BACK WHERE HE BELONGS

Aroldis Chapman as the closer? Hmmm, what a novel idea, isn't that what he's being paid $17 million a year for anyway?

Photo: Shutterstock

Well, there seems to be some talk about "officially" reassigning him to that position since his status was lowered.  Yesterday, he came back!  One inning, 2 strikeouts, and Severino got the win. 

But here's my question. Is it too soon to make Aroldis Chapman the closer again? Joe Girardi leaned in that direction and last night we got lucky, but will he be consistent?  It’s a tricky situation, considering Dellin Betances blew a save the other night. 

Look, ideally the Yankees’ bullpen is at its best with Chapman on his game in the closer role, but I can’t forget how lost he looked in August to the point where Girardi demoted him during the now-famous sign-stealing series in Fenway Park.

Photo: Getty Images

Is yesterday the start of something good again?  I know right now is not the time to experiment and put him out there to sink or swim. But hopefully last night was a confidence booster.  Bottom line, it's not like the Yankees have a 10 game lead and can afford to drop one here and there.

Look, baseball folks talk all the time about pitchers mechanics and the need for him to get right again. How do you know if he can do that without using him? Think about it like a car, if you don't drive it for awhile it's going to need a tune up. If you only drive it once and a while eventually it's mechanics are going to go haywire. I really believe some of the problems might have to do with under use rather than overuse. I really believe that you can't ask a pitcher to throw 10 pitches one day, maybe 30 the next and then say he isn't available for the next couple days.

Photo: Getty Images

Somewhere, in the timeline of Major League Baseball, pitchers have become prima donnas that need to be babied. Somewhere, pitchers have become obsessed with the need to reach the triple digit plateau while forgetting how to pitch. They aren't pitchers anymore, but rather guys that try to throw the ball as fast as they can hoping that you swing and miss or can't see it so you let it go by for a strike.

I'm not a pitching coach. Hell, I'm not even a pitcher, so I can't really tell you what needs to be done or how it needs to be done. All I really know is something needs to change. I hope and pray last night with Chapman as the closer again is the beginning of something good for him and the Yankees.

--Michael Carnesi
BYB Writer
Follow me on Twitter: @sevn4evr 

WHO'S DIGGING SONNY GRAY RIGHT ABOUT NOW?

(Photo: Getty Images)

You digging him? I know I am.  I mean, he's got good stuff and he's been a pleasure to watch. He's passionate on the mound. He shows emotion and most of all, his work is quality.

Dan Martin of the New York Post wrote a great piece about him.  I wanted to share a portion here on BYB:

"Sonny Gray allowed just two singles in the first three innings of the Yankees’ 9-1 win over the Orioles on Thursday.

Photo: Getty Images

It was what he did in the next three innings that really stood out to Joe Girardi, though — and even to Gray.

After allowing a double to Adam Jones and walking Trey Mancini with two outs in the fourth, Gray struck out Chris Davis. In the fifth, Caleb Joseph doubled with two outs and Tim Beckham walked before Gray got Manny Machado to ground out.

Finally, with runners on first and second and two outs in the sixth, Mark Trumbo hit a grounder to short, but Didi Gregorius made an error, giving Baltimore its lone run of the afternoon."

And in short... it's about the jams, and getting out of them, and that proves a solid pitcher. Because if he's figuring it out at this age, he could be a truly great pitcher over time in his career and with the Yanks, and that's exciting to me.

And I leave you with this quote from Gray about last night's game:

"It was definitely nice to take the mound with a three-run lead, but what was more impressive and what I was really happy about was we didn’t just stop... We kept putting pressure on them. … [But] me and Romine tried to pitch to our game plan, no matter the score.”

That's teamwork folks... something we are seeing more and more from this Yankee team. And it's awesome!

BUILD SMARTLY & CARRY A SMART STICK

Photo: Getty Images

Someone once told me that a person isn't judged by success alone, we are also measured by the things we do and the positive way we impact people.  This past week the Yankee Family lost a man that was truly an all around success story. 

(National Baseball Hall of Fame Library)

Gene "Stick" Michael did just about everything he could do for the Yankees.  As a player he wasn't a Hall of Famer, but he gave it his all at the professional level and was a beloved teammate in the Bomber's Clubhouse. 

Gene was a manager in the Bronx and help bring the Yankee Way to the players he skippered.  However it was his years as General Manager that really set "The Stick" a part from the crowd.  A brilliant baseball mind, Gene Michael was the chief architect behind the last Yankee Dynasty. 

He was responsible for things like hanging on to young talent with names like Williams, Posada, Rivera, Pettitte...oh and some kid from Kalamazoo who turned out alright I guess.  The Stick also traded for a struggling, Irish head-case named O'Neill. 

He went out and landed David Cone and Daryl Strawberry.  In short, this Yoda of Baseball was using the force to build one of the greatest teams ever to take the field while holding the trigger happy Boss at bay.  Sure, Mr. Steinbrenner had been suspended, but Michael never shied away from going nose to nose with King George if he felt strongly about the moves the club NEEDED to make.

I think it is more than fair to say that Gene Michael influenced more GM's in Baseball than Bill Walsh did in the NFL.  If you asked the likes of Beane, Epstein, Shapiro and our own wunderkind Brian Cashman, they'd ABSOLUTELY say they'd stolen a page or 10 from Stick's playbook.  The man knew baseball and how to build winners.  He made calls using his eyes and the numbers...but Stick also stuck to his gut.  Whether it was rookie that hadn't hit his stride yet or a well placed veteran with some pop left, Gene Michael knew how to find pieces that worked.  He not only changed the New York Yankee team, he changed the New York Yankee culture.

I didn't know Mr. Michael.  I'd only seen him at Old Timer's Day or sitting near the dugout at the odd Spring Training game.  I'm not sure I'd have noticed him if he were in front of me in the 12 Items or Less line at Stop 'n Shop...but most of the most important people we'll ever know aren't the ones who garner fame and fortune.  They are usually behind the scenes people.  They are a coach, teacher or friend that does the little things that make our lives better.  From what I've read, that was The Stick...and he'll be missed.

Thank you, Gene Stick Michael.  We won't ever forget ya.

** Thank you, Stick. Truly The Man of the Hour **

 
  --Mike O'Hara
BYB Contributor
Follow me on Twitter: @mikeyoh21

THE STANDINGS ARE WRONG, THE RED SOX ARE LOSERS

I feel bad for the Red Sox. They have gone from the chicken and beer scandal to making racial statements about how Masahiro Tanaka should't have a translator and needs to learn "baseball language" to cheaters and disgracing the game. They got caught with their hand in the baseball cookie jar again. This team is a PR nightmare.

I'm a blunt girl. I call it like I see it and I don't mince words. From now on I will no longer associate the Red Sox and Yankees as one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. Instead, I will associate it as a team that disgraced the game and does not value integrity and the Yankees. The Yankees are by no means perfect and have had their own indiscretions (a.k.a Alex Rodriguez) but not like this.

So now we all know that the Red Sox cheated. They stole signs and THIS is how they did it. To be clear, my beef here is with using technology to steal signs. Granted, stealing signs has been a part of baseball for a long time and it is an art. I'm okay with that. If there is a runner on second base and the catcher doesn’t hide his signs well enough and the runner figures it out then that's on the catcher. If the third base coach doesn’t change his signs and someone in the dugout picks up on it, then blame the coach. That's HIS fault the other team figured it out but when sign-stealing goes high tech and team personnel (not players) get involved that is poor sportsmanship and disgraceful. It sends a bad message to fans, the league and worst of all young impressionable kids....which is a whole other topic that I won't even get into.

Photo of: Jon Jochim

And if using technology to gain an unfair advantage isn't enough for you to top it all off, Red Sox personnel blatantly decides he is too good to follow league rules. Just by wearing an Apple Watch in the dugout, Red Sox assistant athletic trainer Jon Jochim was in violation of the MLB decree against having a device capable of texting in the dugout. This rule is communicated to all 30 teams before the start of the season and even posted around all of the stadiums for internal use. Rules clearly state no electronic devices are allowed in the dugouts except for league issued iPads that have limitations (like the Internet) so teams can review plays thanks to Instant Replay nowadays. Players can't have their phones in the dugouts, or in the tunnel but Jochim is too good for MLB rules. He may not be the Red Sox manager, but he is still a leader in that organization.....and a poor one at that.

Since the series Brian Cashman filed a detailed complaint with the commissioner's office and Rob Manfred is reportedly investigating. He also held a press conference at Fenway Park (shocker!) on it that you can find HERE and unsurprisingly he is remaining neutral. The Red Sox made a weak attempt to defend themselves by filing their own complaint against the Yankees on Tuesday claiming that YES Network uses a camera to steal signs and relay that information for the Yankees to use. There is no evidence to support this so it makes the Red Sox look even more pathetic.

So now that the Red Sox have been caught red handed they should suffer some sort of consequence but what exactly? Based on Manfred's interview anything is possible but I have a hard time believing that they would strip the Red Sox of a division title if they got it (please no) or even wins. I guess MLB could give them a big fine or take away a draft pick or two. No matter what though, I can't imagine the punishment fitting the crime.

It's sad that the Red Sox have to cheat to be competitive. They can't just play the game the right way....with integrity. It's sad that leadership ALLOWS scandals to surround the Red Sox and it stems from two people. First, it comes from GM Dave Dombrowski who defended his team as I would expect. "Do I think sign-stealing is wrong? No, I don't. People are trying to win however they can. It’s an edge they are trying to gain. Sometimes your sophistication of signs can make a difference." All fine, but then he started to sound like a whining kid, "this is not new, this has been something that has been going on for 10-12 days. Something like that. Maybe two weeks. The Yankees decide they want to give it today, for whatever reason. I think maybe because it just so happened the commissioner is in town today. I’m not sure there is a direct correlation to that." Oh quit trying to cover it up Dombrowski, you DO think there is correlation to that. You just won't man up to it. That's bad but the bigger criminal here is owner John Henry. This is Henry's team. It's HIS culture he has built with the idea that winning at any cost including cheating is acceptable. They don't love the game. Red Sox leadership needs a lesson on ethics.

I don't care what the AL East standings say. The Red Sox are losers. They may be at the top of the leader board but they had to cheat to get there. They don't have what it takes to win fairly and have lost all credibility. It's sad you have to cheat Dirty Sox.....but you lost the series and you will lose at the end of the season too.



--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor 
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

BYB 'Family Member' Merchandise (2017)

A YANKEE FAN TELLS IRMA WHO'S BOSS

I've been following Irma's angry red eye bearing down on me all week like some raging bloody sock here in the Sunshine State, and with Wednesday's Yanks-O's game rained out I'm at the mercy of an army of grim-faced weather prognosticators and scary images overwhelming my flat screen.

Sure wish they'd played. I could've used the diversion.

It's due to hit sometime this weekend. Some forecasters now say the storm track could break to my right. Others still say it will stay outside and still more now seem convinced it may burn right down my Main Street.

Velocities. Angles. Averages. The weather graphics are all starting  to blur together.

Is it just me or are they all starting to resemble fangraph heat maps?

Damn I wish the ballgame was on. Should the batter swing? Should he take? How many outs are there? What's the count?  Is it late and close? Should the baserunner take off on the first move?

Oh wait, it's still only Wednesday.

Not quite a late and close situation. Not yet anyway.

And this baserunner isn't going anywhere.

Evacuation isn't an option for me. Too many good reasons to stay and too few good ones to leave. I've never scared easy even when there was good reason staring me six inches from my face, and certainly not when it's still more than a thousand miles away and several days away from it.

I've pre-prepped about as much as my available time,  personal resources, native New Yorker common sense and long experience dealing with many of these dicey storms will allow. I've prioritized based on the odds and now I've done all I can for myself and others and all that's left to do is hope with a little luck I can weather this one like I have all the others.

Sept. 4, 2017 - Source: Rob Carr/Getty Images North America

So here I sit wishing our Yankees-O's game didn't get postponed. And trying not to watch any other baseball  news or highlights because I heard the Red Sox won and they'll mention it.  Or worse, because they'll show replays of  that last ball Dellin threw to Machado yesterday.

Yesterday really sucked.

Then I saw a story in the Post yesterday titled "Hurricane Irma can really mess with the Yankees' schedule" that had Joe venting his spleen a bit over  how the storm may force the team into playing a twin bill with the Rays at the Trop.

"You would prefer not to play a doubleheader, especially at this time of year," he said. "But Mother Nature has been something we have never really been able to outwit."

Not with a binder you haven't, Joe.

But these Florida heat maps sure look promising. You should look into them sometime. Say, next year. With the Marlins.

Now THERE'S an image  to make Irma dwindle in the mind's eye in the absence of a ballgame.




And I can think of another. A magazine cover featuring another Florida transplant like me accompanied by the quote: "Winning is the most important thing in my life after breathing. Breathing first, winning next."

To all my fellow Floridians who are hunkering down and sticking, help out, hold tight and hang tough. We'll all show Irma who's the real boss.

Breathing first. Winning next.




--Barry Millman
BYB Writer
Follow me on Twitter: @nyyankeefanfore

DAVID ROBERTSON: MR. CONSISTENT

Source: Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images North America

YES Network Meredith Marakovits interviewed David "Houdini" Robertson before last night's game in Baltimore and our newly recovered bullpen pitcher carried himself as humbly as always when he was asked about his presence in the bullpen.  "I have never been a part of a bullpen with such depth," he told Marakovits.  In all honestly, David, we didn't have that depth until we acquired you back in July.

Source: N.Y. Post: Charles Wenzelberg

“He’s a leader down there, especially as we go down the stretch run,’’ (Adam) Warren said. “With his résumé and his career, he doesn’t have to just accept any role, but he’s not worried about stats or saves, which puts things in perspective for the rest of us. He just wants to win," reported the NY Post earlier this week. Robertson's ERA is a stunning 1.71 allowing only four runs in 22 innings pitched. He's a constant.  He's consistent. And his presence is so needed as the Yankees make a run for the pennant.

Source: AP / Frank Franklin II

When we "lost" Robertson to the White Sox a few years back, part of my heart went with him.  He was just such an easy-going guy, who was mentored by Mariano Rivera and played the perfect set up man to the best closer this game has ever seen.  Robertson seems excited to be a part of this team who is hungry for a leader spot at the top of the AL East.

Source: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America

“There’s lots of things you miss,” he said. “You miss a lot of the staff, teammates, playing in the Stadium, but my time was up here. I had to make a decision of where to go and this team was moving in a different direction at the time and now it seems like I’ve been asked to come back and fill a vital role, so I’m hopeful I can go out and do that for them," reported Newsday.

Source: Getty Images

I breathe a sigh of relief when I see Robertson jogging in from the bullpen.  Not just because I am confident in his ability to shut batters down, but because he creates a Yankee presence that reminds me of the good guys of years ago- guys like Sparky Lyle and Goose Gossage.  He's what I would expect of a Yankee pitcher- quiet confidence, ready to get the job done.  Robertson is our Mr. Consistent and I look forward to seeing how his role in the bullpen brings us closer to our interim goal of winning the Division.

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @suzieprof

STEALING SIGNS THE RED SOX WAY

The Red Sox are in trouble, and big ups to Brian Cashman for protecting his team. Don't know what I mean?  Well, it turns out the Red Sox were stealing signs from the Yankees, the Yankees suspected it, Cashman filed a complaint and now the Sox have a problem on their hands...and it all has to do with an Apple phone.

The New York Times breaks down exactly HOW the Sox stole signs with an Apple watch.  It's fascinating actually:

"Cashman, filed a detailed complaint with the commissioner’s office that included video the Yankees shot of the Red Sox dugout during a three-game series in Boston last month.

The Yankees, who had long been suspicious of the Red Sox stealing catchers’ signs in Fenway Park, contended the video showed a member of the Red Sox training staff looking at his Apple Watch in the dugout and then relaying a message to players, who may have then been able to use the information to know the type of pitch that was going to be thrown, according to the people familiar with the case.

Baseball investigators corroborated the Yankees’ claims based on video the commissioner’s office uses for instant replay and broadcasts, the people said. The commissioner’s office then confronted the Red Sox, who admitted that their trainers had received signals from video replay personnel and then relayed that information to some players — an operation that had been in place for at least several weeks."

And so while the idea of stealing signs is pretty much something that's been done forever, not like this. Besides, this is the Red Sox we're talking about, the current first place team, and for me, it feels icky and worse.

But what can really be done about it?

Well, we'll have to see.  But I feel like nothing will happen if it turns out they did what the Yankees say happened, even though there is video evidence and all of that.

Stay tuned.  I am refraining from writing too much on this now.  As this story gets to be more interesting, there will be more opinion from our BYB writers and more to dig into.  For now I'll just say it's a bunch of crap.  Glad the Yanks did so well against them this past weekend.  I hope the Sox lose the division to us now... kind of serves them right.

More soon...

2 & A HALF BACK!

(Sept. 3, 2017 - Source: Patrick Smith/Getty Images North America)

Yankees won in an electric game.  It wasn't a 'must win', but sure... it kind of was!  Not only that, the Blue Jays beat the Red Sox... I guess Joey Bats read Suzie Pinstripe's tweet...

Let's go @BlueJays beat @RedSox #pennantrace #ALEast @BleednYankeeBlu

— Suzanne (@suzieprof) September 4, 2017

Nice.

The key guys in this one were Didi Gregorius and Starlin Castro.  But it's more than just them. What we are starting to see is the Yankees turn it up... big time as a freaking unit.

Photo: Getty Images

Veterans like Matt Holliday,  Chase Headley and CC Sabathia mixed with youngsters... guys turning into leaders... not one guy... a different one every night.  It's a truly wonderful formula and one that we have been looking for since 2009.  The Yanks are made for a run.  And last night with their win, and the Red Sox losing to the Jays... there was moving.  2 1/2 back now.

ESPN's Marchand writes:

"Starlin Castro homered and drove in three runs, Didi Gregorius also went deep and New York rolled to a 7-4 victory Monday.

After spotting the Orioles an early lead, New York bounced back for its fourth win in five games. The Yankees enhanced their position atop the wild-card race and remained relevant in the AL East after starting the day 3 1/2 games behind division-leading Red Sox. New York took three of four from Boston over the weekend.

Photo: Getty Images

'You want to keep it going,' manager Joe Girardi said. 'The other teams are chasing us and we're chasing the Red Sox. Every day we win it makes it easier for us to try to accomplish our goals. So we've got to play good again (Tuesday).'

Aaron Judge drew a career-high four walks, singled and scored a run to help New York extend its wild-card lead over Baltimore to 4 1/2 games."

Photo: Getty Images

I kept that Judge stat in there because it goes back to what I was saying... not only 1 guy.  Judge, who's been struggling, didn't try to hit it out of the park. He instead made adjustments, and used his brain to get on base.  Any way you can do it to help your team win.

That's the New York Yankees team I'm seeing these days.  It's glorious.

Just need to keep going! Go Yanks!

Final: Yankees 7 - Orioles 4



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AARON JUDGE RUMORED TO HAVE A GF

Now honestly, the rumor mill can be ridiculous with the New York Yankees, and I am the first the say that I have no idea if this is true and that Judge has a girlfriend. For all we know it's a friend, but my fellow blogger from the #BYBHub threw out a nice nugget about Aaron Judge and this very, pretty woman named Jen Flaum.

Here's the nugget from Krusty Sox Sports:

"Aaron Judge was spotted with a beautiful young lady at the US Open.  She was revealed to be Instagram hottie and Yankees fan Jen Flaum."

That nugget originally came from major publications. We'll choose the New York Daily News who writes this:

I got 99 problems but A. Judge ain't one

A post shared by Jen Flaum (@jflaumy) on Jun 22, 2017 at 8:01pm PDT

"The Daily News may have learned the cause for the Yankee rookie’s horrific slump in the second half of the season as he was seen at the U.S. Open with a blonde bombshell by his side.
The verdict? WOWZA!"

I didn't write Wowza... the Daily News did! Remember that one!

Now, I am merely posting this story because it could explain a lot about Judge the second half this season.  You remember Mickey in the film Rocky...

"Women weaken legs."

Don't shoot the messenger on this one.

Happy Tuesday.