HAVE GUTS!

I sent a note to one of my writers this morning about writing a piece for me. She wrote me back, “I can do it… I have guts.”  It sounds crazy, but I got chills. I love that mentality, and it’s a mentality we have not seen from this Yankee club.

Guts.

Often people will say, “What would George do?” Referring to Mr. Steinbrenner and the state and struggles of this current club.  Yup, if he saw this club play the way they are right now, he’d been kicking and screaming like a maniac.  But let’s be honest, George is gone and we can’t think that way any longer.

As I reflect on this terrible season of offensive blunders, I think back to past leaders of our club. Jorge Posada. Andy Pettitte. Mariano Rivera. Bernie Williams. And yes, our Captain, Derek Jeter. It’s a much different time these days, isn’t it? Sure, Derek Jeter leads by example, but Jeter can’t do it alone these days.  There is no question that this staff of veteran hitters don’t have much regard for Kevin Long or Joe Girardi, even though they say they do.  They don't want to change. They feel as though they can do it "their way." Well... it's not working.

We have problems, and we need leadership desperately.  No… not for this season, this season is embarrassing and just about done. We need it for our future.

It’s clear Brian Cashman has been exposed.  Now, while I have never been a Cashman hater, something needs to happen. Sure, in the past, he’s brought us some pretty great players. He’s also brought us some major duds.  But think about what we have. We had a pretty happy off season and picked up some pretty high profile players.  Jacoby Ellsbury. Brian McCann.  Masahiro Tanaka. 

We even signed Carlos Beltran which, to me personally, looked more like a wink and a nod and a “We’ll sign you because you want to be here, and then you can retire a Yankee” type of signing.  Let me state for the record that watching Carlos Beltran play is the true definition of "old."  I don’t like him in our outfield and I think he’s overrated.  You could disagree and that’s OK, but I don’t need a Beltran home run in 1 – 20 at bats if he does absolutely nothing in between.  He’s no longer a good player. Give me Ichiro into his 50's… at least Suzuki looks like he wants to be there!

Now, Masahiro Tanaka got hurt, and that sucks, but we need to deal with that.  Ellsbury has been OK for us and I’m not unhappy with him.  Brian McCann has been pretty terrible at the plate. You’d think with that short porch he’d be launching them out… but he’s not. 

Sure, he’s done great things with the Yankee pitching staff and the turnover and for that, I’m grateful, but he’s not Munson-like. He’s not even Posada-like… he’s more like Wynegar-Like.

I’ve heard every argument. “The Yankees were thrown a curve. Bad injuries.” Really? Every team has injuries… move on, you need to play through it. It builds character! 

“We had pitching problems, give them a break.” The pitching isn’t the problem, Sunshine, stop saying that. It's the offense that's the problem.

“Mark Teixeira is battling through his wrist injury.” Not buying it, Counselor. Tex has been on the decline the past few years now. Look at the numbers.

One thing did pop into my mind though.  Alex Rodriguez could have helped this club this season.  I am of the belief that the ARod suspension screwed the Yankees partially.  Yup, many of you hate him, but it’s my belief that if Alex was in the lineup, we’d have offensive pop and alittle more energy.  PEDs or no PEDs, he hit the damn ball, and an argument can be made that Bud Selig single-handily sabotaged this Yankee club in 2014. Sure, there's the other argument that ARod did it to himself... and his team and I get that. Yes, what ARod did was wrong, but dozens and dozens have done the same.  We see 50 game suspensions handed out all day long. But not for Alex. He gets a 162 game suspension. Why? Because Selig said so.  I’ll never understand it, but there is no question that his absence has also contributed to the Yankees offensive chaos.

The media is starting their crusade against Derek Jeter too. I mean, did you read Bob Klapisch? Click HERE. Suggesting Jeter needs to “step it up” to get the Yankees to the post season. Please... are you kidding? 1 dude is supposed to carry the whole team? Of all seasons, this is the one that Jeter SHOULD be batting .265! If he was hitting .300 at age 40, I'd be thrilled, but he's in line with what's expected for his age. What Klapish says is ridiculous. Remember, Klapisch was one of the guys ripping Jeter for batting .270 a few years ago.  Then, when Jeet followed with a .297 average in 2011 and a .316 average in 2012, they gushed over him.  That’s why the media drives me crazy.  They’re not fans, they’re puppets sometimes.

Now, Klpaisch is back with a “Jeter step it up” rant.  I mean, have you looked at the averages of these Yankee players? Beltran is batting .241. Headley's hitting .238. Stephen Drew's batting .167. IT'S SEPTEMBER!  Jeter’s one of the guys near the top! Tex is batting .222.  Give me a break Klapisch… it’s clear you aren’t paying attention.

When Yankee fans get excited about Martin Prado, you know there is trouble in the Bronx.  Now, I say that as not a slight, but as a fact.  Think back to the off-season and who we picked up.  Yet, we’re rooting harder for Prado.  Why? I’ll tell you why… it goes back to my first sentence… Guts.  Prado has it.  Prado wants to be there. Prado is trying to make a difference in the short amount of time he has in New York.  That’s why I love the underdog.  Passion. Determination. Changing the routine. Guts. Prado’s a believer.  Beltran… McCann to some extent… they’re going through the motions. 

That’s why I was high on Dean Anna and Yangervis Solarte and that’s why I was disappointed when they left.  Passion.  Averages aside, the passion and guts was there, and the energy was felt among the fans.  That’s how I root. I love the believer… it takes me back to the days of the Core Four, to Bernie Williams.  Believers. Determination. Guts. It gives me chills.

Some seasons there are teams that gel and build so much confidence, it’s addictive.  Players want to play, it’s evident. Not this Yankee club.  We’re a disappointment.  Losing is addictive too.  You know what else is? Lack of Mojo.  Stale Routines.  Us... right now!

Hope is an interesting thing when it comes to fans and their clubs.  I’m losing mine quickly. There’s only 1 thing that can fix the mess we’re in right now, and it’s not going to happen with a closed door meeting with Girardi, Rothschild and Long. The players don’t respect those guys and as veterans, they don’t want to hear it from them. No.  Our players, right now, need to dig deep...real deep and they themselves need to dig out of their own hole. After all, they’re the ones who dug themselves this deep.

They need some energy, some passion… some guts.

That’s my take anyway.

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AND NOW MR. TEIXEIRA... YOU GOTTA GO!

If I were a trial attorney and was asked to prosecute Mark Teixeira for being an offensive black hole and ever present drag on the lineup I could win the case in record time. The “clean up” hitter for the Yankees hit a staggering .203 in July, and followed that limp performance by posting a .193 average in August. The jury wouldn’t even leave the room to deliberate. The defense would throw up a white flag and ask to make a deal instantly. He is guilty, folks…and like his upper cut swing at a 93 mph fastball it ain’t even close.

Tex is also being charged with impersonating a switch hitter. He is lousy from the right side and only slightly less lousy from the left. He is a “which hitter”, as in whichever side you pick Mark is going to disappoint you.

Early this year I wrote a piece about believing Tex is not a great Yankee. Read HEY TEX, IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S ME.) He is not in the conversation when one speaks of the beloved Bombers that have manned 1st base. Donnie, Tino and even Giambi are light years away from this guy. They were heart and soul guys. And I say again, Teixeira is NOT of that mold. Yes, he is the second best goal tender in New York when it comes to his glove (Second to King Henrik), but he is often hurt, often vanilla and always frustrating considering we pay a .222 hitter so much money. I wish we’d taken some type of warranty plan on Tex. He has had more issues than that sharp looking, older model used car that you got a sweet deal on…only to have it drop it’s transmission a year later…and WE DIDN’T GET A SWEET DEAL!! WE PAID THROUGH THE NOSE!!

I realize it may seem unfair to jump all over Mark when discussing this offensively challenged group. They have ALL (aside from Gardy & Jacoby) been pretty damn bad this year. McCan’t and Charlie Bone spur will also be called before the court for their crimes of (LACK) of passion. However, being the new guys…well, the facts aren’t all in.



Tex on the other hand…well, it’s just getting worse. He actually seems more alive doing his knockoff web show. Yeah, it’s been done before, gang. Chris Farley and Zach Galifanakis executed the idea far better than Tex does…and rightly so…IT WAS THEIR JOB!


Sort of like Tex’s job is to HIT THE BASEBALL! If he wants to be a comic…GREAT! Get to it, Mark. Hang up the spikes and leave the money on the table. The Yankees can use it to get somebody who wants to win.

I want to be clear that I don’t dislike Mark Teixeira. He does seem like a nice guy and a good person…but my Uncle is a nice guy and a good person and he shouldn’t play for the Yankees either. I just think that Tex has to go. Yeah, we’ll miss his glove, but does that mean there couldn’t be a better glove out there? I doubt it. And as Tex continues to age at the plate he WILL age in the field. It’s just biology and the sands of time doing what they do.

I know that Tex was a great player…he just flat out isn’t any longer. In fact he isn’t even a decent hitter. Sorry Mark, YOU GOTTA GO!

** My buddies The Mighty Mighty BossToneS said it best. Take the hint Tex **

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

 
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I'VE BIT MY TONGUE LONG ENOUGH...

What a shit show.

I wasn't amused tonight. Neither were you.  You don't play a last place team and look like you're going through the motions. That's not supposed to happen. The plan is you play to trounce them... especially if they're the Red Sox.  What happened tonight was a disaster and we deserve to not make the playoffs. 

The shit show all started for me when Zoilo Almonte was Designated for Assignment just so they could make room for a September call up named Antoan Richardson. Nothing against Richardson, but Almonte needed to be there.

After that report, it went down hill.  Shane Greene didn't have it, but hey, he's allowed to "not have it" once in a while.  When are the Yankee bats going to wake up? When are the plays going to happen? When is the energy going to show up.? You know, Joe Girardi can look puzzled in the dugout all he wants, but if you don't try and change things up, nothing's going to happen.  You can look at a major league club and think, "They're professionals, they know what to do." But if they do the same thing every game. If they have the same routine, the same approach and don't shake things up... a team literally dies.  Sure, laugh at me. I'm right... and I have been right for months.  Stale routines will kill a ball club.  It's like business.  Things aren't working out too well? Fire someone.

Carlos Beltran just dogged a shot from Yoenis Cespedes in right field tonight. Did you see it, because I did. And I don't mean he missed it... I mean the motherfucker jogged toward the ball like he was suspicious that it might bite him.  Who the hell does that in the major leagues? WHO? This is a good dialog that happened on Twitter after that:

@BleednYankeeBlu sad thing is that's not the first time he's dogged it this year.he seems like he's really not interested in playing.
— Gary Quick (@gquick1971) September 3, 2014

And sure, by that point the game was out of reach, but the point is, STALE ROUTINES KILL A CLUB.  That was a major example.

I'm not giving a recap tonight.  You want to know why? Because I don't want to.  It's the same story every night.  The Yankees lose because the Yankees can't score runs.  You know the story.  You want it me to be more creative?  How about that same statement in French:

C'est la même histoire tous les soirs. Les Yankees perdent parce que les Yankees ne peut pas marquer des points.

Maybe Russian is more your taste:

Это та же самая история каждую ночь. Янки потерять, потому что янки не могут забить работает.

The point is there is nothing interesting about this team.  They're slugs.  We were manhandled by a last place club and division rival.  Remember when rivalries between the Yankees and Sox meant something? Tonight was a spectacle.  

I'm at my wits end.  I leave you with this:

@Bitterchick i want my money back for the entire season. A big bust. what happened to players that run through walls to wear pinstripes?
— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) September 3, 2014

You get the idea.

Final: Red Sox 9 - Yankees 4

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YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED TO ZOILO ALMONTE

The Yankees have designated Zoilo Almonte for assignment.  In addition to that, Matt Daley has been released.  Once again, Bleeding Yankee Blue writer Jeana Bellezza will be aggravated and ask, "Why?" and with that, I'm sure her next piece will include names like Brandon Laird and Ronnier Mustelier and once again pushing the youth movement in the Bronx. I agree with her. 

It's just madness. I believe in Almonte. I also believe Almonte will be a big help for the Yankees one day. They just need to keep the guy with the big club long enough so he can blossom.

Zoilo designated, Matt Daley released
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) September 2, 2014

But look, the reality is, Zoilo and Daley moves have to do with the fact that September call ups are here and with that, the following names have been called up:

Preston Claiborne
John Ryan Murphy
Chase Whitley
Bryan Mitchell
Antoan Richardson
Chaz Roe
Rich Hill
Chris Young

Yanks call up: Chris Young, John Ryan Murphy, Preston Claiborne, Bryan Mitchell, Chase Whitley, Rich Hill, Antoan Richardson and Chaz Roe.
— David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein) September 2, 2014

All the youngsters listed should have an invite, plus I believe Almonte shouldn't have moved anywhere. But I guess for the argument of moving around personnel, logically, moving down someone like Almonte makes sense in that regard.  I don't get Rich Hill... I don't think I ever will. I thought by now he would have been released.  Roe could help, and no... Chris Young doesn't belong there either.

That being said... don't get crazy, it will all work out.  I promise... maybe.

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SOMETHING WITH TANAKA DOESN'T ADD UP

So ESPN is reporting that Masahiro Tanaka threw today after being cleared by doctors, because as you know from reading SORENESS FOR TANAKA, Tanaka was said to have had "general soreness".

ESPN says:

"Masahiro Tanaka once again has been cleared by the New York Yankees' team doctor to rev up his throwing program in an effort to return this season from the slightly torn ligament in his pitching elbow. Tanaka, out for nearly two months, played catch Tuesday and reported no problems...Yankees team doctor Chris Ahmad saw Tanaka on Monday and diagnosed the rookie ace with arm fatigue."

Arm fatigue? Really? He's a 7 year veteran pitcher in Japan going 1315 innings before even coming to New York.

Meanwhile, it was announced today that Tanaka was placed on the 60 day DL.  Yet, he's been cleared to throw again? What the hell is going on here?  Something doesn't add up.  I feel like they're lying to us. I don't like the way this feels.

I'm not getting the hurry up and wait with our veteran.  It's clear to me that Tanaka needs to just be shut down.  The idea of rushing him back for September is absolutely ridiculous.  Plus, there is mad speculation right now that he should probably just get Tommy John Surgery now, and at least he'll be ready some time next year.

While I hate the idea of surgery, I hate the idea of rushing this dude back just to be shut down again. I just don't want the possibility of hurting him worse. At least with surgery, the likelihood of him recovering 100% is very good.  What if the dude comes back and then he really does get hurt without surgery? Then... it's more time wasted and a whole lotta nothing.

I find this all very interesting and I'm suspicious.  I don't know what to make of it... but it's clear to me, we don't need Tanaka right now, so let's not blow this!

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: MICHAEL O'NEILL

By now you know that we at BYB like to help you get familiar with the players striving to reach the big league club.   To that end, I had the pleasure of interviewing Michael O’Neill, outfielder for the Charleston RiverDogs and someone Casey got to see play live just last week. (Read A PERFECT NIGHT WITH THE CHARLESTON RIVERDOGS).

Yes, Michael is of that O’Neill lineage – Paul is his uncle, but what I discovered is a young player who embraces his uncle’s legacy, yet stays true to who he is in the pursuit of his Yankees dream.

O’Neill was drafted by the Bombers in the third round of the 2013 draft out of the University of Michigan.  He was initially assigned to Low-A Staten Island where the outfielder struggled somewhat at the plate; hitting .219 with 93 strikeouts in 64 games (256 AB).  This season with the RiverDogs, the 22-year-old has improved in virtually every batting category.  Through 129 games he’s hitting .256 with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs.

I talked with Michael shortly before a game against Greenville; a game where he would go 1-for-4 with three runs scored and an RBI (with 2 walks).

BYB:  Growing up, was baseball always your favorite sport? 

Michael O'Neill: Yes, definitely, growing up there were many games where I watched my uncle play.  I played some basketball when I was little too, but my first passion was always baseball for sure. 

BYB:  And you always play the outfield?

Michael O’Neill: I think, like every other Little Leaguer, everyone wants to be the shortstop, so I played there for a little bit – until I was around 10 or 11, and from then on I was in the outfield.

BYB: Who was your greatest influence in baseball?  Who introduced you to the sport?  Who supported you in it?

Michael O’Neill: I decided I wanted to play baseball just by watching my uncle play.  My parents played a big role in supporting my decision and supporting me financially – I expected to play Little League and travel baseball and all of that.   I think it was a combination of people: my uncle, my parents, and many others who allowed me to follow my dream of playing baseball. 

BYB:  Did you have an idol?

Michael O’Neill: Yeah, my uncle.

BYB:  You were drafted in the third round of 2013.  What was your reaction to having the Yankees pick you? 

Michael O’Neill: Obviously I was excited.  It’s the best sports franchise in the world. You can’t have too many complaints about that.  I had an idea they were going to draft me – they drafted me out of high school (in 2010 the Yankees selected O’Neill in the 42^nd round.  He chose to go to college.).  They were interested in me while I was at Michigan, so it wasn’t a huge surprise, but it was a definitely a big honor. 

BYB:  Where were you when you found out and what did you do? 

Michael O’Neill: I watched the draft at one of my uncles’ house in Cincinnati, and then when I got drafted I was actually at my house just with my parents, watching on the computer.  I gave my parents a big hug and then a bunch of my friends and family reached out to me and it was an exciting day all-around.  Then we went out to dinner to celebrate.

BYB:  You’ve improved in virtually every category over your first year at Staten Island.  What do you think has been the biggest difference?  What has helped you the most in improving?

Michael O’Neill:  Well, first off, this is my second year, so last year everything was new.  The travel schedule was new; the playing every day at night was new.  That’s one thing, but just committing me to becoming better in the offseason.   I started the offseason at the Yankees complex in Tampa working with several people just to fine tune some things which I need like my swing, and the strength and conditioning staff down there… so, I think that was the biggest difference – the amount of work I put in during the offseason with the right people.

BYB: Has there been any coach in particular that has helped you the most? 

Michael O’Neill:  Well yeah, I have worked with two of the hitting coaches down in Tampa that have been really good for me, and then obviously the whole staff has been good for me, so it’s been a good year just development-wise.  Like you said, I’ve been able to improve in many areas and you just want to get better every year.  It’s good that you show people that you are making the effort to get better and you are getting better.  So, it’s what I’ve been able to do this year, and it’s something I hope to be able to do for however many years I can play the game. 

BYB: Is there any particular part of your game that you are working on right now? 

Michael O’Neill:  Yeah, I’m always working on something.  Right now I’m just trying to get my load at the plate to be more consistent – to get me in the best position I can to drive the baseball.  Defensively I’m working on line-drives and fly balls over my head - going back on the ball in the outfield.  At the plate I’m just trying to be as consistent as I can.

BYB: A few weeks ago I spoke with Ian Clarkin, and he indicated that the team (Charleston) was a pretty close-knit squad. (read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: IAN CLARKIN for more.)  Is there anyone there that you are closest to, or hang out with the most? 

Michael O’Neill:  Yeah, I hung out a lot with Aaron Judge – he was my roommate.  Then when he got promoted, I hang out a lot with Tyler Wade and John Murphy.  I hung out with Mike Ford a lot, but he just got promoted.  I’d say there are two or three guys I do the most with – Rookie Davis too – he’s a pitcher.  Those are a few names I can throw out there… 

BYB: Sounds like you’re the guy everyone should want to hang around with – it seems like they all get promoted! 

Michael O’Neill:  Ha…yeah, I’ve had, I think, three of them now that have gotten the call up. 

BYB:  Is there a favorite non-baseball activity that you have? 

Michael O’Neill: Hmmm… I’m really big into cars, but I don’t like working on them.   I just like looking at them and driving them. 

BYB:  …and eventually someday collecting them??? 

Michael O’Neill:  Hopefully….that would be fun.   I don’t know, we spend so much time at the field that when you get an off day, you just want to decompress as much as you can.  During the off days I try to go to the beach and spend time with teammates – just try to get away from the game for 24 hours.

BYB: Earlier you mentioned your uncle.  Obviously Paul O’Neill is very beloved and endeared to Yankees fans everywhere.  How has his legacy influenced you?   Has it been positive for you, or put too much pressure on you? 

Michael O’Neill:  Yeah, it’s definitely something you think about.  I mean, there are people in the organization now that were here when he was here, so you know those people, but I try not to let it affect me.  I try not to think about it.  I don’t wear the same number he did for that reason.   I want to be my own player.  I want to make it on my own.  I’m either going to make it on my own, or I’m not going to make it.  I don’t want to stay in the organization just because of who was in my family.  That is big for me.  When I was still in high school I got drafted because of who my uncle was, and that kind of bothered me.   

I’m very close with my uncle and we always talk a lot about expectations for me and you have to be your own person.  I don’t wear “21” not because I have no relationship with my uncle; it’s just that I want to be who I am.  I don’t want to be Paul O’Neill. 

BYB:  I just have one more question for you because I know you have a game to get ready for.  Is there anything you want our readers/followers to know about you- Michael O’Neill – that maybe they haven’t heard before – or just anything to tell them more about you? 

Michael O’Neill:  Um….I don’t know….I’m not that interesting.   I went to the University of Michigan.  They were the best two years of my life.  I loved college and I miss college, but I also love playing for the Yankees; definitely a dream come true.   I came to play in the big leagues, and hopefully someday if I get to the big leagues, I’ll probably wear “21” to honor my uncle.  If I get there I think it would be a pretty cool honor to wear his number in the Bronx.

BYB:  Do you think after baseball you’ll finish up at Michigan? 

Michael O’Neill:  I’m actually going back to school this offseason and I’m going to try to get my degree as quick as I can.

BYB:  Michael, on behalf of BYB I thank you for your time and good luck to you in the future.  It was truly a pleasure speaking with you. 

Michael O’Neill definitely wants to make a name for himself while honoring his uncle’s legacy with the Yankees.  As I found with Ian Clarkin – a member of the RiverDogs when I interviewed him – O’Neill’s desire to put in the work it takes to achieve his dreams is exactly why I expect to one day see him in the Bronx. 

Too often we Yankees fans hear how our minor league system is lagging, yet when it comes right down to it, players like Michael O’Neill clearly show that our organization has a promising future ahead of it.

Only the seasons that lie ahead of us will determine whether or not Monument Park may one day hold two O’Neills, but I think Michael is certainly going in the right direction toward that dream.

    

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


 
 

YANKEES PICK UP RHP CHAZ ROE

In a late summer move, the Yankees announced today that they have made a cash deal for a right handed pitcher.  Management signed 27-year-old minor-leaguer Chaz Roe from the Miami Marlins. It might not be a big deal but it is something.  Roe spent all of this season in Triple-A New Orleans going 3-3 with a 3.66 ERA and picking up 14 saves in 47 relief appearances.

Something key to note is that Roe spent part of 2013 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and we have had luck signing former D'back pitchers in Brandon McCarthy.  This could be a key move but not the move we truly needed from the Marlins.  We need the big bat and future potential of Marlin slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who much like former Chicago Cub now Oakland Athletic Jeff Samardzija, has had it with management and lack of resources for making a real run for the pennant.

"We've definitely done better than anyone thought we would do," Stanton said. "At the same time, we're still not where we need to be to keep playing beyond the designed schedule. …I want to be the only game on TV at the end of the day," stated Stanton in an interview with Yahoo Sports last week.

According to USA Sports, "While Stanton’s words should hardly echo like his thunderous homers, they will inevitably revive trade talk that has surrounded the slugger since he Tweeted his frustration with the Marlins’ fire sale after the 2012 season. And though fans of every other in the Majors will now, understandably, clamor for their clubs to acquire Stanton for some lousy package of undesirable prospects and well-seasoned scrubs, it still makes very little sense for the Marlins to trade Stanton this offseason if they have any real interest in winning."

So we pick up a mediocre pitcher, but in reality, the bigger picture is we need some big bats, which we could have in someone like Stanton.

 --Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff WriteTwitter: @suzieprof

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"WIN SOME, LOSE SOME" KINDA SEASON

One of my favorite movies, and don't jump on my for saying it, is My Cousin Vinny for one reason only:  It makes me laugh.  The one-liners find themselves in conversations across the New York/New Jersey area in particular and Joe Pesci's 3-piece burgundy suit made the list of "The 10 greatest men's movie fashion moments" in The Guardian's column this week. "Anyone who doesn't take pleasure in seeing Joe Pesci in a burgundy velvet three-piece suit is a person who possesses neither soul nor eyes," states the article.

So what does this mean for the Yankees?  It is pretty simple.  As I review the endless blog posts, tweets, newspaper headlines and Facebook rants regarding the 2014 Yankees' season, it boils down to one quote from the 1992 iconic movie- "Win some, lose some."  Yes, that's what the judge said to New Yorker lawyer Vinny as he scurried out of the court room following his winning moment in the last scene of the movie.  And that is our season folks.

As we scurry out of August into September and the final days of the 2014 season, it is clear that Yankees' time is up.  As my colleagues write posts like YANKEE MANAGEMENT IS THE NEW DEFINITION OF INSANITY  & CRAPTACULAR, I am left with no choice but to concur and add the Win Some-Lose Some quote.  Am I upset? No.  Am I surprised? Sort of.  Am I giving up? Hard to say.  I have been with the Yankees, as have all of you, for a long time.  I don't give up, but I do look forward.  It's like a nagging injury to your leg, or a headache that won't go away- you know it is there but you move ahead.  I guess that's where I am- I am in the move ahead mode.  Move ahead to September, move ahead to the off season, move ahead to spring training, move ahead to a new hitting coach, pitching coach, general management... new protocol, new team, new life.

The New York Football Giants have 23 new players on their 53 man roster this year.  The University of Notre Dame unveiled its brand new turf field at its season opener this weekend.  And the New York Yankees had better do something to rival these two traditional teams' new additions in the off season if they are going to contend next year.  The Win Some-Lose Some kinda season for 2014 is just about in the books- now it's time to create a plan for the Win Some-Win Some season for 2015.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @suzieprof


 
 
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IS BASEBALL IN DECLINE?

This is the question posed by Ben McGrath in The New Yorker this week. McGrath takes the case of Angels’ center fielder Mike Trout—arguably one of the best players in the league right now—and wonders why he is not a household name. In fact, McGrath argues, there don’t seem to be a lot of baseball heroes that stand out in the contemporary pantheon of sports.

I’ve written in an earlier post on the legacy of Bud Selig that baseball is facing some generational challenges. It’s popularity amongst young kids is on par with soccer and it’s no longer an Olympic sport. Even slow pitch leagues are seeing a decline in participation. Derek Jeter, who is considered royalty of the game, is retiring after this year.

To be sure, attendance numbers and player salaries signal that everything in baseball is humming along quite well. But I agree with McGrath that baseball does seem to be having a decline in popularity amongst the younger generation. I feel this is partly due to kids’ waning attention spans and the speed of the game. Even though efforts have been made to make games faster, they have actually gotten slower. 

The addition of instant replay, which I think was borne of good intentions, has not helped to further the game along. In a recent game between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, two replay calls added to what seemed an interminable fourth inning.  I also feel the decline of interest in the sport amongst younger fans is due in part part to the 1994 players’ strike and the steroid era. Growing up in the 90s, it was hard to escape criticism of a sport that was condemned for greed and dishonesty. Who would want to watch after hearing that repeatedly for a decade?

Baseball as a brand has a lot of work to do and new commissioner Rob Manfred is going to have to address these issues. Just look at the lengths the NFL is going to recruit new fans—the league is coming up with school curriculum based on fantasy league participation for elementary kids—no doubt hoping to foster the next generation of fans (and potentially mold future bookies).

I do see promise in the latest Little League World Series. The play of phenom Mo’Ne Davis drew stellar ratings for ESPN and the triumph of the champion Jackie Robinson West All-Stars out of Chicago exhibit that baseball is once again thriving amongst inner city youth.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the health of the sport in the comments. Do you agree that baseball is declining in popularity and what things can be done to attract new fans?

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



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