BRITTON'S A YANKEE & WHY NEWSPAPERS ARE NO LONGER IMPORTANT

Photo: USA Today

It was a stealth move by Brian Cashman and a suggestion made by non-baseball insider Mike Lupica.  We wrote about it the other day on Bleeding Yankee Blue in a piece titled LUPICA SAYS MAYBE IT SHOULD BE ZACH BRITTON...

And then it actually happened.

I must point out that Lupica is a non-baseball insider because it's the baseball insiders that typically throw all kinds of crap at the wall and see how many clicks they get. Lupica has a following, this is true, but he's not looking for all that garbage.  He's looking for quality.  One of the last good ones I must say.  After all... what the publications like the New York Daily News, Newsday, New York Post don't seem the realize that in their haste to cut back on solid sports writers salaries... they have cut the meat and quality from their sports pages as well. In other words, they are killing themselves.  I'm a sports reader. But me and thousands of others have no reason to go to those newspapers anymore as long as guys like Harper, Marchand, Klapisch and Matthews are gone.  Now sure, the icons like Davidoff and Caldera are still there in their respected publications, but it's them I seek, not their companies pages.  Lupica is still kicking, but reality will tell you that these guys, all of them, have the following because of their quality of work... not because the paper has backed them.  In this day and age, these genius and witty writers can run the table by putting out independent columns and tweet them to their fans.  To hell with big time papers.  Truth be told, I told both Wally and Marchand when they first were released from their respected papers that if they ever want to write a guest column on BYB... they can. Why? Because they are iconic in New York and it would be an honor.

Why am I telling you this? Simple. I didn't find that Lupica nugget about Zach Britton because I wanted to read the Daily News.  I read it because I wanted to read Lupica.  Point being... these papers, while saving a few bucks are losing readers rapidly and they are too stupid to realize that.  All because some big wig in a corner office can get their bonus at the end of the year because he kept costs down.  Whatever man.  Remember this... it's the people that make the sports stories great... never the paper.

Anyway... where am I? Oh yeah... Zach Britton is a Yankee. Lupica had it first last week... here's my man Jack Curry of YES now.

Britton to Yankees is a done deal, says @JonHeyman. Dillon Tate is reportedly one of the players the Yankees will send to the Orioles. https://t.co/quE0w8sH3B

— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) July 25, 2018

It's a big deal.  Remember Dillon Tate? Yes... he's now gone.

Yanks bolstered their pen even more.  And now Yankee starters don't need to go 7 innings... they can go 5... or 4, depending on the day.

Nice move Cash.  I wonder if there will be more. Stay tuned.

ANDREW MARCHAND MOVES ON

It was shocking and it really surprised me to see a note from Andrew Marchand last night on Twitter.  It turned out that for the first time in a long time, Marchand would not be at pitchers and catchers.  In fact... Marchand was leaving ESPN.

Now for a Yankee fan site like myself who depended on and appreciated guys like Andrew, it's hard to get my head around this kind of stuff. Change sucks.  Because much like Wally Matthews, Mark Feinsand and others who have left their positions at their respective companies for whatever reasons... it's weird. Mostly because we as new kids on the block in the fan site world, we like reading these guys.

I mean sure, I'm the first one to admit that I get bent out of shape when these guys stretch it a bit with their reporting, or when they call themselves 'baseball insiders' and yet, there really is no insight... I DO give some of these folk jazz. I admit that 100%.  But ultimately, it's guys like Marchand that keep folks like Bleeding Yankee Blue, Greedy Pinstripes, Section-36 going evey single day. 

Hell, I would have never started the BYB Hub, collecting a whole range of new writers if it wasn't for the likes for Marchand, Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record, Erik Boland of Newsday, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, Pete Abraham over at the Boston Globe, Jason Keidel of CBS Sports. That's my stable... and my staple to great morning reads for me. It's many of these guys that I like waking up to and reading... and yes... give them the proper plug when the story is great, or shake my fist at the screen if I don't agree.

Marchand is one of the good ones, despite our disagreements, and there is mad respect there.  When I read his note last night... I responded the only way I know how....

Wow. Good luck to you. You are one of the best. If you get bored, come write for Bleeding Yankee Blue. It could be fun for you. 😀. Sincerely. Good luck.

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) February 10, 2018

Best of luck to you Andrew.  No doubt your new gig as a New York Post Media Columnist will be great.  But much like when I offered to Wally... my offer stands with you too.  I know we're not top of the baseball heap, and I know you need to provide for your family... but if you wanna write something for BYB, no question we'd welcome it. It's because of people like you that we even exist.

Respect.

Good Luck, friend.

ESPN'S "INTEREST IN GARDNER" STORY FALLS FLAT

It's days like this you wish Wally Matthews was still writing for ESPN, because at least then there would actually be integrity and a real a story behind the headline MLB Rumor Central: Growing interest in Brett Gardner?

But there isn't anything in that story at all... 

"Several teams in need of a left-handed bat could inquire about the availability of outfielder New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe... 

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports speculated last week the Houston Astros, who have a lineup heavy on righty hitters and some money to spend, might be interested in Gardner..."

And so, ESPN falls flat and it's utterly embarassing. Where are the teams? Which teams? Where are the nuggets other than the Astros once hinted by a Fox Sports guy?  Really ESPN?

You want the nugget, right? I mean even our smart BYB readers can speculate like ESPN just did.  What the hell? And here's that Boston Globe hint they offered...

" Brett Gardner, LF, Yankees — Expect a few teams to inquire about Gardner’s availability, ones that could use a lefthanded bat/leadoff hitter. Gardner could bring back prospects to add to the Yankees’ war chest. “Open to listening on anything,” said GM Brian Cashman."

That's it??? When was the last time you went on BYB to find NO news? I guess, right now!  Here's a perfect example of horrible journalism brought to you by ESPN who literally formulated a fake story to click on... and yes.. we clicked on it, even me.

Disappointing.

So no, there are no specific teams. And we can only guess that there will be teams interested in Brett Gardner. But to say that there is "Growing Interest" is freaking ridiculous.

God I miss Wally.

 

BABY GIRARDI SHOWED HIS TRUE COLORS

Frustration is in all of us.  Sometimes when things don't go your way, you want to yell and scream and bitch and moan and walk away from the situation because you can't face the loss, or, you just can't formulate the words to express it.  You feel attacked, piled on and ultimately it's overwhelming.

But as a leader, you can't walk away from your responsibilities, and when things crumble in front of you and you watch a team lose a game that probably should have been won, the best and most respectful thing you can do is stand there tall and take your lumps as a leader.  And by lumps... I mean the reporters want answers for the fans and for their jobs, and you as the leader, the manager needs to take it!

Sorry... that's what being a leader is.  Joe Girardi is no longer a leader.  Joe Girardi showed no spine last night after that loss.  That's because Joe Girardi is responsible for losing the last 2 games for the New York Yankees.  Yes, the Yankees swing the bats, but when you play MUST WIN GAMES, you put in the top players to win those games. If you do all you can and still not win, it was a noble effort. But there isn't a noble anything lately.

There is no longer any excuse for going to a binder and trying to figure out match ups AND ONLY USING THAT BINDER TO MAKE YOUR DECISIONS IN BIG GAMES.  When you do that and don't use your human "gut instincts"... it will burn you... and Joe got burned.  I could see it in the first inning of last night's Yankee loss against the Blue Jays.

Gibbons is out managing Girardi. Gut vs. Binder

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) September 23, 2016

The Yankees weren't outplayed... Joe Girardi was.  A binder will tell you to put the shift on when Edwin Encarnacion comes to the plate.  But "gut instinct" will tell Gibbons to have Encarnacion to poke one the opposite way with a man on first.

That set up a 2 run inning for the Jays and for me clearly right then, you knew who would win the game, because Girardi set his players up for failure.  Bryan Mitchell was left out there to struggle.  Larry Rothschild went out twice to talk and calm down Bryan but he didn't have it.  HOW ABOUT YOU SEE THE STRUGGLE AND PLAY TO WIN, JOE.  Remove the kid.  Run through all your guys and TRY TO WIN THE GOD DAMN GAME!  He didn't.  He waited too long.  He put in guys who probably didn't belong in at those certain moments... and in the end, he set them up for failure.  Shame.

I was blown away by Joe walking out on reporters last night.  It was JV.  It was disgusting because what it told me is that he can no longer handle being the manager of the New York Yankees.  If you live under a rock, here's LoHud to map out last night's spectacle:

"...The Yankees have to win every game that's remotely within reach, and Girardi's been aggressive with his bullpen lately, but he couldn't count on his offense to score three runs in the final two innings, and so he did not go to the top reliever available. This was not considered a close game.

Pressed on that point, though, Girardi grew agitated and declared the postgame interview over after two and a half minutes.
Here's the exchange:

• Joe, do I understand that you’re saying 3-0 is no longer considered a close game?
   
• 'No, but I’ve been throwing Adam multiple innings. Parker has been throwing pretty good for us. He didn’t tonight. I could have went to Adam and then maybe I don't have him tomorrow. We have some issues, in a sense. We don’t have a starter Monday. I’m just trying to piece it all together.'

As another reporter started a question, Girardi got up from his desk and declared, 'I'm done, I'm done, that's it,' then marched out of his office.

It was as angry as I've seen Girardi during a postgame interview in probably two years. Hard to believe he was particularly surprised or offended by the question, but at this point Girardi's clearly out of nice ways to explain his team's down-the-stretch collapse."

"I'm done, that's it!", No Joe... answer the question!  Or, here's a better, less professional one... "Why aren't you playing to win?"

Thanks to Chad Jennings for a great piece.  I'm adding to it.

I'm disappointed in Joe. In fact, Joe needs to apologize to not only that press cluster, but to the Yankee fans who want to see him and the Yankees do their job.  Sure it's frustrating for Joe, but that's the job, and as a leader, you need to lead.

No game is ever perfect, but as a leader and manager of a team... I expected more from Joe.  The press has been professional this season despite the Yankee hiccups and setbacks, never once getting out of line. Joe lost hair and got gray.  But as a Manager of the New York Yankees, that's what happens.

But here's the most telling part of all of this.  Giving up.  Joe gave up last night.  Fans did too if you read Twitter.  But that's not how life works, folks.  We are taught at a very young age to work hard toward your goals.  It will be hard and long and in the end, worth it... but you stick to it and things will happen.

As a team you do the same, TOGETHER. Joe Girardi showed some symbolism last night.  He took the line of questioning from reporters personal and didn't make it about his team... and in the end, he not only walked out on the press, but walked out on the Yankees and us fans.  It was wrong and kind of pathetic. But it should not be that way. You know how I know? Because Wally Matthews of ESPN New York said it best when he tweeted back a fan last night who gave up just like Joe Girardi....

Thanks, but you're not going anywhere yet. If I have 9 games to go, so do all of you https://t.co/0et1hrzt1D

— wallace matthews (@ESPNNYYankees) September 24, 2016

You said it, Wally.  Last time I checked, a team sticks together, be it reporters, fans or a team. All around, it's a group effort... a team effort and a leader sets the tone.

And so I ask you, Joe... What happened to you?

CC MONSTER IS A BIG TEDDY BEAR

You know how much I love and appreciate the gamer in CC Sabathia!  And for those of you who don't know why we refer to him as CC Monster here at BYB, let's review.  Years ago when my 6 year old was much tinier, he liked Cookie Monster on Sesame Street.  I also had plenty of Yankee baseball on and they witnessed me watching, and rooting for CC.  Somewhere along the way, CC Sabathia's name changed. 

One day watching the game, I heard, 'CC Monster' and the name just stuck in my house, and so, the gamer, the tough guy, the hard nosed lefty in CC Sabathia became a role model and gained a bunch of fans in my home.  CC Monster lives, and while he's that monster on the mound, he's also a big Teddy Bear. 

As many of you know, we stand with CC as he tackles his alcohol addiction, and we appreciate everything he and Amber do for the less fortune.  They are simply tops!

Wally Matthews of ESPN has a terrific piece today about CC and not only about him getting ready for the 2016 season, but the charity work he's doing with the New York Yankees.  You really can't dislike CC Sabathia, folks.  For those who do because of his recent struggles... get educated.

Matthews writes:

" CC Sabathia was at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday afternoon to take part in the New York Yankees annual holiday food drive to benefit the city's needy...'I always come in to work out here a couple of times a week in the offseason,' Sabathia said.

Sabathia -- who has two years left on the five-year, $122 million contract he signed right after the 2011 season -- says he is well ahead physically of where he usually is at this point of the offseason.

'I'm probably light years ahead, being able to fully work out and do the things I want to do totally healthy,' said Sabathia, who appeared noticeably lighter than he had been at the end of the season.

'My workouts are a lot more tougher but it's kind of what I need at this point in my career... I'm definitely looking forward to getting back out there... I'm ready to get to spring training. I'm kind of excited. Usually at this point I'm ready to get down to Florida, but the weather has been so nice here that I'm enjoying New York here, so it's been good."

Say what you want about Sabathia.  The guy's no quitter.  I am revved up to see this dude in 2016, and hopefully he'll prove the doubters wrong and have a successful season.  After all, it's a new year... with that year, comes a clean slate for this CC Monster fan.

Great piece Wally Matthews.  Merry Christmas.

And Merry Christmas to the Sabathias as well!

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!

THAT "BASEBALL INSIDER" TITLE DOESN'T MEAN MUCH, YOU KNOW...

I respect all these "Baseball Insiders", but I gotta tell ya, it's a racket.  You can be given the title of "Baseball Insider", but what does it really mean if you tweet out info after the fact, or, you put out info just to get it wrong later? 

Hell, think about this for a second; When the information on Giancarlo Stanton broke last week, no "Baseball Insider" had any of  the contract information.  You know who did? Some dude named Christopher Meola.  He tweeted this before anyone:

@Deadspin @TMZ_Sports Giancarlo Stanton deal official 13 years 325 million full no trade clause can opt out when he's 30.
— Christopher meola (@DfineNrmLC) November 14, 2014

The funny thing is, now he's somebody. You know the other funny thing?  Jon Heyman and Jim Bowden are suddenly following him. Damn... you can't make that up.

Now comes word that Russell Martin is a Toronto Blue Jay. It broke today. But do you realize that, for about 48 hours, the Chicago Cubs were gonna get him?

That's not BS, it was reported that way by many "Baseball Insiders". In fact, this was Ken Rosenthal's report yesterday:

Executives involved in bidding for Russell Martin believe #Cubs are clear front-runner. Deal expected to be in four-year, $64M range.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 17, 2014

Today Russell Martin's with the Blue Jays, with more money and 1 more year. Did I mention before that you can't make this stuff up? That's because you can't. 

What's this post all about? It's about the grind.  No longer is it about getting it right. It's clearly about getting it first, and God forbid a guy named Christopher Meola beats you... well, then you either follow him so you can at least be ahead of your peers, or maybe you can at least guess, with the hopes of getting it "close to correct." 

Look, the idea of Martin to the Cubs was pretty solid for a while there... until it wasn't today.  Now, trust me, no one will remember Rosenthal's tweet, and that's fine, but the fact of the matter is, there aren't truly "Baseball Insiders" then, are they?  In other words, the term is dumb.

Now, that's not a slight, it's the reality.  There are guys like Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record that get plenty of items correct on the daily. But he does his job, he doesn't need the world to know.  He doesn't need to be first... he needs to be right.  Hey... maybe that's why I respect him so.  Maybe that's why I respect guys like Ken Davidoff and Pete Abraham, Jason Keidel, Wally Matthews and Andrew Marchand... they make sure they're right.  Hey, maybe that's why I've been smart not to give away too much in my own BYB endeavors.  Let's not forget, Bleeding Yankee Blue was the only one that said Ichiro Suzuki was coming to the Yankees, read HERE. 

I was also the only one who has an exclusive message from Joba Chamberlain to the Yankee fans thanking them for being so supportive when he went to the Tigers, HERE.  Jon Heyman would never follow me... it would destroy his rep.

Now...Do I brag? No. Am I sure I got it checked out before I spill the beans? You're damn sure I do. 

And that's why I'm extra careful with my Troy Tulowitzki "Source." I'm giving you just enough, but not too much to screw it up.  I'm handling it with care, because... let's be honest, I don't know what the hell I'm doing. I want to stay with your guys throughout the journey. I want to see it through.

In the end, it's just baseball.  It's not brain surgery.  From my experience, as long as you're honest. As long as you put up good work... the readers will follow.  We here at BYB... we're rarely ever first.  We do however make sure we laid out the full story for you, whatever it is. 

This "Martin to the Cubs" story should be a lesson to us all.  Patience is key.  Fact checking... key.  Good Journalism... check.  Getting the story right? Priceless.

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!

PETE CALDERA: THE VOICE

I've done this before and I'll keep doing it. We have a very important announcement to make;  Saturday, February 22 at the Carnegie Club in New York City, Bergen Record Yankee beat writer and all around nice guy Pete Caldera will be singing Sinatra!

There will be 2 shows, 8:30pm and 10:30pm at the Carnegie Club and trust me when I tell you, Pete kills it!  I've been to the show and I will make an effort to get to this one as well.  If you like that lounge type atmosphere... if you like a glass of wine or a bourbon on the rocks and the sweet smell of cigars in a dim room rich in mahogany... this is the place you need to be Saturday night.   Check out Pete in an appearance on FOX 5.


Look, you know me, I like when people chase their dreams. There is something very beautiful about that. It's appealing to me. Sure, Pete knew he was a great writer, but he also loved to sing and so he took it further.  We interviewed Pete a while back in NO ONE DOES THE YANKEES BETTER THAN PETE CALDERA. It was then that I first discovered his interest in crooning:

BYB: OK, So before I tell you how much I love reading you in the Bergen Record, I need to know about the singing part of Pete Caldera...

Pete Caldera: I'm lucky enough to get to live out two of my passions - baseball and music. I've always been a huge Frank Sinatra fan, and a fan of the great composers, arrangers and band leaders of the era.  The singing part really began in 2000, when I covered my first Yankees spring training for another newspaper;  we'd invariably find ourselves at the piano bar in a Tampa restaurant called Donatello, and it grew from there. 

Lucky for anyone in New York City this weekend, because he's at the Carnegie Club! Remember, it's Saturday night, February 22nd and there are 2 shows, 8:30pm and 10:30pm.  Check it out... you won't be disappointed.  Don't believe me? Ask Wally Matthews!

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fasted growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.