YANKEE PLAYERS AT SPRING TRAINING TALK ABOUT "PLAN-B"

We all want our baseball back. The players just want to get out there and play. In the meantime, some of our guys are still in Florida at George M. Steinbrenner Field working out and waiting for the Coronavirus pandemic to slow down. But it sounds like the Yankees may need a backup plan.

It's getting bad everywhere. New York is bad, California is bad and Washington is STILL bad. Now Florida is considering taking further actions which would greatly affect the Yankees who have chosen to stay in Florida, read more from the New York Post HERE.

A lot of us have already had to adjust our everyday lives thanks to the Coronavirus. Now Florida officials are reportedly considering a stay-at-home policy which would make the field off limits to the players who have chosen to stay. That also means that Aaron Judge's regular routine and treatment for his stress fracture on his rib and collapsed lung(!) would stop.

It also means that the great weather that DJ LeMahieu has been enjoying in Florida may mean more consideration to a ticket home to Michigan with it's cold temperatures. LeMahieu said he thought it was "the best place to be right now" and "all the gyms in Michigan are closed" but realistically, that is going to be the same case in Florida and every other state right now.

Even Tyler Wade sounds like he is considering other alternatives if he can't stay in Florida. It sounds like the Yankees are is doing everything they can to maintain a sanitized facility but if he can't stay in Florida his next consideration is "Maybe Arizona, there are a lot of guys out there" but that is likely a short term solution.

Take it from this New York transplant now living in Arizona, things are not greener here. Picking up and leaving for Arizona is not going to give any long term resources he may be looking for. Although our governor has not yet said he was looking to shut us down or use the words "stay-at-home" we are a little behind the eight ball here.

As of the time of this post, Arizona has taken some steps like many other states to slow the spread of the virus. We've all heard about "social distancing" and the governor has closed all bars, clubs and gyms here. ALL public schools and universities are closed. Arizona State University and University of Arizona have asked all college students to move out of campus housing and move back home or other make other living arrangements with less people. Some school districts are supposed to start "E-learning" today. Grocery stores have greatly reduced hours as they try to restock the empty shelves and the National Guard was just activated to help grocery stores restock shelves which will HOPEFULLY start happening by midweek. But this is all in response to challenges within our state that have very little DATA yet.

As of Sunday afternoon, Arizona had two deaths with 152 confirmed cases and 87 tests still pending. Numbers sound low, right? That's due to very little testing. Multiple AZ stations report that the state has the resources and the capacity to complete 450 tests per day but so far the testing really hasn't been happening. The numbers are greatly under estimated. So once we get real data, Arizona's response will likely be like Florida's and many other states.

I wish Wade and the rest of the Yankees could run and hide here, but it just isn't realistic at this point. So is there really a Plan B? If there is I am all ears....we all want the good news right now.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj 

SUZIE PINSTRIPE: A SOLID BYB WRITER, AN EVEN BETTER PERSON

I've known Suzie Pinstripe since about 2012. Her passion for baseball and the New York Yankees is like no other.  And I just didn't hire her for her sports knowledge. I hired her for her discipline. How did I know she was disciplined you ask? I mean, I barely knew the woman at the time. I know... I know.  Well... the reason is simple. I knew she would keep to a schedule... and I knew her passion in the baseball realm was great... but the reason why I knew she'd kick ass for because she was a runner.

Runners... Swimmers... these types of athletes stick to a schedule. They get up earlier than the rest of us. Not just one day, but every day.  They know when they need to run, they pay attention to their bodies, they eat at the same time every day, and eat right, and they follow their schedule to a T, every single day of their lives.  And I knew, that if I was able to bring her into the BYB family, sharing her daily knowledge on baseball and the New York Yankees... she would also bring that discipline with her, and in turn, that would feed our audience with some of the best stuff you will see on the web when it comes to Yankee writing.

And so here we are.  Years later, Suzie Pinstripe is one of my BYB Managing Editors. Spunky, passionate and just a great freaking person.  She's not only a family member to BYB... she and Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa are like my family.

Today I wanted to share with you something that BYB has been developing slowly... and it's the BYB Media podcast.  We've already interviewed Ty Hensley and my buddy, Al Malafronte of the Break-a-Bat Podcast, but how can I do this if I don't interview the heart and soul of Bleeding Yankee Blue? That's why you are about to hear from Suzie Pinstripe and next week Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa.  2 important people in my life, and 2 important voices when it comes to baseball and the New York Yankees.


I hope you enjoy this interview with one of my favs! Thank you Suzie. Thanks for all you do and thanks for never disappointing me.

You're the best.

A COLLAPSED LUNG IS BAD! FIRE THE YANKEES' MEDICAL STAFF!

How in the hell does the Yankees' medical staff skate after we have found out that Aaron Judge not only had a busted rib, but a collapsed lung? Does anyone know how serious that is? It's crazy to me that an athlete can have a good, solid organization surrounding him and yet, the medical staff misses something pretty substantial in our top player.  I mean, was it them or was it Aaron or was it the Yankees for purposely not sharing this information? What the hell is going on? Why aren't more people outraged by this?

ESPN writes:

" Aaron Judge told reporters Friday that his fractured rib is improving, and he also disclosed that he suffered a partially collapsed lung...

The Yankees never divulged the pneumothorax, commonly called a collapsed lung. Judge said a scheduled CT scan Friday showed the pneumothorax had fully healed and that had been slight progress in the healing of the rib.

"The pneumothorax came back completely gone, which a good thing," Judge told reporters outside Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. "Good to go, which means I can fly if I needed to go home. A little thing on the lung that we were having a little issue with, but that was all healed up. ... The bone is healing the way it should be."

But why... WHY did it happen like this? Who is responsible for this and why aren't they reprimanded or gone??

Look, if there is one thing I do know about sports and the athletes that play them... we need healthy players. That's why they are there, right? You can't have broken down players, players not able to give their all because they are hurt or not revealing injury because they don't want people to know, or the medical staff disregards it or misses it.

Suzie Pinstripe talks about Judge's maturity when it comes to his injury in a BYB Media podcast we will be sharing with you shortly.  Listen to this...


She's right.

Get well soon Aaron. We need you buddy!

MARIANO SPEAKS & PEOPLE LISTEN!

Why can't a guy like Mariano Rivera be Baseball Commissioner? He makes sense. He believes in right from wrong and in the end, he will make things happen instead of Rob Manfred. That dude's terrible. After all, with all this talk of the Coronavirus and shortening the season, in the back of my mind I was thinking about it and saying to myself, "Is this guy serious? I mean surely we all want baseball back, but what is this a little league season?" My thoughts were not off base. Manfred isn't out there for the sport, he's out there so he looks good. But I have news for you... it ain't working.

Mariano Rivera has spoken, and if Baseball was smart, they would listen and make the proper changes to what the hell is going on.

SNY writes:

"...one Yankees legend doesn't think a team winning a World Series title during a super abbreviated season should carry much weight. "I don't think you can play a 60-game season and you call yourself a champion," Mariano Rivera said while appearing on ESPN New York's The Michael Kay Show on Friday. 

The five-time World Series champion added: "Anything can happen in 60 games. I don't think it's enough. People don't play on all cylinders, the whole teams are different. I don't know. It's a great question, because I don't know what's going to happen if the season is starting in June or July."

But what can be done about it? It's a tough situation. Do they give some other type of accolade after a possible 60 game season is finished? Do we go ahead and give the big World Series trophy? Do we go until the end of December? What will we do?

Your move Manfred... your move.

BYB EXCLUSIVE: BEING YANKEE FANS BROUGHT US TOGETHER

Yesterday we teased a podcast that we're dropping right now on Bleeding Yankee Blue.

It's with my pal Al Malafronte. I met this dude when he was 21, and that was 10 years ago. Since then, BYB has built into a nice media outlet where you can get honest Yankee opinion from real fans... and Al made himself a nice mini-empire with the "Break-a-Bat" Podcast.  If you want more on all of this, check out:

THE LITTLE ENGINES THAT COULD

As we are building BYB, we started doing more conversations with the people we love. Ty Hensley was the first, Al was the second and coming up we have so many more people that need a place to voice their thoughts on baseball and life.  I'll tease a new one in a moment. BYB Media was born this week and a perfect example of social distancing.

Right now I'd like to present to you our interview with Al Malafronte, a guy with a love for baseball and Broadway and he's doing a podcast never done before.


Al has done 25 episodes and the interviews he's had on include everything from Players to player's wives to actors and actresses.

My personal favorite is Ashley Williams...

First because she' a terrific actress... secondly because she's hot.  In our interview with Al, we asked him about the most interesting moments with some of his guests. Of course, I also asked him about the Astros and Rob Manfred, and how he thinks things will go for the Yankees in 2020.

Our podcast interview with Al Malafronte is uncensored and real and it's from a fan perspective and that's what I love most about what we do here at BYB.

Coming up over the next few days is an interview I wanted to do for a long time. A chat with Suzie Pinstripe and also Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa, my 2 BYB Managing Editors and 2 people that are really the heart and soul of BYB.  Here's a sneak peak of Suzie Pinstripe talking about 2 Yankee players that are going to be important in the 2020 Yankee season... Aaron Judge and Masahiro Tanaka.


Look for that interview on BYB over the next few days.

For now, I hope you enjoy my podcast with Al Malafronte… my friend and host of the "Break-a-Bat" podcast!  Keep going Al, good luck!

KEEPING LEMAHIEU SANE

Hey, I applaud DJ LeMahieu.

He's doing what works best for him in this weird time in the world. He's staying put and he'll continue to workout until the season begins.  Love this balls, but I'll tell you something else, he's a smart dude. I have no doubt he's practicing social distancing and he's just staying in his bubble, working hard.

If you don't know what I'm talking about it has to do with DJ sticking in Florida even though players were told they could go home while the whole season is on hold.

Our pal Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record has the story:

"DJ LeMahieu resides in Michigan, so he’s planning to stay where it’s sunny and warm and the Yankees’ spring training complex remains open. 

'I don’t really want to go home,’ LeMahieu said on Thursday morning. 'So, I’ll stay here, I guess, for the time being.’ 

Within the confines of Steinbrenner Field, the batting practices and infield work provides some escape from a world gripped by the coronavirus pandemic. 

'Personally, it keeps me sane,’ LeMahieu said. 

'It’s nice to be able to come here and at least do some baseball stuff. 

'I’d be going crazy if I couldn’t be able to do that.’"

I appreciate that about DJ and I totally get it.

And hey, kudos to Pete Caldera too. He's in Florida too, doing his thing. I feel like Bleeding Yankee Blue should do a story about him! I think I'll reach out and see if he'll chat with me.

Be safe, Pete, we love you here at BYB.

THE LITTLE ENGINES THAT COULD

From one engine to another engine.

Bleeding Yankee Blue has been around for 10 years and it all started because of readers like you and like my bud Al Malafronte.  Over time Al even created his own project and I fully endorse it. That project is the 'Break-a-Bat' Podcast and tomorrow we'll be dropping a BYB Podcast and our chat with Al... who happens to not only be a Bleeding Yankee Blue fan, but also a huge Yankee fanatic as well.

I wanted to give our audience a sneak peak today however.  I asked Al the tell me what 3 New York Yankees he would want to have dinner with.  His choices were brilliant....



Lou Gehrig, Rickey Henderson and Aroldis Chapman.  But he snuck in another chair at the table and it's hilarious! Give this promo a listen.

I was also happy to hear about his love for Bleeding Yankee Blue and totally appreciate it. Take a listen to this:


Extremely flattering and we love Al back big time!

Anyway... Malafronte's "Break-a-Bat' Podcast is quickly becoming a great success, and with all his knowledge for the Yankees and baseball in general, I wanted to turn the tables and interview him for our new start up... the BYB Podcast on BYB Media.  Look for the full chat tomorrow right here on BYB!

I can't wait to share it with you!

DOMINGO GERMAN'S SUSPENSION JUST GOT A LITTLE LONGER

Don't panic, there has been no revision to the 81 game suspension that Domingo German agreed to over the fall, but thanks to the Coronavirus it does keep him out of the game longer. He assumed it would get him back in games by June, but now that is no longer the case.

Ken Davidoff of the New York Post has a good explanation of all of this HERE. The best way to sum this up is this: German must serve his 81 game suspension when the season does start....whenever that is. No one knows exactly but we speculated in A LONGER MLB SHUTDOWN LOOMING AFTER FIRST POSITIVE CORONAVIRUS TEST. So if the season doesn't start until June, then we won't see him until the last few weeks of the regular season and the Yankees rotation depth looks scarier with Luis Severino missing all of this season. If the season starts in July....then things just got a lot uglier for us.

At this point, I don't think it is reasonable to assume this season will be anyway near as long as we are used to. The odds of a shortened season look inevitable. So the number of games German will be available for look bleak. This is a tough blow for the Yankees and for German. The delay of the season definitely benefits some of our injured guys like James Paxton, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, but it hurts the Yankees with pitching depth.

Let's hope that all of this strategy that our government leaders are talking about works. Hopefully we get ahead of the curve of this and we an get back to baseball sooner rather than later. And when we do, let's hope that guys like Jordan Montgomery give us that boost we need and the Yankees depth pays off.

I'm so sick of this virus. It affects our life in every way and I say that as I sit here in my office working from home for the first time EVER in my career. My company has NEVER allowed it. Oh and how many of us are still looking for toilet paper and NORMAL groceries? Now this virus also impacts when German can fulfill his suspension as he agreed.

It's a crazy world out there, folks. Stay safe....and stay sane. We will all find a way through this. Hopefully we see baseball and German sooner rather than later.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj 

CONTINGENCY PLANS, DISCUSSIONS ARE UNDER WAY

Source: CBS Sports

A shortened season has drastic impacts on all parts of MLB including the teams, the players, the employees and the ball parks.  Beside impacting the ball park employees and businesses around the stadiums, it is causing minor league players to take other jobs, ones that put them at risk of contracting COVID-19.  As the pandemic continues to soar through our country, MLB makes contingency plans which can favor sleeper teams to reach the post season and players who have been bitten by the injury bug.

"Officially, Major League Baseball has not yet abandoned the hope of playing a 162-game schedule. Unofficially, that possibility all but evaporated when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended no gatherings of 50 or more people for the next eight weeks. That recommendation carries through May 10 (and could be extended based on the trajectory of the coronavirus spread)," reported Sports Illustrated.

Steve Azul and I hashed out some of our thoughts about the shortened season and how that would impact the Yankees and the inequities it could cause on the BleedBlue podcast on Monday night.  You can listen to our banter here. The Cliff Notes version looks like this:

1. Two or three weeks of games lost to the coronavirus could be tacked on to the end of the schedule

2. Postseason extending into November

3. Tighter races with sleeper teams such as Tampa Bay as the key disrupter

4. National League will be even more competitive particularly in the East

5. More double headers

6. More time for our players to heal- Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and James Paxton

Source: NJ.com

I was happy to see that Sport Illustrated had these on their list of contingency plans as well.  Other drastic measures that baseball faces is the loss of revenue not just in tickets but in merchandise and concessions, including the remaining days of spring training.  Does spring training continue but at their home fields with split squads and local play with teams in the region, National and American Leagues, avoiding planes and longer travel?  Maybe, but these will still not make up for the loss of revenue and momentum.

Baseball was already facing a public relations nightmare with the Houston Astros debacle, now the novel coronavirus is disrupting life even further.  Let's hope for a May start of the season knowing that June could be the reality.  Baseball will be back, we just have to wait this out.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @Suzieprof

NOTHING IN LIFE IS HANDED TO YOU. NO ONE KNOWS THAT MORE THAN TY HENSLEY

You know who gets up and continues up the mountain after years of setbacks? My Superhuman friend, Ty Hensley.

For my Bleeding Yankee Blue audience, you all know him. The tall lanky 2012 first round draft pick for the New York Yankees.

Back then, things were coming up roses.  Everything was working in his favor and it was like a dream come true. I mean, how could it not be... this is a kid that worked his tail off to get there, and now he was there, signed, and ready to one day pitch for the New York Yankees in front of a 50,000 crowd at Yankee stadium. Something that, when you hear my interview with him today, you'd think it was part of his path, mostly of course because of how he was raised.

"My mom and dad have always done an extremely good job of always pushing me outside my comfort zone.... before I do something, like anyone does, I always have this anxiety, excitement and then it finally gets there and says it's some sort of presentation or game or whatever it is, I have all this built up excitement, anxiety, whatever you call it. And then I get out there an I relish in it. I love it. I love that feeling."

Kudos to mom and dad.  And yes, after signing with that Yankees... that's when things started to change for Ty. I'm not saying his path was easy before that.

I'm saying he earned his spot, but in life, nothing is easy and that's when injury, setbacks took place.  But it's right then and there that you need to figure out as a person what you want out of life. Do you want to give up, go work in the local hardware store, or do you want to follow your dreams?

Ty chose his dream, because Ty was raised right. Perseverance is in this kid's DNA. That's what pro baseball teams saw early on. That's what the Yankees saw. That's what the Tampa Bay Rays saw. That's what the Utica Unicorns saw.... so much so that they took a chance on this now bigger, stronger kid from Oklahoma, and they won a USPBL Championship because of it.

And now, looking to make it back to the pros again, Ty has been working out like a mad man, like a true athlete with a dream. He'd back folks... there is no question.

Free Agent Ty Hensley's 3000 RPM Curveball. @tyhensley17 @Matthew_c252 pic.twitter.com/Hp3WIrGDMZ

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) January 25, 2020

Little target practice @DVSbaseball
Really liking where all the stuff is at, check it out! 🔥🔨@PitchingNinja @drjoshheenan pic.twitter.com/SnC25dvgpY

— Ty Hensley (@tyhensley17) March 17, 2020

Side note... as Ty is developing his new path, Bleeding Yankee Blue has been working toward our own. Slowly changing the way we deliver news and information. Sure, we will always be about writing for our audience first, but we have moved on to BYB Media. We are developing a podcast. A new, raw way so you can hear your favorites in their own words. We have only done 2, and both podcasts have been with Ty Hensley, but here's the thing... he's our guy. He's always been our guy.

We will have more interviews with many more people as we move forward, but as we have always said here at BYB.... we stick with the winners... and when you see a dude like Ty Hensley, you know he's something special. That's why we've never left his side at BYB. That's why we will always interview him on progress and updates for all of you. We are loyal.

So here it is, Podcast 2 of Ty Hensley as he gives us some updates on his curveball, wanting to go pro, his brother JR, Coronavirus... and a message to the BYB audience... "Keep Watching", he says... because trust me when I tell you, he is on a mission... again.... and this time he will make his dreams come true.

I do not doubt it.



Please give it a listen and please share. Love this kid and love his drive.

He's an inspiration.

THAT "ROBBIE RAY TO THE YANKEES" RUMOR POPS UP AGAIN

I think Robbie Ray is a smart idea when it comes to a lefty pitcher that the Yankees can use.  With them already upgrading with Gerrit Cole, and guys like James Paxton and Luis Severino on the shelf, you have to wonder if the Yankees will need some help, be it at the start of the season which now appears to be around Memorial day, or even at the trade deadline in July.

12 Up writes this:

"Arizona Diamondbacks strikeout machine Robbie Ray was sought after by the Yanks at last year's deadline, though nothing materialized. Well, should the Yankees find themselves looking for a stable option at the back-end of the rotation around the deadline, perhaps they'll be able to land the 28-year-old this time...Ray has consistently proven himself to be a reliable starter. Even after a pedestrian campaign last year, he still owns a 3.72 ERA over the last three seasons...

Even a year of his services would require a decent package. If the Yankees wanted to land Ray, it would likely take a quality pitching prospect like Alexander Vizcaino, the organization's No. 7 overall prospect. The 22-year-old right-hander owns a mid-to-upper 90s fastball that, if honed properly, could make him a valuable piece in the future." 

I love where their head's at... but again, it would require a "decent" package and of course, with the season starting later, you really need to wonder if it would even happen.

Great idea... we just need to see. I had to share this...

A LONGER MLB SHUTDOWN LOOMING AFTER FIRST POSITIVE CORONAVIRUS TEST

This Coronavirus outbreak just got very real for the New York Yankees after an unidentified minor league player at spring training has tested positive for COVID-19, read more HERE. Today is four days that the sports world has stopped turning. It's been hard enough, we all know this will continue to be hard. The only thing we want to be talking about right now is....when does it get better? When do we get our sports back?

No one knows, I wish we did. For now, we sit back and wait for more answers and hope this does not spread to other players within the Yankees organization or any other team for that matter. Here's what Brian Cashman has said so far:

-The player who tested positive showed symptoms last week. He stayed in his room Thursday and on Friday woke up with a fever and felt fatigued.

-The positive test came from a younger player and was not working with any of the major league players in camp.

-The player was exclusively in minor league camp and had no interactions with anyone at Steinbrenner Field.

-Yankee minor leaguers and some staff are under self-quarantine including the players roommates.

-As of Sunday afternoon, no other Coronavirus tests were administered to Yankees players or personnel.

-The player who tested positive is already reporting that he is feeling better, and no longer as a fever.

The fact that this kid is already feeling better is great news, but now what? Hopefully no one else catches this.

As we look further down the road, we have to wonder if anyone else will test positive for this....and we all cross our fingers the answer is no. Although, I must admit that sounds like it would be a miracle. It seems crazy to believe that there will be no spread of this virus. Before the news of this positive test Yankee player unanimously voted to stay in camp and continue to workout and prepare for the regular season. The regular season was going to be delayed "at least" two weeks....but now we face he reality of that delay lasting much longer now that all MLB teams are headed home.

But how much longer? According to USA Today HERE, maybe beyond Memorial Day weekend. Hopefully that's not the case and right now it is just hearsay. Owners and team presidents have a conference call scheduled for today to determine the next steps which seems to change hourly at this point. The idea of a full 162 game season sounds unrealistic at this point, the season would extend too late into the year. So who knows what the structure of the season will look like once all parties agree to it and how that will affect division races.

There is a lot to figure out at this point but we will just have to wait and see as MLB regroups from this. I hope the player who tested positive recovers quickly, and I help no one else gets sick. I hope we get to watch baseball again soon....I hope things go back to normal soon.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj