CASEY & O'HARA WALK INTO A BAR...

Stop me if you've heard this one...

So Casey and O'Hara walk into a bar.  The bartender says, "What can I get ya?"  Casey quickly replies, "A big, future Hall of Famer, lefty on a one year deal pitcher."  The bartender looks puzzled, grabs a plastic pitcher and asks, "Is that an IPA?"

(DRUM ROLL, RIM SHOT!)

Yes, not a good joke... not even a joke really.  Hey, what do you want from me? I gave it a shot.

(Sept. 10, 2017 - Source: Steven Ryan/Getty Images North America)

In all seriousness though, I did have a few pints with Casey recently and mentioned that I believed CC Sabathia had more than earned a one year contract with the Yankees.  The big lefty is really starting to develop into a crafty pitcher.  He, like Andy and Coney, has found new life in the twilight of his standout career.  

Photo: Getty Images

CC can find the 93 heater at times, but really knows how to change speeds, pitch to the spots and keep hitters off balance.  He is a perfect fit to be the Bombers' 5th starter in the 2018 season.  And now, there are reports that it may happen, read HERE.

Now there are those who will want to turnover the old roster and it's awful contracts completely and focus on the future.  But with Sabathia, you can get a guy who can take the ball every 5th day, mentor the younger arms, the way Andy did before him, and it won't break the bank to bring him back.  

CC has been a great Yankee.  He gets it.  The Yankee Way is his way.  He takes the Pinstripes and the tradition they bring very personally.  CC is a leader.  The young stars of tomorrow NEED a leader today. 

Casey agreed.  We believe that the best teams have a solid balance of youth and energy coupled with veterans that know how to focus the group and show them the ropes.

Photo: Getty Images

On a personal note, we both just really like Sabathia.  No, that's not a reason to sign him...hell, I liked Luis Sojo...but CC brings a lot to the table.  He earned this contract.  At bare minimum he earned an offer from the Yankee brass.  A fair offer.  Not the Randy & Lon "Take it or take the bus" nonsense.

If Sabathia decides to walk away from the Bronx to end his run out west, I won't blame him...but I'll miss him...we all will.

Trust me & Casey on this one.

** From one classic BIG MAN to another. Thank you, CC. **

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

JUDGE GOT HIS GROOVE BACK!

Sept. 13, 2017 - Source: Abbie Parr/Getty Images North America

We need Aaron Judge right now, and like we have said all season here at BYB, slumps happen, but you gotta understand something... we all knew that even though he was young, he would make adjustments, because he's a smart player.

Many compared him to Kevin Maas, to Shane Spencer, but why? Every player is different. One thing you do see in Aaron Judge is drive.  The kid knows what he's dealing with as a hitter, knew that after the All-Star break there would be changes from pitching staffs, and while there was a bump in the road for him, he seems to have figured it out.  I love that.

Bob Klapisch has a great piece about Judge. I wanted to share some of that content:

Photo: New York Daily News

"While the Yankees were nervously waiting out Judge’s mega-slump, American League pitchers bro-hugged and high-fived. They’d found Judge’s cold zones – sliders off the plate, fastballs above the hands – and used the data to shave 56 points off his average. Judge was the victim of superior scouting and an old-fashioned case of nerves. Question was: Would he rebound? Ever?

The Bombers may have gotten their answer Thursday night in a 13-5 blowout of the Orioles. Judge hit two massive, three-run HRs, drove in six runs and otherwise emerged from the black hole that’d swallowed him during the pennant race.

Is the siege over? It’s too soon to know, but the possibilities for October are suddenly enticing. Joe Girardi still wants to have a conversation about winning the East. Fine, we’ll go there, but in either scenario, wild-card or Game 1 of the Division Series, the idea of a healthy, productive Judge sitting in the cleanup spot is Girardi’s definition of heaven.

'I felt Aaron was getting closer to what he was in the first half,' the manager said, before delivering the line of the evening. 'Maybe he’s there.'

Judge isn’t biting just yet. He said, 'I’m feeling all right' but retreated to the safety of his boilerplate answers.

Like this: 'It’s a process. It’s a long season. You’re going to have some ups and downs. I’m trying to stay the course.'”

I love this kid. I literally used that last sentence on my kid a month ago.  He was slumping, and telling him that reminded him just how hard this game is.  You get hot, you get cold, but never get frustrated and always continue to work.  Sooner or later, you figure it out.

And if you don't? Well... then you're Kevin Maas.

Yanks win again.  Aaron's back, folks.

LUCKY 7! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BYB!

“I love you guys! The greatest Yankee site I've ever read! It's in my bookmarks!"

--BYB Reader

I woke up looking at my clock today.  6:35am... and September 14th. I literally stared at it for a moment. I felt like I had something to do today, my mind was a fog. I got up, grabbed my clothes and hit the shower.  Then I remembered... today's BYB's 7th birthday.  I cannot believe it.

It's an amazing thing when you think about it.  Some of our readers have literally been with us since the beginning, and they're still here.  But luckily for us, they aren't just readers now... they are our friends these days.  They root us on, support us, share us and wear us.

We have newcomers coming in once in a while. They ask questions, sometimes they hate because they just don't understand what we do here on Bleeding Yankee Blue. A lot of times they just come into our site and expect us to spew our opinions and to hell with everyone else. 

Never been the case here... and once they recognize that... the banter starts and relationships form.  We are here for the fans... we're not here to try and be right.  Opinion matters... all of it, and that is what I have put together here.

My writers are tops.  No one better in the blog community and the reason why I know that is because readers tell us, like... almost every day.  I love that. It gives me chills, because what started as a toy for me and my friends really became an appointment for all of you. 

You look for the latest from Suzie Pinstripe or Jeana Bellezza.  You like to hear the harsh and sometimes true opinions of Barry Millman. You enjoy Michael Carnesi and always want check in on Mike O'Hara, because, well... he's Mike O'Hara, and while he's not writing a ton these days, trust me, he is still a vital piece of the BYB community.

BYB is 7 because you guys didn't give up on us.  Through our rough patches... through the times where we were rolling and readership was up.  Some how, some way we did it our way and gained success.  Remember, I know nothing about the Internet. I learned.  I started this blog on September 10, 2014 with not a clue in the world of how it worked. But I did like to see that people checked in on my opinions. Next thing you know, I did another story, and it happened again.  And then more readers, and suddenly I was on my way. These days, we are on our way.

It's been quite flattering and amazing actually.  We have interviewed top Yankees, top YES network talent, and for me personally, there are big time people in my own life that I have always admired and always wanted to meet, and over time, through this "train that could" of BYB... I was able to shake their hand in person and let them know face to face that I admire them.  It's quite wonderful.  It proves something very significant to me;  while not as big as Beacher Report at this very moment... we're huge among the grassroots and loved by many of our readers.  Not only that, we are respected.

Photo: Bergen Record's Pete Caldera

Respect is a powerful thing.  It's that thing that lets me know that there's a stature that now comes with BYB.  Guys like Jack Curry and Bob Lorenz and Nancy Newman and Pete Caldera and Bryan Hoch follow us.  They like to read and sometimes laugh, but they can dig in on our "fan anaylsis" as well. Again, we're honest, and I think that's refreshing. It's real. It's very real.

Thank you.

I mean that from the bottom of my heart.  As I write this I get emotional.  You are the reason we write this blog every single day.  You are the reason we wake up early or stay up way to late.  You like our product, and we love that you love it.  That means we have connected.

I was told so many times that this was "stupid".  "Why would you have such an ugly blog with a family underlining message. IT'S ABOUT THE YANKEES! Don't insert yourself!"   True email by the way who no longer writes me.  And to respond here publically... Why? Well, because the Yankees ARE family, and if you see baseball and life as being very similar, you will understand the universe. I swear to God.  Baseball and life share the same highs and lows, and if you understand the stepping stones, you will get it.  And while BYB didn't start that way, there is no question that this is what we have evolved into.

Vintage photo of Marci Hensley, mother of Ty Hensley

Family.  That's us, folks.  7 years on the map is no joke, and it's a perfect combination of timing for us here at BYB.  My writers have come and gone, but the ones that left still support us, and we have very solid friendships. The writers we have now are bonding like crazy with our readers.  I have regular pow-wows with my own writers. I answer questions, have done seminars for Suzie Pinstripe, made speeches for small groups of bloggers that want to know the "secrets". Here's the secret, folks... be honest, be nice and work hard.  That's what my writers do here.  If you can't do that, good luck.  That's the formula, write it down.

I leave you all with this, a story I wrote in 2014 that will forever stay close to my heart. It's titled I THINK WE HAVE BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE FANS NOW! Here's a portion of it:

" Recently I was out with a friend of mine and we literally ran into a guy wearing a Bleeding Yankee Blue “What’s your blood type?” Shirt on the streets of Manhattan.

I nudged my buddy and pointed over at the guy.

“Holy Shit, go tell him who you are?”

“No. What the hell does that even mean?” I said.

“Do it, I want to see his face!”  Now look, I’ve known this guy for 20 years.  He’s a ball buster and a trouble maker and I should have dropped him a long time ago. But he’s a loyal friend and so, we see each other once in a while.

Anyway, I refused make a scene. Besides, it's more gratifying for me to see you guys wearing my BYB stuff and me sitting back and enjoying it. I’m a regular dude with a regular life and I don’t need the fanfare.  I do however, appreciate you wearing us and supporting us.

As the guy was buying a pretzel, my buddy went over to him. “Where’d you get that shirt?”

“BleedingYankeeBlue.com!" He rattled it off the tongue like he knew it was coming.  “I gotta get me one of those”, my buddy said with a smirk. The guy turned around quickly. “You can’t get this shirt anymore. I’ve been reading them for years. It’s vintage now.”  He started to laugh.  My pal, always the jokster, laughed harder, and patted him on the back like they'd known each other for life. They looked like 2 old friends or something.  “See that guy," he pointed at me, "He’s Casey.”
“Crap”, I said under my breath smiling.  I knew it was coming.

“Get the F**k outta here!”  The man walked over to me. There was pretzel mustard in his mustache. He was happy to see me.

“Are you F**king with me right now?”

“No, it’s me," I said, "Nice shirt!” We shook hands.

“I love you guys! The greatest Yankee site I've ever read! It's in my bookmarks," he said."

My fondest day as the BYB Chief.  And today's a happier one.  Happy 7th birthday to Bleeding Yankee Blue.  A special thanks to my writers who never quit on me or you... and a huge thank you to our readers who read us, share us and wear us... and most importantly... talk to us about what we've written every single day.

You guys made this. We appreciate you dearly.

Thank you. God Bless.




--Robert Casey
BYB Chief, Managing Editor & Head Writer
Twitter: @BleednYankeeBlu

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THE YANKEES DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN....BUT IT PROBABLY WILL

Photo: Newsday

I hate thinking about the Wild Card, but given how we have overachieved this season I should be happy with that possibility. I just don't like to settle. I do like playoff baseball though. Assuming the Yankees get into the postseason and win a Wild Card game the Yankees are likely to match up with a VERY dangerous opponent...

The Cleveland Indians are absolutely dominating baseball right now. A 21 game winning streak is abso-freaking-lutely nuts! These guys are on a mission and they aren't taking any prisoners. I really don't want to be in their path but right now we are likely going to be. The Indians want the World Series ring that the didn't get last ear. The Yankees are going to really have to optimize their strengths here to neutralize this team.

I like optimism and Andrew Marchand thinks the Yankees have a chance against the Indians if they follow their current formula. It's going to be hard though. Last year I really think the World Series could've ended differently if Danny Salazar or Carlos Carrasco would've been healthy and pitched. They had a disadvantage without those guys, and now they are back. Oh and of course the Indians have the guy I still miss a lot Andrew Miller and he is ready to pitch for that ring again.....or is he?

Photo: CBS Sports

The Indians have a stronger rotation this year with Corey Kluber leading the way and stealing mentions of a possible Cy Young award over Chris Sale. Add Miller back into the equation and these guys look scarier. That is assuming Miller is going to stay healthy. The lefty has had two stints on the disabled list this ear due to tendinitis in his right knee. The Indians are supposedly ready to activate him on Thursday and will use him for a quick inning of work if needed and then rest him again for a few days after to see how he feels afterward. If Miller isn't 100% if and when the Yankees and Indians go head-to-head it could give the Yankees the upper hand.

The Indians have a stronger rotation, but the Yankees have a bullpen of superstar studs. If we assume the Yankees starter is Luis Severino and he lasts five or six strong innings and the offense actually shows up and HITS then Tommy Kahnle and company can finish the job.

Let's face it, if  Chad Green, David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman can come in and shut the door.....I hope. This isn't going to be easy at all and if it comes down to the Yankees and Indians I may create a trench in my living room from pacing back and forth nervously. 

Nothing is impossible and of all the teams who have wild card potential and could also be in our shoes they just don't have our bullpen. We may be the underdog, but we have a damn good bullpen and the best chance to beat the Indians. I'd like to have those bragging rights.



--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor 
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

#RAYSIRMA

Source: Karsten Moran for The New York Times

The second night of the three-game Yankees-Rays Series in Citi Field was lackluster at best.  The key aspect of the game however was that the tickets remained at $25 for fans, some of the proceeds would go to hurricane relief efforts and #RAYSIRMA fundraising signs would adorn the Flushing stadium. But the Mets' outfield Apple would not go up for the home team Rays' home runs as witnessed in the Yankee 2-1 loss to the Tampa Bay.

Source: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America

 “We are grateful to the Mets for opening their doors to us. We are most concerned with the safety of our fans, our families, friends and neighbors," said Rays president Brian Auld in a written statement after MLB made the decision to move the three-game series to Citi Field .

 Source: Karsten Moran for The New York Times

“It was hard probably for a lot of Tampa fans to get there in a sense, because they didn’t know where the series was going to be until Saturday. And for a bad situation, I give Tampa credit for coming here and making it somewhat easy on everyone in a sense. But I thought the fans were great," reported The NY Times.

Source: John Rieti/CBC)

Many of the MLB teams who house their Spring Training facilities in Florida established relief efforts to support the growing number of families across the Sunshine State who lost their homes or sustained large amounts of damage due to Irma's wrath. "The Toronto Blue Jays are deeply saddened by the widespread hurricane devastation currently impacting the United States and the Caribbean," the release said. "To aid in the humanitarian response, the club will be lending support to its baseball families and affected communities in these regions," reports CBC Sports.

Source: ESPN.com

Despite the loss last night, fans were treated to NY style baseball and hurricane victims received additional relief MLB-style.  The rubber game is today at 1:10 p.m. and then the Yankees "go home" to host Baltimore on Thursday.

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @suzieprof

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A TEAM PLAYER ALL DAY LONG

Photo: Getty Images

I like Todd Frazier.  I don't love him as a player, but I do like and respect the crap out of him as a person.  He's a good dude, and from what I have read, he's a great teammate, and while he isn't hitting as well as I'd like, the bottom line is a positive energy in the clubhouse is something I would like to see more and if that means we re-sign Frazier partially based on that... I'm in.

Photo: Getty Images

Todd Frazier would like to come back to the Yankees.  I love that about him. NJ.com has this nugget that is worth reading:

"Third baseman Todd Frazier, a Toms River native, would “love” to re-sign with the Yankees in the offseason and he’s open to changing positions to make that happen, he said.

Rich Schultz | Getty

'“I would love to have this challenge and I would love to play for this city for the rest of my life,' he said before clubbing a crucial three-run homer in Monday’s 5-1 win over the Rays at Citi Field. 'I think it would be awesome.'"

For me, that's enough. I am not a huge fan of Chase Headley, and while he's done the job, I think I would rather see Frazier there instead. 

Will it happen? I think a playoff run would really determine that.  But for now... I'm team Frazier.  Are you?

WHO DO THE YANKEES TRUST MOST?

Photo: Getty Images

I don't like uncertainty, especially this late in the season. The Yankees still have 20 games to play and continue to win if they want to get at the very least back to a Wild Card game. The Division is still in reach but for debate sake let's assume the Yankees are back in that one game playoff spot. It's do or die time.....so who do the Yankees put on the mound?

There could be arguments made for more than one pitcher....and one of them that I would argue against giving the ball to over anyone else.

Sonny Gray
Just in case you were wondering WHO'S DIGGING SONNY GRAY RIGHT ABOUT NOW? We are at BYB and we know a lot of you are too. Adding Gray at the trade deadline was a game changer for us especially with Michael Pineda out for the rest of the season. The guy has quality stuff and he is passionate and I for one, love that. His start against the Orioles last week was impressive. He can get in and out of jams and if he can do that now at a young age he's going to be even more dominate in the years to come. He sticks to the plan and is a team player. The way he carries himself and his attitude kind of reminds me of CC Sabathia.

CC Sabathia
And speaking of....what about CC? He's not the guy that you think of right away for a Wild Card one and done scenario at least, not anymore. But when you look at the season he has had I had someone simply ask me, "WHY NOT?" He has the experience and the fire in him still but I think the Yankees would have more strategic options.

Luis Severino
Comparing the Sevy we saw last season to who he is this year it is night and day. He went from disaster to bullpen help to ace-like in no time. He has stepped up for the Yankees in a big way and it's hard to imagine what the season would look like without him. If it comes own to a one game all or nothing scenario I feel confident he would get the job done. Severino is flying under the radar. He's third best AL pitcher in ERA,Walks & Hits per innings pitched, hits per nine innings and fourth in strikeouts, strikeouts per nine innings and WAR for pitchers. If it weren't for pitchers named Chris Sale and Corey Kluber you may have heard his name mentioned more for a possible CY Young candidate.

Masahiro Tanaka
I've said it before but TRUSTING TANAKA IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE. I want to have that confidence in Tanaka again. He is supposed to be our ace, but after his last start on Friday I was reminded of how Tanaka CAN choke. His previous three starts he looked like the old, reliable Tanaka lasting 7 innings and getting the win for the Yankees. Friday he stumbled again. For the 17th time in 27 starts this season he failed to pitch deep into the game AND then gave away a 5-1 lead. We also watched him give up his 30th home run of the season and throw two wild pitches. All he had to do was hold onto the lead.....and he couldn't. I want to believe in this guy again but trusting him in a Wild Card game is just not something I can do.

The Yankees have 20 games to figure all of this out and we have to win the Wild Card first. The Yankees will have a lot of scenarios to weigh in the next three weeks. Who do you trust with franchise playoff dreams? I vote we just win the division and kick the cheating Red Sox arse so we just don't have to worry about that.

Who else is with me?



--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor 
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ

BYB 'Family Member' Merchandise (2017)

THE ULTIMATE BETRAYAL

Source: WOKQ

As you know there is no love lost between myself and the Red Sox.  You probably echo my sentiment.  Adding to our lack of love, we have heard the differing accounts of the iWatch and the sign stealing ways of our New England competitors.  We had our take on the situation earlier this week in the piece THE STANDINGS ARE WRONG, THE RED SOX ARE LOSERS.  The whole incident makes my blood boil as it is a complete disregard for MLB policy.  But beyond this, beyond Big Papi trying to hex our new stadium by burying his jersey in its foundation there was this picture sent to me by my niece, who made her first trip to Fenway last night:

Source: @Missy_Orourke

Now, I understand you want to "Root, root, root for the home team" as the 7th inning stretch anthem suggests, but this is taking things way too far.  @Missy_Orourke, you have committed the Benedict Arnold ultimate betrayal.  You are wearing a key component of the enemy's uniform.  You are selling out.  You are a New Yorker for God's Sake.

Source: @Suzieprof at SEPTA Station

See, I am not about the fair weather fans.  I am not suggesting she is.  But, masquerading as a Red Sox fan to impress whomever you are with is kind of close.  I work in Philadelphia and I have made my New York very explicit with Yankee and NY Giants' artifacts sprinkled about my office.  I am not wearing a Phillies hat and I am certainly not wearing Eagles anything.  I am not taking on a love for the City of Brotherly Love.

Source: Yahoo Sports

I saw a guy wearing a Cleveland Indians hat walking across the street on Friday.  I asked him flat out, "Are you a Cleveland fan?"  He answered without hesitation, "Yes!"  Okay...fine, you can pass.  But when I asked my son's friend Brian why he was wearing a Texas Rangers' hat around Syracuse University's campus, he said he liked the hat.  No, that's not the right answer.  He's a Pirate fan by the way.

Source: TheBigLead.com

When you choose your team there are two rules:
1. You have to stick with them and
2. You can't wear opposing teams' stuff.

Very simple.  Pick a team and stay with that team, no matter what.  No matter if it's been 108 years since they won a Series or if they are sitting 36 games behind the leader in their division.  You stay the course.  You don't betray them.

At the end of the day, the Boston Red Sox still hold a small lead on us in the AL East and we continue to hold onto a Wild Card spot with a possible home advantage.  We must stay with our team even if they disappoint us.  We celebrate our wins and we lament our losses.  But we own our love for our team and we do not give that love up.  Missy, you are a Met fan and I respect that.  Get that Boston hat off and leave it in a dumpster behind Fenway Park where it belongs.  As for the Red Sox, I hope we catch you but if we don't, we will be back for you next year, same time and I guarantee you, myself and the #BYB fans we represent here will be right there too.

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @suzieprof