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

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Chambliss

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That's the whole point.

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

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

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

You had to earn what came next.

That's what made those players Yankees.

That's what made the achievements worth celebrating.

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

YOU KNOW WHAT "TOMMY JOHN" IS, BUT DO YOU KNOW WHY IT'S "TOMMY JOHN"?

Tommy John, a left-handed pitcher with a solid career in Major League Baseball (MLB), found himself at a crossroads in 1974. At the time, he was playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tommy had built a reputation as a reliable pitcher, but during a game on July 17, 1974, he felt a sudden, sharp pain in his elbow while throwing a pitch against the Montreal Expos. Little did he know, this moment would become a significant turning point in baseball history.

The Discovery and Diagnosis

The pain in Tommy's left elbow was debilitating, and he was immediately pulled from the game. Initial medical evaluations suggested a grim prognosis: his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) was severely damaged. At the time, such an injury was considered career-ending for pitchers. However, Tommy was determined to find a solution that would allow him to continue playing the game he loved.

Enter Dr. Frank Jobe

Tommy John sought the expertise of Dr. Frank Jobe, an orthopedic surgeon working with the Dodgers. Dr. Jobe proposed a radical and unprecedented solution: reconstructive surgery on the UCL using a tendon graft from Tommy's forearm. This type of surgery had never been performed on a professional baseball player before, and it was uncertain whether it would succeed.

On September 25, 1974, Dr. Jobe performed the pioneering surgery on Tommy John. The procedure involved replacing the damaged ligament in Tommy's elbow with a tendon from his right wrist. The surgery itself was a gamble, but Tommy's determination and Dr. Jobe's surgical skill paved the way for what would become a landmark moment in sports medicine.

The surgery is named after Tommy John not because he invented it, but because he was the first high-profile athlete to undergo the procedure and return to a successful career. Dr. Jobe's groundbreaking operation and Tommy John's subsequent recovery and return to baseball gave the surgery its eponymous title: Tommy John Surgery.

After the surgery, Tommy John faced a grueling and uncertain rehabilitation process. He missed the entire 1975 season but remained committed to his recovery. Remarkably, Tommy made his comeback in the 1976 season, and it was a successful one. He not only returned to pitch for the Dodgers but went on to have an even more impressive second act of his career.

Tommy John's career post-surgery included 164 more victories, bringing his total to 288 wins by the time he retired in 1989. His successful return to baseball after such a significant surgery was nothing short of miraculous and demonstrated the potential for athletes to recover from severe injuries.

Tommy John Surgery has since become a common procedure for pitchers suffering from UCL injuries. Dr. Frank Jobe's innovative technique has saved countless careers in baseball and other sports. Today, the surgery is a testament to medical advancement and the resilience of athletes, with Tommy John's story serving as a source of inspiration for those facing similar challenges.

1. Initial Recovery Phase (1974-1975):

   • Tommy John spent the remainder of 1974 recovering from the surgery. He was advised to keep his arm immobilized and avoid any strenuous activity that could jeopardize the healing process.
   • Throughout 1975, Tommy John was unable to pitch, and the Dodgers placed him on the disabled list for the entire season.

2. Rehabilitation and Conditioning (1976):

   • In early 1976, Tommy John began a rigorous rehabilitation program designed to rebuild strength and flexibility in his elbow. The process involved physical therapy, exercises, and gradually increasing the intensity of his throwing sessions.
   • By mid-1976, he was cleared to begin light pitching. His throwing program was carefully monitored, with incremental increases in pitch counts and intensity.

3. Return to the Mound:

   • Remarkably, Tommy John made his return to the major leagues in August 1976. He pitched in several games that season, showcasing his recovery and proving that the surgery had been a success.

Overall, Tommy John's recovery took approximately 18 months from surgery to his return to the major leagues. His determination, combined with Dr. Frank Jobe’s groundbreaking surgery, allowed him to return to a level of play that many had deemed impossible. 

His comeback not only extended his career but also set a precedent for the surgical procedure now known as Tommy John Surgery.

--Alvin Izzo
BYB Yankee History Contributor

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

Source: Yahoo Sports

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IS IT SORENESS REALLY & WHY DOES IT FEEL MYSTERIOUS?

Forearm discomfort isn't always a big deal, but sometimes it is.  Jasson Dominguez had discomfort in his elbow which led to Tommy John.  We have not heard this from the Yankees or Juan Soto. All we have heard is forearm discomfort... let's hope it's nothing serious.  I am always of the belief that what the Yankees are telling me publicly is not true and then I do my own reading to try and find the truth. After all, Aaron Boone is a puppet and mouthpiece and I have sworn that I wasn't going to use a quote from that idiot in my posts ever again. Why? Because he doesn't tell you anything.

Now Juan Soto appears fine.  He swears it's just some inflammation and that's the company line right now, but then if he can play through it, then play through it. Him sitting out yesterday was weird to me... I really needed to say that.  Sure, give the guy a day off from a game, fine, but you know the guy was still doing his warmups and training.... and so, what are we doing here? He's a young guy, a star athlete... his muscles are sore.  Something in my opinion just isn't jiving, you feel me?

The The Athletic writes:

"Soto did not play in the Yankees’ 11-inning 2-1 loss Friday night to the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the day still felt like a win for the organization, especially after learning Soto would avoid the injured list.

“We all were pretty relieved when we found out it was just inflammation,” Judge said...."

The Yankees lost, and that lack of run support? It was because Soto wasn't in the lineup.  Soto said himself he was available off the bench, but Boone didn't want to do that.  And that's something I will never understand.  You want to win games, right?  You lead a team as a manager, and you will sacrifice a game just to give the guy a day off? He's 25 freaking years old.  He should be playing; the results came back clean... Boone's an idiot.

Look, I expect Soto in the lineup today.  If he's not, I really have to question what's going on here.  It's that Yankee mystery that drives me crazy.  They aren't truthful with us many times.... what makes you think they are this time? Put the guy back in the lineup.  Soto right now is the life we need, and it's worked all season!

SEVERINO UPDATES US ON HIS RECOVERY

It's amazing how Luis Severino is still out. To me, it feels like 2 years since he had Tommy John Surgery. But it hasn't been that long.  Surgery was in February.  And Sevy? He won't be ready until the 2021 season anyway.  But that being said, he made sure he was giving an update on his recovery. I love this...

NJ.com writes:

"The two-time All-Star emailed the New York Post with an update on his rehab, and it’s clear Severino understands slow and steady wins the race. 

'I’ve been down in Tampa since the day after I had my surgery. I do arm bike, dumbbell exercises, and I just follow the routine that [trainers] Timmy [Lentych] and Alfonso [Malaguti] plan out for me. I spend an hour and half with them in the trainer’s room before I move into the gym, every day, five days a week,' Severino explained. 'Things have been progressing well. I’ve been making steady progress — lifting, doing exercises. Since three months ago — I think when I first had my surgery — I feel way better. I’m doing everything I need to do right now so that I can start throwing this summer.’"

Love this dude's work ethic and appreciate the update.  In 2021, he and Cole will really be major parts of the Yankees starting rotation, and it will be glorious.

A healthy Sevy is an amazing Sevy. Can't wait.

CHAD GREEN DODGES TOMMY JOHN

OK. For me, the visual was funny.  I picture Chad Green juking and avoiding the unneeded tackle of the actual Tommy John as he went in for the tackle.

Then I see Green running out on the field and putting his hands up in victory.... or something.  My mind works in strange ways... that's the end of that bit.

The actual news is Chad Green avoiding Tommy John surgery after he was pulled from his start last week because of some discomfort in his elbow.  You know I'm not a big Green fan, but I also don't wish ill will on anyone.  We here at BYB wish Green well.

According to LoHud, no Tommy John for Green, just rest and a new beginning in 2017.

"Chad Green might not pitch again this year, but he expects to avoid Tommy John surgery and be ready for spring training.

Yankees team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad recommended that Green rehab his strained flexor tendon, but it seems his ulnar collateral ligament is not damaged after all.

'That (flexor tendon) is where the pain was coming from,' Green said. 'I wasn’t getting much from the UCL. No pain, actually. It was just the flexor. Once they got the dye, (they could see the UCL more clearly). The first MRI didn’t really show the UCL all that much. The dye showed the UCL was still intact and good. It’s just a relief.'"

It really is a relief. 

Now Dr. Ahmad is a guy we have casually worked with here at BYB because of our relationship with Steve Hayward and together, they run the Baseball Health Network in the hopes to educate people about arm injuries and how to avoid them.  When we wrote about Green the other night in GANG GREEN, I couldn't help but think about the Baseball Health Network and how if an outlet like BHN was around when these pro players were kids, maybe the injuries would be less.  Who really knows, but it's just good to know that no surgery was needed.

Rest Chad. We'll see you in 2017.

SAVING ARMS: A BYB FEATURE

Anybody who has followed baseball over the past few decades, in particular the last decade or so, is bound to be familiar with Tommy John surgery. For those who don’t know, the surgery is ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction and more can be found HERE. We see it all the time on ESPN when big leaguers undergo the procedure, but what is often left out is talk of the increasing frequency in which amateur athletes are now dealing with when it comes to the procedure... and arm issues in general.

I came across an article on NJ.com citing a study of the likelihood of particular Major Leaguers who are at risk of having to undergo the procedure. One of the players high on the list, Marlins reliever Carter Capps. Capps just had Tommy John surgery on March 8.

What caught my attention was that Yankees starters Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino and Nathan Eovaldi are all at high risk too, according to the study. The study used certain factors, including previous Tommy John procedures, release points and days on the disabled list with other arm issues.  The whole thing got me thinking about what some of the causes of these injuries are and factors that could increase the likelihood of a UCL injury. I reached out to a guy who is known as one of the leading experts in this field. Steve Hayward of Baseball Health Network.

After finishing up his playing career in the minor leagues, Hayward partnered with New York Yankees team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad who is a recognized expert in Tommy John surgeries and elbow injuries. Together, they created Baseball Health Network. Their goal is to reverse the trend in arm injuries by bringing baseball coaches, trainers and doctors together in an attempt to keep players arms healthy.  Baseball Health Network just launched it's website, and I would highly recommend checking it out.

(In Photo: Steve Hayward, Dr. Ahmad)
While talking with Hayward, great points were made. We discussed pitch counts and how the number of pitches a player throws should not be determined by the league’s rules, but by how prepared the player is. Notice that's in bold.  If, for example, a kid in youth baseball is allowed to throw 85 pitches in a game, that doesn’t necessarily mean he should. If it’s game one and he has maxed out at a 40 pitch bullpen, what would make you think he is ready to rear back and throw 85 pitches? He did not build up his pitch count and arm strength enough leading up to this first start. See what I mean?

And that leads us to the second point. Pitchers need to throw often as the season approaches...

(In photo: Andrew Miller at Spring Training 2016)
BYB: If you had one thing to tell young pitchers about arm health and how to avoid injury, what would it be?

Steve Hayward: “Pitchers need to be conditioned to pitch, not pitch to get conditioned.”

It may sound a little funny, but think about it; You don’t go out and run two miles then decide you’re ready for the marathon, right? No. You would build up stamina and strength over time so when the time comes to run 26.2 miles, you have trained to get to that point without injuring yourself. The same goes for your arm. You have to build up your strength and stamina over time.

A lot of people preach taking time off from pitching and both Hayward and I agreed on that point. But there are many variables involved when talking about time off:

“As far as the no throw period, there is plenty of time to rest from throwing throughout the year, a week here, a few days there, during each season. It's not like your telling kids to throw every day, even every other day. The sensible baseball people, that provide a sensible schedule for their players recognize this. It's the not so sensible people that schedule 55-60 games in 70 days I worry about. 

The 'off season' throwing could be to throw a couple days a week, to maintain conditioning and consistency. That throwing could be anywhere from 50% to 75% intensity and as little as 30-40 total throws and anywhere from 30-60 feet. I'm not a doctor but I am a thrower and have been for over 30 years, I understand what makes throwing arms feel good and stay healthy. My methods have been proven over the past 15 years and are the reason one of the country's best doctors has partnered with me in creating the Baseball Health Network.”

As for youth pitchers, age 15 and below say, one factor Hayward pointed to was simply physical strength and muscled mass. This is interesting...

Hayward said, “Kids these days just don’t have the strength. When you look at their physical makeup, many young players are just not in very good shape.”

We discussed how some players can’t even successfully execute five proper push-ups. FIVE! These young athletes, by not having adequate strength, make themselves very susceptible to growth plate injuries, which you can read more about HERE. This should be something all young players and their parents should really take a look at.

I’ve seen it myself as a coach, and so has Hayward. Young players have to condition their bodies by staying active, doing strength exercises and baseball specific exercises like using arm bands (correctly). Plus, diet's important! Eating a proper diet and getting adequate rest is a great thing. Without the proper physical makeup, injury risks increase.

If you think about the elbow, it is surrounded by the triceps, biceps and forearms. Those muscles help keep the elbow held together. Without adequate strength and flexibility in those muscles and ligaments, the elbow could become a ticking time bomb.

A factor all of us baseball people have encountered at one time or another is field conditions. We have all had that mound that has a huge hole where the pitchers landing spot is.

Having a poor landing spot, or filling it in with unstable material like sand, adds to the risk of injury believe it or not. Hayward suggests the only way to fix that is through the hard work of communities and its members.

For us coaches, Hayward specifically mentioned the type of player we should keep an eye on. We all want our kids to be tough and willing to battle through discomfort and general soreness. I know I do. But one group of players that Hayward suggested we strongly monitor are the kids who have 'huge stones’.  You know, the ones who don’t admit when they're hurt, and play through pain they shouldn’t. Young players, and older ones, need to know the difference between being sore and being hurt. Slight muscle fatigue and general soreness is expected after pitching, but players need to know when to speak up and tell their coaches, trainers and parents when they feel a pain. A sharp or biting pain should always be looked at immediately.

Still there? Good, because this is one of my favorite points Hayward makes, and it is probably debatable depending on who you talk to: ‘There is healing power in throwing’.

Hayward:  “Throw. Throwing (the day after pitching, while sore for example) below the threshold is how I describe it. Throw at an intensity level that is tolerable. Throw at a short distance, low to medium intensity for as long as it takes for the arm to feel better.”

Hayward and the folks he is working with at Baseball Health Network, including Dr. Ahmad who performed Tommy John surgery on then Yankees right-hander Chase Whitley in 2015, are attempting to create a one-stop shop for all your baseball training needs to learn about off-season routine, season maintenance, injury rehab among other things.

For instance, an interesting development in the treatment of UCL injuries, in particular of partially torn UCL’s, is the development of Platelet Rich Plasma, or PRP, Therapy; the treatment that Masahiro Tanaka went through in the summer of 2014.  It appears that this treatment is becoming more common and effective.  More info on PRP can be found HERE and we will cover that topic more in the near future here on Bleeding Yankee Blue.

Look, someone really needed to put this out there to raise awareness of this terrible trend. While speaking with Hayward and corresponding with Dr. Ahmad, it was easy to tell they are truly passionate, and want to make a difference in the baseball world.  Make sure you check out Baseball Health Network on Facebook and Twitter too.  Their handle is @BaseballHealth.

Thank you very much for your time and effort in trying to tackle this issue head on, Coach Hayward. We applaud you here at Bleeding Yankee Blue.

To our BYB audience... yes, we are a Yankee website, but many of us have kids in baseball.  Many of us have seen kid pitch longer than they should, kids hurt from arm injuries as well as the Yankees or athletes in general.  It's great to have experts out there to provide this helpful information.  That's why we wanted to bring it to you.  And we will continue with much more down the road.

We hope you enjoyed this.

--Dan Lucia
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia

 

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MIKE MUSSINA BELONGS IN THE HALL

Next week, we expect to hear the final results of the Hall of Fame voting, and perhaps the announcement of the 2016 inductees. One name I do not expect to hear on the inductee list is Mike Mussina. It’s a shame because he is a guy that deserves induction when you look at his numbers and accomplishments. This is his third time on the ballot, and he received between 20% and 25% of the votes in the last two years. We expect him to get about the same this year. I cannot understand why he does not get more.

Wins seem to be the biggest determinant of awards for starters, including for Cy Youngs and Hall of Fame election. One stat determining that seems overly simplistic, but it is what it is. Still, Mussina earned 270 career wins, which is 20th on the all-time list when looking at the post-dead ball era. Only two pitchers are ahead of him that are not in the Hall or on the ballot – Jim Kaat and Tommy John. Each of them needed at least 25 seasons to do what Mussina did in 18 seasons. He averaged 17 wins per season, which means that although he only recorded 20 wins once in his career – his last, he was always pitching like a potential 20-game winner. He is 18th on the all-time strikeouts list with 2813 for the post-dead ball era, and 16 of the 17 ahead of him are in the Hall. Nine times, he came in the top six in the Cy Young voting. He was a 7-time Gold Glove winner. He was a dominant starter in the years which he pitched.

So why would he not get the votes? Good question. The Hall of Fame vote is a subjective evaluation by members of the Baseball Writers of America Association, and that is always colored by the personal perspectives of each voter as to what they each believe qualifies a Hall of Famer. There are lots of theories as to why they don’t vote for him, but I think most of it is affected by the perception that he is the quintessential “Mr. Almost”. He almost won a World Series, coming within 2 outs of it in 2001. He almost was a 20-game winner twice, once in the shortened 1995 season where he led the league in wins. He came within one strike of a perfect game in Fenway Park on September 2, 2001, before Carl Everett poked a single into left field. Somehow, this makes him look a notch below the rest of the Hall inductees.

Again, I think this is a shame. BBWAA members are journalists who should be able to ascertain baseball accomplishments within context. Every stat I cited is well-known to every BBWAA voter. At least it should be.  Some voters believe in certain traditions, like not voting for first-timer’s on the ballot because that has a higher bar. Maybe they think he’ll deserve it after he’s up for the 10th time. I like to believe that if you think he deserves it, you vote yes. If not, you vote no. The fact that there are 3-4 ballots with his name missing for each one that has his name on it is hard to understand. Maybe one of these years, they’ll come to their senses.

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







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MICHAEL PINEDA: THE ACE

Good things come to those who wait, and man did the Yankees wait for this one. Michael Pineda has finally reached the place where we can declare him our official ace. It was always the plan that he would be a #1 or a #2 starter when we traded for him. He was only 23 years old when he first joined the Yankees, so we knew some development had to happen – maybe a year or two as a legitimate #3 starter. He certainly showed a lot of promise in his first and only year with the Seattle Mariners. While many questioned whether he was worth the price of top prospect Jesus Montero and pitcher Hector Noesi, you only have to look at how those two guys are doing now to see that we robbed the bank on that deal.

There are certain characteristics you expect from an ace of the staff. The most important one is wins – the one slot in the rotation where you expect a win everytime out. Pineda is 4-0 in 6 starts, with the Yankees record at 5-1 in Pineda starts. He is effective, with an ERA at 2.97 and he averages about 6 and a half innings per game. He is durable, having thrown at least 90 pitches in each start, topping out at 101 in his latest start. His fastball is in the low 90’s and he mixes in off-speed pitches in the mid-80’s about half the time. He is not afraid to throw strikes, doing so at a rate of about 69%, and he has only gone to a 3-0 count once – ONCE – this season. In what I consider to be the sign of his ability to lead and motivate, Yankee hitters are averaging 4.7 runs per start. I could quote a dozen more stats to this effect, but it would only reinforce the image that this guy is the bedrock, the ace of this pitching staff.

Now when we declare someone the ace, the backstory is always that every other starter is NOT the ace. In the Yankees’ case, we have two pitchers who once held the title of ace of the staff. Those two, of course, are C.C. Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka. Sabathia was signed in 2009 to be the ace of the staff, and he delivered in that role for several years, including 2009 when we won the World Series. I love C.C., but after several injury-plagued years, he just is not pitching at that level anymore. When he is on, he is lights out. When he is off, he is way off. He is way off often enough that you cannot rely on him to deliver a win every 5th turn. Nobody wants him to return to his ace form more than me, but he is probably a #3 or #4 starter at this point.

Masahiro Tanaka came in with a splash and a big signing, and he was outstanding. When you have a guy who is 12-4 with an ERA of 2.51 and a K/9 of 9.4 at the midway point, he becomes the de facto ace. Then he had that slight UCL tear, and it has been downhill ever since. He was not the same pitcher when he returned in September. After getting his arm strength up and his fastball velocity into the 90’s in his last two starts, he got hurt again and will miss at least a month. There is almost no confidence that his arm has the durability to go a full season. The fact is that his best play may be to have the dreaded Tommy John surgery and come back for the 2017 season. After all, did we not wait a couple of years for Michael Pineda because of injuries and surgery? But I digress ….

The only thing standing in the way of Michael Pineda is Michael Pineda himself. We have seen him make a bunch of knuckleheaded moves with the pine tar, and the last two years have seen hope dashed by injuries. Right now, though, he is showing a lot of maturity, no signs of wear, and no indication that he is holding back. He looks strong and dominant, and if he keeps this up, he has a legitimate shot at being a 20-game winner. The confidence shows when he takes the mound, his own and that of the rest of the team. That’s the ace.

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







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