STOP SELLING ME THE 2026 YANKEES. LET THEM EARN IT FIRST.

I love the Yankees. That is precisely why I am tired of being told how much I am supposed to love this 2026 Yankees team.

There is a difference between rooting for the uniform and swallowing every story the organization wraps around the men wearing it. I want them to beat Boston on Tuesday. I want them to win the World Series. But I am not going to pretend that 93 wins erase what I have watched for six months, or that a postseason berth turns every underperformer into a folk hero. A ticket to October is an opportunity. It is not a personality transplant.

The Yankees have won despite losing Aaron Judge for most of the season. That is real. Cam Schlittler and the pitching staff have given fans plenty to admire. Ben Rice has hit 41 home runs. There are players here who have earned their applause, and there is a reason to believe this club can win a short series. But a record cannot make me feel something the baseball itself has not made me feel.

And too much of this Yankee baseball has felt like a sales pitch interrupted by strikeouts.

Look, I'm about to go on a ramble, but that's why you come to Bleeding Yankee Blue, right? There is a difference between winning and believing. I know that doesn't make alot of sense, but let me explain.

We start here. Remember 1996? Derek Jeter hit .314. Bernie Williams hit .305 with 29 homers and 102 RBIs. Paul O’Neill hit .302 and drove in 91. Joe Girardi, the catcher nobody marketed as an offensive savior, hit .294. The club hit .288, scored 871 runs and struck out 909 times. It won the World Series.

Through 161 games this year, the Yankees were hitting .235, with 739 runs and 1,480 strikeouts. They had hit 223 home runs, 61 more than the entire 1996 team. Those are different eras with different league-wide offensive conditions; raw averages alone do not settle which lineup was better relative to its competition. They do tell you what it has felt like to sit through an inning. In 1996, a hit could become another hit. In 2026, you can spend a lot of time waiting for one swing to redeem a parade of empty at-bats.

The ’96 club had imperfections. O’Neill did not hit in that postseason the way he did in the regular season, and Girardi was no slugger. That is the point: nobody needed to pretend they were something else. You knew what those guys brought, you watched them bring it, and eventually they delivered the last win of the year. Affection followed the work.

This 2026 organization seems to want the affection up front. So, in short, stop telling me who to love.

Look, Anthony Volpe was a neat story to initially. Local kid. Homegrown shortstop. It practically wrote the promotional copy itself. Then the games kept happening. In 56 big league games this year, before his August demotion, he hit .240 with one home run. The Yankees handed shortstop to George Lombard Jr. That was an admission, in the language that matters most, that the old plan was not good enough. And thank god they made this decision.

Volpe did decent in Scranton. He hit .264 with an .906 OPS in 37 games, came back when Jazz Chisholm Jr. was hurt, and hit a grand slam in his return. I cheered the hit. I still refuse to be told that one big night settles three years of arguments about his bat. Volpe once again, and predictably, hasn't done a thing since.  Look, the bottom line and the point I am trying to make is a fan can wish a player well and reject the insistence that he is a cornerstone before his performance says so.

That is where the marketing grates. The Yankees can promote a young player. Of course they can. But they cannot schedule a fan’s emotional attachment like a bobblehead giveaway. When the image gets ahead of the player, every commercial, every reassuring quote, every invitation to believe feels less like celebration and more like an instruction to ignore your own eyes. And I think that's what bothers me most about this 2026 team. Much of it is like fake news.

Look at Austin Wells. Wells presents the same problem without the hometown fairy tale. He was batting .186 after Friday’s game. You can tell me about his defense and the demands of catching, and I will listen. You can tell me catching is hard, and I will agree. But you cannot ask me to watch a regular in the Yankees’ lineup struggle to get above .185 and act as though this is a minor aesthetic complaint. Girardi hit .294 for the 1996 champs. Nobody needed a brochure explaining why a hit from the catcher mattered.

The criticism belongs with the people who keep assembling and endorsing the roster, too. Wells did not draft himself. Volpe did not make himself the face of a campaign. The front office and the manager decide how long a bet gets to occupy the lineup and how they explain it to the people paying to watch.

It is my opinion that Brian Cashman has had years to build a club whose weak spots do not keep arriving as familiar surprises. His defenders can point to 93 wins and a playoff berth, and they are entitled to. He also deserves credit for talent that has helped this team survive Judge’s injuries. But that is not the end of the accounting. A general manager does not get graded only on whether enough of his bets hit to reach a Wild Card Series. He gets graded on the holes fans could see coming, on the cost of carrying them, and on whether October exposes them again.

How many seasons are fans supposed to watch the Yankees sell potential where production is required? How many times are they supposed to hear that a struggling regular is close, that a new piece might be the answer, that the next stretch will show what this club really is? Hope is part of baseball. Hope cannot be the entire roster-building strategy of the New York Yankees.

And do not confuse this complaint with a demand for nine .300 hitters. I am asking for a front office to look honestly at its own team, then speak with the same honesty to its fans. When a player is not producing, adjust. When a prospect has not become the star you promised, stop selling the promise as an accomplishment.

Aaron Boone has guided an injury-hit club to October. That matters. Players appear to trust him, and his handling of the staff has helped the Yankees keep winning. He has also made harder lineup choices this year; the demotions and changing roles show he might finally understand how to manage, but for me, I still don't truly see it. My problem is the gap between the action and the public language. Boone’s reflex is to protect his players, reassure everybody, and find the sunny side of another ugly night. I can understand why players appreciate that. Fans who just watched the same failed at-bat for the hundredth time are allowed to find it maddening. Leadership means more than absorbing criticism for the clubhouse. It means making the standard unmistakable.

Joe Torre’s calm felt like control because the club on the field kept backing it up. There was also accountability. Boone’s calm, at its worst, feels like a press conference held in a different ballpark from the game I just watched. There are nights when I want a manager to say plainly what every fan saw: this was not good enough, and the people who keep getting chances must earn the next ones.

That does not mean humiliating Wells or Volpe. It means refusing to treat honesty as disloyalty. When it comes to Boone, there is no accountability. It's called coddling.

Now, Willie Randolph knows what a champion looks like. He lived through the Bronx Zoo, coached the 1996 champions, spent time with this year’s club in spring training, and sees camaraderie and pitching that he believes can carry the Yankees to a title. I respect the firsthand view. He also said his teams were sharper fundamentally.  

The Bronx Zoo was not just a collection of personalities and good chemistry. The 1977 and 1978 Yankees won consecutive World Series. Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson, Graig Nettles, Ron Guidry, Randolph and the rest did their talking amid the circus by beating the people in the other dugout when the season was on the line. Randolph is entitled to see a resemblance in the room. I am entitled to say that the resemblance is incomplete until this 2026 team does the job.

I also wonder what, exactly, we are being asked to compare. The Bronx Zoo label was born from actual chaos, conflict, talent and championships. This team has an expertly managed image and an offense that can disappear for innings at a time. Calling them equal because they get along and have a deep rotation is like saying a movie poster is as good as the movie. Let me see the ending.

Here's my thing; the uniform is enough reason to root, but it's not enough reason to pretend. Does that make sense? 

I will be there on the couch for the first pitch against Boston. I will celebrate every Rice homer, every Schlittler strikeout, every Lombard play and every unlikely contribution from Volpe or Wells. 

But I am done letting the Yankees tell me that skepticism is a failure of fandom. Loving this team means caring whether the standards match the sales pitch. It means remembering the difference between a player with a great story and a player who has done the job. It means demanding more from Cashman than another clever explanation and more from Boone than another comforting one.

93 wins are real. So is the exhaustion of watching the organization try to sell us devotion to players who have not earned it yet. The 1996 Yankees earned theirs one at-bat and one October win at a time. The Bronx Zoo earned its place in history with championships.

These 2026 Yankees? They have a chance to change the conversation. Good. Let them. But until they do, stop asking me to fall in love with the advertisement. I am watching the games dude. I see everything.

That's my take.

--Robert Casey
Chief & Head Writer, Bleeding Yankee Blue

RIGHETTI'S NO-NO WAS THE GREATEST ONE IN YANKEES HISTORY IN MY HUMBLE OPINION

On July 4, 1983, in a sweltering Yankee Stadium, Dave Righetti delivered one of the most memorable performances in the storied history of the New York Yankees. On that day, Righetti etched his name into the annals of baseball lore by pitching a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox. The significance of the date was amplified by the fact that it was George Steinbrenner's birthday, making the feat not only a personal triumph for Righetti but a monumental gift to the Yankees' fiery owner.

The game began with tension thick in the air, as the Yankees and Red Sox renewed their fierce rivalry in front of a packed house. The Yankees were desperate for a win, clinging to hopes of climbing the standings in the American League East. Righetti, a young left-hander with a blazing fastball, took the mound with a quiet determination, unaware that history would soon be within his grasp.

From the first pitch, Righetti was locked in. His fastball had an extra zip, and his slider was as sharp as ever. The Red Sox batters, a formidable lineup featuring stars like Wade Boggs and Jim Rice, were left flailing helplessly as Righetti mowed them down one by one. The tension mounted with each passing inning, and by the time the seventh inning rolled around, the fans were on their feet, fully aware that they were witnessing something special.

Righetti's teammates, too, began to feel the weight of the moment. Yankees catcher Butch Wynegar, who was calling the game, later recalled, "You could see it in Rags' eyes. He was in the zone. I knew I just had to keep putting down the right fingers, and he would do the rest." The defense behind Righetti was flawless with his team backing him up in a wonderful display of defense.

As the game entered the ninth inning, Yankee Stadium was electric with anticipation. Righetti stood on the mound, just three outs away from baseball immortality. The first two batters went down quickly, and suddenly, Righetti was staring down Wade Boggs, one of the most feared hitters in the game, for the final out. With the count at 2-2, Righetti unleashed a wicked slider that Boggs swung through, sealing the no-hitter. Yankee Stadium erupted in celebration as Righetti was mobbed by his teammates. The final score was 4-0, a fitting conclusion to a day that would be remembered for decades.

Righetti, drenched in sweat and surrounded by a jubilant crowd, could hardly contain his emotions. "It was the greatest feeling I've ever had on a baseball field," he said in a postgame interview. "To do it on the Fourth of July, with my family in the stands and for George's birthday, it was like a dream."

George Steinbrenner, known for his demanding nature, was uncharacteristically emotional. "This is the best birthday present I could have ever asked for," he declared. "Dave Righetti has always been a special player, but today he became a legend."

But Righetti's story with the Yankees was far from over. Despite his success as a starter, the Yankees recognized that Righetti's electric stuff and mental toughness made him an ideal candidate to take over as the team's closer, a role that had been in flux. In 1984, Righetti transitioned to the bullpen, a move that proved to be a masterstroke. Yankees manager Yogi Berra explained the decision: "We needed someone who could slam the door shut in the ninth inning, and Rags had the mentality and the arm to do it."

Righetti thrived in his new role, eventually becoming one of the most dominant closers in baseball. He saved 46 games in 1986, a then-major league record for left-handers, and became a cornerstone of the Yankees' bullpen for years. His ability to adapt from a starting role to a closer not only extended his career but also solidified his place as one of the most versatile and valuable pitchers in Yankees history.

Despite his success as a closer, Righetti's no-hitter on July 4, 1983, remains one of the greatest moments in his career and one of the most iconic performances in Yankees history. It was a day when everything came together—the emotion, the stakes, and the history—making it a game that will forever be remembered in the Bronx. 

As Righetti himself once said, "No matter what else I did in my career, that day will always be special. It was the Fourth of July, it was against the Red Sox, and it was for George. You can't script it any better than that."

--Alvin Izzo
BYB Yankee History Contributor

LET'S BE CLEAR; GALLO ISN'T STRUGGLING... HE JUST SUCKS

Big bodies don't mean anything if they cannot deliver. I've always believed that, yet, that's the trend it's going. I have a kid playing college ball. The path to get there wasn't always easy and most recently it became more difficult because college coaches are enamored with the big body and that's based on the recent trend of the MLB. Everyone wants the home run. No one wants to doubles hitter, the bunter, the Ronald Torreyes, the Willie Randolph, the Christian Yelich type. Why? Because they're small, or skinny or don't hit the go ahead 3 run home enough.

Baseball leaders today would rather you swing and miss than swing and single, as long as your velo is high, their thinking is "It will come."

Well Joey Gallo is in purgatory because of that.  He was never really a "player", he was a home run hitter.  When Gallo came to New York, I knew it was going to be a disaster.  People would tell me constantly, "Wait until 2022. He's gonna have a monster year, you watch." 

Well, I'm watching.  But more to that, just look at his career. That tells you all you need to know.

He is a career .203 hitter.  TWO O THREE. Think about that. How important is VELO if you can't hit a baseball? So when there are articles out there that suggest that Joey Gallo is "Struggling", I need to laugh. Boone tried to address it too. Give me a break. amNY writes:

"...Gallo has still been striking out 39.5% of the time this season. 

“I think the team Winning definitely helps big time, but you also have a personal expectation and pride,” Boone said. “Desire to succeed and be a part of this thing, which he very much is. It’s a heavy burden, especially when you’ve had success in this league and have been an all-star in this league and you’re not getting the results. Especially when you pour everything into it, which Joey does.

“It’s frustrating and I know it’s difficult and I know it certainly weighs on him and wears him. Unfortunately, it’s part of this sport sometimes and such a hard game, and such a game of failure. You have to find a way to figure that out.”

But the worst part of it all is talk. We're talking about struggle, but there is no solution, no progress, just talk. Gallo doesn't try to adjust and the Yankees just try and hide him in the lineup or give him a night off to "rest". Maybe, just maybe his big body isn't working as advertised. Maybe baseball's idea of the big home run every 10 at bats isn't a real thing because it means nothing if a guy can get on base and the next guy, Joey Gallo, doesn't do a thing to move him over to get him in. 

We've lost our way in this new baseball trend and clearly Gallo has too. Bottom line, he isn't a struggling hitter these days... he's just not good. And you know what? That's ok. The solution? Cut him loose. The problem? You can't get much for him, he has zero value.

My 19 year old's solution? "Gallo just needs to go to an OK team. He doesn't fit on the Yankees. He doesn't fit on a really good team. He needs to be part of a rebuild."

... and I happen to agree.

GARDY FANS, LISTEN UP! NAYSAYERS, YOU TOO!

Brett Gardner is likely the hardest working current Yankee.  At 36, about to turn 37 later this summer, Gardner has played in more games as a Yankee than most of the almost 1700 players that make up the Yankees all-time roster. As a matter of fact, only 17 Yankees have more games under their belt than the Yankee outfielder.  And one of those 17 gave Gardy a lot of praise for his time served as a Yankee.

"What an outstanding leader he’s been on this team. I’ve watched him from a baby and the way he goes about his business and the fact that he can do everything on the field. He can play defense. He can still throw. He can still run at his age, and the power’s there, too,” said former Yankee second baseman and spring training coach, Willie Randolph.

Randolph is a five-time All Star and played for the Yankees during two World Series championships, 1977-1978.  Randolph was one of the best second baseman the Yankees have had, turning incredible double plays with one of my favorites, Bucky Dent.  To have Randolph celebrate Gardy, is not only special but coming from him, a humble hard-working player himself, makes the accolade even more honorable.

Source: SABR.org

"When Gardner plays his next game, he’ll join Randolph and 22 others in the Yankees’ 13-season club. He’s already in the top 30 in a lot of franchise categories, as he ranks third in stolen bases (267), 12th in triples (68), 18th in games (1,499), 20th in runs (876), 21st in walks (613), 25th in doubles (230), 27th in hits (1,355) and 34th in homers (124)," reported NJ.com.

When you review all of those stats together, it really tells the story of a great player, one who has risen after injury, kept himself current, and can beat most of today's players down the base paths toward first base or any base for that matter.

If you look up the word grit, clearly you see Gardner, a guy who deserves celebrating.  I needed a feel good story today, and this one, really lifted me.  I hope it lifted you too.  Even if you are not a Gardy fan directly, you have to appreciate what he has done for his team since 2008 and how he continues to step up as a leader for today's team.  Now more than ever we need leaders who are willing to serve the team before themselves.  Gardy is that guy and he is more than worth the one-year extension the Yankees gave him.  Cheers to you Gardy.  Proud that you are a Yankee and you are a leader for this team, especially now as get ready to play post-COVID-19.  The Yankees and their fans need leaders like you to help us get through and make the 2020 season one of the best ever.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

SO LONG, MEL. YOU WERE ONE OF THE GOOD ONES

A quick and sad note and I know I'm late to the game, but I had family first yesterday... and in the world of family, and even Mel... it's understandable. He probably would have told me not to worry.

Mel Stottlemyre died folks.  A true lover of this game and an important staple.  An unspoken ambassador and just a nice, all around guy.  It's sad. Something you don't even want to write about, but you have to because he was so important, and just so special, he needs to be honored.

The New York Times always does this best, and so here's some from them...

"Mel Stottlemyre, the Yankees’ pitching ace in their lean years of the late 1960s and early ’70s and later the longtime pitching coach for Mets and Yankees teams that won the World Series, died on Sunday in a Seattle hospital. He was 77. 

His wife, Jean Stottlemyre, said the cause was complications of multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer for which he had been treated for many years. At his death he also had the flu and pneumonia, she said. Stottlemyre, who grew up in Washington State, lived in the Seattle area. Stottlemyre made his last visit to Yankee Stadium in June 2015, when the Yankees surprised him by dedicating a Monument Park plaque in his honor when he attended their annual Old-Timers’ Day gathering. 

The tribute came after their former second baseman Willie Randolph received a plaque as scheduled. Stottlemyre, walking with the aid of a cane, told the crowd, 

'It’s been a thrill over the years for me to wear this uniform.' He said that if it was to be his last Old-Timers’ Day, he would 'start another baseball club, coaching up there, whenever they need me.'”

Quite the player, the coach and definitely the man. He will be missed in Yankeeland.  He'll be missed in this wonderful game of baseball.

Rest in peace, old friend.

2018 YANKEES: MORE TALENT THAN THE CORE FOUR

Source: Newsday

Many have compared the potential of this 2018 Yankee team to other teams in Yankee lore including the 1998 team (for which we will celebrate its 20th anniversary this season) and even the 1927 Murderer's Row team.  But Willie Randolph, the New York Yankees spring training special instructor and 1977-78 World Championship second baseman took this premise one step further.  “I really can’t say I’ve seen anything like it,” Randolph said Saturday. “I was around when the Core Four was here. I saw that mix. And I think there’s more overall talent here than when that team was coming together," reported the NY Daily News.  Now that's taking it up a notch.

Source: NJ.com

“It’s impressive. And with some of the established guys to take the pressure off, I really like the mix of this team. They’re going to be fun to watch," said Randolph.  So, if the anticipation for the start of the season wasn't enough after this long winter's drought, we have Randolph giving us even more of a reason to be excited.

Source: KIM KLEMENT/USA TODAY SPORTS

Last year's team, which wasn't supposed to do much, scored 858 runs, second only to the Houston Astros and this was without powerhouse Giancarlo Stanton.  Let your mind wander how many runs we could potentially score in 2018 with Stanton, Aaron Judge, Miguel Andujar, Brandon Drury, Gleyber Torres and newly acquired Adam Lind.  The Yankees are stacked, so opponents beware. The 1998 team scored 965 runs and the 2009 team 915 runs.  The belief is that the 2018 team could score more runs than each of these two teams.  They were both young teams that worked together cohesively and weren't "me"kids but rather "us" kids, something that Randolph pointed out with the 2018 team.

“These young guys have all been brought up in the organization in a way where I don’t hear a lot of “me," said Randolph.  This type of collaborative culture is evidenced by Judge's humble presence and the team's thumbs down cheer in 2017.

Could the 2018 Yankees be better than the Core Four who were much more than hitting, but stellar pitching too?  The talent and potential are there.  All that's left is execution.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof 

THE TURN-TWO TWINS: CASTRO AND DIDI

Despite the disappointment of the 2016 season and not making the playoffs, I think we all got to see some amazing things from our rookies and the future looks bright. There is a lot of discussion about Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, and Tyler Austin. One thing that doesn't get enough press is the middle infield tandem of Didi Gregorius and Starlin Castro. They have worked well together this season, and they've been productive with their bats.

Their hitting statistics are strikingly similar. Starlin Castro had a typical year for him with a slash line of .272/.302/.436 and an OPS of .739, which was only a few points off of his career numbers. Gregorius had a slash line of .275/.304/.448 with an OPS of .752. That was a significant jump off his career totals. Maybe Castro had a positive effect on him. Maybe Didi is coming into his own as a shortstop. Whatever it is, it's good to see him raising the level of his game.

When you think second base and shortstop, you typically think defense. They are both key defensive positions. They do not disappoint in this category either. Both of them are within single points of the league average fielding percentage, Didi with a .947 (league average is .976) and Castro with a .980 (league average is .983). Throughout the season, their timing seemed to get better with backing each other up and executing on double plays. Next year very well could be the year we have the next 2B/SS combo in a long line of Yankee greats that include Derek Jeter/Robinson Cano and Willie Randolph/Bucky Dent.

Every championship team has certain key ingredients that make it great. Infield defense is always one of them, and it's one that usually goes unnoticed. With the pair of Gregorius and Castro, this looks like a very good base to build an infield around.

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

HONORING MEL STOTTLEMYRE DEFINES YANKEE CLASS

It was nice to see Willie Randolph honored today.  I liked him as a player, I admired him as a manager.  To be perfectly honest, I met Willie one time and I wasn't over pleased with that meeting.  He seemed alittle irritated, but I chalked it up as a bad day.  I don't hold that against him... I'm sure shaking hands with fans can be annoying sometimes, I get it, and so, I ignored it.  That being said, I had to get that off my chest.

It didn't change the fact that I loved that the Yankees honored him today. It was the right thing to do, he was a good Yankee, bottom line.

I was equally pleased to see that the Yankees snuck one by all of us today as well, honoring Mel Stottlemyre, a guy that was a staple for the Yankees as a player, and equally so as a coach during the Torre era.  In short, he's contributed huge to the Yankees for a long, long time... and today, to see him standing there being honored, brought a flutter to my heart.  He stood there, battling cancer, being honored in front of all of us and I became sad.  He's a great man.  He's a solid human being and it was the right thing to do.  I tip my cap to the Yankees... they did it right.

Old Timer's day was also terrific, as it always is.  Players of yesteryear come out and wave and then try to play, some way older than we all thought... some young as hell still, and we can't get passed the fact that they are even there. 

I mean, does Rickey Henderson age? Honestly. 

Suzie Pinstripe even texted me at one point, knowing that I love Ron Guidry.  "It's great seeing Guidry on the mound." No doubt... Gator was my childhood. And seeing all these guys our there was, and is, the coolest thing ever. But I have to admit, just when I get disgusted by something the Steinbrenners do, I smile again when they do something truly great like they did today, with Mel Stottlemyre, surprising him with a plaque in Monument Park for all he's given the Yankees over the years.  It was a class act, a brilliant move and well deserved. It made Old Timer's Day and Willie Day alittle greater.

Gotta love it.

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!

WILLIE'S DAY

Today, in addition to it being Old Timers Day at the Stadium, there will be a dedication ceremony in Monument Park for one of my all-time favorite Yankees – Willie Randolph.

(In Photo: Horace Clarke)
Ironically, the Yankees of my “formative years” were the ones that marked the beginning of the Steinbrenner era.  The earliest teams I remember rooting for had players like Ron Blomberg, Horace Clarke, Celerino Sanchez, and Jim Mason littering the lineup.  While the 1972 through 1975 teams only had a losing record once, they never reached the post-season, and I can remember my frustration as I witnessed them limping through season after season.

At the time, I most identified with the second basemen.  It was the position I played in Little League, and then High School / Babe Ruth.  I’d watch their positioning in the field and how they handled double-play turns, and then attempt to duplicate it in the fields where I played.  Unfortunately for me, even though I was a good “glove man” like the players I watched, I also hit like they did.  Clarke (.257 with 27 HR in 10 seasons with Yankees) and Sandy Alomar (.248 in 3 seasons in the Bronx) were mediocre batsmen at best, and they both manned second in the “lean years” of the early 70’s.

It’s no coincidence that when Willie Randolph came along, the organization’s fortunes changed.  From the moment I saw him play for my favorite team, I knew he was a ball player I could identify with.

Acquired in a trade with the Pirates in the off season prior to the 1976 campaign, he went about his business quietly and professionally – staying out of the limelight that people like Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin thrived in.  From 1976 through 1988 Willie was the Yankees’ rock at second base, hitting .275, stealing 251 bases (75% success rate), and scoring 1027 runs while playing solidly in the field (.980 fld pct).

During that time, the team had a losing record just once, and from ’76 through ’81 appeared in three World Series (winning 2 – in 1977 and ’78).   As a 5-time All-star with the Yankees, he projected class on a team known then as “The Bronx Zoo”.

He would go on to try his hand at managing with the New York Mets, and in a little less than 4 seasons compiled 302 wins and a .544 winning percentage (winning the NL East and losing the NLCS to the Cardinals 4 – 3 in 2006).  Simply put, Willie Randolph is a winner and someone kids everywhere should emulate.

Some may question why he is getting a plaque on Saturday, but those of us who rooted for the Yankees and watched them play in the mid-1970’s know what Randolph meant to the team.  With the turmoil generated by, and the volatility of Reggie, Billy, Goose, Cliff Johnson, and George Steinbrenner, Willie Randolph provided the calming balance and steady play the team needed to survive. 

He never drove in – or scored - 100 runs, never hit more than 7 home runs, and only once led the league in a category (119 walks in 1980), but Willie represented the best of the Yankees team that won back-to-back World Championships in 1977 and ’78. He deserves his spot with other teammates from that era (Munson, Jackson) on the cherished wall in Monument Park.

Congrats Willie, you have earned all that you receive on Saturday.


Golden State Warriors 2015 NBA Championship Collection: 20% OFF at SteinerSports.com with code NBA20 thru 12/31/15.

     

--Steve Skinner, BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1

 

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!

REPORT: MORE RETIRED NUMBERS ARE COMING

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News just dropped this Tweet:

According to a source, plans are also in the works to honor Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada this season, with 51 & 20 likely to be retired.
— Mark Feinsand (@FeinsandNYDN) February 16, 2015

Now, that's not just a Tweet from Feinsand... it's a bomb, and if it's true, you will get alot of mixed feelings about what exactly the Yankees are doing retiring everyone's numbers these days.  There is likely going to be fan arguments on whose numbers deserve to be retired and whose doesn't, and trust me... I get that. 

In fact, even after we posted: NEWS OF THE RETIRING OF PETTITTE'S 46 CAME FROM HIS PROUD SON, Facebook friend Mike had something quickly to say about it:

He makes a great point, he really does.  Many fans don't see the retiring of certain guys as a good thing, but in fact, a bad thing. That's because to them, it's an opening of a can of worms. It can also be perceived as a cash grab for the Yankee wallets. Trying to cram everyone into their stadium, resell #46, #2, #20, #42 and #51 to profit more on these fine players and they ultimately will increase ticket sales this season.  Other fans, may just love the idea. But the debate comes when the Yankees decide to put questionable players' numbers into retirement.  Willie Randolph? Wade Boggs?  David Cone? How about Mike Mussina?  In other words, the debate is coming and if that Feinsand source is true, it will be fierce.

Look, I'm a Posada guy personally, and for the Core Four, the Fab 5, which includes Bernie, maybe they should all be in there, almost like a new generation of champions like Mickey and Whitey before them... but it DOES start to get hairy... no question about it.

We'll have more on this Feinsand Tweet once we figure out if it's true... stay tuned.

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