IT'S BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE'S BIRTHDAY! LET'S PARTY!

Well… that was fast!  3 years old in the blink of an eye.  Happy Birthday to Bleeding Yankee Blue, climbing all way to the top.... one day at a time.  I remember being frustrated after a game we should have won back on September 14, 2010. The post was called WHY LAST NIGHT WAS IMPORTANT and it was a game where Joe Girardi used his binder alittle too much and Sergio Mitre was brought into the game.  

I remember hearing back then that if those games  were "must win games", we MUST win them at all costs. When Mitre came in... I knew it had to be a joke.  It's because of that that Bleeding Yankee Blue was born.  Say Hallelujah... say Amen.

3 years later the New York Yankees are in the fight of their life, literally clinging to a small deficit in the Wild card race and the possibility of their post-season hopes being shattered because of an injury-riddled season, disappointment… and yes, the Girardi binder.   It seems like we are always in this spot lately. Uncertainty.  As Yankee fans, we are spoiled. As one of our readers said recently, “I like being spoiled.” Hey… me too.

One thing is certain… Bleeding Yankee Blue is alive, well and thriving.  So, how did it all start? Well, word of mouth.  That 1 post above was sent to a few friends who then sent it to a few more. Then came another post and other friends and other "shares."  It started to spread and that was an accident, trust me.  It was going to end there. But then something happened… people understood what we had created.  We weren’t going to sit here at BYB and start feeding you boring stats and we sure as hell didn't act like we were superior to our readers...the other blogs do that, we don't.  Nope... instead we’re just like you!  Fans, eager for the wins.  Fans who like to just chat about our club.  Maybe we razz each other alittle, but in the end, we’re family.  And that’s what Bleeding Yankee Blue is… a family, a true family.  Fans, Yankee fans or not, coming together to chat about baseball.  After all, we’re baseball fans first anyway.  Don’t believe me? Ask Orioles Rob (@SupermanRob2914).

When the Yankees play the Orioles, Rob shows up, he retweets us, he breaks my chops and sometimes it has nothing to do with the Yankees OR the Orioles.  It's about friendships. It's about family, it's about baseball.  This is a die hard Orioles fan, and he likes us. Why? Because we're real, we're honest and we’re not know-it-all dicks.

The point is you’ve all found us, you’ve shared us and sure, the writing has something to do with it, but it’s the sense of community that gives you that family feel.  When Bleeding Yankee Blue evolved, I looked everywhere to see how it could work better.  I figured it out and I wonder why the others haven’t yet.  The formula is simple and we're following it.  We’re here just to have fun and we're not about being the smartest.  Why? Because we’re fans! We write based on passion! It’s been quite a journey and thank God my writers are so talented or you’d never even come in to read us every morning.  You do, and we appreciate that more than you will ever know.

Over the past decade or so, I’ve enjoyed watching, admiring and appreciating some pretty interesting people. These days, my people watching have become bonds.   Laura Posada and BYB are perfect together and I could not be happier with the “friendship” we have.  The Posada family is dynamic, a brand and I have understood Jorge's passion for years.

As a peer, as a guy who works hard every day in his life, you have to admire where he came from, and where he is today.  His wife is his perfect compliment with the same drive and if that isn’t the perfect secret to marriage, I’m not sure what is.  Laura said this about what makes her marriage to Jorge work so well, (THE FULL POSADA INTERVIEW), “I think we respect and support each other even though we might not agree on everything.  It also helps that we share the same interests regarding health and fitness. We understand the things in life that are really important to us; Love,  family and health and we live life to the fullest."

Another great example of friendship; I have read Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record for a long time now.  What drew me to Pete has always been his nuggets in his articles.  You may not realize it, but if you read Pete, there is always 1 nugget that the other writers don’t have.  Maybe it’s me looking too hard for it, or maybe that’s just Pete’s knack, but one thing is for sure, he’s the best.  Sure, you can appreciate guys like Bob Klapisch (I’d appreciate him more if he was following me on Twitter again), but the reality is Caldera is the man.  Not only that, he’s a friend these days and I know he gets what we’re doing here at BYB and I appreciate his support.  If you don’t read Caldera, do it. He's also a great singer as you can see above.

I've met quite a few people on our BYB journey.  Charles and Joey Moses are die-hard Yankee fans from Australia.  I mean, how the hell does that happen?  They are though, and we conducted a great interview with them titled FROM THE BRONX, AUSTRALIA... WITH LOVE. You won't see it anywhere else and that's because we're a Yankee fan site and we love each other like family.  Read it.  You may ask me “Why are you interviewing people I don’t know. Who cares?” You know what? I care.  I love these guys.  I appreciate their family and they are good people…. That’s why.  Sometimes it’s that simple. Sometimes that's the story.

I am honored to say I know and love values of the Hensley Family.  There is something about a kid with a twinkle in his eye and the will and “want” to be the best.  I’ve seen it in my own kid and I saw it in Ty Hensley.  Luckily for me, I can call Marci, Mike and the Hensley boys "family."

(Read THANKSGIVING WITH THE HENSLEYS. Read NEW TY HENSLEY INTERVIEW: CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN.) They are great people.  I believe in Ty. I know Ty will be great when he hits the Bigs and you should all get behind this kid, he’s something special.  He reminds me of when Derek Jeter started to get talked about.  There’s something there, and you can’t wait to see it.  I appreciate the Hensley family and I appreciate their support of BYB and sticking with us.

And what about my "Food Wars" bud Clay Rapada?  Look Rapada was a Yankee, now he's an Indian and it doesn't matter.  He's a good dude. The reason why is this... in this world of social networks, everyone, regular people, celebrities, athletes are all out there.  Now, quite simply, certain athletes and celebrities think they're actually important and they'll Tweet stuff and watch their "Retweets" pile up.  Fans flock to that. They ask questions to these stars, only to never hear from them personally.  That annoys the crap out of me. Clay Rapada doesn't to that.  He engages you, he'll chat with you... he'll break your chops back... and he's great about it. Plus, we talk food alot.

@BleednYankeeBlu Cajun style?
— Clay Rapada (@pada5something) September 1, 2013

Shout out to Rapada, one of my favorite pitchers... even before the Yankees.  I'm damn proud to root you on and tweet food pictures with you any day of the week! Food Wars with Rapada will continue... your move.

To our readers and supporters... Becki Schick and Beth Hucke. To Debbie and Josie and Natalia and Evelyn, Marlene and Rosemari, David and Thomas, Nicole and Dan, Linda and Doug, Jen and Stefie, Dave, Phil, Randy and Ron, Donna and to Eric Handler of the YES Network who's probably one of the most professional guys I've ever met.  To all the people I missed but you know I appreciate you... thanks for sharing us and chatting with us and helping us blossom.  You're all good people and I'm happy you're in the BYB family.

My writers are amazing.  Don’t forget Ladies and Gentlemen… we do this for free.  FREE! This is our volunteer time.  We’re not trying to re-invent the wheel here… we’re trying to make you think, make you laugh, maybe even make you cry… for nothing!  We love to write and we love that you love reading us.  

(In Photo: Linda Bellezza, Jeana Bellezza, Erica Morales, Ike Dimitriadis)
A shout out and much love to our writers, Jeana Bellezza, Erica Morales, Suzie Pinstripe, Ike Dimitriadis, Rudy Laurens, Chad R MacDonald and Steve Skinner.

Oh yeah, and to Mike O'Hara, the former host of Season 1 of the MLB Fan Cave and now, a BYB contributor. It's a pleasure to have you Mike...thank you.  You all go above and beyond and you will never truly know just how special you are to me.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Bleeding Yankee Blue is no longer a “thing”. It’s an appointment because of our readers.  You come to us in the morning.  You check in on us at night after a game.  You check to see if we have a fun story or interesting take on something.  You do it because you need it.  Well, I have news for you… we need you too.  It’s mutual, trust me.  Without our amazing readers, we don’t have a website. We have just another stupid thing on the Internet.  YOU made us relevant, not us.  Thank you.

So, what’s next? Who knows.  I’m not here to tell you I’m going to change the world.  I just want to enjoy it alittle too.  We accomplished a lot and yes, there is more to be accomplished.  If I could have anything in the world right this moment, I’d love your support to continue. Buy our products so we can get more stuff made! 

We have a limited supply of Bleeding Yankee Blue shirts, wristbands and coolies. Yes, they are almost gone, and we want to start making new products!  It's crazy to think about it, but the shirts started with a guy who we love here at BYB, Mikey Blue's dad.  He wore the first Bleeding Yankee Blue shirt ever out at a Yankee Spring training game back in 2012.  That's when the buzz started and we are grateful he did it for us.

Now, just a few days ago, he was out again at a ballpark. This time he was enjoying his 75th birthday with one of his sons at Camden Yards.  Yup, that's right, the game the Yankees came back to win 7-5 with a 4 run 8th. He's a helluva guy and a good luck charm for the Yanks and for BYB.  God Bless you and your family sir... you're a huge part of the BYB family and my family personally.

There's that word again... "family."  BYB IS family.  And that's why all this stuff happened.  We, us writers, you readers, get along pretty well, and when you ask for things at BYB, we try to deliver.  You've asked us about stories about our Captain, or about Mo, or about shirts or wristbands... well... we made them! 

(In Photo: Our friend Doug)
Bottom line, the faster we sell our stuff, the faster we can make you new stuff based on new requests.  There have been requests for hoodies, for shorts, tank tops and underwear.  I’m not kidding!  Whatever the case, we want to deliver for you and we love that you want to wear us. SO, help us move our product so we can get more product in for you. Click HERE to buy!

Bleeding Yankee Blue has been a wild ride. I'm looking forward to many more years of this.  Hopefully we improve for you.  After all, the goal is to be better every day. Let me take a moment and say thanks to all of you.  You've inspired us here. You've made us important, relevant, wanted and loved.  Words cannot express what that means to us on our 3rd birthday, so just let me say "Thank you & keep reading". Keep sharing and let's keep the communication open, for now and for always. The readers have driven Bleeding Yankee Blue... and it's pretty incredible.

You all truly rock! Thanks for coming to Bleeding Yankee Blue first, before the others. We'll continue to work hard to give you what you enjoy... posts, news and opinions about our favorite team, the New York Yankees! And hey... if we can make you smile once in awhile, then at least I know we did our job.

-Robert Casey, CEO & Writer for BleedingYankeeBlue.com
Follow me: @BleednYankeeBlu



The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

THIS IS 42

While Bleeding Yankee Blue turns 3 on September 14th, I turn 42 today. August 21st to me means so much because I will normally reflect on things longer and harder than I have on any other day.  No, I don't think too hard wondering when I'm going to die, or how old I am and how I need to get myself a sports car.  It's a positive reflection. I enjoy growing older and more mature. No, for some reason, it's OK... because I usually think about accomplishments and what I still need to do to make life better.   

I am crazy about my family. In fact, there is nothing better than what I have accomplished in that department and I will continue to look at my now 11 year old or my 4 year olds and still be fascinated with them when they are 35 year olds.  What I mean is, as a parent, you mold your kids and you gush and when they tell a joke, you laugh.  When they're sleeping, you watch them breath and even though you yell and scream because they misbehave... they are the greatest part of your day that you will ever know and love. 

My wife and I saw "This is 40" when it came out.  We then bought the DVD and it literally plays on a loop in my house.  My wife and I relate so well to this movie, that if Debbie and Pete were a real couple, we would seek them out and want to hang with them.  We watched that film and said, "This is dead on." Judd Apatow got it.  We also realized that we weren't the only ones.  Others struggled exactly how we struggled, but the difference is, we actually saw it in this film, not like in real life when our peers say "Oh, my kid's a brat", yet, whenever we see that "bratty kid", he's not a brat at all.  The point is, life is hard as hell, but challenges happen and there's no way around it. As a parent, you need to mold, teach and yell and then, if there's time... you need to hang with your best friend, your wife or husband and reconnect.  If you're still awake that is. It's nuts.

I bring up baseball a helluva lot, because this is Bleeding Yankee Blue.  I often think about being 11 years old myself and having my dad throw the baseball into the air as high as he could and me trying to catch it... over and over and over again.  Hours.  It was the greatest time I ever spent with my dad. Me and him, doing what guys do... bonding over a baseball catch.

You know my 11 year old plays ball, but did you know he first played ball at age 3? Yup, and when he did, I thought it was the most ridiculous thing in the world.  "3 years old? What the hell would we sign him up for tee-ball at 3 for?" I remember saying that to my wife.  She looked at me and said, "That's what they do now. You'll see."  Now granted, this wasn't exactly organized tee-ball, but they did get a uniform and there was some type of structure and fundamentals. I was impressed actually.  I also remember he hated every minute of it, but we did it because, "it's what THEY did."  "They" meaning "parents."  Truth be told, we have never pushed our kids, not him, not my 9 year old and not my little ones, but we let them try things because you want them to achieve something.  Back then, he didn't like it, he tolerated it and today he loves this game and it's his thing.  He's achieved something and no doubt he'll continue playing baseball for a long, long time.

My 9 year old has tried many sports. None of them are quite exciting for him, although he swims real well and we'd love for him to stick with it.  Put it this way though, it's either that or video games and last time I checked, you don't exactly "win" anything for beating a board of Super Mario, you know what I mean? I will give my 9 year old this... he's a sweet kid, a kind kid and would rather I be happy than frustrated.  Put it this way, if I was short a thousand dollars, he'd give me his piggy bank and find a way to get me the rest.  No, he doesn't need to play a sport to achieve anything... he's achieved so much already with that gesture... he's always thinking of others.  I'll take that any day of the week.

My other guys are much smaller and learning about everything around them.  Again, different personalities and one is more sporty than the other, but what it comes down to is what my wife and I can teach them, without ripping our hair out.  It's tough to have 6 people under one roof and be sane. Yet, as I turn 42 today, I can't believe how wonderful it is at the same time.

Oh, and I forgot about my 5th child... my youngest, my slowly evolving achievement... Bleeding Yankee Blue.  My real family hates it, but they see the benefits.  They don't check in on it like I do, but they know it's growing.  They know it's popular and has "friends" and while it's not blood, it's like their little brother.  It takes my attention away from them occasionally, but I always go back because it's growing with what it has around it... support... you.

Bleeding Yankee Blue has been an incredible child.  It was born on September 14, 2010 out of frustration, read HERE.  I was 39 at the time and thought it would be unpopular within 4 months. Now, almost 3 years later I can actually say that BYB matters to the readers and it keeps finding more. No, we don't try and drive the news, we don't try and make the news... we try and give you the news with a twist.  We try to be funny, witty and sarcastic...and, we make you think.  We'll call out the losers and we'll call ourselves one if we make a mistake.  We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we can be quite serious if we need to be.  We like to sometimes make you cry, or maybe just reflect, like what you're doing now with me on my 42nd birthday.  Most importantly though... BYB is a family.

There are many great things I did in my lifetime, and every birthday I think about them.  I know I've made my parents proud because they thought me the values I need to succeed.  My wife and I in turn are doing the same with our kids... but damn... no one told us how hard this would be.  So yeah... at the end of the day, when I put the kids to bed, or before they even wake up... I sit down and write you a post.  Usually it's a post about the Yankees, but always it's a post about hope, integrity, goals and the stepping stones of life.  Without that... you're just a person with no focus or drive.  You don't want to be that... you want to move mountains, not walk past them.  You want to push yourself, not quit. You want to live to the best of your ability... not just "get by."  I know you're like me.  I know every single one of you believe in yourself and what we offer here at BYB, because if you didn't, you wouldn't be here reading us right now.

So with that, I thank you, that's makes me smile.

I'm 42 today.  I've achieved alot in my life, but there more to achieve.  I can't do it alone and I'd love your company, the same company you've given me for almost 3 years here.  Thanks for always being there.  Thanks for celebrating with me today. Thank you for taking the time to make me feel special with this little thing called BYB.  You will never truly know how happy I am to have you reading us... let's hope it continues for many, many more birthdays... one can only hope.

-Robert Casey, CEO & Writer for BleedingYankeeBlue.com
Follow me: @BleednYankeeBlu



The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

BYB HITS ITALY AND TY HENSLEY WEARS US TOO!

I don't like to force product on people, but when Bleeding Yankee Blue was slowing becoming popular, many of you asked me to make shirts and other items.  I was happy to do it.  Since we started last season, a whole lot of people started wearing BYB and it spread across the country and internationally as well. 

The latest international photo is from my friends Mike, Mikey and Beth in Pisa, Italy.  How cool is this?

They took their BYB shirts with them and sent me these pictures!  Damn, that's terrific! Plus, it's Italy, you can't beat that!

It kind of makes you smile doesn't it? Look, I'm proud of what we've created here and I'm proud to see men and women wearing BYB and sending us their photos.  It means that you believe in us and aren't embarrassed to wear us.  I love it.  Check out future Yankee great Ty Hensley below:

Ty's been working hard to get back after his hip surgery and he took a moment to pose in our new Bleeding Yankee Blue shirt right there!  Oh and the guys in the shot with him you ask? That's Rob Segedin and Anderson Feliz, 2 other Yankees. You know what? I should send them shirts too!

The point is, I love what I'm seeing and it just gets better ever day. We're like a big family, truly amazing and if I knew this was going to happen when I started BYB accidentally 3 years ago, I would have started it earlier!  If you think about all the people that have supported us over the past few years, we are truly blessed.

This is Nicole, one of our readers who was at a game last year and made it a point to take a picture at the stadium before she left.  I smiled, it's awesome!

This is obviously Laura Posada, who not only showed off our shirt, she cut it to show off her abs too.  There is nothing wrong with that, in fact, I'd love for her to take another picture of her in our new "Life... Love... Yankees" one too!

This is Joey Moses... from the Bronx Australia, as I like to say.  That's because he and Charles, his father, truly bleed blue and we've become great friends over the past few years! It's an honor for Joey and Charles to wear my shirt all the way in Australia.  It's amazing actually.

We have tons of pictures and we'll continue to show them as we move forward, but now it's your turn!  You wanted the product, we made you the product... Now it's time to buy the product!  Luckily for you, I have reduced some of the prices so we can make an effort to create new stuff.  Many have asked about sweatshirts.  Some have asked about underwear.  I swear... that's weird, but hey, we'll look into it.  We are doing our best to give you what you need, but we also need you to check out what we have, and all products are at a reduced price!

If you are interested in looking and buying, CLICK HERE and start shopping in the BYB Store. We use Paypal, it's safe and it's easy and I'll be sure our warehouse gets the products out to you immediately! I swear... and when I say warehouse, I mean me!

Oh, and to all of you that already have your stuff... start snapping away!  Start taking pictures and send them to us, because we're dying to see you in our BYB stuff!!!

Shirts, Can Coolies... wristbands and if we sell everything fast, there is more to come!

Thank you all for being so supportive and for reading Bleeding Yankee Blue.  We are truly blessed and hope you can continue to support us... after all, we're doing our best to make you happy.

-Robert Casey, CEO & Writer for BleedingYankeeBlue.com
Follow me: @BleednYankeeBlu



The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.

BYB EXCLUSIVE: WILLIE RANDOLPH CENTERSTAGE INTERVIEW

  Be sure to check out Center Stage with Willie Randolph tomorrow night!

(Photo credit:  Ellen Wallop/Yes Network)
Recently BYB had the opportunity to attend the "CenterStage" taping of Michael Kay interviewing Willie Randolph. Willie Randolph was one of the "original" Yankees from our earliest memories, and we got to hear about his life history, both personal and as a player.

This is an interview definitely worth watching. You'll hear about how Willie grew up in Brooklyn, in an area filled with gang violence, and how baseball was his way out. It's amazing how a kid who grew up surrounded by such violence has become such a positive, funny, likable person like Willie.

YES Network gave Bleeding Yankee Blue some exclusive quotes from the interview that we'd love to share them with you. Again, the interview will air tomorrow night, August 14th at 11pm!  You'll love what Willie has to say,  for instance, here's what he said about Reggie: 

"Well, I had a certain focus as a young player. I always respect men, respect people, my teammates. Reggie and I got along well because Reggie was very braggadocios at times.  He loves to be the center of attention.  I really wasn’t impressed by that. Reggie kind of felt like, 'Wow, this kid’s pretty mature for his age.' I would always tell Reggie, 'I put my pants on the same way you do.' The fact is that I did talk to him, and converse with him when a lot of guys were kind of like, 'Oh, okay, he thinks he’s the straw that drinks.' Although Reggie had said he’d never said that, but we had already established a group of guys on the team, with Thurman as the captain, Nettles and Sparky and those guys. Reggie didn’t really blend in.  He wanted to be the guy, and a lot of guys resented that."
 

(Photo credit:  Ellen Wallop/Yes Network)

Willie also has real in-depth background on how that Reggie and Billy Martin scuffle went down back in June 1977.  Don't forget, Paul Blair replaced Reggie. Willie says:

"Around that time, Reggie and Billy were kind of bumping heads a little bit.  Billy would come in the ballpark a little bit hung over at times. You could see that he was stewing a little bit that day. There was a play in right field.  It was a ball that Reggie maybe could’ve caught if he laid out, but Reggie wasn’t a great defensive player, so he played it safe. I look over in the dugout and I see Billy being very animated, and he’s pissed off. I see Billy point down the dugout, and Paul Blair jumped up and grabbed his glove.  And I said, 'Okay, here we go now!' I’m watching all this happen, and I said, 'Hey, Reg!' (Reggie) finally looks up, and he starts to trot in.  Blair is a funny guy, he’s loving it too, because he wasn’t crazy about Reggie.  He was just like, 'Yeah! We can show Reggie up on that for the TV. I’m the guy that can tell him, you’re out of the game, right?' So Reggie’s coming in, and Paul’s going out, and he goes, “You out of the game, darlin’.  You out of the game.' I said, 'You didn’t have to say that.'  But (Blair) loved it."

Willie also talked a lot about his interactions with fellow players and managers, people who mentored him like Roy White, Elston Howard, Yogi Berra, and others. 

Willie on Yogi: "When I was managing the Mets, Yogi used to come and sit in my office, and we’d just sit there and talk baseball. For him to come to Shea and sit in the office with me and talk to me about the game, 'Hey, Shorty, you doing this wrong…Shorty, what about this guy?' He calls me Shorty, I don’t know why.  I’m taller than he is. He’s a midget, and he calls me Shorty.  'How you doing, Shorty?' It meant so much to me.  That was just unbelievable (that) he would do that."

Willie on Roy:  "(Roy White) would (become) one of my biggest mentors, but (my friends and I would) sit out in the bleachers out there, the Con Ed kids, and when things got boring, we used to just throw popcorn at Roy White, and stuff like that.  'You got a popcorn arm!  You can’t throw the ball, Roy!  Get the ball to the infield!' We’d razz him."  

You'll also hear about his sadness regarding the loss of Thurman Munson, and his disappointment about being let go by the Yankees after the 1988 season.

All in all, this was a great episode of "CenterStage", and you should make it a point to watch. Again, it's set to premiere tomorrow, August 14th, after the Yankees post-game. If you're too young to remember him playing, or you weren't watching during his playing days, you'll become a fan after watching this.

A Special thanks to the YES Network for the access, and thanks to @RealMichaelKay for Tweeting this... we appreciate it!

-Robert Casey, CEO & Writer for BleedingYankeeBlue.com
Follow me: @BleednYankeeBlu

 

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

 
The Bleeding Yankee Blue store is opened! CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING! Also, follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.