"BAM BAM" MEULENS COULD MANAGE. WAYNE TOLLESON INTERVIEW'S NEXT!

I'm kidding about Tolleson.

You know I love joking about all these names that are popping up when it comes to the Yankee managerial search, but it almost sounds ridiculous at this point. It's like the 80's and 90's all over again!  The latest name is Hensley Meulens... gotta love it.

Chris Haft of MLB.com has this nugget:

"Meulens is expected to interview for the Yankees' vacancy later this week or early next week. He was a prospect with New York in the late 1980s and early '90s. A former infielder-outfielder, Meulens batted .221 with 12 homers and 46 RBIs in 159 games over five seasons with the Yankees (1989-93). He also played for Montreal in 1997 and Arizona in '98."

Does he have the experience? Yes, he totally does.  And not only that, I think he'd be perfect for a young Yankee team. Will they consider him? Well... he's gonna have to wow the Yankees, but I can see this as a big time possibility.

Then maybe they sign Wayne Tolleson as the third base coach.  I used to love that guy.

NOT ALL YANKEE FANS ARE THE SAME

This has been a strange week for me. I had moments when I actually told some fellow Yankee fans off. Some of them are RIDICULOUS! And I can easily see why other baseball fans dislike us with such vigor. I have really reached a point where I’d like to have a “House Cleaning” of sorts. Some of you folks won’t make the cut, but fear not, we will have you reassigned…somewhere.

What really got me going this week was the assault on now former Yankee outfielder Curtis Granderson.  To quote a fellow New Yorker, “YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!”



Yes, Curtis will now take the 7 Train to work for the cross-town club out in Queens. Yes, he signed a 4-year deal for $60 million. And yes, at his presser, he mentioned that he’d heard, “Real New Yorkers are Mets’ Fans.” SO WHAT?! Why does that bother you? If you’re a real Yankee fan you don’t sweat the Mets. They are the “other New York team”. I don’t see them as a rival. I don’t really see them at all.

They signed a good player and hope he enjoys Citi Field. And when he plays the Yankees I’ll give him a quick hand when he walks to the plate…and then hope CC fans him on 3 straight.

Why shouldn’t Granderson take a playful jab at his former team and fan base? He is a New York Met now! The Yankees didn’t want him back all that badly. The front office was pretty clear about that, and I don’t care how much of a business the game is, that stings. So Grandy is now ready to do what he did when he was a Yankee. He will play hard everyday. He will do all he can to help his club win and he WILL try to make the Yankees feel as if they’d made a mistake letting him walk. Good for Curtis. The man is a competitor. He is and always has been a class act.

Look, I think the Yanks will be okay without him, but I’ll miss Granderson. He was a good player for us. That's really the end of story, gang.

Some Yankee fans still feel the need to abuse players that leave (sometime through no fault of their own). Well, today is the day we decide NOT to re-sign said “fans”. We’ll be better off.

For years I’ve heard people who root for other clubs run down Yankee Fans. They lop us all together. We’re obnoxious. We’re not passionate unless we’re winning. Wait a damn second! Slow down! We aren’t all the same! Below is a list of things that will get you released from the organization. Enjoy…and if they apply to you, PACK YOUR BAGS!

Let me also state that this is my opinion and not the opinion of all the writers at Bleeding Yankee Blue.  Casey liked what I presented, he's fair... so I went for it. Here it goes...

• Do you own a Yankee Home or Away Jersey with a name stitched on the back above the number? Buh-bye. We know Jeter is #2, pal. Nobody is thinking you are rocking the old Mikey Gallego or Wayne Tolleson.

• Alternate caps…pink? No. I get that some of the ladies think they'e cute, but I am of the belief that women can and do know the game as well as men. Therefore, wear the Navy Blue Yankee Classic Cap, Ladies. The Yankees don’t even wear the green on St. Patty’s day and as an Irishman I’m fine with it.  

(The Military tribute and 4Th of July Caps are more than okay with me by the way. Those are a very different story.)

• If you live in say, Anaheim, California. And you tell everyone you are a Yankee Fan…ACTUALLY BE ONE!! I lived out West for a spell and would go to the “Big A” to see the Yanks when they’d come to town. And it’s those Orange County-Type New York fans that give all Yankee fans a bad name!

• If you are going to wax poetic, please know your stuff…. or at least more than the fact that Jeter and ARod play for your favorite team. Hey, you know what? How ‘bout just no more Anaheim Yankee Fans. Good, I feel better. I mean that stadium is usually just filled with people that thought they were in line for Space Mountain and ended up in a ballpark. Yeah, I don’t like anything about the Halos either.

• Don’t be a hypocrite. I was very disappointed in Robbie Cano and how he has handled his free agency. Hiring Jay Z was a mistake in my opinion, but he probably won’t ever see it that way. He wasn’t after a Yankee legacy or World Championships. Cano wanted big money and he got it.

So when we have Jacoby crossing the rivalry line for a huge contract, we should understand that it’s kind of the same thing. The Red Sox let him walk and he took the big money. Not every player is wowed by the Pinstripes. Some are just drawn to the almighty Yankee dollar…and that’s Okay. It’s not what we want to hear, but it is what it is.

• You have two favorite teams? Get up! Get out! HIT THE DEEGAN! Seriously, beat the traffic now. We don’t need you at the Stadium today. Maybe your other favorite team has room for ya. I have players that I like to watch from other clubs, but another favorite team? Nope. I have a friend that told me he is Yankee die-hard and his second favorite team is the Phillies. What? Awful.

• Don’t Show up in the 4th and leave in the 7th. I get there are things that can hold you up and there are reasons why you’d have to split early. There’s bad traffic, you couldn’t leave work early, have a fussy kid. I get it. But let’s not be Dodger Fans, folks. Leave the beach balls at home. Try to see batting practice and stay for Frank singing “New York, New York”…win or lose...

• No Waves in the Bronx. I won’t explain this one. You want to wave? Hop on a parade float or head up to the Yale Bowl in New Haven for the big game against the Crimson. Boola Boola.

These are just a few of the things that get me fired up. It can be tough to be a Yankee fan. When the club wins, they say we bought it. You can do no such thing in baseball though, that's the truth. When the Bombers lose, they say we deserve it because the Yanks are bad for baseball. That's absolute nonsense. But the thing that can be the most difficult pill to swallow is seeing and hearing "supposed" Yankee Fans do things like run down a solid guy like Granderson…in a Black Yankee Cap…with an away #7 jersey on…that reads, MANTLE. Knock it off.




--Mike O'Hara, MLB Fan Cave Host, Season 1
   Twitter: @mikeyoh21
"Paulie was always my favorite player."



Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest 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.

RON KITTLE: THE MAN, THE GLASSES & THE LAUGHS

In his prime, we knew Ron Kittle for three things – his long home runs, his sense of humor, and those enormous glasses. He first came up for his rookie season in 1983 with the Chicago White Sox, and he landed with a bang. He hit 35 home runs and 100 runs batted in, and he won the American League Rookie of the Year. At age 25, the White Sox looked like they had someone around which to build their franchise. 

In old Comiskey Park, there was a lot of attention paid to the rare rooftop home run, which required the ball to go at least 550 feet, according to estimates of the day. Ron Kittle hit seven of them in his time at Comiskey – a record. Unfortunately, his displays of power could not compensate for his lack of ability to get a hit, barely getting his average over .200. 

(In Photo: Ron Hassey)
In 1986, the White Sox gave up and traded him, along with Wayne Tolleson and Joel Skinner, to the Yankees for Ron Hassey and a couple of minor leaguers. Personally, I remember the Tolleson part of the trade, since we were starving for a shortstop who could hit at the major league level, and Tolleson was hitting decently. Kittle did okay with the Yankees, hitting .277 with 12 homers and 28 RBI in 1987 before he left the Yankees. Despite the hitting stats, I have to say that his Strat-O-Matic card was a pretty good one, and it won me a few close games. 

Nevertheless, he bounced around between Cleveland, Baltimore, and the White Sox before retiring in 1991 at the age of 33.  His on-field play, however, does not even tell half the story. He had a dry, deadpan sense of humor and loved standing out and poking fun at himself. Look, lots of us are near-sighted, but not even in the 1980’s did we all run around with glasses that had the coverage of NORAD over the Soviet border. His quotes were hilarious. 

When told that his 35 home runs broke the franchise rookie record for home runs held by Zeke Bonura, he quipped, with a perfectly straight face, “Oh yeah, Zeke...he was my hero", read HERE. He started and finished his career in Chicago, and he still works for them today. Given his love of the team, you would think he would not be in a joking mood when they traded him. Did he see it coming? “I won money on this. I knew I was gone. I got a hint when they gave me black spikes in spring training", read HERE. What are his thoughts on the fan’s appreciation for hitting home runs? “Fans appreciate home runs, I mean, they don't stand up for singles" he once said. The list goes on and on.
 

In recent years, he wrote a book about his time in Chicago - "Ron Kittle's Tales from the White Sox Dugout" - with some funny stories, and currently it's in our BYB Book Club. These days, Ron does marketing for his White Sox, He also does lots of charity work and motivational speaking. While he has lost the glasses for something a little more fashionable, his sense of humor has shown no signs of slowing down. 

Last month the Sox ran a Ron Kittle bobble-head doll night, and he was on the streets outside U.S. Cellular Field in his retro 1983 White Sox uniform and a sandwich board, promoting the event, read HERE. If you would like to see a picture of him in a tiger suit, just go to the front page of ronkittle.com. 

As chairman of the Indiana Sports Charities, he has been running an annual golf tournament in recent years to raise money for several hospitals in his area. This year, he is hosting The Ron Kittle Retro Jersey Motorcycle Ride to raise money for cancer research. Ron had a short stay with the Yankees, but we always appreciated his humor and his love of the game. We wish him all the best with his work and his charities, and hey, maybe we could get an interview with him and bring it to the BYB readers, huh? I know for a fact that Casey loves reviving the 80's with old Yankee stories... we'll see what we can do!

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

KAY TO YANKEE FANS: "YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!"

Listening to Michael Kay today, I was shocked.  Look, I love Kay. I love Don La Greca and as far as I'm concerned, they do one of the best radio shows out there.  Kay speaks almost too, too "Doom and Gloom" for me though when it comes to the Yanks, but I still love to listen.  I thought maybe after his had his baby, things would soften with this guy.  He speaks his mind though and that's why he's successful.  So, what am I talking about? This...

Today when he was going over payroll and salaries for the Major League teams, brought to us every year by the Associated Press (HERE), he rattled off how the Yankee are yet again the highest in payroll and right behind them are the Dodgers. 

(Here's the top 5 list of that list)

• New York Yankees $228,995,945
• Los Angeles Dodgers $216,302,909
• Philadelphia Phillies $159,578,214
• Boston Red Sox $158,967,286
• Detroit Tigers $149,046,844

He then got real... saying to Yankee fans directly that he heard all the complaining about what the Yankees should have spent and that we didn't spend enough and yet, the Yankees are still the highest in payroll.  He then said something foolish... "You should be ashamed of yourselves."  That was directed at me, at you and at every Yankee fan... but I don't understand why.  Kay didn't think it through this time and it's disappointing. He shouldn't have said that, because it makes no sense. 

My take on this is simple. Yankees fans wanted the Yankees to spend and we don't care if it's $228,995,945 or $328,995,945, we just want the best guys we can get.  He then suggested "What ya gonna do... go out and get Prince Fielder?" I'm paraphrasing on that quote, but quite simply, the answer to that question... is YES! Again, as a fan, I want the best and biggest dudes possible.

Look, Yankee fans want who we want.  That's what Yankee fans have always enjoyed about the George Steinbrenner era.  We liked when George just made a move and got a top free agent.  Sure, some of them didn't pan out, but what was Kay talking about? Sure, Yankee fans didn't think we spent enough...so?  Why you talking trash bro?

As fans, we want the best team we can get, be it Prince Fielder or Randy Johnson, Vernon Wells or Wayne Tolleson... if they we think we can win with those guys, we ask and chat and complain until we get them.  It doesn't matter what the salary is... SPEND. And for the record, we've been saying that for months.  You know what $228,995,945 means to Yankees fans? Nothing Kay... nothing.

So, before you suggest that we should be ashamed of ourselves... you better check yo self before you wreck yo self...  I still love ya though, but you got this one wrong. And that's from a fan perspective, not a "Radio personality" perspective...

Go Yanks!

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REMEMBER SCOTT PROCTOR? HE'S STILL WORKING

The San Francisco Giants have signed Scott Proctor to a minor league deal.  That is being reported by TC Palm, read HERE.

Proctor said of the deal: “It’s an honor to play for an organization that has such a winning tradition... (San Francisco) focuses on the fundamentals that I believe in and to get a chance to play for an organization that does it the right way is quite an opportunity for me.”  Well, good for him.

Man, it feels like just yesterday I wrote about Proctor signing another deal.  I went back just to see when it was.  I found it, it was WHY SCOTT PROCTOR'S MOVED ON. That piece was from January 2012 and he signed on to play in Korea.  Well, he's back, there you go.

I love keeping you all up to date on former Yankees.  Next I'm going to write about Felix Heredia.  I hear he opened a deli in Brooklyn with Wayne Tolleson... I'm kidding.

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THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY OF THE YANKEES

I'm a traditionalist and a guy who always remembers the Yankees long forgotten. I've written about guys like Danny Pasqua (read WHY I ROOT FOR THE ITALIANS ) and Wayne Tolleson (Read BRETT GARNDER: BIG DOESN'T MEAN BETTER ), even Bobby Meacham (Read "WHO ARE YOU... BOBBY MEACHAM?" ) There are so many Yankees that have come and gone. For me though, other than the late 70's and the Mattingly era, I remember the lonely late 80's and early 90's as a strange time, yet comforting. I fondly remember guys like Don Slaught, Eric Plunk and guys like Pascual Perez and young pitching phenom Brien Taylor. Many people wouldn't even think twice about these guys, I do.

Being a Yankee is a good thing, It's an honor and you are held at a higher standard.  After all guys like the great Lou Gehrig, and Phil Rizzuto, Don Mattingly and Ron Guidry all wore the pinstripes...and of course there are plenty others...there's a long history of great players and great traditions.

But where is the good in being a New York Yankee, there also can come the bad and the ugly of it as well, the unfortunate and the disappointing that sometimes happens when your name is connected to a major sports team like the Yanks.  Now, let me be clear, I am in no way blaming the Yankees for anything I'm about to write about, but I can say that when you are with the big dogs, you become a target, or in the case of Brien Taylor, you ride the wave alittle too soon, not because you need to, but because you think you've made it, even before you have.

When news broke about the apparent murder of Pascual Perez yesterday, read HERE, it saddened me. Couple that with news of Brien Taylor facing up to 40 years in prison for drugs and drug trafficking and it was clear, that sometimes terrible things happen in life that are beyond our control, Hurricane Sandy is a great example. And sometimes, you CAN control your own destiny, but don't. Again, the bad and the ugly.

Pascual Perez was killed by a group of thugs that apparently broke into his home, whacked him in the head and then stabbed him, according to reports.  The New York Times writes: "...Perez, who last played in the majors for the Yankees in 1991, was found with a severe head wound in a town west of Santo Domingo, and there was evidence at the scene to suggest that whoever killed him had been searching for money..." It's just terrible.

Brien Taylor, who had struggled since he hurt his arm in a fight kept falling down the dark path of self-destruction. Read HERE.  As CBS reports: "In March 2012, a 40-year-old Taylor was charged with cocaine trafficking after undercover narcotics agents said they purchased a large quantity of cocaine and crack cocaine from him over a span of several months.

Taylor was federally indicted on trafficking charges in June and faces 5-to-40 years in prison after pleading guilty to cocaine distribution..."  A sad, sad story.

But, I'm not going to sit here and judge these two individuals. Sure Perez had drug problems and was never a superstar, but he did play major league ball for 11 years racking up a 3.44 ERA, a 67-68  record and 822 strikeouts in his career.  Taylor on the other hand, never played a major league game and got wrapped up in the glory before it even began. We've seen it time and time again, but for all of us who knew the story of Brien Taylor, it was very surprising. After all, we were anticipating a true superstar when he finally went pro. That never happened.

I just wanted to say I'm very sorry to hear about these 2 and their unfortunate ends. No one needs to go through this.  Not them and not their families. All I'm saying is, know what you have in life and run with it. Be cautious, but courageous and do your best as a person. That's really all I wanted to say. It's a sad post, but there's a lesson here.

Good Luck Brien Taylor... Rest in Peace Pascual Perez.

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BRETT GARDNER: BIG DOESN'T MEAN BETTER

Brett Gardner is not a Bronx Bomber...he’s a New York Yankee and for a little guy to succeed in this franchise...well, it really is terrific. You know me by now, speed's my thing and Gardy has the tools to get on base and score every time he comes to the plate. Gardy has a keen baseball sense and once Kevin Long was able to tweak his swing and get him to use his legs more in the box, we saw a big difference. (Read HERE.) As Long has said before, the lower half is key when at the plate and it almost seemed as though Gardy was slapping rather than swinging, and not using his full body to drive the ball.

Breet Gardner doesn’t fit the mold of the Yankees…I mean they’re nicknamed the “Bronx Bombers” for a reason. Gardner’s little, like Andy Stankiewicz, Wayne Tolleson and Phil Rizzuto before him.

(In Photo: Wayne Tolleson)

But one thing all those guys had that allowed them to succeed in pinstripes was heart. Gardy has heart and can grind it out at the plate as well as in left field against any “big” guy any day of the week. No, it doesn’t come easy to Gardy, one swing of the bat rarely wins it all for his team, but advancing to third in a tight game will. He uses the tools that work for him, and you have to respect that. And not only that, he’s improving every day. His numbers since 2008 have made steady improvement with more playing time. True, in 2011, his average and OBP dipped a bit from .259 in 2011 from .277 in 2010, but look at the stolen bases. Do you know that Gardner has a total of 135 stolen bases in his 4 seasons as a New York Yankee? Do you know where that puts him on the list of the all-time Yankee greats? Number 14 and he’s only been playing for 4 years pro. By the way, that list is brought to you by Yankeenumbers.com.

And what about his defense? There is no doubt that Gardner was robbed of a Gold Glove this year. When the ball is hit to left, he’s there and if he can’t reach it, he’ll get there somehow… always.

Look, I’m drooling over this kid, you clearly can tell, but that’s because the stolen base isn’t utilized as much as when Rickey Henderson was tearing up the base paths. Gardner’s bringing it back, because he knows the others can’t. I look forward to a solid season for Brett this year, with GGS in full effect, the man can definitely propel himself into one of the more valuable Yankees… and it’s not so much because of his power at the plate, but instead, his keen instincts, speed and defense. Gardy does it his way and you gotta love it.

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WHY THE NERD SHOW OPENED MY EYES

6 years ago, I was lucky enough to go to a card show and meet 3 very important Yankees. Yes, 2 were much older men, but the other was a new kid on the block. That stuff didn’t really matter though, they were Yankees and played with the greatest and played on the biggest stage. They were Gil McDougald, Bobby Murcer and Chien Ming Wang.

I walked into the auditorium of the event with my wife, who likes to break my balls when it comes to memorabilia collecting. She calls them “Nerd” shows. This isn’t to say that the actual shows are nerd shows, she’s making fun of me for being a nerd. Anyway, that being said, when I saw these athletes live, I turned into a little kid, and dare I say, a nerd… so maybe she’s onto something. Anyway, back to my point.

The first line was a short one. When I saw Gil Mcdougald, he looked nothing like the 1956 baseball card I had of him, but it was the ACTUAL Gil Mcdougald. I had a baseball and when it was my turn, I went up shook his hand and told him while I never saw him play, I thanked him for some great years on the Yankees and appreciated him. He smiled at me and told me he appreciated it. “A lot of youngsters tend to go up to the new guys.” That broke my heart but he laughed it off and signed my baseball. I took a picture and thanked him.

Next we waited on a longer line, but it was worth it, Bobby Murcer was on the end of it. He was healthy at the time, smiling, shaking hands and really just larger than life in my mind. I always liked Murcer and I loved him more in the booth. Just a likable guy. My fondest memory of Bobby Murcer was that home run he hit in the Munson game. I was a kid, but I remember where I was when I saw it and how important it was. I became a fan right then and to meet him now was incredible. When it was my turn, I walked up and shook his hand. I was really nervous. “I love you in the booth Mr. Murcer”, I said. “Thank you” he said. He took my ball, then he grabbed an action shot of him and signed it for me too. “Wow” I thought. We posed for a picture and after alittle more conversation I was on my way.

Then I got on the longest line in the room. At the end of it was Chien Ming Wang. Wow, maybe Gil Mcdougald was right, could it be that a lot of these kids don’t know about the other Yankee Greats of the past?

(In Photo: Bobby Richardson)

When I was a kid, my dad didn’t sit with me teaching about the Yankees of years past, but he would drop a name and a memory,like Bobby Richardson, "he was great for the Yankees," he'd say. Or “Moose” Skowron, "He had some great years for us," he'd say. My dad watched them play and he’d mention them. Me, in turn, would go and read about them, just so I knew who he talking about. When I was old enough, I’d go to card stores and save up to buy a card. If my dad says that guy was good, then he must be good, I thought. And that’s how I did it. Now, waiting on Wang's line, I realized maybe many had forgotten about the others.

I walked up, shook Wang’s hand. The conversation was limited, just a lot of nodding and pictures and signing my baseball and to me, it was exciting, but I have to tell you, at the time, Wang was the new guy and it was definitely a different feeling for me. Yes, he was a Yankee, but he wasn’t yet a Yankee great, the others were.

I tell you this story merely because the Yankee history runs long and deep and has so many incredible players over the years, even not so great ballplayers, but great stories and stats just the same. Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth are the most well known, but what do you know about Wayne Tolleson or Bobby Shantz. How about Matt Nokes or Jim Abbott? (In Photo: Jim Abbott)

Do you remember Bobby Meacham? I do, it was not a good career, but he was a New York Yankee and that means something I think. Check out Baseball Reference and type in a New York Yankee. Everything about them is there, stats and information that you never knew. It's really great. The Yankee history is truly awesome.

I love my New York Yankees and it really doesn’t matter who they are, they were Yankees and to learn about them and the teams they played on is great. Know the players, love them, they were Yankees, members of the greatest team in the world. It’s damn glorious.

Please comment and 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.