HEY CAMERON MAYBIN, YOU MISSED THE MARK WITH VOLPE

Former Yankees outfielder Cameron Maybin weighed in after Anthony Volpe's demotion and George Lombard Jr.'s promotion, urging fans to move on. He wrote:

"The kid grew up dreaming of being a Yankee, got to wear the pinstripes, and by every account gave that organization everything he had. That deserves respect. Be excited about George Lombard Jr. I am too. But why does that have to come with taking shots at Volpe? That's weird. It's always the people who've never competed on a stage anywhere close to that level who are the loudest tearing him down. Turn the page. Appreciate what Volpe gave, root for what's next, and stop pouring salt in the wound. Respect costs nothing."

Hey Cameron Maybin, this isn't personal against Anthony Volpe. The problem is that you're trying to make it personal when it never was.

Nobody is celebrating because Anthony Volpe failed. They're celebrating because the Yankees finally admitted they were wrong.

The organization spent years manufacturing a Derek Jeter type story around Volpe. They spotted a local kid on a high school field, fell in love with the narrative, and fast-tracked him through the system before he was ready. Why? Because there was already familiarity. Volpe's former summer coach, Matt Hyde, also happened to be a Yankees scout. Whether people want to acknowledge it or not, that relationship helped fuel an organizational belief that Volpe was destined to become the next great Yankees shortstop. Read HOW YANKEE SCOUTS LOST THEIR WAY IN THE VOLPE RECRUITMENT. Educate yourself.

The Yankees sold fans on the idea before the player had proven it on the field. That's not Anthony Volpe's fault. That's Brian Cashman's fault. Fans didn't reject Volpe because they disliked him. They rejected the Yankees' refusal to admit he'd been rushed. For years, the organization force-fed this experiment while fans watched a player trying to learn the hardest position on the diamond under the brightest lights in baseball.

So, when Maybin says we should appreciate what Volpe did for the clubhouse, it's a fair question:

What exactly did he do for the clubhouse?

The Yankees didn't win because of Anthony Volpe. They didn't become tougher. They didn't become more fundamentally sound. They didn't become champions.

What fans remember is years of inconsistency while the organization insisted everything was fine.

That's not personal. That's baseball.

Here's another thing. If you're a Yankees shortstop and have access to Derek Jeter, why wouldn't you bend his ear every chance you got? Maybe conversations happened privately, maybe they didn't, but Jeter said he "didn't know" Anthony and that's a red flag. Fans never saw that relationship blossom. If the organization was going to market Volpe as the heir to Jeter, then learning from No. 2 himself should have been part of the equation.

Instead, the Yankees pushed the image before the player was ready to carry it.

Maybin can defend Volpe all he wants, but he's defending the wrong thing. Fans weren't attacking the kid. They were demanding accountability from the front office that put him in an impossible situation.

Then the Yankees finally made the move everyone had been asking for. Volpe was optioned to Triple-A.

Ironically, even that has created another question.

As of August 6, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre manager Shelley Duncan confirmed Volpe still hadn't officially reported to the RailRiders. Yes, players are typically given up to 72 hours to report after being optioned, so there's nothing unusual procedurally.

But if you're determined to prove everyone wrong, why aren't you on the first ride to Scranton? Maybe there's a perfectly reasonable explanation. Maybe not. Still, it doesn't exactly scream urgency. If you want to be treated like a big leaguer, then go to work like one.

And that's why Maybin's comments miss the mark. This isn't about hurt feelings. This is about winning baseball games.

George Lombard Jr. takes the field looking confident, fearless and prepared. Win or lose, the Yankees already feel different. They look looser. They look more athletic. They look like they're finally playing baseball instead of trying to protect an organizational decision.

Anthony Volpe is probably a good kid. Most fans would agree with that. But the Yankees rushed him. The Yankees damaged his development. The Yankees refused to admit their mistake until fan pressure became impossible to ignore.

So no, Cameron Maybin. This was never personal. It was always business.

And Yankees fans weren't rooting against Anthony Volpe. They were rooting for the Yankees to stop pretending he was ready.

Stop trying to be provocative.

TOP FIGHTS IN YANKEES HISTORY: #5-1

As I mentioned in the first half of this series, the Yankees have had some great rivalries, and most of us remember where we were and how we yelled at the TV when certain fights happened. Here is the second half of my top 10 fights in Yankees history.

5. Shelley Duncan and the Spring Training Melee

I cannot think of a single good reason why a fight breaks out in spring training. Veterans are getting their work in, rookies are trying to make an impression. Everybody's biggest worry is getting hurt and missing opening day. The last thing anybody thinks about is a fight. The 2008 Rays had other ideas. After a home plate collision a few days earlier, Shelley Duncan retaliated by sliding into second with spikes up. Tampa Bay right fielder Jonny Gomes charged in and the benches cleared. It was the birth of a division rivalry with the division newest member.

4. Alex Rodriguez vs. Jason Varitek

July 24, 2004, was a flashpoint in the history of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. After getting hit by a pitch, Alex Rodriguez started yelling at Jason Varitek and it was very easy to read lips ("F--- you! F--- you! F--- you, M---r f---r, c'mon!"). Varitek puts his mitt in Alex's face, and Alex grabs him in a headlock and throws him around like a rag doll. After Varitek was rescued by his teammates, a bunch of other fights broke out on the field. This fight was a clear indicator of what the rivalry with Boston looked like in 2003 and 2004. It wasn't as bad as 1976, ut it was intense. Do hard feelings linger? Neither Alex nor Varitek will sign a picture from that game. Tanyon Sturtze, who started that game for the Yankees, grew up in Boston. In an exclusive interview with BYB (read Bleeding Yankee Blue: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: TANYON STURTZE), Sturtze said that after this fight, he threw out a bunch of Red Sox memorabilia and despises the Red Sox to this day. Enough said.

3. Graig Nettles  vs. Bill Lee

Speaking of 1976 .... it started as a war of words. In 1973, after an altercation between Thurman Munson and Carlton Fisk, Red Sox pitcher "Spaceman" Bill Lee said the Yankees looked like "a bunch of hookers swinging their purses". Three years later, in 1976, Bill Lee was pitching against the Yankees when Lou Piniella barreled into Carlton Fisk in a play at the plate. All hell broke loose. Piniella and Fisk went it for a while before it was broken up. Then Lee got the brilliant idea to yell at Graig Nettles. Nettles knocked him to the ground with a single punch. Mickey Rivers and a bunch of other Yankees got into it as well. When it ended, Bill Lee walked away clutching his arm in obvious pain, causing the Yankees Stadium crowd to erupt in cheers. Was it connected to the 1973 comments? After the game, Bill Lee would call manager Billy Martin a Nazi, who responded by leaving a dead fish at his locker with a note telling him to stick it in his purse. Graig Nettles asked after the game, "I'd like to know, does he look like he's been hit with a purse?” Bill Lee was never the same pitcher after that injury. Those were the days.

2. Armando Benitez hits Tino Martinez

Armando Benitez came in to save a 1-run lead with two on when Bernie Williams sent a fastball over the fence for a three-run home run. Maybe it was the fact that the Orioles had lost 7 of their previous 9, or that they were in dead last. Regardless, Benitez lost his composure and hit the next batter, Tino Martinez, on the first pitch. Darryl Strawberry led the charge from the dugout and the fight lasted for 10 minutes. It spilled into the visitor's dugout, with lots of people getting involved. Most notably, Graeme Lloyd flew in with a wild haymaker, which earned him a loud standing ovation the next game he appeared in. Curiously, Cal Ripken was pulling people away from the fight. He was in the middle of his consecutive game streak, so I wondered why he would risk getting injured. Nevertheless, it was a stupid move by Benitez, even prompting some of his teammates to say the same. To add insult to injury, the next batter, Tim Raines, hit a home run. It was a nice touch. 

1. 2003 ALCS Pedro Throws Zimmer to the Ground

Betting on baseball gets you banned from the Hall of Fame. Throwing a 72-year-old man to the ground apparently does not. Roger Clemens was pitching to Manny Ramirez when he threw a pitch that angered Manny. If you see the footage, the pitch was high but over the plate. That little detail didn't stop Manny from walking to the mound and yelling at Clemens, who was yelling back. Benches cleared, and Don Zimmer charges Pedro Martinez. Pedro grabs him by the head and shoves him down into the ground. The fight literally stops and both Yankees and Red Sox players come around to see if Zimmer was okay. It drew universal condemnation from the announcers to baseball journalists all over. Even Mayor Bloomberg suggested that perhaps assault charges should be considered. Despite rationalizations from Pedro that he was trying to defend himself, absolutely nobody was buying it. It was an ugly game, with 3 separate altercations, and deepened the hatred between the two teams.

So that's it. I gotta tell you, recalling some of these incidents got me heated. And it's the offseason. So what did you think? Did I get it right? Did I miss any of your favorites? Let us know. 

--Ike Dimitriadis, 
BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon

SHELLEY DUNCAN DFA'D BY THE RAYS

Quick baseball news about a former New York Yankee.  The Tampa Bay Rays needed a roster spot for Luke Scott, so they needed to Designate someone for Assignment. That someone was former Yankee Shelley Duncan.  That news comes from the Associated Press HERE.

Oh well.

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HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM BYB

I just wanted to celebrate Halloween by showing you all the Yankee rookie hazings pictures from year's past. It's a lot of fun and kind of hilarious. For example, you have to laugh your ass off looking as Joba Chamberlain as the cowardly lion. Below is a great clip of Shelley Duncan and Joba talking about dressing up...a good find.



My favorite has to be Hideki Matsui as a pimp. Enjoy it and pass this post along to friends...Let's celebrate Halloween!!Hideki Matsui. Classic pimp.
Jose Contreras. I tell you what, he pulls it off quite nicely too.
To be perfectly honest with you, the only guy besides Girardi whom I recognize is Ramiro Pena dressed as Catwoman on the right. This is pretty hilarious, you have to admit.Seeing Chien-Ming Wang and Robinson Cano dressed like cheerleaders may be my second favorite to the Matsui one. Love these pictures. I think that's the first and only time I've ever seen Wang smile.The Village people idea is OK, but someone like Brett Gardner looks cool, so should I say, he pulls it off. Juan Miranda and Francisco Cervelli are also in this photo below. Cervelli looks surprisingly comfortable in that outfit.The picture below is this year. Dellin Betances is on the left and the other tall guy with the bandanna is Andrew Brackman... Milli Vanilli. On the right side, that's Brandon Laird as Slash, and Jesus Montero next to him as MC Hammer. Then you have Austin Romine as I guess Madonna. And George Kontos is George Michael and Hector Noesi is Prince. The 80's... and they pulled it off.Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.