SEAN CASEY'S JUST AS CLUELESS AS BOONE WHEN IT COMES TO VOLPE

Let’s not sugarcoat it: The New York Yankees are crumbling like a stale pretzel in the sun. This isn’t just about a team playing poorly—it’s about an empire collapsing under the weight of its own ego, its bad decisions, and its relentless marketing machine. The worst part? They’ve dragged a kid—Anthony Volpe—along for the ride, and now he’s faceplanting in real time.

You almost feel bad for him. Almost.

Here’s a kid who didn’t play college ball, who got fast-tracked through the minors like he was on an Amazon Prime conveyor belt. Why? Because some analytics geek scribbled down a Derek Jeter comparison on the back of Volpe’s high school graduation program, and the Yankees ran with it like it was gospel. We didn’t invent that comparison—the Yankees, the YES Network, and the media machine did. They were desperate for a new face. And Volpe? He was local... New Jersey. He was marketable. He was the “safe” choice. Never mind that Oswald Peraza—an actual top prospect—was standing right there, major-league ready.

Nope. That didn’t sell enough jerseys.

So what did the Yankees do? They chose the white kid from Jersey over the Dominican shortstop already on the rise. That’s not an accusation—it’s an observation of how this franchise works when branding matters more than baseball. Peraza had the skills, but Volpe had the narrative. And now that narrative is unraveling faster than the Yankees’ season.

Let’s get to the cold, brutal reality: Anthony Volpe is not elite. He’s not a prince in pinstripes. He’s not even a particularly good major league player right now. What he is? A kid who got sold a bill of goods by an organization that was more concerned with creating the next Derek Jeter than letting a young player become something real. And us fans were sold the same bill of goods.

And 2025? This might be the worst offensive season we’ve ever seen from a supposedly “franchise cornerstone.” He’s not treading water. He’s drowning. Volpe is lost at the plate, swinging through breaking balls like he’s never seen one before. (.176 against them this year, and dropping.) This isn't just a slump—it’s a full-blown baseball identity crisis.

Oh, but wait. Here comes Sean Casey, official Boone mouthpiece and word-salad chef extraordinaire, to sprinkle some more delusion on top of the pile.

“Anthony Volpe is going to be just fine,” Casey said on his podcast. “Nobody works harder than he does.”

Cool. And? Do you get an RBI for punching in early? A Gold Glove for having a “great routine”? If working hard was the goal, every guy hustling on a minor league bus to Altoona would be in the Hall of Fame, dummy. 

This isn’t high school gym class—this is Major League Baseball. Working hard is expected from every player. But the Yankees keep pushing this idea that Volpe’s effort makes up for his actual play. Newsflash: He’s getting worse. His defense? Regressed since his Gold Glove rookie campaign. His bat? A glorified wind machine. He believed the hype, and who can blame him? The Yankees handed him the keys to the kingdom before he learned how to drive.

And the organization? They’re too stubborn to admit they got it wrong. They won’t trade him, bench him, or even move him down in the order—because doing so would mean admitting they made a mistake. And heaven forbid Brian Cashman ever admit to one of those.

This is what makes it all so pathetic. Not just the bad baseball. Not just the lost games. But the fact that this team—the once-proud Yankees—has become a marketing firm in pinstripes. They sold us a hero, and now that the hero can’t hit a slider, they just tell us to clap harder.

Anthony Volpe isn’t a villain. He’s the symptom of a bigger disease. He’s the result of a franchise that prioritizes hype over development, PR over performance, and optics over outcomes. They wanted a Jeter 2.0. What they got was a well-meaning kid caught in a storm he never created—but one he’s not surviving either.

And Aaron Boone? Still trotting him out there every day like it's 1999 and we're all just too dumb to notice. Boone loves Volpe like he’s his long-lost nephew, and Sean Casey just joined the BBQ. It’s a weird little club of delusion, and the fans? We’re just left watching the wreckage.

I’m not spending a dime at Yankee Stadium while this clown show of a front office continues to pretend everything is fine. It’s not. We were sold a dream, and we woke up to a .212 batting average and a collapsing dynasty.

It didn’t have to be this way. But the Yankees chose the face, not the future.

And now we're all paying the price.

WHY IN THE WORLD DOES JAMES ROWSON STILL HAVE A JOB?

It's more of the same. It's another hitting coach that holds a position while the Yankees habitually freefall offensively in June and July. It's the same episode that I am freaking tired of watching produced by Yankee brass.

Remember Dillon Lawson? He was the Yankees hitting coach in all of 2022 and part of 2023 before being fired, because he sucked. Then Sean Casey replaced him midway through the season, and he wasn't great either but in fairness, he wasn't around long enough to make long-lasting changes. Time just wasn't on his side in that dreadful 2023 season and when it was over he chose not to return. So the Yankees moved on.....

Moved on to James Rowson. At first, I was cautiously optimistic when we wrote DON'T LOOK NOW, BUT NEW YANKEES HITTING COACH IS DOING WHAT WE ASKED! It started off great. But it always does. The Yankees are red hot in April and May and then predictably free fall in June and July and then scramble to put it all back together in August. It just doesn't work and I'm tired of watching it.

To be fair, Rowson doesn't deserve all of the blame for the Yankees' 13-14 record in June, but you know what....I don't care at this point. I am tired of the same crap every season. NFL teams dismiss their coordinators when they have a slump. Granted, their season is a nanosecond compared to ours, but they don't keep coordinators around that aren't getting results. As stacked as this team is every season, with the payroll they carry and the star power the expectations are high. Hell, expectations are higher than ever now with Aaron Judge's prime being wasted and having a championship drought since 2009. 

The Yankees have no lead in the AL East. Instead, we are tied with the damn Blue Jays. That hurts my pride a little, but clearly not the Yankees. They can't figure out how to hit a damn beach ball with a bat right now. There has to be accountability here, and Rowson has said he's not worried about the Yankees offensive woes, read more HERE. Every year, same slump in summer, no one is worried and the Yankees underperform. It's wash, rinse and repeat. I am tired of it. This didn't fly back in the days we had real leadership....this team is soft.

And it will continue to be soft with this approach. The Yankees have lost 13 of 19 with last night's game and are batting .160 with RISP during that span! It's unacceptable. This is not how a team gets back to the World Series, it's how a team makes an early exit and golfs in the fall. 

Rowson needs to go. The Yankees current formula for batting coaches hasn't worked. It's time to burn that strategy book and actually recruit LEADERS who can mentor and manage this team.....because it's been missing for a (painfully) long time. Yankee brass may be content with mediocrity....but WE don't have to be.

Sorry Rowson - someone's gotta be the first to go and it should be you. That's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

ANTHONY RIZZO IS WAITING, GUYS

What’s next for Anthony Rizzo? Right now, it seems like he’s just waiting for a call. Honestly, I know exactly what Rizzo should do, and the Yankees would be the perfect fit—it just makes too much sense. But hey, what do I know? I’m just a Yankees blogger.

One thing is clear: Rizzo still wants to play. He believes he has something left to offer, whether that’s in New York or elsewhere. While a return to the Yankees seems like a natural fit, there could be another team willing to take a shot on him. But as I’ve said over and over—Rizzo needs to embrace a Player-Coach role. It’s the logical move. He’s a natural leader, a mentor, and when needed, he could step in as a first baseman or DH.

Recently, Rizzo joined former Yankees hitting coach and longtime big leaguer Sean Casey on The Mayor’s Office podcast to talk about his future. Despite not being in camp with a team, he’s staying ready in Fort Lauderdale, hitting, throwing, and keeping in shape. His mindset? “Working out, staying ready. You just never know what’s going to happen in this game.”

He’s also made it a goal to hit at least 10,000 steps a day throughout March. Rizzo admitted that each offseason gets harder when it comes to recharging, but the extra time off has actually helped him physically.

Now, the real challenge? Finding a team willing to let him take on that Player-Coach role. Hopefully, Sean Casey passed the idea along off-air—because in my opinion, it’s the best option. The only question is whether a team will be on board. 

Stay tuned.

Like This? READ THIS:

COULD RIZZO EVOLVE INTO A PLAYER-COACH ROLE WITH THE YANKEES?

RIZZO, WE HAVE YOUR OFFER RIGHT HERE

ALONSO'S NEW HOME MAY BE IN CINCY!

The New York Mets are a joke—an absolute embarrassment of a franchise, and billionaire clown Steve Cohen has proven himself to be just as clueless as the Wilpons. This team had a decent, loyal slugger in Pete Alonso, and instead of taking him back, Cohen and Boras are playing footsy, they’ve let things deteriorate to the point where even the idea of bringing him back is laughable. Sean Casey sees it, Jon Heyman sees it, and even WFAN’s Sal Licata—who I usually think is a bit of a bozo—sees it. Too much damage has been done.

On Monday’s episode of The Mayor’s Office with Sean Casey podcast, Casey and Rich Ciancimino talked about the possibility of Alonso landing in Cincinnati, and Casey made it clear—this move makes total sense. A short-term deal, $80 million over three years, opt-out after year one, Alonso hits 50 bombs, gets his confidence back, and re-enters the market as an absolute monster. Who wouldn’t want that? Terry Francona, if he were still managing, would be salivating at the thought of Alonso in the middle of that Reds lineup.

And now, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the Reds might actually do it. And honestly? I hope it happens. I hope Pete Alonso goes to Cincinnati, mashes 50 homers, and makes Cohen watch in agony as another Mets disaster unfolds. The Reds are building something special with Elly De La Cruz and a core of young talent. Alonso would give them a true second star and elevate them into contention. Meanwhile, the Mets? They’ll keep throwing money at problems they created, spinning their wheels with no direction.

Cohen was supposed to be different. He was supposed to be the owner who changed everything. Instead, he’s proving he’s just as incompetent as the Wilpons. Mets fans deserve better—but until they get it, I hope Alonso gets his bag in Cincinnati and shoves it right in Cohen’s smug, billionaire face.

YANKEES MAKE OFFER TO NEW HITTING COACH WHO MENTORED JUDGE!

If you wrote a letter to Santa asking for the Yankees to hire a hitting coach that can actually teach our guys how to hit and score runs, you may already have your Christmas wish.....maybe.

Several sources are reporting that the Yankees have made an offer for their next hitting coach, and are just waiting for it to be finalized, you can read more HERE. The Yankees may be reuniting with James Rowson. If you are scratching your head and asking, 'WHO IS THAT AND WHEN DID HE WORK FOR US?' you aren't the only one.

He may not be familiar to us, but he will definitely be familiar to Aaron Judge, who worked with him from 2014-2016 when Rowson was the Yankees minor league hitting coordinator. He spent time with the Yankees on two different assignments from 2008-2011 and again from 2014-2016, so he knows the Yankees organization well. Or, I should say he did know it well until it completely collapsed under Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone's watch.

Rowson also worked with the Cubs, Twins, Marlins and most recently the Tigers last season as their Assistant hitting coach. He's certainly not new to baseball, he's been a bench coach and MLB hitting coach but....can he fix the Yankees?

This will be the Yankees 4th hitting coach since Marcus Thames back in 2021. I don't think the Yankees would know how to identify a good hitting coach if one bit them in the butt. I like that Rowson was around during Aaron Judge's minor league days and maybe helped develop him into what he is today, but who really knows? Judge is the connection here that makes this a headline, and still a loose headline at that.

I think we can all agree that Dillon Lawson was a disaster. I was never completely sold on Sean Casey either, even in his short time with us. So now we wait and see what Rowson's philosophy is exactly. Then we also wait and see if he can really connect with the Yankees and help them. I think the Yankees are such a hot mess right now so I can't imagine why Rowson would even want to come back to this crazy train and while it is not official yet, it sounds like this may be a done deal.

I hope this move pays off but looking on paper it is not inspiring. The Tigers OPS, batting average and on base percentage were scarily similar to the Yankees this season. The Tigers were 28 out of 30 teams in OPS+, 27 out of 30 in batting average (2 better than the Yankees), and 26 out of 30 in on base percentage (Yankees were 27th). How is this guy the upgrade that will help the Yankees offense? I just don't see it.

So welcome back, Rowson. I hope you can fix this trainwreck of a team that can't hit. I am admittedly skeptical though and I am trying not to be. You certainly have your work cut out for you.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

SEAN CASEY GONZO!

 

Well Sean Casey was a pretty decent hitting coach for the New York Yankees, but now he's gone.  Unreal. The Yankees are blowing it, aren't they?

Empire Sports Media writes:

"Casey was able to impact a number of players positively, but after announcing his departure from the Yankees via his podcast, “The Mayors Office,” he cited family reasons for his decision."

How about just saying "Why would I be part of that sinking ship? No way, I'm out."  But seriously, it's not a good look for the Yankees right now. Casey actually was pretty helpful with our team... helping to get DJ LeMahieu back on track.  It was DJ himself giving Casey the credit.  

So what happens now? Alot of rumbles on Yankee Twitter throwing out names like Nick Swisher and Tino Martinez.  I honestly think it should be a guy with some heart and personality and NOT an Aaron Boone friend.  I think that's where the problem lies.  To be honest, I was really hoping Sean Casey would replace Boone, but I guess now we just have to wait and see what the Yankees do next.

Good Luck to Sean Casey... it was fun while it lasted! Thanks for your service.

OH NO! TROUBLING SIGNS OF WHAT'S TO COME FOR THE YANKEES IN 2024

The 2023 season literally just ended hours ago, but a decision about the coaching staff for 2024 could already be made. Actually, my gut tells me more than one decision was already made. Hell, it wasn't even a discussion, honestly.

There should've been a discussion though. Multiple sources are reporting that an unofficial offer to bring Sean Casey back as hitting coach has been made, but you can read more HERE. Casey has not accepted yet, but he was quite chatty about it before the game yesterday. What's worse though.... both Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman have requested his services.

So if anyone out there is holding out hope that Baboonie is going to be fired, I wouldn't hold your breath. That goes double for Cashman, too. We all hope and dream that Cashman of all people will be fired but I don't think Hal Steinbrenner has the guts or brains to do it. These are some big decisions made already. Shouldn't these decisions be made after the "deep dive" investigation is completed and their results analyzed? If you are going to do it, do it right.

So, is this "deep dive" legit or just a bunch of smoke and mirrors? Seems like a fair question if your current manager and GM are already advocating for some personnel decisions after a trainwreck season. Who is calling the shots here? Two men who have valid reasons to be replaced shouldn't be advocating for anyone. It just grinds my gears.

I have nothing against Sean Casey. I don't know the man at all, but he seems to be a nice guy. He walked into a dumpster fire and had a lot to clean up. I'm not sure that just over 2 months as the Yankees hitting coach is enough to fairly judge how he did as a hitting coach. The Yankees have had issues with hitting for YEARS so honestly, I do not think months in position could've fixed what was wrong. That takes time, and he didn't have enough of it. I just don't know that Casey is the guy to fix the offensively flawed Yankees. The Yankees need drastic changes to make them contenders and I don't think he's the guy for the job. 

Winter isn't even here yet but, rumors about 2024 are already flying. Casey may be sticking around, but the bigger problem would be Cashman and Boone returning. More of the same internally is a troubling sign of things to come....and Hal needs to know fans won't stand for that.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

IT TOOK SOME TIME, BUT EXPERIENCE IS THE DIFFERENCE WHEN IT COMES TO YANKEE OFFENSE

Dillon Lawson wasn't a scapegoat. He was an inexperienced fan boy. That's why he was fired. And now we know why.  DJ LeMahieu is praising newest hitting coach Sean Casey for his recent surge.  You never, ever heard that kind of stuff about Dillon Lawson.  So while Lawson's somewhere flipping burgers, check this latest compliment out from DJ.  The New York Post writes:

"LeMahieu has been a different hitter after the All-Star break.

And in Friday’s 6-2 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field, LeMahieu provided a reminder of how dangerous he can be with his first multi-homer game in over two years.

He credited Casey with sparking the turnaround at the plate that’s resulted in three homers in his past three games after going deep just once over a 44-game span.

“I think Sean Casey has been a huge help for me,” LeMahieu said. “I relate to him really well. He has great, positive energy.”

It's a compliment to Casey and the organization for getting Sean, and a subliminal shot to the organization and a cry for help to the fans to signal that "Yeah, I can't talk out of turn, but you see what I'm telling you... Sean Casey IS HELPING. It was the right move!"

Of course, that's my own take on this, and hopefully for DJ, for more hitters on the Yankees it does help them down the stretch... if anything for confidence building going into the Fall, cause that's really all we got.  A long cold, troubling winter is coming to New York.  I am looking forward to the moves they soon will make.

Nice nugget Dan Martin.

BOONE'S THEATER MEANS NOTHING IF HE'S NOT COMMANDING RESPECT

You know what I do when someone points a finger in my face in a ridiculous moment? I rip it off.  Who do you think you are Aaron Boone?

As ridiculous as it was for Brett Gardner to bang his bat on the top of the Yankee dugout a few years back, please tell me what the hell Aaron Boone was doing with his continued theatrical appearance of  

LET'S UNDERMINE THE UMPIRE ON TV BECAUSE I AM A MANAGER.  

By the way, I'd never go to a theater to see that flick. I wouldn't even see that off-off Broadway. And at a stadium, it would be funny for the moment until you actually think about how stupid it was.  It's clear Aaron Boone's disrespect for the game has reached new heights.  He's trash.

The Yankees are not great this year. This is a fact. You can preach, "Well players need to swing the bat and make their own destiny." Blah, blah, blah... we know all that.  Clearly there have been some signs of life in our offense recently because Sean Casey is there and that's good. But we need to keep this in the leadership realm. I have said this a million times... leaders make great teams. It's their philosophy, their mindset and their approach that brings out the best in teams.  It's pretty simple.   Having the title of manager means nothing if you don't know how to do it.

Phil Jackson. Joe Torre. Bruce Bochy. Vince Lombardi. Earl Weaver. Good leaders bring the team out of themselves to believe they can be unstoppable.  Good leaders find a way when times are tough. What they don't do is show their frustration card in front of a Yankee TV crowd and in an away ballpark and put on a show to not only embarrass their team, but to embarrass a fan base as well.  What a pathetic display of bad leadership.  It shows Aaron Boone's immaturity. It shows Aaron Boone is unfit to lead.

Think about your life for a second.  Think about the manager you have or had in the past.  Now think about that bad experience you had with a manager because I know you've all had a crap manager in your life at some point.  If a manager was constantly not available to speak to you or unwilling to give you positive re-enforcement, never tell you "Good job" or sit with you and talk about development and your future with the company and instead you sat in your cubicle all day wondering, what happens? You decay. You'd over think. You would wonder "am I any good?"  

Now think about that same manager doing that, but then when the president of the company comes around your office, that manager is smiling, kissing up to them, talking about all he or she does in that regional office, essentially taking all the credit and giving you none. How would that make you feel? Even worse.  

Now imagine a manager that has a team lunch once a week.  A manager that praises good work, constantly props you up, motivates you and the team and most of all, thanks you for your hard work.  Would you work harder for them knowing you are appreciated?    Look... life isn't always fair and sometimes work can be thankless, this is true.  But the point is it's all in a manager's approach.  You want to get the best out of your team.  Whether it's yelling but praising or just making sure the team knows they're keeping things steady, and profits are up, communication and approach is vital in leadership.  

Will it change things in the Yankee clubhouse if Boone was fired? Only if they go out and find experience and leadership and a guy that players will respect. Finding a guy that had one important Yankee highlight back in the early 2000s isn't cutting it.  You can suggest that firing Boone at the end of the season is just making him a Scapegoat all you want.  I say a changing of the guard proves a seriousness and a willingness to change this team for the better.

Aaron Boone strikes out Laz Díaz 😭 pic.twitter.com/kmiBvnXosa

— MLB Nerds (@MLBNerds) August 8, 2023

The New York Post writes:

"Aaron Boone made sure Laz Diaz knew the exact spot the latter blew two crucial strike calls.

Then he made sure to mock him on his way back to the clubhouse.

During the Yankees’ series-opening 5-1 loss to the White Sox on Monday evening, Boone blew a fuse on Diaz — the home plate umpire — over what appeared to be an egregious strike zone.... Volpe saw four pitches, although the called strikes did not appear out of the strike zone."

Look, if you know anything about baseball, you know you just don't argue balls and strikes. This unspoken rule stems back to Little League. You want the umpire to always give your team a fair shake, this is true... but sometimes you just know in that first inning that the umps not gonna be great.  And then, you turn to your team, and you say the magic words... "Blue's gonna be tough today, you need to make adjustments!" That's the game, folks. It's not always fair.  

Now look, knowing that, Boone need to read the freaking room.  But Aaron Boone doesn't read anything.  Boone may have been right about some pitches that were called strikes that really weren't last night, but he proceeded to not only embarrass the fans and team but take his team out of the game.  In baseball, sometimes you just don't get an umpire that's perfect and sometimes... many times, players need to adjust.  Baseball isn't about freebies.  There are plenty of things that happen in this game that aren't fair, but let's also be clear about something.  Blowing up and showing that you're trash for actual strike calls just makes you a Bozo.  Check out Kevin Kernan's Tweet! This is gold!

Here is a much better view of Boone’s ump imitation … BTW it was a strike Aaron. The plate was wide but not on this one @ Yankees https://t.co/4EyCL7yVdX

— Kevin Kernan (@AMBS_Kernan) August 8, 2023

Now look, Boone in the post-game chat with his team will tell them in a closed-door meeting about how much he will fight for his team, but what is that really showing a team that can't win consistently? The New York Yankees do not need theater... they need a boost in morale!  Get loose, go bowling, hire a stripper... do literally ANYTHING except putting on a show with umpires in the middle of Chicago because you think that's what a good manager should do.  Boone's pathetic... it's pretty obvious at this point.

Look, I'm beating a dead horse these days. I find my team to be hard to watch.  I still watch. I still root. I still believe they can get to the playoffs.  But I'm sick and tired of no one driving the leadership train.  

Leaders that command respect win.  Say that Boone's "epic" ejection was important all you want. Try and compare it to an Earl Weaver all you want. Say "Well Weaver was a loose cannon and fought with umpires all the time."  It's different.  Want to know why?  Championships. Weaver lead the O's to 4 titles. Three of them were in succession, from 1969 to 1971, and another in 1979. He also won a World Series in 1970. 

What's Boone's managerial record?

And ZERO championships.  

That crybaby act looks real fucked up now, doesn't it?

Do better.

WHERE'S THE YANKEES RALLY CRY?

It's pathetic that there is no leader in that Yankee clubhouse to motivate, inspire and rally the troops.  With Aaron Judge in Tampa trying to get right for this team, the idea of a true leader is lost.  Why?

I'm sorry gang, but the team on the field is not the team we have on paper. Or maybe it is, but the guy at the top just doesn't know how to move the chess pieces. Yes... I think that's what it is.  If you can't translate it from paper to the field, there is only one place to look for answers... management.  And not only our unqualified manager, but brass as well.  Yankee brass has continually let this happen year after year.  If I didn't do my job... if you didn't do yours... we would be fired. It's pretty simple.  

We have been up and down emotionally for years based on Boone Bingo and bad press conferences.  What is Aaron Boone's strategy? "Hitting a baseball hard", being "right there" or having a guy "looking good tonight" doesn't equate to wins. It's Aaron Boone fumbling over words, just not knowing what to say to the media.  He's lost, he's struggling... he's no leader.

Without the leader... without the rally cry... you really can't win.  Well, maybe secretly that's what the Steinbrenner family wants.  Maybe the Yankees NOT making the playoffs will make it easier for Hal and company to let guys like Boone go... maybe even Brian Cashman. The truth is, we've heard they are safe too often, but nothing changes EVER. There is no motivation, urgency, nothing.  It appears that golden boy Boone just wants to ride this out.

But maybe we need to lose and not achieve our playoff goal so changes happen. Maybe that's the only way.  I'd hate to see the Yankees miss the playoffs this year.  But in this world that Yankee fans live in now, there is really no reason to be excited, thrilled or willing to even attend a Yankee game.  

Leaders matter and we've had really good ones before. We've had seasoned, confident leaders. In life good leaders have goals, have urgency. Ideas MATTER. But in this new Yankee world of complacency, I am having a hard time understanding where this Yankee team is pulling their fire from? Put it this way; You can be a personal leader all you want, but on a team, you need an entire group to rally with that leader.  Many times that stems from a manager with goals.  A loudmouth motivator that commands respect.  

Let me ask a serious question;  Do you really think for a second that Aaron Boone has respect from these players? Do You? I don't.  If he did, guys like Sean Casey and Andy Pettitte, well respected players in the MLB wouldn't be suddenly inserted in the Yankee clubhouse.  

Boone has no game. Boone has no Rally Cry.  Boone is not a leader.  Yankee fans deserve better.

I guess we need to let this season fail to finally see upper management make changes folks. I guess Steinbrenner can't sack up and fire this guy now. I guess, and this is my opinion... that we need to miss the playoffs for true change to happen.  

It's tough being a fan these days... it really is.  It's tough when you look out at the world, your office space, your team, whatever and see complacency, lack of urgency and the lack of will to make change by showing strength. We lack leaders in this country, but now, drill down to this team... we have no leader in that clubhouse... What is wrong with spineless Aaron Boone? Why can't he command respect from his players? Why does he have no Rally Cry? What is happening?  

I wish I had the answer.  I don't. 

All I DO know is I know the cause.  

#FireBoone

"THE PLAN NOW IS FOR ALL OF US TO CLICK AT THE RIGHT TIME."

9 games back. 

But things are taking a turn.  The addition of hitting coach Sean Casey will prove significant, and the addition of Andy Pettitte offers hope for Yankee fans everywhere.  It shows a true effort to surround an unqualified manager with smarter, more qualified former players are now in the mix. The Yankees decision making just got better. Pettitte and Casey will help pump up players, offer approach strategy, and hopefully show the fans that Yankee brass is serious about improving this team.  Will it work? I think seeing guys like Casey and Pettitte shows the Yankees are throwing everything at the problem without disrupting the clubhouse with major trades, firings or demotions.  There's no doubt that things are starting to change for the better.  Not we just need everyone to contribute.

That title above is actually a Giancarlo Stanton quote.  The New York Post writes:

"After DJ LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton crushed key home runs on Saturday, Anthony Rizzo ended a two-month homerless drought among his four hits on Sunday as the Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Royals...

They will face a more formidable test Tuesday night in three-time Cy Young winner Justin Verlander, who has posted a 1.74 ERA over his past five starts for the Mets.

“It doesn’t matter who they have going, we have a job to do and we gotta be ourselves and do what we have to do,” Stanton said Sunday. “Good at-bats, tough outs, that’s what builds four-, five, six-run games. … The plan now is for all of us to click at the right time.”

It's simple thinking, but that's the kind of thinking you need to have when you're a ballplayer.  Us fans treat these losses like it's the end of the world. I cannot believe how many times I hear from fans that the Yankees "suck".  Yea, on paper we're better than we're playing, but 9 out is not as bad as saying "last place" and it's a mindset.  I really think the Yankees have a shot this year. I hate thinking this way, but they're only 2.5 out of the wildcard.  My point is, it's not as bad as Yankee fans make it out to be. And the Yankee press has been pretty bad as well. It just plays to the baseball insiders favor, throwing possible trades against the wall... all guesses, but helps their readership.  Everybody calm down.

But what Stanton says is key. All of the Yankee players have to click at the right time.  There are winning streaks, losing streaks, hot streaks and slumps.  We got the worst of all of that recently, but we're turning a corner.  

It's July 25th. Not August 25th. That too is a significant part of it.  We need to be patient, but we need to turn it up now!  It's a hard approach when you think about it.  But I have no doubt that guys like Casey and Pettitte will be influential with this latest winning streak.  The bottom line however is that we just need to keep going.

We got this.

BOONE'S ANSWER TO RIZZO'S HOME RUN STRUGGLE IS "BASEBALL, IT'S HARD"

The Yankees were able to win last night, but one guy who just isn't really contributing is Anthony Rizzo.  In short, we have a solid leader on this club in a massive home run slump.  We gotta fix this guy.  Well, hopefully a guy like Sean Casey can because Aaron Boone is no help.  

Boone says things to the media just as badly as Dillon Lawson says them, almost like they are cut from the same cloth of stupidity. That's my take of course.

The New York Post writes:

“Baseball, it’s hard, even for guys that are really good,” manager Aaron Boone said before the game Saturday."

Everyone in the room understands this Aaron. Making statements like this are ridiculous. How about tell the media what is going on behind the scenes to help Rizzo get over the hump?  More from the Post:

"...This season, Rizzo hit 11 home runs in his first 46 games, through May 20.

Eight days later, he collided with Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres on a pickoff at first base, which knocked him out for three games with a stiff neck....

“I feel like right when he came back from the neck, he had two weeks where he really struggled, where he wasn’t swinging very good,” Boone said. “I do feel like the last three weeks or so, he’s been better, where he’s getting his hits a little bit, he’s getting on base a little bit. "

So enough from this Boone guy. What can be done about it? Sean Casey can hopefully come to the rescue.  He's got to be able to see something in Rizzo's swing, his movement. We all know that Rizzo is a veteran and maybe he's just needing some more time, or maybe he just needs to sit with a guy like Casey to see what can be done.  Or, maybe it's something more serious. Maybe Rizzo is actually hurt and working through it. It's an interesting situation.

Whatever the case, Yankee fans love Rizzo. We need him back.  Yes, this is a home run drought, but he will be back soon. I have no doubt. Rizzo does the little things even though he hasn't gotten over the hump, but he will and I believe it will be Casey to help him.  

Have faith. and most of all, we need to have patience.

INSERTING SEAN CASEY DOESN'T SUDDENLY MAKE AUTOMATIC WINS

Look, part of the problem with the Yankees leading into the All-Star break was that we didn't have a hitting coach that truly grasped what the job was. Dillon Lawson was in over his head, plain and simple.  But the players are equally responsible and much like in the film The Natural, the idea of losing sometimes creeps into player's heads.  You start to over think. You start to over tinker. You start to think that maybe you're terrible, OR you overdo it and don't find that balance to just relax.  And so, losing becomes a disease.

  

To cure that disease is not easy, but with tragedy, you need to have patience and things will turn itself around. Just. Don't. Panic.

The AP writes: “I know there is a lot of panic outside the clubhouse,” said Gleyber Torres, who singled before Stanton's homer and had three hits. “We just try to play better baseball, little by little. The energy is good. We have to figure out faster a way to get better at home plate. Everything is up to us."

This is true. Players have to play. Players have to get out from under their sorrows and try and fix their approach.  But what the AP did as well was take a shot at new hitting coach Sean Casey in their headline. A low blow for a guy that just showed up to his first game last night. Their headline reads:


"With a new hitting coach, the Yankees fizzle at the plate again in their 7-2 loss to the Rockies".

You need to be a real editorial prick and probably a Mets fan to take a shot like that in a headline. Sean Casey doesn't just show up, snap his fingers and everything is right with the Yankee offense. This is an uphill battle. Nothing is automatic. I wrote that inFIRING DILLON LAWSON WAS SYMBOLISM FOR YANKEELAND & A MESSAGE TO BOONE the following (a quote from the Athletic):

" The next hitting coach, whoever gets the job, will be starting from a deficit. He won’t have an offseason and spring training to prepare. It’ll be up to Boone to not just make sure players are on board with the new guy’s message, but he’ll also need to make sure the players maintain trust in the front office. Players will be looking for leadership, and leadership has decided that one of its own had to go."

This will take time... time we just don't have.

Can we do it? Yes.  How quickly... well... it's hard to say.  But one thing I do know is Sean Casey is not some God that can flick a switch and make it all better.  He needs to get into a groove with these players and figure it out... the tweaks, the approach, the adjustments and just bringing calm to these guys.  

I have faith.  You should too.

SEAN CASEY TO THE RESCUE

I find it amazing and refreshing that the guy who has the ideas, the vision and the confidence on how to turn this Yankee team around is from the newly hired hitting coach and not from within the Yankee organization itself. Don't you?

I also find it strange that we've been staring at this offense problem for months and guys like Aaron Boone and Dillon Lawson were bumbling idiots in front of the mic and this Casey guy shows up and drips with confidence that makes me want to buy a Reds, Casey jersey and wear it to Yankee stadium as a symbol of change.  Right now... before anything has even happened, I feel like this fit could be amazing for this Yankees club.

Bryan Hoch has been working his tail off bringing us some pretty significant nuggets in regard to Sean Casey's plan... and they're coming from Casey's mouth. He's even going to include an upcoming zoom press conference.  But the biggest, most significant nugget comes with the subliminal offering of why he's sporting a new mustache.

Sean Casey is holding a Zoom press conference. He said that he is sporting a mustache for the first time in his life to honor his boyhood idol, Don Mattingly. pic.twitter.com/yLqzbkRsvF

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) July 12, 2023

Here's the thing; many of you will not see it like I see it and that's perfectly fine. I find the ideas, the energy very refreshing, and I know that Sean Casey can be the difference in helping turn the Yankees hitting around.  

We have no idea if it will work yet. But put it in perspective with your own life in your own company and your job... a new manager comes in with a new vision, new ideas and high energy... and most of all, he's willing to work with all of you in the office to make that vision become reality.  

Are you going to poo poo that? Or are you going to be one of those team members that buys into it because every voice is heard, and the leader can bring you all together?  For me, I buy in... and that is what I feel like is happening here.  

There are 2 things happening right now with the great Sean Casey. For one, he's extending some comfort to the Yankee audience.  

"Here's my mustache, you love Mattingly, I loved Mattingly growing up. Let's connect." I'm paraphrasing here but a subtle moment like that is a definite buy-in for any fan.  

Second, we want to make sure our hitting coach is going to work hard to fix our offense. Dillon Lawson didn't work, like literally.  It's now being reported that the Yankees wanted him out last winter... but they couldn't get it together.  But now we have a new guy, and Casey is already talking with the players, sharing ideas, listening to player ideas and approaches and not only that, he's using the reporters like Bryan Hoch and other New York media to keep us updated.

New #Yankees hitting coach Sean Casey said that he has had lengthy chats with Aaron Judge, Josh Donaldson, Anthony Rizzo, Harrison Bader & Anthony Volpe already. Casey said that he senses there has been "tension" among the Yanks' hitters.

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) July 12, 2023

 Again... a reach to the fans, but also to the team as if to say, "I do my job 100% and I'm gonna prove it to you."  Again... paraphrasing, but there's no doubt this guy's about turning this team around. It's very noble and trust me... the energy is contagious.

Look, I have no idea what will happen with Sean Casey. In a perfect world he is the perfect leader in the Bronx so much so that they ditch Boone for this guy eventually.  But right now the fix is to get the Yankees hitting, and I feel good going into the second half.  

Let's hope this is a good marriage... to me, it's exciting.