HAPPY BIRTHDAY TANYON STURTZE!

I rarely do the whole, "Happy Birthday Mr. Yankee" thing because what happens is, you do it for some, and others either break my chops or fans start tracking who I'm wishing a Happy Birthday to. Before you know it, it's "You missed Steve Sax's birthday" or "Um... Bobby Meacham's birthday was Tuesday and you didn't write a post!"  Relax... I'm doing the best I can.

I do want to wish a Happy Birthday to my man Tanyon Sturtze though. A solid pitcher for the New York Yankees, a nice baseball career and the guys crazy about his family and active on Facebook by the way.

We interviewed Tanyon for BYB a while back. You should check it out, it's called EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: TANYON STURTZE.  A great interview about a great dude.

Here's my favorite Q & A when we asked about the Yankees, Red Sox rivalry:

"BYB: Obviously the rivalry was pretty intense in the 70's, 80's, 90's and when you were in New York. Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing, that the rivalry has mellowed out now?

Tanyon Sturtze: I think it's a bad thing because it's always great to have hated rivals in a sport. I played in LA, and they all talked about LA/San Francisco. They didn't hold a candle to Boston/New York. 2004 was pretty heated. I mean, people were at the old Stadium at noon for a 7 o'clock game, chanting "We Hate Boston" as you walk into the clubhouse. It was pretty special. I have gone back to a couple of games now, I really don't feel like it's the same. Obviously everyone still knows it's a rivalry. But I just don't think it was as heated once they won the World Series a couple of times. I think it's calmed down a little bit. "

Love that! Anyway, we at BYB just wanna wish Sturtze a Happy Birthday.  A good dude and a reader of BYB. Gotta love that!

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: TANYON STURTZE

Every Yankee fan  has favorite players to which they paid attention during different eras in Yankees history. For some, it was a great hitter or a great pitcher, or even a great fielder. I will always be a fan of Graig Nettles, thinking of his diving stops during the 77 and 78 World Series. When I think of 2004 through 2006, one of the guys I think of is Tanyon Sturtze. I always thought he was a tough, gutsy pitcher. Maybe it was an incident involving a beaning and Jason Varitek being thrown to the ground like a rag doll. But I digress. Bleeding Yankee Blue had a chance to talk with him recently. We proudly present our exclusive interview with Tanyon Sturtze.

BYB: First, congratulations on the birth of your son Maverick. By my math, he is just over 3 weeks old. How is he doing, and how is the family adjusting?

Tanyon Sturtze: Pretty good, man. I can't believe you knew that! Everything is good, No sleep right now, of course. He's great, he's healthy, it's all we could ask for. The family is doing good, and  hopefully he starts to sleep pretty soon in the next few weeks (laughs).

BYB: You played for 7 teams: the Cubs, Rangers, White Sox, Devil Rays, Blue Jays, Dodgers, and the Yankees. Yet your Twitter profile picture has you in a Yankees jersey and your handle - @sturtze56 - pays homage to your uniform number with the Yankees. Tell us what the Yankees mean to you.

Tanyon Sturtze: Everything. That was the best time I had playing the game, obviously on the best team. It was a great group of guys I played with. I played with a lot of great guys over the years with some teams. I got to be pretty close friends with a lot of guys on the Yankees. You spend a few years there, and I think the playoffs brings everybody a little tighter. I never had that opportunity with the other teams. New York is the best. There is nothing better than there. There is nothing better than playing for the Yankees. I wouldn't know what it's like playing for the Mets, being in New York, but I know that the Yankees rule the city. We rule until someone takes it from us. It was the best time of life. I love going back there. I love doing everything for the Yankees. I do some fantasy camps for them in the winter. I do some autograph signings up in the suites. I just love going back.

BYB: We all remember the brawl between ARod and Jason Varitek and you were right in the middle of it. OK spill the beans, who did you tag in that brawl and give us the play by play from your perspective on the brawl.

Tanyon Sturtze: Well, I started that game, so I was actually sitting on the bench. They had hit Alex Rodriguez a couple of times the night before, so once they hit him again that day, we all knew he was mad from the night before. Things kind of spilled over. As I got out there, Alex was actually on the bottom getting worked over pretty good. I just grabbed the closest guy, it just happened to be Gabe Kapler. So I grabbed him and tried to get him off the pile, then it escalated to a little more than that.

It was not a problem for me because I didn't really like anybody on that team anyway at the time. Tensions were different back then. The game was different between the Yankees and the Red Sox. It was still really hot and heavy. They still hadn't beaten us until after that year. Things kind of changed and mellowed out a little bit in my opinion, with that series.

BYB: Obviously the rivalry was pretty intense in the 70's, 80's, 90's and when you were in New York. Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing, that the rivalry has mellowed out now?

Tanyon Sturtze: I think it's a bad thing because it's always great to have hated rivals in a sport. I played in LA, and they all talked about LA/San Francisco. They didn't hold a candle to Boston/New York. 2004 was pretty heated. I mean, people were at the old Stadium at noon for a 7 o'clock game, chanting "We Hate Boston" as you walk into the clubhouse. It was pretty special. I have gone back to a couple of games now, I really don't feel like it's the same. Obviously everyone still knows it's a rivalry. But I just don't think it was as heated once they won the World Series a couple of times. I think it's calmed down a little bit. 

BYB: You grew up in Worcester, Mass - near the heart of Red Sox Nation. Were you a Red Sox fan growing up? Tell us what it was like growing up there.

Tanyon Sturtze: I was a Red Sox fan growing up. My dad used to take me to Opening Day every year. I would miss school on Opening Day. Look, any kid that grows up in New York is either a Yankees fan or a Mets fan. Listen, when you're an eight, nine-year-old kid, I mean, you guys all grew up in New York, and you're the same way. You love one team and that's just the way it is. That's where you're from and that's what you know. I always knew to go to Fenway. That's just the way it was. In high school, we'd skip school, drive down, and go to Fenway. That's just the way it is. You guys used to go to the old Yankee Stadium. That's the way we were as Boston kids and Fenway.

But once you get drafted, everything changes. You don't really have an alliance to any team anymore. You don't have any idea or control over who you're going to play for, or who you're going to get drafted by. But once I got to the Yankees, everything changed. I lost a couple of family members. They don't speak to me anymore because they are die-hard Red Sox fans. But once the fight happened, I threw out a bunch of stuff. I really despise the Red Sox. I would never become a fan of them ever again. 

BYB: Speaking of fights, what did you think of Jonathan Papelbon hitting Manny Machado and attacking Bryce Harper? Do you think his punishment should have been more severe?

Tanyon Sturtze: He's done for the rest of the year, right? I mean, I don't think there should be a deeper penalty. Listen, people fight on the same team. That happens. I know he was only there a month when he traded over there. 

Tensions always rise in the game. It's always better to do it in the clubhouse so that this doesn't happen, and that you guys don't see it, and it's not filmed. The whole world has a comment about it. It's a lot easier to go into the tunnel or the clubhouse where nobody can see, and just handle it. Listen, like I said, tensions rise throughout the course of the year between players. Stuff happens. That's just the nature of the game. If I'm in the locker room with you, listen, that's your family. You don't really have a life outside of it during the season. You're there at noon. You leave at midnight. Every day. You see your family and kids less time than you see those guys at the ballpark.

BYB: ‎Who are the one or two players, Yankees or non-Yankees, that you admired the most growing up and why?

Tanyon Sturtze: Well, I always loved Ron Guidry. Then when I got to New York, he was my pitching coach, for a year, it was the best to sit down with him. I always tried to sit with him as much as possible, listen to him talk about pitching and talk about stories. To this day, every time I see him, he's the first person I go next to. I think he's one of the greatest guys in the game. Obviously an unbelievable pitcher. I just have a great time with him and so much respect and admiration for that guy. I don't think anybody else compares except probably Derek Jeter, the way he handles himself. Guidry is such a superstar. His being such a nice guy, the way he kept on top of his game all the time is really impressive to me. He really is a Yankee legend and he's just a down-to-earth guy. Very approachable. Just a nice country boy. That's really what he is. He lives in the backwoods of Louisiana and he's a great, great guy. He's always trying to help people. I just really enjoy being around him. 

BYB: If you had your pick, which job would you want in baseball and why?

Tanyon Sturtze: If I had my pick right now, being out of the game, I mean, I retired in 2008, I'd probably go be bullpen coach with a team.  Just because I know what it's like to be down there. 

I learned from the best, which is Mariano Rivera. I think I could bring a lot to who ever is in that bullpen. To help out on preparing, on going into a game. But I'd love to be a bullpen coach for a few years before I would try to be a pitching coach. Definitely. I would never want to be a manager. No thank you. Too much pressure. Managers have a lot to do every day. I would like to be a pitching coach, but I would like to be in a role before that, before I took over as pitching coach. I love the art of pitching. I love being able to teach kids what was taught to me throughout the years. I got to be around a lot of great pitchers and pick a lot of brains. 

I lockered next to Mike Mussina for 3 years, and to listen to him talk about pitching was just ridiculous. I love that aspect of it. To be a manager or something like that, listen I know nothing about hitters. I just know ways to get them out. I wouldn't do anything outside of my comfort zone.

BYB: Do you ever read Bleeding Yankee Blue and if so, what do you think?

Tanyon Sturtze: I read it. With the baby just being born, I don't hit Twitter as much as possible. I always check out the feeds. I always see what you guys write. I think you guys do a great job. I enjoy being able to read it because if I miss something, I know I can catch up reading your stuff. I think it's a great thing you guys do. There's no better fan base than the Yankees. To be able to provide that for those guys is great. Thanks for keeping my name associated with the Yankees and I appreciate everything you guys do.

We want to thank Tanyon for taking the time to speak with  us. You're a classic baseball guy and a great guy to talk to. We wish you and your family all the best. You're now part of the BYB family... thanks!

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row

STUMBLING THROUGH DELUSION

"I don't block people unless they're belligerent, curse or send me too many tweets." 

--CJ Nitkowski after feeling pressure from his provocative Choke article

I'm not a mean person. I just like to make sure that when I am misunderstood or attacked for nothing... the person that did that action is reminded for the rest of their life that they made a silly mistake.  I'm a Leo... I hold grudges.  That's on me...

CJ Nitkowski can be delusional.  I only bring this up because earlier this week I recognized something pretty significant about him being a so-called analyst... he believes his opinions are law. He doesn't like to be disagreed with, he doesn't like to be questioned.  He appears to think he's untouchable.  He's blind when it comes to criticism and isn't too nice about it either.

I'm not going to get into a big thing with the back story and disappointment I found this week when I tried to engage him, politely on social networks about his opinion of Bryce Harper being choked publicly by Jonathan Papelbon.  Now look, I find Pap to be a nasty player. I find Harper to be incredibly arrogant. Those are my opinions. I root for neither, even though I know for a fact that there is talent all around there.  But when someone writes something about a confrontation and I disagree, I want people to hear my side.  That's what we do here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. We're a blog, we express opinion. You want to hear my opinions, you want to hear from all of our great BYB writers.  We're not nasty, we're pointed. Here's the thing though... we also have a dialog with every one of you, agree or disagree... that makes us unique. That's why you come to BYB.

CJ Nitkowski felt it necessary to bring to light something that many non-pro baseball players already realize.  Players fight.  Now, let me be clear... I know that.  I played ball pretty deep into my young life, never ever coming close to Pro, but my point is, I've seen fights in the dugout and clubhouse and it's been happening since Little League and by the way, it's been happening in competitive sports FOREVER. Men fight. Boys try to be Alpha-dog.  I've heard kids in my Little League dugout tell others that they suck, just to kill a teammate's confidence so they can feel better about themselves. It's wrong, but it's been going on for decades and no one knows that more than I.  I've seen fights, punches thrown, the whole thing.  Again, men are men, it's what we do.  One thing I've never seen is someone get choked.

Choking is, in my humble opinion, worse then a punch to the face. You can kill a guy. That's what I took issue with when Nitkowski wrote his piece basically saying that anything goes in a baseball clubhouse. And he can tell people that's not what he said... but it's essentially what he said. Don't get it twisted.  I felt like that should be open for discussion. Many did as a matter of fact.  Oh, and for the record, and this is a teaser... BYB will be releasing a terrific interview with Tanyon Sturtze next week and we asked him about the Papelbon-Harper fight.  Sturtze speaks about fighting in baseball clubhouses saying that teammates fight all the time, and it should be done in the clubhouse. It's not a big deal.

Absolutely Mr. Sturtze, but choking out in public or private is never OK.  Again, that's what I took issue with.

As you know, CJ Nitkowski "muted" me on Twitter earlier this week. Trust me, I don't lose sleep over it.  I was more blown away by the fact that he doesn't allow anyone else to express opinion against him.  This comment came in from a reader after we wrote THAT CHIP ON YOUR SHOULDER IS OLD & TIRED:

"I am not surprised to see this. Nitkowski did something very similar to me twice in the last couple of weeks when I disagreed with articles he wrote. He engages in personal attacks when you disagree with him. Its childish and juvenile behavior on his part. Am I surprised that he thinks violence is a perfectly acceptable way to handle disagreements? Nope."

There's plenty more of those but I just can't figure out why CJ doesn't like to have intelligent dialog with folks who disagree.  I mean, he's an analyst, he's not a prophet. And he appears to side with Papelbon. I find that strange.

@MikeGianella He needs media training. Or he can be Bonds if he wants.

— CJ Nitkowski (@CJNitkowski) October 2, 2015

In a nutshell, he's giving Pap a free pass, basically saying choking should be done behind closed doors. He kind of blasts Harper for speaking out of turn. He essentially saying it's Harper's fault, Harper started it.  I just can't get passed that, I'm sorry.

This tweet made me laugh:

@maxl100 I don't block people unless they're belligerent, curse or send me too many tweets. I just mute them.

— CJ Nitkowski (@CJNitkowski) October 1, 2015

I learned that CJ's delusional.  Last time I checked, I wasn't belligerent, I didn't curse and I didn't send him too many Tweets... but I got muted.  Let's review:

@BleednYankeeBlu @mikeyoh21 I didn't ask for your opinion on this and neither did MLB.

— CJ Nitkowski (@CJNitkowski) September 30, 2015

@BleednYankeeBlu aaannnnnd mute.

— CJ Nitkowski (@CJNitkowski) September 30, 2015

@CJNitkowski right. Back at ya sweetheart.

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) September 30, 2015

Now, you can tell me that I'm spending way too much time on this... you're right.  I just find it fascinating that this guy doesn't think he did anything wrong... not with the column, but with the flood of disagreement that followed.  I mean, is this guy kidding?

@BmoreDaveS Hi troll. Not even close to the same thing. If you need "how does baseball work" lessons hit me up. Also, read my column better.

— CJ Nitkowski (@CJNitkowski) October 1, 2015

Sorry. You can't write a hot topic article and assume folks aren't going to ask you questions... and sure, some are being silly in their questioning, but it comes with the territory.  He's gotta have a thicker skin. I leave you with one of my favorites on the web... Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk that put it perfectly:

@craigcalcaterra when i suggested that he muted me. I could not have been more polite. He's not very good with criticism

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) October 1, 2015

I'm done now.  Time to move on.

Don't be haters out there.  You have a provocative post, article, whatever... have a dialog.  All opinions matter.  No one is better than anyone else out there.  Trust me, CJ Nitkowski certainly isn't.

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

WHY IT'S A SPRING TRAINING I'LL NEVER FORGET

This piece was released originally on February 15, 2012.  I was very popular then and it's also timeless because it's about a father and son.  This was Steve Skinner's first piece with Bleeding Yankee Blue and I'm happy to say, 1 year later, he's given us some terrific material.  Well, because we're still in the final days of Spring Training, I found it fitting to re-post this great story... enjoy. -Casey

In a matter of hours... Spring will be upon us – pitchers and catchers will report to their respective clubs and begin routines for the start of the Major League Baseball season. For a little more than a month, baseball teams will play their “season before the season” in an effort to tweak rosters and fine-tune lineups and rotations. It’s an exciting time of year when every team has new hope and, new prospects. Fans and the media will begin their speculations and fantasy teams will be drafted. For me, it brings back one of the greatest memories of my life.

In 2006 my son Matt was in his final year of elementary school. The following year he’d be moving into the middle school of our small city in upstate New York and, with the new school would come new challenges, new faces and a new schedule of things to do.

That year, Matt had a foreign language teacher who knew him to be a dedicated baseball fan – in particular – a dedicated Yankee fan. As luck would have it, that teacher held tickets for the Yankees spring training schedule, because he spent spring breaks in Florida, and the week of Matt’s spring break, he could not make his regular trip south. So, he asked Matt if he would like a couple of his tickets to Yankee games and, Matt came home excited about the possibility of seeing his baseball heroes in action. Knowing that he and I might never have the opportunity again, I quickly cleared my schedule and made reservations in Florida.

Our first game that week pitted the Yankees against the Cardinals. The weather was perfect... 80 degrees, partly sunny. The “Big Unit”, Randy Johnson was the scheduled pitcher for the home team and Legends field (later renamed to George M. Steinbrenner park) was full.

As we walked from the parking lot to the stadium, on our left we could see the field where the Yanks practiced and stretched before games and, as we entered the stadium grounds, to our right, was an area with three mounds on which Mariano Rivera, Randy Johnson and Scott Proctor were beginning their daily routines. You could hear the "pops" of the ball to the mitt and you knew it was baseball was here. A crowd gathered along the fence of the practice field as fans tried to catch glimpses of their favorite players stretching and jogging around the perimeter of the outfield.
Matt and I squeezed ourselves in hoping to see Jorge Posada – Matt’s favorite player. Our efforts went unrewarded and we made our way into the ballpark and to our seats. Regardless of whether or not we saw our favorite players, we were in the ballpark on a perfect day and about to watch our favorite team play. Life doesn’t get any better.
The game began and for the first three innings Randy Johnson and Sidney Ponson, the Cardinal pitcher, matched scoreless frames. In the bottom of the 4th, a promising young second baseman for the Yanks, Robinson Cano, drilled a Ponson fastball over the opposite field wall and, the crowd went wild.

In the 5th inning, Johnson would run into trouble and the Cardinals would get two runs to take the lead. The “Big Unit” would be relieved by Rivera in the sixth and, even though it was still just spring, we would be fortunate enough to see his greatness in full splendor as he struck out two of the three batters he faced. The remainder of the game we saw appearances by the likes of Kyle Farnsworth and Tanyon Sturtze and, the Yankees would lose the game 4 – 3.

In spite of the result, our experience lost none of its luster. Matt and I spent a day watching our Yankees and even though our heroes like Jeter, Posada and ARod did not participate in the game that day, others by the names of Cano, Giambi, Sheffield and Rivera more than made up for it.

Following the game we exited the stadium and headed to the gift shop. On the way, we passed an old-style ragtime band playing songs like “Take me out to the ball game”. It only added to the overall atmosphere of the day and I knew at that moment that I was making memories of a lifetime.

That is the beauty of spring training for fans – there is no pressure or stress. It is merely baseball in its purest form played in cozy, throwback stadiums full of sights, sounds and the smells of a promising new season. I cannot think of a better experience for a father and son and, I will cherish the moments at Legends field forever.



--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and look for the hashtag #BYB. Also, join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

GUESS WHO'S COMING TO OLD TIMERS' DAY?

I wanted to send put this out because it's always fun to see who shows up to Old Timers' Day and who was asked.  For instance, this year there are a few guys that were asked for the very first time.  Those new guys are:

Sterling Hitchcock

Stump Merrill

Gene Monahan

Matt Nokes

Tanyon Sturtze

Believe me, Old Timers' Day is one of the most exciting moments at Yankee Stadium all year.  This year will be the 66th Old Timers' Day and will take place on Sunday, July 1st at 11:15am.

Here the rest of the list in alphabetical order:

Luis Arroyo

Jesse Barfield

Yogi Berra

Ron Blomberg

Dr. Bobby Brown

Homer Bush

Jerry Coleman

David Cone

Bucky Dent

Al Downing

Brian Doyle

Cecil Fielder

Whitey Ford

Oscar Gamble

Jake Gibbs

Joe Girardi

Rich “Goose” Gossage

Ron Guidry

 

Charlie Hayes

Rickey Henderson

Arlene Howard

Helen Hunter

Reggie Jackson

Tommy John

Pat Kelly

Don Larsen

Graeme Lloyd

Hector Lopez

Jill Martin

Tino Martinez

Lee Mazzilli

Diana Munson

Kay Murcer

Paul O’Neill

Joe Pepitone

Lou Piniella

Willie Randolph

Bobby Richardson

Mickey Rivers

Aaron Small

Mel Stottlemyre

Darryl Strawberry

Ralph Terry

Joe Torre

Bob Turley

Roy White

Bernie Williams

There's 1 person missing from this list.  Chuck Knoblauch.  I'm not exactly sure why he wasn't, but Chuck should be asked. This guy's been apart of 3 World Championships and he gave those Yankee teams his blood and guts. Come on Yanks send the invite!

ORDER A BYB SHIRT NOW, DROB WEARS ONE! Also, 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.

WHY IT'S A SPRING TRAINING I'LL NEVER FORGET

I thought it would be fun to write about Spring Training but I wanted another perspective instead of mine all the time, so here's a story I know you'll enjoy and it brings you back to 2006. A very special Spring Training for a father and his son... my friend Steve Skinner wrote this... enjoy it.

-Casey

In a matter of hours... Spring will be upon us – pitchers and catchers will report to their respective clubs and begin routines for the start of the Major League Baseball season. For a little more than a month, baseball teams will play their “season before the season” in an effort to tweak rosters and fine-tune lineups and rotations. It’s an exciting time of year when every team has new hope and, new prospects. Fans and the media will begin their speculations and fantasy teams will be drafted. For me, it brings back one of the greatest memories of my life.

In 2006 my son Matt was in his final year of elementary school. The following year he’d be moving into the middle school of our small city in upstate New York and, with the new school would come new challenges, new faces and a new schedule of things to do.

That year, Matt had a foreign language teacher who knew him to be a dedicated baseball fan – in particular – a dedicated Yankee fan. As luck would have it, that teacher held tickets for the Yankees spring training schedule, because he spent spring breaks in Florida, and the week of Matt’s spring break, he could not make his regular trip south. So, he asked Matt if he would like a couple of his tickets to Yankee games and, Matt came home excited about the possibility of seeing his baseball heroes in action. Knowing that he and I might never have the opportunity again, I quickly cleared my schedule and made reservations in Florida.Our first game that week pitted the Yankees against the Cardinals. The weather was perfect... 80 degrees, partly sunny. The “Big Unit”, Randy Johnson was the scheduled pitcher for the home team and Legends field (later renamed to George M. Steinbrenner park) was full.

As we walked from the parking lot to the stadium, on our left we could see the field where the Yanks practiced and stretched before games and, as we entered the stadium grounds, to our right, was an area with three mounds on which Mariano Rivera, Randy Johnson and Scott Proctor were beginning their daily routines. You could hear the "pops" of the ball to the mitt and you knew it was baseball was here. A crowd gathered along the fence of the practice field as fans tried to catch glimpses of their favorite players stretching and jogging around the perimeter of the outfield.
Matt and I squeezed ourselves in hoping to see Jorge Posada – Matt’s favorite player. Our efforts went unrewarded and we made our way into the ballpark and to our seats. Regardless of whether or not we saw our favorite players, we were in the ballpark on a perfect day and about to watch our favorite team play. Life doesn’t get any better.
The game began and for the first three innings Randy Johnson and Sidney Ponson, the Cardinal pitcher, matched scoreless frames. In the bottom of the 4th, a promising young second baseman for the Yanks, Robinson Cano, drilled a Ponson fastball over the opposite field wall and, the crowd went wild.

In the 5th inning, Johnson would run into trouble and the Cardinals would get two runs to take the lead. The “Big Unit” would be relieved by Rivera in the sixth and, even though it was still just spring, we would be fortunate enough to see his greatness in full splendor as he struck out two of the three batters he faced. The remainder of the game we saw appearances by the likes of Kyle Farnsworth and Tanyon Sturtze and, the Yankees would lose the game 4 – 3.

In spite of the result, our experience lost none of its luster. Matt and I spent a day watching our Yankees and even though our heroes like Jeter, Posada and ARod did not participate in the game that day, others by the names of Cano, Giambi, Sheffield and Rivera more than made up for it.

Following the game we exited the stadium and headed to the gift shop. On the way, we passed an old-style ragtime band playing songs like “Take me out to the ball game”. It only added to the overall atmosphere of the day and I knew at that moment that I was making memories of a lifetime.

That is the beauty of spring training for fans – there is no pressure or stress. It is merely baseball in its purest form played in cozy, throwback stadiums full of sights, sounds and the smells of a promising new season. I cannot think of a better experience for a father and son and, I will cherish the moments at Legends field forever.



--Steve Skinner, BYB Guest Writer

Please comment, we have DISQUS, it's easier than ever. Let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and look for the hashtag #BYB. Also, join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.

BYB EXCLUSIVE: SQUEEGEE GETS REAL

Back in September, BYB gave you a great interview with Luigi Squeggee, it was a BYB EXCLUSIVE about his book Clubhouse Confidential. Luigi was part of the New York Yankees historic championship run and beyond as a clubhouse attendant, from 1998 to 2005. We thought it would be fun to talk with him about 1 particular story that stuck with me. No, it doesn’t have to do with Derek Jeter or Roger Clemens. It had to do with Tanyon Sturtze, a relief pitcher for the Yankees around the time Squeegee was with the team. In his BYB interview, Squeegee told us this about Tanyon:

Squeegee: The most humiliating thing was get thrown into a garbage can by Tanyon Sturtze! He was in a bad mood at the time but later apologized and we became good friends.

I wanted him to expand on that, and he was nice enough to do so:

Squeegee: "It was September of 2004 and the last home stand at the old Yankee Stadium before the playoffs. The team was heading for a road trip for three days. Tradition is what the Yankees live by so to keep tradition going, rookie dress-up day was in effect. This is fun because the rookies don’t know that we, the clubbies, take their clothes from their lockers during the game and replace it with costumes. There were four rookies that year and Rob Cucuzza had ordered an extra costume for Tanyon Sturtze, but Tanyon wasn’t a rookie. It was Rob and the player’s playing a prank on him. He had no idea about it. Tanyon had pitched in this game and gave up some runs he was intense. I knew this was a bad idea that was going to take a turn for the worst. After the game, I collected the hats from the players to place in the hat box, when I hear Tanyon say 'Are you kidding me?! I’m not wearing that!' Rob Cucuzza, ARod, and Giambi are laughing now. I was on the other end of the clubhouse getting a hat from Dioner Navarro while he’s dressed up in a Hooter’s outfit. We were laughing at the costume. He asked me how he looked and my response was 'no comment.'

As I walked back with the hats to the hat box I was still laughing. Sturtze walking the same way and heard me and said 'What the fuck are you laughing at?' He grabbed me and threw me into the garbage can behind the pillar in the clubhouse. I held onto his shirt and we were eye to eye when I think he realized he snapped, so he let go. I felt weird at the moment, it was awkward but he apologized. Later down the road, we were in Boston at a club where we became friends."

Nice, they squashed the beef.

I was also interested in Squeegee's love for David Cone. The reason is because I’ve heard from several people just how great Coney was as a person and teammate. Don’t forget, I asked Jack Curry in our exclusive with him (Read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: JACK CURRY) and Curry said this of David Cone:

Jack Curry: "Cone was so approachable that his willingness to talk to players ended up helping his teammates. Since Cone was willing to deal with reporters and was very good at it, other players were allowed to avoid interviews."

Squeegee also likes Cone and said this in our first interview with him:

Squeegee: "My idol was David Cone because I also pitch and he symbolized the greatness of the sport to me. He was technically at the top of his game, and yet he had the friendliest personality and was always relaxed and willing to talk. When I warmed him up during his 1999 perfect game it was a real honor."

So I had to do it. I asked Squeegee to compare Coney to Alex Rodriguez. Was that fair? No, but this is what he told me:

Squeegee: “David Cone is my idol, favorite player, and a great leader in the clubhouse for the team. Win or lose he sat at his locker and answered questions from the media about his teammates. He had the charisma to smooth tension or media frenzy for his teammates. He was creative on and off the mound. To me that had created chemistry amongst everyone in the clubhouse, created “UNITY”. On the other hand, ARod divided the clubhouse, being there when ARod was a Yankee was interesting. He tried hard to fit in with the gang and to me, that was the biggest mistake he made. He went as far as having a personal assistant just for himself when there were nine clubbies. He wanted to be different and stand-out, attention is what he craved. David Cone would play catch during batting practice with me and converse with the clubbies. ARod wouldn’t even acknowledge we were in his presence. I respected the old school players.”

Yes, that was expected, but to be honest, it hits home more when you hear it from a guy like Squeegee, someone who's with these guys all the time. Anyway, I found that interesting.

Finally, and this is a Bleeding Yankee Blue Exclusive because Squeegee hasn’t talked about it publicly...It turns out that MLB Network has a new show and coincidentally it's titled “Clubhouse Confidential.” That's the same title as Squeegee’s book. Seriously MLB, you couldn't think creatively on your own? You had to steal a title from a guy trying to make a few bucks on his own? I found it to be shameful and I asked Luigi to tell me what he thought about it. This is what he said:

Squeegee: “I am a little upset with MLB network because the title of my book is Clubhouse Confidential and their show uses the same name. When you Google the name of the show the logo appears to be the same, as well. I was watching Game 6 of the World Series and a commercial came on then my phone rang. A friend, Mr. Oates, starts the phone call off by saying 'Go to the bathroom and splash water on your face.' I was confused and so I asked what he was talking about. Oates answered saying 'They have a show called Clubhouse Confidential now; if I didn’t see the commercial, I would’ve thought it was your show Luigi!'

I guess my book has made an impact on the game of baseball, not just the Yankees and I have to thank everyone who has supported the journey!”

You have to give Squeegee huge props. He’s never shied away from talking with Bleeding Yankee Blue and we consider him part of the BYB Family. Over the past few weeks we talked and really wanted to give the BYB readers something new and fun. We hope we satisfied you. By the way, buy Clubhouse Confidential. It’s a terrific read! Thanks again Squeegee.

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