old-Timers’ Day, seeing those guys come home still means so damn much.

YANKS WILL IMPLY JUDGE IS TO BLAME IF THEY FALL SHORT THIS SEASON

 I'm writing this for one reason: So it's on the record.

Mark. My. Words.

I've been a Yankees fan for as long as I can remember. Sure, there was that brief detour as a little kid in Kentucky when Pete Rose had me convinced the Reds were the center of the baseball universe. Then my family moved to New Jersey in 1978, I discovered Ron Guidry, and that little phase disappeared faster than a hanging slider.

So let me clear something up, because people seem to struggle with this.

I can love the Yankees while relentlessly criticizing the people running them. Those aren't conflicting ideas. They're roommates.

I love this team. I love the history, the pinstripes, the expectations, and the players who wear them. What I don't love is watching a front office that's become addicted to spreadsheets, a general manager who keeps recycling the same mistakes, and a manager who somehow turns every high-pressure situation into an improv comedy.

That's why what I'm about to say matters.

If the Yankees don't win the World Series in 2026—and right now that feels more likely than not—the organization already has its built-in excuse.

Aaron Judge.

Not Aaron Boone's baffling in-game decisions.

Not Brian Cashman's questionable roster construction.

Not the holes at catcher.

Not the left side of the infield.

Not the inconsistent performances from players who were supposed to take the next step.

Nope. It'll all circle back to, "Well... we didn't have our best player."

And here's the thing: that's not Aaron Judge's fault.

Injuries are part of baseball. They happen. Nobody blames Judge for getting hurt.

Judge was officially transferred to the 60-day Injured List today, and his return doesn't appear to be around the corner. Since he landed on the IL on June 2, the Yankees have gone 18-19, exposing exactly what many of us have been saying for years: this lineup is far too dependent on one human being wearing No. 99.

That's not a Judge problem. That's an organizational problem.

The Yankees still need help behind the plate. They still need answers on the left side of the infield. Now they also need another legitimate middle-of-the-order bat to survive Judge's absence.

This is where a general manager earns his paycheck. This is where a manager proves he can actually manage instead of waiting for his superstar to bail him out.

Will they? History says probably not.

Will they once again fall short? I'd put my money on yes.

Will we all be sitting here in October hearing the same tired explanations while wondering how baseball's biggest brand keeps finding new ways to waste championship-caliber talent?

Unfortunately, that prediction feels like the safest bet of the season.

There, I said it.

CARLOS RODON HAS BECOME A TRUE YANKEE LEADER

Carlos Rodón’s Yankee story has been nothing short of a redemption tour. When he first landed in the Bronx, the lefty looked like he couldn’t throw a strike if the strike zone was the size of Yankee Stadium. But fast-forward to now, and he’s turned into exactly what the Yankees paid for: an ace with bite on the mound and leadership in the clubhouse.

That transformation makes it fitting that Rodón is the Yankees’ 2025 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, baseball’s annual honor recognizing players who go above and beyond—both on the field and in the community.

Together with his wife, Ashley, Rodón launched the Rodón Foundation, which supports couples navigating pregnancy complications and infertility. One of their biggest initiatives is the “Willow Grant,” named for their daughter, which provides $10,000 to $20,000 annually to 25 couples still fighting for their dream of starting a family after enduring miscarriages or pregnancy loss.

And it’s not just check-writing philanthropy—Rodón also rolls up his sleeves. Back in June, he volunteered at Bottomless Closet in New York City, an organization that helps women in difficult financial situations prepare to enter the workforce.

The Yankees have a strong track record with this award: Aaron Judge brought it home in 2023, Derek Jeter in 2009, while Ron Guidry and Don Baylor earned the honor back in the mid-80s. Rodón now carries that torch, showing he’s not just a comeback story on the mound—he’s the kind of player Clemente himself would have been proud of.

I have always believed that Rodon would be a stud in the Bronx, and I am thrilled to see that he is having such a great personal season but now getting this nod. It's refreshing.

SPINELESS MANFRED MAY FINALLY DO WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE DONE WHEN ROSE WAS ALIVE

Pete Rose was a baseball player unlike any other—a man whose grit, passion, and relentless work ethic turned him into the greatest hitter the game has ever seen. The numbers don’t lie: 4,256 hits, an MVP award, three batting titles, and three World Series championships. He was the heart and soul of the Cincinnati Reds' Big Red Machine, a dynasty that dominated the 1970s. Rose played with an intensity that set him apart, diving headfirst into bases, refusing to take a play off, and inspiring a generation of baseball fans, myself included.

I grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, and like so many others, I fell in love with Pete Rose and the way he played the game. He wasn't just another player; he was the embodiment of everything baseball was supposed to be—gritty, relentless, passionate. It wasn’t until I moved to New Jersey in 1978 and witnessed Ron Guidry’s 18-strikeout masterpiece that I found my team in the Yankees, but my admiration for Rose never wavered. He was still the player I idolized, the player who made me believe in baseball.

And yet, despite everything he gave to the game, despite all the records he shattered, Major League Baseball turned its back on him.

Let’s be clear—Pete Rose made mistakes. He gambled on baseball, a violation of one of the sport’s cardinal rules. But he never did anything to diminish his effort or his performance on the field. And for that, he was banished from the sport he helped define, denied the one honor he undoubtedly deserved—a place in the Hall of Fame.

For years, he sought redemption. He acknowledged his wrongdoing. He served his time. He waited for baseball to come to its senses. But Rob Manfred, the commissioner who has done more to damage Major League Baseball than any man before him, refused to reinstate Rose while he was alive. Manfred, in all his cowardice, dodged the responsibility, claiming he would “mull it over” but never actually doing a damn thing. It wasn’t until the President of the United States suggested pardoning Rose that articles even started to circulate about Manfred reconsidering. And now, Pete Rose is gone. Dead. Probably of a broken heart, after being cast aside by the very game he gave everything to.

And now, after years of ignoring Rose, Manfred is supposedly considering lifting his ban posthumously. What a gutless, empty gesture. It would have meant something if they had done it when he was alive, when he could have maybe one day stood on that stage in Cooperstown and received the honor he fought for his entire life. But now? Now it’s just another example of baseball’s spineless leadership under Manfred.  But here's the worst part of reinstating Rose. Even if he is reinstated by Manfred, the baseball writers, who let guys in like Harold Baines before they'd ever let in Alex Rodriguez would cockblock Rose for as long as they were alive.  In other words, while perhaps we are moving in the right direction, there are too many stop gaps to continue to prevent Rose to head to his natural destination... Cooperstown.  It's a wicked web and all those a-holes are in on it.

Look at the facts: Pete Rose is the all-time hits leader. He played harder than anyone before or after him. He made baseball better. And yet, there are idiots like Patrick Sauer of the Washington Post trying to rewrite history, suggesting that Ichiro Suzuki is the real hit king. No disrespect to Ichiro—his accomplishments in Japan and the MLB are remarkable—but Pete Rose’s record stands above all in the MAJOR LEAGUES. It’s 4,256. That’s the number. That’s the legacy. That’s what matters.

Was he a perfect man? No. But neither were countless other Hall of Famers. The Hall isn’t about moral perfection; it’s about baseball greatness. And Pete Rose was greatness incarnate.

MLB had a chance to do the right thing. They failed. And now, they’re trying to make up for it after the fact. Too little, too late. But for those of us who grew up watching him, who saw the passion, the determination, the sheer love of the game—Pete Rose will always be a Hall of Famer, no matter what some spineless commissioner says.

THERE AIN'T NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING CRITICAL OF AARON BOONE

I've been incredibly critical of Aaron Boone for years. I've called him a mouthpiece, a puppet, and an empty manager with no championships to show for it. These are my observations and opinions—I don’t speak for my staff—this is simply what I’ve seen over the past several seasons.

When it comes to making tough decisions, Boone fumbles. When he needs to juggle personnel, he drops the ball. During long, brutal losing streaks and stretches of mind-numbingly bad play, sure, you can blame the team. But a true leader, a manager worth his salt, makes the hard calls to right the ship. Instead, Boone stands in front of the press with his trademark blank stare and utters, “It’s right in front of us.” What does that even mean if you do nothing to fix the problem? It’s not inspiring. It’s not insightful. It’s nothing. It’s a whole lot of nothing. And that, to me, is the essence of Aaron Boone’s tenure as Yankees manager.

I’ve never believed Boone should be managing this team. Not for a single second. He simply doesn’t have the edge, the grit, the championship mentality this franchise needs. His winning percentage might look nice on paper, but numbers without rings are just numbers. They don’t shine. They don’t matter.

Recently, Essentially Sports published a piece highlighting Terrance Cam’s blunt assessment of Boone on Pinstripes Territory. Cam didn't hold back, saying, “Yeah, I really just think that Boone is, I don’t want to be mean here, but I will be a puppet. I think he’s a puppet. I think he’s a front-office puppet. I think that the front office basically gives him, 'Hey, this is our game plan, and this is what we think you should do, and we highly recommend you do this.'” And let’s be honest—that sounds like an order, doesn’t it?

Cam hit the nail on the head. As someone who has bled pinstripes since Ron Guidry’s legendary 18-strikeout game, it’s crystal clear to me that today’s Yankees are soft. Soft compared to the gritty, fight-for-every-pitch teams of the late 1970s and even the powerhouse squads of the 1990s dynasty.

And the biggest reason for this decline? The manager. Aaron Boone is soft. You can’t change my mind. Sure, someone might argue, “A manager doesn’t pitch or swing a bat.” Fine. But if that’s true, why do managers get fired when teams don’t win? Because they’re supposed to be the glue that holds everything together, the captain steering the ship through stormy seas. Boone, despite what Aaron Judge or anyone else might think, is not that guy. Not by a long shot.

I had to get this off my chest. Big props to Essentially Sports for spotlighting Cam’s comments. It’s okay to criticize a bad manager. It’s not just okay—it’s necessary. More Yankees fans need to speak up. We deserve better leadership. We deserve a manager who brings fire, not fluff. It’s time to reclaim that championship swagger that defined this franchise for generations.

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FEEL GOOD MOMENT FOR CC SABATHIA AFTER THE CALL TO THE HALL

CC Sabathia has always been a fan favorite, and for good reason. From the moment he joined the Yankees, he made an unforgettable impact. Now, the fact that he’s officially headed to the Hall of Fame is nothing short of incredible. This achievement is a testament to his remarkable career and solidifies his place among baseball’s greats.

This year’s Hall of Fame inductees include Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, and Billy Wagner, as selected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Additionally, Dave Parker and Dick Allen were chosen by the Classic Baseball Era Committee to round out the 2025 class.

While all the inductees are deserving, it’s Sabathia’s story that resonates most with me. His reaction to the honor, as reported by Bryan Hoch, was perfect: “It means a lot to be in the Hall of Fame, period. But first-ballot, I know what that means as a baseball player. It’s very special.”

Former teammate Jorge Posada also reflected on Sabathia’s impact, particularly on the legendary 2009 Yankees team. “That 2009 team was special, and he was a big reason why we were the last team standing. CC earned this great honor. He had a remarkable career, and he was one of my favorite teammates I played with.”

With his Hall of Fame plaque featuring a Yankees cap, Sabathia’s career stats speak for themselves: 251 wins and 3,093 strikeouts—trailing only Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton among left-handed pitchers.

For me, CC is one of the greatest Yankee pitchers I’ve ever had the privilege of watching, second only to Ron Guidry. No matter where you rank him personally, there’s no denying his legendary status. Congratulations to CC Sabathia on this well-deserved honor.

FORGET IT. THE YANKEES WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE FALL CLASSIC ANYWAY

Last night I cannot blame on Aaron Boone. Crazy right?

But as a whole, in the bonehead moves he has made, in our 4th place finish last year... in the way he over tinkers, befriends his players, argues balls and strikes in meaningless games, and just plain sucks as a manager because of his inexperience, and now because we have gotten to the World Series and lost it, it only makes sense that we say goodbye to this guy and turn the page on making the Yankee organization leadership brighter and better moving forward. This HAS to be the end of the Boone Era. The experiment didn't work... not even alittle bit! Hal, are you listening?

Look, the Yankees were never supposed to be in the World Series this year.  Let's not fool ourselves. The Yankees have been so inconsistent all season, so the idea of making it to the World Series was a gift.  Did I hope they won this year? Of course, but do I think they actually are the best team in baseball, nope.  I'm a realist, this Yankee team is deeply flawed.

The Yankees made a few minor offseason tweaks even though we all knew they needed better pitching and that was the priority.  We got Juan Soto instead. Now, don't get me wrong, Juan Soto was fantastic, I loved seeing him in pinstripes, but as I said then, we got this guy for one year, what happens if we DON'T win it all?  And here we are... we didn't win it all.  And so, what happens next?

For one, Juan Soto will be a free agent.  That's big.  Seems like we had one opportunity, and it was just now, and yet, we didn't win. And so, if he leaves, do you really think we have what it takes to try and win again? We were lucky to get to the World Series this year WITH Juan Soto. If Juan Soto leaves, you can forget our chances. And that is where you really need to go after our Yankees front office and lightweight manager Aaron Boone.

Leadership in any business is vital, and this guy just doesn't have what it takes to lead this Yankees team.  

It's been a long time since Boone has been in the driver's seat. Here's the problem; he doesn't know how to drive stick.  This isn't a team you just hand over to a JV coach and say, "Here, try and tinker with this." These are the New York Yankees. They are celebrities, personalities and they are wearing the pinstripes and so the stakes are much higher.  While many people didn't like Joe Torre taking over after Buck Showalter in the 90's, the one thing Joe Torre had was experience. He was a long-time player and a manager, and while not a successful manager, he understood the game and surrounded himself with wisdom. In other words, he had a plan.  

I see Aaron Boone as a guy who wants to hang out with the celebrity Yankees, have barbeques, a few drinks, play a pickup basketball game with Cortes and Judge, and just enjoy life as a millionaire. The problem? He's not actually doing his job.  Being in the friend zone with Gerrit Cole doesn't win you a championship.  He doesn't understand the stakes, He doesn't understand much of anything.  

And I'll take it further. Better, smarter and more experienced managers in baseball have been fired for way less than what Boone's mistakes have led this Yankee team over the years.  Buck Showalter is probably one of the most respected baseball minds in the game and the Mets lost a few years ago, and they cut him loose right away.  Billy Martin was back and forth with George Steinbrenner for years, but when he couldn't win, he'd be fired. It was pretty simple.  

The White Sox fired La Russa after the club got off to a 26–38 start in 1986, yet LaRussa is one of only two managers in MLB history to win World Series championships in both the American and National leagues.  What's my point? My point is Boone should have been fired years ago. He's terrible.

Now last night's game you cannot blame on Aaron Boone. The 5th inning for the Yankees was the strangest thing I've ever seen.  You always hear that errors will cost you ballgames, and last night it was evident. It was big. It was horrible.  The Yankee club should be embarrassed. But let me be clear, errors are part of the game, and while no one wants to see the Yankees fold like they did, the bigger issue is our leadership.

Hal Steinbrenner either doesn't have his finger on the pulse or Brian Cashman has fooled him enough to handle this team and tricked big Hal into believing that "close enough" with Aaron Boone is "good enough" and the bottom line is as fans, we are very in tune with what's going on, but as fans we also love to watch our team win it all.  Us fans spend the money, and we root hard only to be heartbroken and then we do it all over again the next year with our shitty manager and a wish and a prayer that we can retain Juan Soto long term.  

None of it makes sense, yet we do it anyway. It's a trap. It's an abusive relationship and we're the ones getting mind fucked every season. And so, my biggest gripe with this team is simple; the management is stale, the hunger only comes when we hit home runs, and the idea of manufacturing runs is a very small part of the Yankees game and that my friends has been going on since the days of Jason Giambi.  We will never break the mold if the manager gives Hal what he "thinks" he wants.  Boone does not think for himself. Boone panders. Boone does what he's told. In essence, Boone isn't running this team as a true manager would.  

I will give Joe Girardi credit for one thing; he was tough as nails when it came to managing this club. He wasn't the best at it, but he also didn't bend over and tried his best to manage the team his way.  Many times, it didn't work, but one time it did and 2009 was glorious.

But 2009 was a long time ago and everyone knows that Aaron Boone's not winning us a championship.  I mean, that lineup never changed in this World Series and there were major problems with our hitting.  I am still baffled by the fact that Boone started Jose Trevino because Austin Wells was slumping just to then pinch-hit Wells for Trevino later in that game anyway.  That's a manager that doesn't trust himself and it's embarrassing.

And so now the season is over.  Last night will I PRAY brings real changes to the New York Yankees manager and coaching staff.  Seeing the Dodgers celebrate at Yankee Stadium was sad, but this is the game.  Someone had to lose and why not us... we don't have leadership anyway.

Finally, I'll leave you with this; Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" is a staple for the Yankees when we win at the Stadium.  Last night the Yankees played that song while the Dodgers were celebrating.  While this was a total mind fuck for many of your fans, I clearly understood why they did it.  There are 2 reasons actually and while it's my opinion, I know I'm right. 

For one, it was a Thank you. It was a Thank you to the Yankees for the fight. It was a Thank You to us fans for sticking around and believing in the pinstripes. It was a "so long" as we head into the winter, not a "Goodbye".  Maybe it's my maturity, maybe I just understand symbolism, but for the love of God for silly fans and this Jomboy hack to make it appear that the Yankees "messed up" for playing that song are just ridiculous.

idc what it costs, Juan Soto needs to be a Yankee for life

You can't let this generational talent and attitude walk out the front doorpic.twitter.com/yd7a7eh1sr

— Mike Salvatore (@MikeSalvatore10) October 31, 2024

I have been a fan of this team since the old Yankee stadium, 1981, Yankees vs. Dodgers Game 1 of the World Series.  Even before that in '78 when I saw Ron Guidry strike out 18 Angels, but definitely in that World Series. The fans were loud, it just made sense to me that the Yankees were my team. And so, yes, I understand symbolism. I understand appreciation. The Yankees organization as a whole may not appear to be about the fans, but even they understood the gut punch last night.  It was a peace offering, a "we're sorry, but thank you". It was supposed to make you feel good about our team. And Secondly, they probably snuck this in too; While Sinatra was a Hoboken kid, he was a Dodgers fan. 

I know, I know, your brain just exploded. Well calm down, it's not that deep. It's symbolism and a gesture all the same. You may not have gotten it, but it was actually nice and guys like Jomboy make it about them and it's not. 

And so now we crawl into our caves and wait.  Hopefully Boone gets canned, it just makes sense at this point.  Hopefully the Yankees can figure out a way to retain Juan Soto while getting another top starting pitcher.  Hopefully we will see the fall classic next year and we win with a new manager and new hunger and an Aaron Judge who just tees off every at bat.

To our Bleeding Yankee Blue audience.  You are loyal, you are wonderful, and we thank you for your support and love. Many of you have been reading BYB since we started in September 2010. That is a long time, and we love you very much.  To the newbies, yeah, we complain about our Yankees a lot here, but we also celebrate them. Thank you for finding us and we hope you enjoy the ride.

Congrats to the Yankees for making it this far. You weren't supposed to be here, but you did prove many of us wrong and I respect the hell out of that.  I always will.

Go Yanks.

See you all in the offseason. We will not stop writing and will bring you as much news, info and humor as we can.  Thanks for reading Bleeding Yankee Blue.

-- Robert Casey
Chief & Head writer of Bleeding Yankee Blue
Twitter: @BleednYankeeBlu

YANKEES- DODGERS RIVALRY IS BACK AND IT'S BETTER THAN EVER

Source: Yahoo Sports

I love it. I have been waiting for this since the late 1970s when it was Billy Martin against Tommy Lasorda. Those were the days when Tommy John went toe to toe with Ron Guidry and when Steve Garvey and Reggie Jackson belted bombs across the diamond. Today, that fierceness is back with guys like Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts heating up the Dodgers lineup against the Yankees with the mighty Aaron Judge and young shortstop Anthony Volpe. This Yankees-Dodgers rivalry is fire. And it feels better than ever.

Writes the New York Post, "It is one of the most unique rivalries in all of sports, one that tugs at heartstrings and memory banks, and whenever there is a game and those two teams are on the field, it seems like it should be televised in black and white, feels like Mel Allen and Red Barber should share the call." And the games against the Dodgers yielded so many great moments like the only World Series perfect game in 1956. 

Despite being one of the most well-known, well-established rivalries of all time, it has not been this anticipated since those days in the late 70s and early 80s. And no wonder. It has been some time since the Dodgers and Yankees were both this good at the same time. It has been some time since the Dodgers trotted into Yankee Stadium with this much confidence backed behind slugger Shohei Ohtani. And speaking of Ohtani, I don't remember a time when the Yankees sold an out of town jersey in their very own stadium team store. And a collaborative New Era cap featuring Judge and Ohtani on the front which is making Yankees fans dizzy.

As Fox Sports reports, "Judge and Ohtani are, without a doubt, the two faces of Major League Baseball, and the Yankees are taking advantage in what many perceive to be a peculiar way. First of all, the Yankees are selling Ohtani Dodgers jerseys in their own team store this weekend. But what got fans really riled up were the bodega-style hats featuring Judge's 99 and Ohtani's 17 side-by-side." One fan even called the hat a felony while another said "you have to pay Juan Soto somehow." Soto is eerily absent from the lineup with forearm inflammation. Probably the only downer for this well-anticipated and attended series. 

The Saturday game was played under the lights, which is atypical for the Yankees on Saturdays. And this game has been featured among other must watch events: The London Series, The Belmont Stakes and yes, the Yankees vs. the Dodgers. Yankee Stadium is in a fan's word, "mobbed with so many Dodger fans" this weekend.

1941 was the first time the Bronx Bombers and "Dem Bums" faced one another in the World Series. Back then, they were cross-city rivals; now they a cross-country, bicoastal rivals, driving huge crowds whenever they have the chance to face one another. Altogether, the Yankees and the Dodgers have faced each other in the Fall Classic 11 times, with the Yankees dominating the Dodgers for most. Could this weekend be a preview of what's to come? With all the energy and excitement, one can only hope.

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

THE YANKEES ARE FOR REAL

I have been holding my breath for weeks.  I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I am still of the belief that Juan Soto won't be with us when the season ends. I am positive he will take the money and go to the Mets and so I am having a really hard time rooting hard for a loaner. 

Yup, that's my world.  But let me just say that what this team has done and is doing is unreal and now with the surge of Aaron Judge, the dominance of Carlos Rodon and of course the talent of Soto and every player in between... I have to say it because it's incredible... the Yankees are for real.  It's glorious, exciting and as a Yankee fan... I just want it to keep going.  

This being said, I will never use a useless Aaron Boone quote in my writings on the New York Yankees ever here on Bleeding Yankee Blue pages. Boone is a worm, a slug, and has nothing to do with this surge of greatness. He is a mouthpiece; a puppet and I'm ignoring him. For this run... this is the players. It's all the players (and James Rowson) of course.

Let's also talk about the young guys that want to make a name for themselves.  Luis Gil? What a breath of fresh air.

ESPN writes:

"Gil continued his unforeseen breakout campaign Saturday, delivering the best start of his young career with 14 strikeouts -- a Yankees rookie record -- on 98 pitches over six innings as New York improved to an AL-best 32-15..."

"I have a teacher, Gerrit Cole, who's teaching me how to pitch, how to handle situations and how to execute," Gil said in Spanish. "And that's what we're doing, what he teaches me, and we're applying it in the game."

This alone brings me such joy.  This is teamwork. These are good teammates.  Hat tip to Cole.  

Then there's Clay Holmes. Jorge Castillo of ESPN wrote a great article about him.  

"STUD -- all capital letters there," Yankees reliever Luke Weaver said.

Holmes, in his second full season as New York's closer, has registered 21 strikeouts with three walks in 17⅓ innings and leads the American League with 12 saves. And ask anybody in the Yankees' clubhouse: Holmes' performance in Baltimore earlier this month is still a talker.

Holmes now has 13.

"A lot of it for me is nailing my direction," Holmes said. "I'm able to just move down the mound faster and I just think it helps my body move a little better. Just kind of knowing my lanes, the direction I need to get going. It's a product of me just moving down the mound better. It frees up my arm. The stuff moves from that."

And how about Anthony Volpe. Now I'm going to tell you that I'm not a huge Volpe guy.  But I do like what he's doing with his batting average.  Last year he ended at .209. This year his average is at .270 and that's great.

MLB.com writes:

"Anthony Volpe hit his sixth home run of the season and swiped his ninth base of the season on Thursday. The 23-year-old wasted no time as he launched a lead-off home run, which ended up being the game-winning run. Then, in the second inning, he hit a single and stole second base. After struggling in his rookie season last year, the former top prospect is clearly beginning to find his footing at the major league level. Across 44 games this season, he has posted a .273/.348/.432 slash line, which is significantly higher than his .209/.283/.383 line last year. Volpe was a 20/20 player last season and is on pace to repeat that feat this season."

As Judge said in the Athletic last year: “If he’s going to be the future and be the shortstop here for the next 15 years... you’ve got to have him up here now and just kind of getting used to it.”

And this is why this team is truly unique. Gil, Holmes and Volpe are not top Yankee names, but they are in the mix. They are in the mix of veterans and stars that are offering unique talent and making a contribution to the team.  For me? This team strangely reminds me of 1996. 

The Jeter's mixed in with the Mariano Duncans and Cecil Fielders and Wade Boggs of the team.  Meaning... everyone contributes in some fashion.  It just feels right.  While we have a long season to go, I believe that with the return of Cole, the team will just get better.  There is hope that the Yankees can sustain this run.  

Look, I am a Yankee fan. I have been one since the day I latched on the Ron Guidry all those years ago.  I have seen some great games, great teams and some really bad ones.  I become happy, I become frustrated and annoyed. But in the end, I love this team.  I just want them to do well.

If you're a Yankee fan... a believer... I applaud you for sticking around.  I was almost out of here. The Yankees horrendous season last year coupled with my busy life made it easy for me to try and walk away.  But this team is exciting, and I'll stick around for a bit more. 

To all you Yankee fans and to all you BYB freaks, thank you for being there.  We love you.  We're in it together.  

Go Yanks!

GETTING SOTO IS HUGE! BUT WE NEED MORE!

I love that the Yankees got Juan Soto this off-season. It was a big step forward in what was a gross 2023 season.  We just couldn't get our team going in 2023.  

I'm worried as a fan.  We got Juan Soto and we have a few other parts that are important to this team, but we need more. Yoshinobu Yamamoto would have been amazing, but the Yankees were right to not go too high for him. Let the Dodgers do that, it's fine with me.  But seriously, what happens next with the Yankees? What big name either free agency or trade are we going after?  Like I said on Twitter just a short time ago, "don't look now, but the Yankees have only made 1 legit move this off season, hardly a fix for what was a terrible 2023 season."

This take of course is not popular to some. In fact, if you're not a Yankee fan from the 70's and just became a Yankee fan in the late 1990's, you really don't have a gauge for what the Yankees are all about.  The Yankees are a storied franchise, but that franchise had a lot of great times and bad times way before 1996.  Old guys like us understand the ups and downs and I have news for you, we can get pretty annoyed by it.  But newbies don't get that.  They just think I'm the old guy yelling at a cloud. 

Whatever.  Live a little, that's all I'm gonna say. Crack open an encyclopedia. Read history. Understand the Yankee ownership, the former managers before Joe Torre... the Bronx when things were bad, when guys like Mantle roamed the outfield. When players like Ron Guidry dominated.  For many of you it's all folklore... but trust me, it was all real and the Yankees were very, very good.  And why? Well, because we had decent ownership with a solid front office and for a while there was a guy named George Steinbrenner who wanted perfection out of his players and managers. And while perfection and baseball aren't really a thing, it was nice to know that George held his players and managers at a high standard.  The point was, "at least try to attain it."  

And so, these days, do I like the state of the Yankees? Not really. Have we improved? I love Juan Soto, but I wonder what happens after this season.  Can we keep the guy?  And much like it was last off season when the Yankees got Carlos Rodon and we were still "not done", we were actually done and Rodon gave us nothing in 2023 but heartburn.

And so, if you are curious as to why I'm so annoyed? It's because the standards have changed when it comes to the Yankees.  We're not a superpower anymore. The Yankees are just like the other teams.  We're not strong, we're OK.  So pardon me for being cranky and wanting to get the pieces we need to win.  

Look, Bleeding Yankee Blue was started in 2010 because I was angry at the Yankees and how they mismanaged their team and I hated to watch us lose year after year.  And since 2010, they have not won a championship.  It's 2023, about to be 2024.  That's terrible. We are better than that, or so I thought.  

And so, you ask me why I'm cranky... why I "post controversial stuff".  

Controversial?  Huh?  How about frustration? That's the word! Using the word Controversial is a word the new soft generation uses.  

Next thing you know people on Twitter are "triggered" because I said the word "shit" or something.  

How about as Yankee fans we can all agree on this; The Yankees were not good in 2023... and we need get better in 2024.  Signing only Juan Soto and a few spare parts is NOT the answer.  That's an opinion and in my mind, a fact.  

We need to improve.  That's the bottom line.