WE'RE ONLY 9 GAMES BACK! THAT'S WHY CARLOS RODON IS BLOWING KISSES AT YOU!

Sure, the Yankees stink, but even they will tell you that.  

In fact, that's what Carlos Rodon told us Yankee fans tonight. When he blew his kiss, it wasn't a "F you" to us fans. It was more of an understanding of our frustrations. Don't try and make Rodon the enemy, he's not. He gets it.

Carlos Rodon blows kisses to Yankees fans after giving up 4 runs in the first 2 innings @short_porch @StoolBaseball pic.twitter.com/BuP0ytuPpk

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) July 19, 2023

Put it this way; Rodon is still trying to get into the swing of things.  The last few starts have not been great, but he just got to us the beginning of July after being hurt. The dude's not gonna be perfect right outside the gate.  In fact, he's still working through it. It is what it is.

You want to blame anyone it's Boone and the offense, not Rodon. He's the least of our problems.  And let's take it further. Yankee Twitter is a freaking sewer right now.  You guys are all pulling your hair out, cursing at the television, saying that "it's over" and the "Yankees suck" and now the Jomboy dude is telling everyone that the Yankees are selling.  What world do we live in that Yankee fans expect us to win 162 games a season and commentators who have airtime on YES can make stupid theories on a team that pays them?  How about whatever. Way to give up. 

First off, can we stop for a second? The New York Yankees are 9 games out. NINE.  By tomorrow, maybe it's 10... who knows.  But that's not a bad season. Yes, the Yankees are playing horrible, but we're in it gang... believe it or not we are IN IT. 

Also, it's July 19th.  Are you looking at the standings or the games back because it is NOT the end of the world, not yet at least. In fact, we might sell a few guys, but we're gonna definitely look to pick up some hitters to help us shake the funk as well.

So look... stop making Rodon the enemy.  How about you give it a second, get a set of balls and root for your team?  How about look at the big picture? How about I remind you about the biggest issue this team has right now is hitting and a bad manager that has been exposed because now with the Yankees skidding... Boone actually HAS to work.  

I've been saying this for 3 years now when it comes to Aaron Boone.  Anyone can manage a team that does what they're supposed to do.  Now try managing a team when nothing is working.  That's where we are at with Boone.  He is in over his head, he's not qualified, and he is not what a leader in the Bronx is supposed to be.

I'm glad Rodon blew us all a kiss tonight.  Maybe we as true Yankee fans need to think before we bitch and moan.  We all need to give this a few more weeks... we need to root for this club like our lives depended on it and we need to stop acting like the New York Yankees are 30 games out of first place.  We're not... in fact, we have plenty of time to climb up in the division.  We just need something to click.  Maybe it will, maybe it won't but as a fan, you can't just throw up your hands just 9 games out of first place.

Trust me... have faith.  Stop bitching. It CAN get better.

Oh... and Hal? Mr. Steinbrenner. It's time. Fire Aaron Boone.  The experiment is over.  Bad leadership sinks teams.  This is now evident.

YANKEES MASQUERADING AS A CONTENDER SINCE JETER RETIRED!

How's that for a headline? Am I wrong? I mean think about it. The Yankees were absolutely amazing in the late 90s and early 2000s. The team played like a team. They weren't fragile or made of glass. They didn't sit every few games. They played with heart and soul and they were fun to watch. Derek Jeter truly earned his pinstripes and his title as captain. He led the team and modeled good practices both on and off the field. Since his retirement in 2014, the Yankees have been a shell of themselves and this administration has been covering for their lack of leadership and inability to play like a contending team. In other words, the Yankees have been masquerading as a contender since Jeter retired.

"When the second half opened last Friday, the New York Yankees found themselves out of the postseason picture, a game behind the third wild-card spot and a game up on last place in the brutal AL East. Injuries and an underperforming offense have landed New York on the postseason bubble, and they're desperate enough that they changed hitting coaches just before the All-Star break," reported CBS Sports.

Source: AP

It is a punch to the gut but it is our new reality as fans. The Yankees are not going anywhere this season but back to the lab. And with their current management, it is the same thing, different year. Once the clock struck 2010, the Yankees began their slow decline from fame. In 2012 in the first game against the Detroit Tigers for the ALDS, Jeter broke his ankle and the rest is history. But his contribution to the game and the Yankees is indisputable. And he was part of the one of the greatest teams in history- the famed 1998 Yankees.

The 1998 Yankees was the most balanced, cohesive teams in Yankee history. Each of the 25 players on that team knew their role, and executed it. They had a great combination of talent, youth and experience, power and speed, and incredible righty and lefty pitching. They were the top in multiple categories and their leadership was experienced, providing just the right amount of wisdom to compliment the rise statistical precision. 

Now the Yankees put all of the pressure on two guys: Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole. And fill in the team around them, misplaying them, treating them like they are made of glass, and yes masquerading like they are going to be winners, while changing basically nothing about the team's makeup.

As NJ.com thoughtfully reports, "In fact, so far, this is the worst Yankees team of his six-year tenure. Month after month, week after week, series after series, the Bombers continue to advertise their mediocrity. On Sunday they finished getting schooled by the National League’s worst team, blowing two-run leads to the Rockies in the eighth and 11th innings." What is worse is that they seem to just brush it under the rug, like it didn't even happen, like it doesn't even matter.

"Stop glossing over the horrific losses, such as Sunday’s 8-7, 11-inning fiasco in Colorado. Stop pretending to be offended by fair questions about the Yankees’ pedigree. Acknowledge what everyone else sees and knows: this is a troubled, last-place team that needs tough leadership, not platitudes," reports NJ.com. I couldn't agree more.

I like most of the YES viewers have had enough of Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman. I have had my fill of their spin doctoring sound bites and "we'll get 'em next time" statements. They are all smoke and mirrors. They have no intention in getting better. They are pretending and until they get leadership that is going to play the players like they should be played and stop being their best friend and instead be their manager, the Yankees will remain soft, squishy and out of the playoff picture. They are not contenders; they are losers, and it is not going to get better. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

UPDATES ON THAT FRANKIE MONTAS GUY YOU FORGOT ABOUT

Admit it, you have forgotten about him. It's okay.... he's forgettable for too many reasons. You can remember him now for this brief update. Or maybe you still don't care since we talked about him last month. Yes, only a month ago but it might as well be an eternity.

So what's going on with Bust Frankie Montas? Well, the beginning of the end in my opinion, but you can check out what NJ.com reported HERE. The plan was to have Montas start a throwing program at the end of May and hopefully get back to big league action in August, but that's not going to happen. Montas has been playing catch for 6 1/2 weeks and that's it. He's had some setbacks due to some discomfort so that's not promising.

Best case scenario at this point, is Montas ramps up his rehab and we get to see him in a relief role for the last few weeks of the season. That may not happen though, and if so I don't expect to hear a lot of people crying. He's been a non-factor all season. If he's not throwing off a mound soon, there won't be a 2023 season for him. The Yankees always knew that even after his surgery, his rotator cuff issue could be season ending.

This injury could not only be season ending but realistically, pinstripe ending. Montas is a free agent at the end of the season and that would mean "see ya later, Montas....and thanks for absolutely NOTHING." Seriously, one of Brian Cashman's biggest busts which is crazy to think about because with how displeased fans are this season his list of failures seems to be never ending. Montas is definitely a huge bust though. We gave up assets and got absolutely nothing in return. Meanwhile, left handers JP Sears and Ken Waldichuk have been pitching for the Oakland A's all season. That's a bitter pill to swallow.

I guess we will wait until we get our next update, which should be days away. Montas will be getting a follow up with his surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache who is the Dodgers physician. According to Aaron Boone, the Yankees will be checking in on Montas on their upcoming road trip in Anaheim. 

Oh goodie? Seriously, I couldn't care less about this guy anymore. So there is your update on the guy you may have forgotten about.... or also may not care about. Do with it what you will. 

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

BOONE'S ANSWER TO RIZZO'S HOME RUN STRUGGLE IS "BASEBALL, IT'S HARD"

The Yankees were able to win last night, but one guy who just isn't really contributing is Anthony Rizzo.  In short, we have a solid leader on this club in a massive home run slump.  We gotta fix this guy.  Well, hopefully a guy like Sean Casey can because Aaron Boone is no help.  

Boone says things to the media just as badly as Dillon Lawson says them, almost like they are cut from the same cloth of stupidity. That's my take of course.

The New York Post writes:

“Baseball, it’s hard, even for guys that are really good,” manager Aaron Boone said before the game Saturday."

Everyone in the room understands this Aaron. Making statements like this are ridiculous. How about tell the media what is going on behind the scenes to help Rizzo get over the hump?  More from the Post:

"...This season, Rizzo hit 11 home runs in his first 46 games, through May 20.

Eight days later, he collided with Fernando Tatis Jr. of the Padres on a pickoff at first base, which knocked him out for three games with a stiff neck....

“I feel like right when he came back from the neck, he had two weeks where he really struggled, where he wasn’t swinging very good,” Boone said. “I do feel like the last three weeks or so, he’s been better, where he’s getting his hits a little bit, he’s getting on base a little bit. "

So enough from this Boone guy. What can be done about it? Sean Casey can hopefully come to the rescue.  He's got to be able to see something in Rizzo's swing, his movement. We all know that Rizzo is a veteran and maybe he's just needing some more time, or maybe he just needs to sit with a guy like Casey to see what can be done.  Or, maybe it's something more serious. Maybe Rizzo is actually hurt and working through it. It's an interesting situation.

Whatever the case, Yankee fans love Rizzo. We need him back.  Yes, this is a home run drought, but he will be back soon. I have no doubt. Rizzo does the little things even though he hasn't gotten over the hump, but he will and I believe it will be Casey to help him.  

Have faith. and most of all, we need to have patience.

INSERTING SEAN CASEY DOESN'T SUDDENLY MAKE AUTOMATIC WINS

Look, part of the problem with the Yankees leading into the All-Star break was that we didn't have a hitting coach that truly grasped what the job was. Dillon Lawson was in over his head, plain and simple.  But the players are equally responsible and much like in the film The Natural, the idea of losing sometimes creeps into player's heads.  You start to over think. You start to over tinker. You start to think that maybe you're terrible, OR you overdo it and don't find that balance to just relax.  And so, losing becomes a disease.

  

To cure that disease is not easy, but with tragedy, you need to have patience and things will turn itself around. Just. Don't. Panic.

The AP writes: “I know there is a lot of panic outside the clubhouse,” said Gleyber Torres, who singled before Stanton's homer and had three hits. “We just try to play better baseball, little by little. The energy is good. We have to figure out faster a way to get better at home plate. Everything is up to us."

This is true. Players have to play. Players have to get out from under their sorrows and try and fix their approach.  But what the AP did as well was take a shot at new hitting coach Sean Casey in their headline. A low blow for a guy that just showed up to his first game last night. Their headline reads:


"With a new hitting coach, the Yankees fizzle at the plate again in their 7-2 loss to the Rockies".

You need to be a real editorial prick and probably a Mets fan to take a shot like that in a headline. Sean Casey doesn't just show up, snap his fingers and everything is right with the Yankee offense. This is an uphill battle. Nothing is automatic. I wrote that inFIRING DILLON LAWSON WAS SYMBOLISM FOR YANKEELAND & A MESSAGE TO BOONE the following (a quote from the Athletic):

" The next hitting coach, whoever gets the job, will be starting from a deficit. He won’t have an offseason and spring training to prepare. It’ll be up to Boone to not just make sure players are on board with the new guy’s message, but he’ll also need to make sure the players maintain trust in the front office. Players will be looking for leadership, and leadership has decided that one of its own had to go."

This will take time... time we just don't have.

Can we do it? Yes.  How quickly... well... it's hard to say.  But one thing I do know is Sean Casey is not some God that can flick a switch and make it all better.  He needs to get into a groove with these players and figure it out... the tweaks, the approach, the adjustments and just bringing calm to these guys.  

I have faith.  You should too.

YANKS JUST SIGNED A NEW PLAYER... AGAIN

Small news because the big news is that the Yankees are in last place after losing to the Colorado Rockies 7-2.  We just signed another guy.

MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"The Yankees signed first baseman/corner outfielder Jake Lamb to a minor league deal this afternoon. He was assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre...The veteran left-handed hitter had signed an offseason minor league contract and broke camp with Los Angeles. He struggled over 19 games, putting up a .216/.259/.353 line before being optioned."

Look, I'm just gonna say this and then we will move on... there are so many things this Yankee team needs to do to get us on the right track right now.... and signing Jake Lamb is not one of them.

Turn it around, folks... or, maybe we just need to let this team fail so we fire Aaron Boone once and for all.

I'm so over it.

RUMOR: THE YANKEES HAVE THEIR EYE ON A NEW STARTER!

Let the trade rumors begin! The August 1st trade deadline is fast approaching, and the Yankees have their eye on an interesting target. As much as this team has underperformed the Yankees are still ready to make moves to improve their chances of a playoff run.

The Yankees want and need some rotation help. Hopefully, Carlos Rodon pitches like the top of the rotation stud the Yankees envisioned but the Yankees can't bank on it. The Yankees always battle injuries every season, but this one seems to hurt more and Gerrit Cole can't do it all.

Sports Illustrated ran an interesting piece yesterday, check it out HERE. The Yankees and Shane Bieber from the Cleveland Guardians could be a nice match, IF he is available. That could be a big IF. The Guardians are currently leading the AL Central division with a 45-45 record so they could do anything at the deadline. They are locked in for a playoff spot now, but that division is still close and anything can happen. Cleveland has had a rocky season just like the Yankees, and they could choose to offload Bieber in hopes to reload for 2024 and beyond.

Bieber could be a nice upgrade for the Yankees, but we've heard tis before. It's exactly what we heard when we added Rodon. The vision was Cole, Rodon and Nestor Cortes for a lights out 1-2-3 but that hasn't panned out. Bieber has been reliable with a 3.77 ERA in 19 starts and could be even better. He was the 2020 AL Cy Young winner and has experience that could be valuable in the Bronx.....if he can handle the added pressure.

That's always the unknown, can a proven pitcher outside New York handle the bright lights. Even if Cleveland is willing to deal him, he won't come cheap. He's under team control through 2024, so they will want a pretty penny for him. But getting a top of the rotation pitcher under team control for two postseasons is attractive and so is a rotation of Cole, Rodon, and Bieber. It's intriguing.

This is my favorite time of the year (not including the postseason). I love the trade rumors and buzz as the deadline gets closer! I like the idea of Bieber, but honestly pitching is not the Yankees biggest problem. We could have five number one starters, but if this offense isn't fixed it won't matter.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

SEAN CASEY TO THE RESCUE

I find it amazing and refreshing that the guy who has the ideas, the vision and the confidence on how to turn this Yankee team around is from the newly hired hitting coach and not from within the Yankee organization itself. Don't you?

I also find it strange that we've been staring at this offense problem for months and guys like Aaron Boone and Dillon Lawson were bumbling idiots in front of the mic and this Casey guy shows up and drips with confidence that makes me want to buy a Reds, Casey jersey and wear it to Yankee stadium as a symbol of change.  Right now... before anything has even happened, I feel like this fit could be amazing for this Yankees club.

Bryan Hoch has been working his tail off bringing us some pretty significant nuggets in regard to Sean Casey's plan... and they're coming from Casey's mouth. He's even going to include an upcoming zoom press conference.  But the biggest, most significant nugget comes with the subliminal offering of why he's sporting a new mustache.

Sean Casey is holding a Zoom press conference. He said that he is sporting a mustache for the first time in his life to honor his boyhood idol, Don Mattingly. pic.twitter.com/yLqzbkRsvF

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) July 12, 2023

Here's the thing; many of you will not see it like I see it and that's perfectly fine. I find the ideas, the energy very refreshing, and I know that Sean Casey can be the difference in helping turn the Yankees hitting around.  

We have no idea if it will work yet. But put it in perspective with your own life in your own company and your job... a new manager comes in with a new vision, new ideas and high energy... and most of all, he's willing to work with all of you in the office to make that vision become reality.  

Are you going to poo poo that? Or are you going to be one of those team members that buys into it because every voice is heard, and the leader can bring you all together?  For me, I buy in... and that is what I feel like is happening here.  

There are 2 things happening right now with the great Sean Casey. For one, he's extending some comfort to the Yankee audience.  

"Here's my mustache, you love Mattingly, I loved Mattingly growing up. Let's connect." I'm paraphrasing here but a subtle moment like that is a definite buy-in for any fan.  

Second, we want to make sure our hitting coach is going to work hard to fix our offense. Dillon Lawson didn't work, like literally.  It's now being reported that the Yankees wanted him out last winter... but they couldn't get it together.  But now we have a new guy, and Casey is already talking with the players, sharing ideas, listening to player ideas and approaches and not only that, he's using the reporters like Bryan Hoch and other New York media to keep us updated.

New #Yankees hitting coach Sean Casey said that he has had lengthy chats with Aaron Judge, Josh Donaldson, Anthony Rizzo, Harrison Bader & Anthony Volpe already. Casey said that he senses there has been "tension" among the Yanks' hitters.

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) July 12, 2023

 Again... a reach to the fans, but also to the team as if to say, "I do my job 100% and I'm gonna prove it to you."  Again... paraphrasing, but there's no doubt this guy's about turning this team around. It's very noble and trust me... the energy is contagious.

Look, I have no idea what will happen with Sean Casey. In a perfect world he is the perfect leader in the Bronx so much so that they ditch Boone for this guy eventually.  But right now the fix is to get the Yankees hitting, and I feel good going into the second half.  

Let's hope this is a good marriage... to me, it's exciting.

COLE CROSSES ANOTHER MILESTONE OFF HIS BUCKET LIST

 
Source: MLB Photos

It is embarrassing to see the Yankees have just one representative at the 2023 All Star Game in Seattle. I guess if our captain was well, this would not be the case. But still, I feel sad. I was however, lifted when I learned that Gerrit Cole would in fact start the game. And even better, he was really excited, so much so that he shared that starting in the All Star game was on his bucket list and last night he crossed that milestone off.

“I think it’s just always something that I’ve wanted to do, and I feel like I’m physically able to do it,” said Cole, who will be pitching on two days’ rest after throwing 7 ¹/₃ innings Saturday. “I got an opportunity, and [I am] thankful that Dusty [Baker] selected me," reported The New York Post. 

Source: MLB Photos

Cole is the first Yankee to start in the Mid-Summer Classic since Roger Clemens back in 2001. And Baker was more than happy to give Cole the ball, given is passion and excitement to pitch in this year's game.

“Guy’s been here five, six times. About time he started one,” Baker said on Monday’s workout day at T-Mobile Park. “And plus he’s one of the best there is. And plus he wanted it. A lot of guys, sometimes they might not want to pitch in this particular game, but he wanted to pitch. Hey, man, if a guy like Gerrit Cole wants to pitch, I’ll let him pitch,” reported The Post.

Cole is having a hell of a year, despite the Yankees abysmal first half of the season. When he pitches, he gives the Yankees a lift, especially after a loss. In fact, the Yankees have gone 8-0 when Cole starts after a loss. 

In his starting debut in last night's game, he retired the side, but with a little help from his corner outfielders who saved their AL pitcher from giving up two home runs in the first. I still have to root for our guy out there and I am grateful he had the opportunity to rep the Yankees. 

If Cole can stay consistent this season, he could reach another bucket list item- The Cy Young Award. And if the Yankees can turn things around, he could potentially...well let's not go there quite yet. The Yankees have a lot more to do before Cole and the rest can reach the World Series. Anything can happen and it all begins again on Thursday. But for now, the Yankees can regroup, reflect and get back out there- battling to win. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

THE YANKS JUST SNAGGED ANOTHER PITCHER!

Stock piling arms can be good!

With all the commotion of Dillon Lawson getting axed and Sean Casey coming in as the new Yankees hitting coach, there was another move that was made.  The Yankees picked up a pitcher a few days ago and no one really knew about it.

CBS Sports writes:

"The Yankees claimed (Anthony) Misiewicz off waivers from the Tigers on Thursday and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre...The 28-year-old southpaw hasn't fared well in the majors or minors this season, but the slew of injuries within the Yankees' pitching staff could allow Misiewicz to join New York's bullpen at some point as a depth piece."

This is what you call trying to catch lightning in a bottle.  Let's see what this guy can do.  

Welcome Anthony!

HUGE YANKEES HITTING COACH UPGRADE!

 

Bravo Mr. Steinbrenner... Bravo.  

Just 24 hours after firing Dillon Lawson as the Yankees hitting coach, the Yankees have replaced him with a guy who understands approach, experience, tweaks, adjustments and most of all... hitting a baseball.  

CBS Sports writes:

"Sean Casey is the new hitting coach for the New York Yankees, the team announced Monday. Joel Sherman adds that Casey's contract will run through the rest of the 2023 season, at which point both sides can determine whether a longer and more permanent agreement is desired. Casey will replace Dillon Lawson, who was fired following Sunday's loss to the Cubs and coming out of one of the worst offensive first halves in franchise history.

"Anyone who knows Sean knows he is a very well-respected former baseball player with a big personality full of positive energy," GM Brian Cashman said in a statement. "We feel his abilities to connect with people with his experience will serve him well in his new role as our head hitting coach."

Sean Casey is one of the most respected guys in baseball, had a fantastic career and will no doubt (in my opinion) be the more managerial and thorough guy of this Yankees coaching staff. I see Casey inserting himself in decisions Aaron Boone makes, his longevity and experience will prove valuable to this Yankees club as they move forward in the second half of the season.

And dare I say, if this new marriage is successful... the Boone/Casey team will be around for a while. If the Yankees continue to tank or are failing with Boone's leadership... it would be a pleasure to slide Casey over has manager and watch him work in New York while we cut Boone loose!

Welcome Sean! I'm loving this.

THE MOST CONFIDENT YANKEE DRAFT PICK AT THIS VERY MOMENT

The Yankees just selected Roc Riggio. If you don't know him, know this.... you will love him.  He's about as hardnosed as it gets.

Riggio was drafted by the Yankees in the 4th round, a second baseman who loves to taunt and loves to be taunted.  Why? Because it's part of the game. In a world where people are sensitive to their feelings and have gone soft, Riggio goes by the beat of his own drum, and he's only a sophomore in college.  

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, NJ.com will help you. In a nutshell, he's with Oklahoma State, cranked out a homer against the University of Arkansas and as he celebrated, he ran the bases on his tip-toes and his arms raised in the air.

  

That pissed off the University of Arkansas pretty badly.  To make it worse, he was a freshman when he did it.  This guy drips with confidence:

“I like having a target on my back,” Riggio told the Oklahoman earlier this year. “I like when guys go at me, I like people when people talk (crap) to me. I love all that.... Let me hear it. Give it to me because I know I can handle it. It’s different for other guys who can’t handle it, but I know whatever you throw at me I can handle.”

The dude's an aggressive hitter, and many say he's similar to Dustin Pedroia in that regard.

  

But his confidence at his age is what really makes me happy. We need guys that continue to love the game and play hard.  In a nutshell I am thrilled to see that we just snagged Riggio.  

Welcome to the Bronx, Roc.