MEET THE BYB FAMILY: INTERVIEW WITH ALEXIS GARCIA

We continue our MEET THE FAMILY Series today with another one of my favorite writers, Alexis Garcia.

Alexis started writing for Bleeding Yankee Blue last year, and while her schedule is busy, she always finds a way to deliver something great.  Alexis handles the MLB beat focusing more on MLB as a whole rather than just the Yankees.  That's because ultimately, she's a Dodgers fan.  But Alexis and I are friends, and she's a dynamic writer and so, I wanted her to write for us.

So, without any more hesitation, I bring you my interview with Alexis.  I hope all you readers enjoy this, and be sure to read our other interviews with the BYB crew as well:

• Meet Erica
• Meet Ike
• Meet Jeana
• Meet O'Hara
• Meet Steve
• Meet Suzie

Now, I want you to meet Alexis:

BYB: Alexis, I know you for a long time. Why are you so passionate about baseball?

Alexis Garcia: I think Tom Hanks said it best in A League of Their Own—"If baseball was easy, everyone would do it."  It's the 'hard' that makes it great. I love that it teaches you failure and perseverance. The game also teaches you to be present and that is a skill that carries on through life. As a spectator, it's also a great excuse for day drinking. 

BYB: You played ball yourself. A lot of people don't know that. Tell the BYB audience about your upbringing and where you played.

Alexis Garcia: It all started when I was six years old and my mom accidentally signed me up for Little League instead of Bobbi Sox and I ended up being the only girl on the All-Star team.  After a couple years in rec leagues, I made the jump to travel ball and softball became my life for the next 16 years.  I eventually got a scholarship to play at the University of Texas where we made it to the World Series a couple times. Not bad for starting out as the only girl!

(In Photo: Brett Butler)
BYB: What players did you admire growing up and why?

Alexis Garcia: My favorite players growing up were Brett Butler and Mark Grace. I loved their quiet leadership and their mastery of their respective positions. They weren't the flashiest guys on the field, but they consistently produced and were good ball players.

BYB: Tell the BYB audience about your love for the Dodgers. When did it start for you?

Alexis Garcia: I was born and raised in Los Angeles so it was never really a question—going to games and watching the players was just something my family did together. My first real memory of the Dodgers was Kirk Gibson hitting his famous home run in the 1988 World Series—it was the stuff of legend.  It was also great growing up and having five consecutive Rookie of the Year players! And then we traded Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields.

BYB: Mike O'Hara, a fellow BYB writer hates the Dodgers.  Can you convince him to give them a shot?

Alexis Garcia: Mike, I would say hating the Dodgers is about 95% of being a Dodgers fan!  Some of my best memories of going to games was jeering that bum Kevin Brown while stuffing Dodger dogs in my face. We have the money, we have the talent, we have the best weather in the country, and yet we still manage to choke in the off-season. We develop some of the best talent in the league only to trade it away for players past their prime.  It is this frustration of constant under-performance that unites all of us Dodgers fans! Also, we have Vin Scully.

BYB: How do you feel about Don Mattingly as the Dodgers Manager and remember, you're answering in Yankee terroitory now...

Alexis Garcia: Look, Mattingly is Donnie Baseball and he is a talented player. But sometimes I feel like he has trouble keeping control of the clubhouse. That's because we do have a lot of egos to manage after all.

That being said, I think the new front office has brought a new attitude to the club and with the trade of Matt Kemp in the off-season, I'd like to see how things go this year. The vibe in Spring Training already seems much improved.

BYB: Tell the audience about your passion for writing and how much fun it's been for you to write for BYB.

Alexis Garcia: Writing is very therapeutic for me and it's awesome to get to shut everything else out every once and a while and write about baseball.  I also love the BYB community because they are passionate about the Yankees and really get the human aspect of the game.  Sabremetrics is great, but this sport is more about people than numbers.

BYB: Name 3 players around the American League that you absolutely love watching and why?

Alexis Garcia: One player close to home that I enjoy watching is Mike Trout. It's incredible to see the numbers he puts up and he's pretty grounded.  I also really like Ichiro Suzuki. 

Again, he's a solid player with a lot of hustle. Lastly, I would have to say the entire Oakland A's team. They are like the dirty hipsters of Major League baseball.  I love watching those weirdos!

BYB: When did you first discover BYB?

Alexis Garcia: I moved to New York a couple years ago and my friend helped me discover it.  It was a great way to get updated on the Yankees scene and I love the passion and knowledge of all the staff and fans.

BYB: You've been with us for a year now? How much are you liking this family and how am I doing as the Chief? Am I a true pain in the ass?

Alexis Garcia: It's great to be part of the BYB family and get to talk and read about baseball. It's a community with a lot of heart. And Robert is the BEST EVER! My check is in the mail, right?

How about a BYB Tank Top? Boom.

Alexis, you're the best and thanks for being apart of our family.

Who's next? Wait and see...




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!

DISPATCHES FROM LA LA LAND

I have a friend named Alexis Garcia.  She's a huge baseball fan and one of my very good friends.  Well, she writes for Bleeding Yankee Blue now and I couldn't be happier.  Alexis will take the "Eye on MLB" beat and will be bringing you a unique perspective from different teams around the Major Leagues.  

She starts today ladies and gentlemen. Welcome her to the BYB family!  -Casey

You know you’re season is going off the rails when good news gets overshadowed by comments made by your 86-year-old former manager.

That’s exactly the position the Dodgers found themselves in this week when their ace Clayton Kershaw returned to the mound from the disabled list to deliver an 8-3 win over the Washington Nationals. For a team that has been struggling this season, Kershaw’s return signified an opportunity to rebound from a horrendous road trip and get back on the winning track.

Instead, the story this week was Tommy Lasorda. The former Dodgers skip told a local Florida station that he was “not surprised” by Donald Sterling’s remarks and that he hoped V. Stiviano would get “hit by a car.”



I’m going to go out on a limb here, but I can’t imagine the Dodgers’ brass (including Magic Johnson) were none too pleased about Tommy getting involved in the Sterling controversy. A controversy that has nothing to do with winning baseball games.

The Lasorda comments are just one example of the diversions that have plagued the organization at the start of the season.

From Donald Sterling, to a nasty cable dispute, to Puig-mania, the team just can’t seem to get it’s focus back to the business of baseball.

This wasn’t supposed to be that kind of season for the Dodgers.

After shelling out $269.8 million, the team surpassed the Yankees as the highest paid in all of Major League Baseball. The investment was a gesture to fans by the new Dodger management to show that they were serious about bringing a championship back to Los Angeles. But it seems as if someone forgot to tell the team that being expensive doesn’t automatically gain you entry into the World Series. (A fact Yankees fans know all too well.)

In addition to having the largest payroll in baseball, the Dodgers have also emulated the Yanks by launching their own national cable network. But thanks to carriage disputes, most ardent Dodgers fans can’t even watch their home team play on television.

Even the sensational rookie Yasiel Puig—who has been productive in the Dodgers lineup—has caused some early headaches for the Boys in Blue. Off-season arrests for reckless driving and undisciplined play have irked fellow players (it was reported that teammates called a team meeting with Puig in Spring Training to get him under control) and frustrated fans who see star potential in the young Cuban athlete. Of course, the L.A. media loves all of this and uses every Puig misstep as evidence of the growing dysfunction in the Dodger locker room.

This is the context in which the Dodgers are playing. A listless team in a season of distraction. And it’s reflecting in their performance.

At 19-17, the Dodgers winning percentage just barely hovers above .500—with seven of those wins coming against the last place Diamondbacks. They’re off to one of their worst home starts ever since moving to Los Angeles. And though the team is under performing in the W column, they are dominating the National League in terrible fielding with a high of 33 errors.

While their defense leaves something to be desired, the Dodger’s hitting has been inconsistent at best. Big-time (and highly paid) sluggers like Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp, and Carl Crawford are still trying to find their groove in the batter’s box.

Watching the Dodgers play, you just can’t help but feel that they are going through the motions. And I’m sure it’s an issue Don Mattingly addressed in his recent private locker room session with the team. The season is still early and the Dodgers historically have shown to be a better team after the All-Star break, but it’s a lot of money to be spending for mediocrity.

As I mentioned before, it takes more than just a big payroll to win championships. If the Dodgers hope to be the Yankees of the West, they are going to have to show a little more consistency in the clutch and a lot more heart to overcome early setbacks.

Last year, it was Puig that stepped up to lead the Dodgers to the off-season. Who is going to be their spark plug this year?

--Alexis Garcia, BYB's "Eye on MLB" Columnist
Twitter:  @heylexyg



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THE DODGERS & WHY

I really enjoy the BYB posts introducing the staff writers who contribute to the site each week.  It’s yet another great way Casey has illustrated how Bleeding Yankee Blue is really a team in every sense of the word.  From the Skipper on down to this reformed Irish hoodlum, BYB has baseball, heart and a real sense of community and family.

Recently you were introduced to staff writer Alexis Garcia, read MEET THE BYB FAMILY: INTERVIEW WITH ALEXIS GARCIA for that.  One of the questions posed to the Los Angeles native and University of Texas alum (By the way a couple trips to the Series during her time there.  Impressive to say the least.) was how could she convince me to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a chance.

Here's that exchange:

BYB: Mike O'Hara, a fellow BYB writer hates the Dodgers.  Can you convince him to give them a shot?

Alexis Garcia: Mike, I would say hating the Dodgers is about 95% of being a Dodgers fan!  Some of my best memories of going to games was jeering that bum Kevin Brown while stuffing Dodger dogs in my face. We have the money, we have the talent, we have the best weather in the country, and yet we still manage to choke in the off-season. We develop some of the best talent in the league only to trade it away for players past their prime.  It is this frustration of constant under-performance that unites all of us Dodgers fans! Also, we have Vin Scully.

It’s been fairly well documented that I am in no way, shape or form a Dodger fan.  I have said, and will go on saying, that I’d rather hear the cheers on Yawkey Way and all over Bean Town than to see them happy at Chavez Ravine.  Crazy?  Not to me.  It’s a long story, but I will explain so that you can understand why I “dislike” the Dodgers so much…I swear it’s not just an East Coast vs. West Coast thing.

First of all, the Dodgers hurt my feelings.  That sounds childish, doesn’t it?  Well, that stands to reason.  I was merely a small child when the club that left Brooklyn beat my Yankees in the World Series.  I sat on the floor of my folks’ bedroom and cried.

The Yankees weren’t a baseball team to me, they were superheroes.  They couldn’t lose…could they?  How did Reggie let me down?  Who was this Penguin guy?

And could someone please get Lasorda off my TV screen ASAP! I carried that anger with me for years.  It kind of subsided during time in grade school.  I started to resent the Mets more…actually I resented my friends who jumped ship and started wearing Strawberry jerseys because the Yanks weren’t exactly the toast of the town any longer.  I also NEVER allowed them to live it down when they wanted to come back to the Bronx in the mid 1990s.

Now, you’d think that I’d forget why I disliked LA so much over time, but as my Grandfather would say, “Only 2 creatures walking this planet that never forget.  An elephant and an Irishman.” He was 100% correct.  My feelings for the Dodgers were just hibernating.  They would wake with vigor after I graduated college.

I’m an actor.  I moved to Los Angeles, as so many in “The Biz” do, with my game face on.  LA does have great weather.  It is a trip to go to the market and notice that you are in the checkout line behind Jennifer Aniston, and it’s as if she is just any other person…though incredibly beautiful and pretty nice to boot.

She was very friendly when I placed the rubber divider on the conveyor belt so that her rice cakes and humus didn’t get mixed in with my Guinness, cold cuts, Guldens Mustard and Beefsteak Rye bread.  Los Angeles is pretty much as you’d expect to be honest.  The people are sort of different.  They march to the beat of their own drum.  I met a lot of great folks out there.  When I got work it was a great time, but it also is a lonely town.  Now that shouldn’t reflect on the Dodgers…but I allowed it to.  That is not fair and I know it now.

I went to see my first Dodger game the weekend I moved out West.  The Boys in Blue hosted the Pirates.  I got to see that the Ravine is a great ballpark.  It was before so of the recent renovations.  The bullpens are still the worst in the league, but there aren’t any bad seats.  You can get a great look at the game no matter where you sit.

Dodger Dogs?  That is an ENTIRELY separate chapter in this story.  My conclusion is LA fans KNOW that the Farmer John product is awful, but refuse to give in to that knowledge.  LA does have a “little brother” complex about New York’s hot dog and Pizza Empire.  FACT.  Here’s a hint Dodger Concession Director.  Have Pink’s supply the dogs.  They ain’t Nathan’s, but it’d be a step in the right direction.

The pebble that began the avalanche of the return of my DODGER DISLIKE was the fans…there were so few 'actual' fans.  I won’t say that there aren’t true blue Dodger fans.  There are.  They are knowledgeable, invested and all and all pretty friendly.  The problem is they are outnumbered in a big way in their own ballpark.  Fact. Often it’s by fans of the visiting club.  The Mets, Cubs, Sox, Yanks, Phils and Giants all have transplants in the City of Angels and they show up.  There is also the “To Be Seen” crowd.  They don’t care who is playing; they just want to be at the party.  You know the type.  Every club has them, but LA REALLY has them.  They show up in the 4th and leave in the 7th.  They play with the beach balls.

They are on their cellphones.  They have dinner reservations at Beso.  They think Mike Piazza is still behind the plate.  They quote “Naked Gun”…a lot! “Enrico Palazzo! He saved the queen!”  Yep, that’s a good one. It’s almost as if MLB should talk to the NFL and ask, “Hey, why don’t you guys have a franchise here?” Fair? I don’t know.  But it is what it is.

The last factor in my less than favorable feelings toward all things Dodgers is the “Tough Guy” factor.  I saw it every time I went to the stadium and I went a good deal.  There are those at the game who are just looking for a problem.  It’s not about baseball, although they will be decked out in Dodger Blue.  It’s about starting trouble in the stands or in the parking lot.  The Dodgers have been absolutely horrendous addressing this issue.

The Bryan Stow incident just shed a bit of light on what happens more often than not at Chavez Ravine.  I got to see it first hand at an inter-league match up years ago.  I was at the game with some friends from back East.  We saw the Yanks take it on the chin and made our way to the car.  Almost instantly we hear the jeers.  Hey, that’s what you get.  I completely understand that.  We do it in the Bronx.  But these jeers got personal fast.  Them they got increasingly angry.  My one buddy is a bit of a hothead and I could tell he wasn’t going to stay quiet too long.  We found ourselves in outside and noticed that a handful of these Dodger fans had followed us spewing their over the top jabs the whole way.  Now two of my friends were US Marines at the time, and in this particular staring contest the other side blinked first.  We were lucky.  The situation didn’t become a problem…but it could have.

Who needs that garbage?  If you want to find a fight go to a roadhouse bar and knock yourself out.  It’s a baseball game.  We go to have a good time and watch the American Pastime.  Period.  Yeah, there is some good-natured ribbing and no one wants to see his or her teams lose, but it’s not a turf war.  It’s not and should never be personal.  The sad fact is that in almost every trip I made to Dodger Stadium, I saw all of the above.  It has made me close the book on the Los Angeles club.  I don’t like them.  I won’t ever like them.

I want Donnie back.  I love Vin Scully and respect the actual Dodger fan that suffers through the nonsense I saw.  They can’t be happy with that stuff.  I don’t like “I Love LA”.  I don’t consider LA a sports town.  The Lakers stink now…where is everybody?  And again, this is not an East Coast, West Coast thing.  I’ve been to the Bay Area.  I’ve seen games in the Great Northwest.  I’ve loved every single trip to San Diego.

The Anaheim Angeles of Los Angeles, near the 5, close to Disney, South of Knott’s Berry, down the street from that strip mall…no, the other strip mall. They are not my favorite either... I don't care for the Rally Monkeys and Thunder Sticks... trust me. But it wasn’t nearly as bad at LA.

The truth is I’ve liked some Dodger players in my lifetime.  Gibby, Butler, The Bulldog and Piazza were guys I enjoyed seeing play.  No, it’s more about that first team to hurt my feelings.  It’s about the Hollywood fans and the tough guys.  They aren’t what baseball is about and any chance that I’d give the Dodgers a chance rolled away with the credits.  Sorry, Alexis. It’s just one guy’s opinion.

Go Yankees!

** One of my Favorite Bands – Please note I do NOT want anything bad to happen to anyone in Los Angeles.  I love my friends there.   This song just has Los Angeles in the title I like Bad Religion a lot. **




  

 
--Mike O'Hara
Senior "Features" Writer
Twitter: @mikeyoh21







 
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!

VOTE FOR "THE BEEB" AWARD FOR 2014

At the end of 2013, Bleeding Yankee Blue gave the readers the opportunity and privilege of voting for your favorite BYB writer.  It was a fun exercise, and yes, stressful for my staff, but for the most part, many of the BYB readers got it and enjoyed it.  In the end, Mike O'Hara won the first annual BEEB, and with that, he wrote his THANK YOU post, simply saying: "I wanted to say "thank you" to the voters. I appreciate your vote and the fact that you take time out to read my posts. It means a lot to me. Please keep reading and spreading the word about Bleeding Yankee Blue. 

I want to say thank you to all the writers on the BYB staff. I read every piece you share on the site and really do enjoy them all. It’s been great to get a sense of who you are and what the Yankees mean to you and your families through your writing."

This year, the BEEB returns.  The big question is... who will win it?

The BEEB Award is given to the writer that brings top quality, satisfaction, information and energy to their posts from the past year of 2014, according to you, the reader.  It's the highest honor for a writer at Bleeding Yankee Blue... and I am happy to put this vote into action again.

The readers have 2 important jobs;

1. You need to think. Think real hard.  Think about who you enjoyed reading the most in 2014. 

2. You need to vote.  Vote once. Vote twice. Vote as many times as you want, but vote for the BYB writer you feel is most deserving of the BEEB.

Do you find Jeana Bellezza fun and unique? She's written about many great personal experiences in 2014.

(In Photo: Suzie Pinstripe)
How about Suzie Pinstripe? She's all over the Hot Stove for BYB and gives us incredible insight on life and baseball.

Ike Dimitriadis has written extensively this off season on the moves that the Yanks have made. He's also well steeped on the players of years past. Maybe it should be him...

Hey, Erica Morales covered the ARod beat the entire year, reporting fairly and honestly. Have you read what she's been writing?

Of course there's always Alexis Garcia, who covers all of Major League Baseball for us. Is she the one who deserves it?

There's the always the thorough and talented Steve Skinner. A guy with a passion for the Yankees, but informative with the Thurman Munson Yankees... more so than many in the blog world.

Could Mike O'Hara win again? He too had a big 2014.  We will have to see, won't we?

So, to the BYB readers... I hand you the keys.  Vote.  You will see the poll on the home page of BYB in the upper right. Vote for the writer that you feel is most deserving of the BEEB award. Once the vote concludes, we will present the award to the winner and they will write an acceptance piece thanking you, the voter, the reader and the fan!

If you need a full body of work of each writer,  you may click on their names below, and you'll be brought to their specific pages. It's the archive of each writer.

Click, read, and take it seriously:

• Jeana Bellezza
• Ike Dimitriadis
• Alexis Garcia
• Suzie Pinstripe
• Steve Skinner
• Erica Morales
• Mike O'Hara

And just so everyone is aware, do to work shortages of writers, Lem Allen, Doug Solomon and newbies Wolfgang Von Bunt and Dan Lucia, they have been excluded from this years vote.  There are only small batches to go by and the voters would not have enough to work off of.  Next year guys, promise.

Also, I have removed myself from the voting. Imagine if I won? Well... that would be weird now, wouldn't it? So yeah, if you're wondering... I am out.

The voting starts now and ends on February 24th at midnight. We will see you then with the winner.

Vote now... vote for who deserves the BEEB!

What's a BEEB anyway....

You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in history. Now shop at the Bleeding Yankee Blue store!  Follow me on Twitter @BleednYaneeBlu and LIKE Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook!  Also, don't forget to check out the BYB Hub!

A LOT OF PEDs BITCH SLAPPING GOING ON

Since the "steroid era" of the 1990's with home run numbers skyrocketing, there has been a heated debate about whether players accused, or proven guilty, of steroid use should be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This year was no exception and with Social Media growing in popularity daily, shots are fired much easier!

Roy Halladay tweeted on Wednesday morning his very strong opinion on the matter, taking a shot at Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds:

When you use PEDs you admit your not good enough to compete fairly! Our nations past time should have higher standards! No Clemens no Bonds!

— Roy Halladay (@RoyHalladay) January 6, 2016

Roger Clemens did not take the shot lightly and even fired back a shot at Roy Halladay, accusing Halladay of using amphetamines by a "strength coach".

Both Clemens and all-time home run leader, Barry Bonds, have had plenty of accusations and have vehemently denied the allegations. However, most of us baseball fans believe that they, along with plenty of other players, former and current, have taken banned substances in order to further their career and earn another payday.

Not everyone believes that Clemens and Bonds should not be in the Hall of Fame though.  BYB writer Alexis Garcia has been at the forefront of this whole conversation even suggesting that it's time to put Bonds and Clemens in Cooperstown.  Alexis wrote in BONDS & CLEMENS DESERVE COOPERSTOWN,  

"I really don’t care that Bonds and Clemens doped. Or that they are Hall of Fame level a-holes. It may seem wrong today, but it’s hard for me to justify punishing them for taking part in an action that the MLB and its fan base all but ignored in the late 90s when the game was struggling to regain relevance after the damaging 1994 strike."

 Garcia was even back by FOX Sports guy Jon Morosi:

Do Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens deserve to be in the MLB Hall Of Fame? Jon Morosi thinks so.
Posted by FOX Sports Live on Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Very interesting take, but I personally disagree.  For me, when it comes to Cooperstown, integrity has to come first. If Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned for life due to knowledge of a scheme, without even participating, and Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader, is banned for life for betting on baseball, why should a player with known or very strong suspected ties to PED use be elected in the HOF? I have to agree with Halladay on this one.

There is no doubt that by stats alone, Bonds, Clemens, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and soon Alex Rodriguez, among others, certainly are deserving of enough votes to be elected. They would have likely produced stats that earned them enough votes without the alleged PED use, but with the asterisk next to their accomplishments that many people bring up, it's going to be very difficult for most of these players to earn enough votes to be elected.

When it's all said and done, will either of these players, or any of the other of the alleged or proven, PED users get in? It's tough to say. I wouldn't necessarily be surprised either way, but if you broke the rules in a way that gave you an unfair advantage, should you be allowed to be enshrined amongst the best of the best? Not on my watch.

Someone had to say it Roy. I'm with you.



 --Dan Lucia
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia




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Don't forget to check out the BYB Hub.

GIVING THANKS... FROM ME

As always, I wanted to send a message to the Bleeding Yankee Blue audience, but today, I also want to take a moment to give a big hug to my second family.  My writers.

Since the birth of BYB, there has been a writer running this thing but then my writers came along to help me out and with that, our amazing audience followed. But you would never be there if we as writers didn't get this thing off the ground.  As Muhammad Ali once said, "Me, We."

It started with one writer. Me. Me making sure the stories were ready to go.  Me looking for news and reporting it, but there were misspelling, strange phrases, and no rhythm what-so-ever.  BYB has been called "a really bad version" early on by me in the past, and that's true... it was ugly.  But so was Microsoft in the beginning.  So was IBM. So was Apple. So was Hardball Talk and MLB Trade Rumors at one point.

Beginnings are brutal, but they are also fun, because while you want it to be perfect... you're working out the kinks more than anything.  You want people to notice, but you don't want them to notice the mess.  Well... sometimes they do and sometimes you, or me as the head, feels bad about that.  But I think for me personally, having my early readers join me on this quest, they understood my labor of love and allowed me to tinker.  The readers were patient and I was alone trying to figure it all out. The readers respected my craft and let it come together with support.

Then the writers came, and as they did, we evolved.  We.

Jeana Bellezza showed up with a smile and a passion for writing.  But more importantly, while timid, she wanted to take on the world.  She wanted a shot... and I gave it to her.  I believed she could because she believed in herself.  Jeana's been with me for almost the entire time at BYB. She's a hard worker, dedicated and her focus has never changed since she started.  She's my Jeter.

Jeana, to this day, my favorite piece by you is still A YANKEE PROPOSAL....SORT OF. It's real life... with alittle Yankees mixed in.  It couldn't be more perfect for what we do here at BYB.  Thank you for letting what's in your heart pour out on my pages.

Erica Morales showed up one day.  Like a soldier on a battlefield, she dove right in ready to write.  There wasn't a hesitation.  Immediately she knew her role. Plus, it helps when you're a friend of Jeana Bellezza... you already have the back story walking in.  Erica too had a passion for writing, but also loved the Yankees.  She went straight to her work and to this day, the stories you read some days on these pages will bring life to anything going on in the Yankee clubhouse, or ARod's court case, or her family directly.  She inter-mingles her creative nature wonderfully and for that, I will always be grateful.

Erica, to this day, my favorite piece from you has to be MY GRANDFATHER, JORGE POSADA & LIFE LESSONS.  Family related... life lessons... you got me! Thank you for your hard work.  Never lose that fire.  It will take you places, kid.

Steve Skinner and I became instant friends pretty early on. We are close in age, love Thurman Munson and appreciate the Yankees even when they were terrible in the 80's. That's because we lived through it!  Steve walked from Bleacher Report to work for BYB.  Partially because he loved the creative aspect of what we do here and partially because he loved what we represented... Family, Life and being a passionate Yankee fan base.   Steve and I have the same values and raise our children very similarly.  I think that's why our bond is the way it is.  Steve, your love for the Yankees is evident in everything you write.  My favorite up to this point has to be THE BEST I'VE EVER SEEN. Keep up the great writing and thanks for leaving Bleacher Report for us. The BYB audience is lucky to have you... so am I.

Ike Dimitriadis started writing for BYB doing recaps with my friend Frank Gentry.  Both did a tremendous job for BYB.  When the season ended, Frank moved on but Ike stuck around.  I would have loved to have had them both, but that's life.  You know what I like about Ike the most? He didn't want to be held back. He didn't want to be type cast.  He wanted more than recaps. He wanted to be more creative and wanted to write features for BYB.  Ike, like my other writers, goes the extra mile while still maintaining a life with a family outside of BYB.

He's gone to Sabathia events for us.  He works closely with the YES Network when we need him to. He's dedicated, and I appreciate that very much.  Ike, I still love your piece, THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF A BITTERSWEET SEASON. It's one of my favorites.  Thanks.

Suzie Pinstripe stalked BYB on Twitter.  I'm kidding. That's not true at all.  She did reach out to me a lot though and ask if we needed writers.  It's funny. People do that a lot, and many times we don't need writers. Or, I am just not sure if that person is aware of the work load and dedication associated with BYB.  But for some reason, I knew she was serious about wanting to write for us. I could tell that she was not only knowledgeable, but she was a hard worker.  I asked for her to come aboard and it was evident that she wanted to help move BYB to the next level.  Her baseball knowledge is vast. She loves to write, you can tell when you read it from our pages.  She also balances family and a demanding job, but always manages to make deadline for us.

She's a catch, and I'm proud to have her on our team. Suzie, I will always love "CAN'T YA CALL ME BUCKY?" It takes me back!

When the host of the MLB Fan Cave tells you he likes what you do and wants to contribute, you kind of let that fall into place.  I'm glad I did.  Mike O'Hara is a passionate Son of a Bitch and he and I have the same rooting style.  Plus, we both love to write.  He's a good dude and another great find in this world of BYB.  He never disappoints and will always give it to you straight.  His honesty as a fan is the exact reason why BYB began. Mike gets it and I'm both thrilled and honored to have him on our team. He calls me "Skip" and I consider that a badge of honor, and so, Mike O'Hara has a gig with BYB as long as he wants, because he and the rest of my writers are the hardest working writers on the web.

Mike, one of my favorite pieces from you was a simple, honest one: WHEN IT COMES TO TEIXEIRA, I WISH MY DAD RAN THE YANKEES. That's real right there.

Alexis Garcia joined us this year and with it came a valuable, passionate writer from the City of Angels... LA. A Dodgers fan, but a baseball fan first, Alexis writes when she can because she handles plenty outside of BYB.  But she wanted to contribute to BYB because she liked what we did and for that, I am grateful. Alexis has brought plenty to the table as our "Eye on MLB" writer and never disappoints.  Alexis, thanks for coming aboard.  My favorite piece by you has to be BASEBALL'S NOT BETTER BECAUSE OF SELIG... IT'S WORSE. Keep up the great work. Thanks for taking the time!

And finally, Wolfgang Von Bunt is brand new.  A friend with a passion for writing and while he's only contributed a few times to BYB, when he writes, there's always something you will never forget.  His love for pop culture and baseball is what really drew me in and I'm happy to say that Wolfgang is with us.

Wolfie, my favorite piece by you has to be IF THE GIANTS WIN, ARE THEY A DYNASTY? Thanks for being with us, pal.

Oh yeah, and it would be wrong to never mention my writers of the past.  Writers who offered their own talent and creative flair... Jesse Schindler, Grant Cederquist, Frank Gentry, Chad R MacDonald, Rudy Laurens, Mikey Blue, Will Cohen, Christy Florio, Kate Munrow.  You've all been a great part of BYB's evolution and success.  Thank you for helping us blossom.

Me, We.

I'm thankful for my staff. I'm thankful for their hard work and what Bleeding Yankee Blue has accomplished and I'm thankful to all of you, our audience who understand that were regular people with regular lives who balance jobs, family, kids and activities... and then, we sit down and write you something about the Yankees you need to know about.  We're thankful you read us... and we're thankful that you understand all we do.  You get it and I, as Chief of BYB, appreciate it.

Today's Thanksgiving.  Enjoy... and thank you for being so dedicated... for reading, for writing... you're all very special people and I am blessed.

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




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