BOB WATSON PASSED AWAY

Sad story, but one that needs to be reported because this guy was so instrumental in not only baseball, but with the New York Yankees as their General Manager.  Bob Watson has passed away at the age of 74.

ABC 13 writes:

"Bob Watson, a two-time All-Star as a player who later became the first black general manager to win a World Series with the New York Yankees in 1996, has died. He was 74.

The Houston Astros, for whom Watson played his first 14 major league seasons, announced the death Thursday night. Watson died from kidney disease, according to his son."

And the Associated Press writes after his days as a player:

"After retiring from playing, Watson began coaching and helped the 1988 Oakland Athletics win the American League pennant as the hitting coach for the likes of Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire. He became the second black general manager in major league history — after Atlanta’s Bill Lucas (1976-79) — when he was hired by the Astros in 1993. 

Watson became the Yankees’ GM in 1995, and made the then-highly criticized decision to hire Joe Torre as New York’s manager. Watson, along with Torre leading the team on the field, helped put together the World Series-winning squad in 1996. 

He retired from the Yankees after the 1997 season, and Brian Cashman replaced him as New York’s GM. Watson later served as Major League Baseball’s vice president in charge of discipline and vice president of rules and on-field operations and worked in the league offices until 2010."

Very impressive man.  May he rest in peace. Prayers to his family.

PUMP THE BRAKES ON THE 2020 SEASON - THE PLAYERS AREN'T HAPPY!

I may have Twitter induced whiplash. I jump from feed to feed and see one argument only to be sucked into a new direction and I see another argument. We all got excited when MLB owners approved a plan that could bring baseball back in July. That's a big first step....but there is still another big hurdle to jump, namely the Players Association.

Here comes the drama.

It's a business....so it's all about the money and the owners want to hold onto as much money as possible. Back in March, the MLBPA agreed to prorated pay, essentially a reduced salary. Owners now recognize that if and when the season resumes, games will likely be played without fans in the stands which takes away some of their revenue. So now the pressure is shifted to the players. The owners have okayed a plan to start playing, but to get some money back they want the players to take less also by agreeing to a 50/50 revenue share, read more HERE. Revenue sharing is common in other sports like the NFL, NHL and the NBA - but not baseball. MLB players are not happy with the proposal, it's like a salary cap....and we know that isn't in baseball either.

So here we are, waiting to see who will fold first. The owners are optimistic that players will negotiate. Randy Levine tried to appeal to the Yankees by trying to appeal to the sense of civic duty. "I think our players are patriots. They want to do it. We are all trying to get there," Levine said. Talk about pressure, I'm sure the Yankees don't WANT to take a pay cut and MLBPA executive director Tony Clark has already said that the union WILL NOT agree to it. Some players are already saying that they won't support it.
Here's Adam Jones:

And Trevor Bauer:

And what about former Yankee Phil Hughes?

I understand the sentiment, regardless of if I agree with it or not. These owners are very wealthy, and that didn't happen by accident. Are they feeling the pinch financially right now? Sure, like most of us are. They aren't getting the cash flow that they normally get right now. It's a month into the season and they haven't made money. That doesn't mean they are struggling though. They made a commitment to players when they signed them....and the players are expecting them to live up to that commitment with some minor concessions, which they have already made a few. I get it.

I also understand when Phil Hughes is coming from. The next CBNA is coming up soon. The Players union have had a long hard fight to get to this point. Years ago they didn't have the same favorable terms so to agree to owners requests would be taking a big step backwards in their point of view.

Would we feel differently if it was you or me? Maybe we have a similar situation. I know several people right now who have agreed to a temporary pay cut during this pandemic in order to keep their jobs. A little less income is better than none, right? What if we agreed to a pay cut due to the circumstances with the expectation that we would get our original full pay later when the crisis has past? What if....we never got back to our original salary? If this is what the MLBPA is concerned with, I understand the concern.

Not all current or former players feel the same way, there's usually someone with a different opinion right? Well, we have a different opinion with Mark Teixeira.

I will say this much....in my history here with BYB I have been the biggest supporter of Tex out of anyone on staff. I defended him all the time. I don't think I can here. It's easy to say you would rather make "pennies on the dollar" after you have already cashed in a large contract, retired and have nothing to lose. I just don't buy the symbol of hope he is trying to sell all of us....but that's just me.

So where do we go from here? The owners and MLBPA need to sit down and hash this out. Is one side being too greedy? If they reach an impasse and can't make this work it's a bad look for baseball. We need our baseball back! 

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE'S FAVORITE 5 INTERVIEWS

Because there is literally no news, except for the pandemic... I thought we'd have some fun. In the past we have done a ton of great interviews here at Bleeding Yankee Blue.  I was just reading through all of them.  I want to right now take a moment and share the people, the links and my favorite quotes from those interviews. Also, keep in mind, these are my 5 favorite interviews.  Mine... Robert Casey's... the BYB Chief.  I have great writers and if they want to make an extra companion piece follow-up  to this with their favorite 5, I will welcome it. It can be fun.  Anyway... here it goes.

NUMBER 5:

My 5th favorite interview from BYB has to be with CC & Amber Sabathia. These 2 are amazing people, and they agreed to do an interview with us for a Christmas morning release back in 2013.  Please read: CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR: INTERVIEW WITH THE SABATHIAS.

Here's a great quote from that interview: 

CC Sabathia: "I enjoyed my years in Cleveland and they will always be a part of my baseball family, the city is great and the fans are great. It's never easy to leave an organization you played with since day one…but I was traded to the Brewers and though I was there for only a few months, I enjoyed my teammates, and the fans were very welcoming. But nothing can compare to New York. It really is a family organization, with great players around you and you have a chance to win every year, and that’s what you want as a player. The fans are the best, very passionate and knowledgeable and we’re playing on the largest stage….We love being here in NYC!" 

NUMBER 4: 

My 4th is with Paul O'Neill. A class act all the way. Loved that he took the time to chat with us, and always wanted to interview him. This interview was done in December 2011. Please read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: PAUL O'NEILL. Here's a great quote from that interview.

Check this out:

BYB: My son once asked me why you got so angry if you got an out in a big moment. I told him because Paul O’Neill wanted to hit the ball every time. Would that be a safe assessment of your passion for the game? 

Paul O'Neill: That’s half of it. I tend to be a perfectionist, hating failure. That may have started long ago as the youngest of six. There were so many of us, you sort of had to vie for dad’s praise and attention. But baseball is a game where great hitters get beat 7 out of 10 times. Where a guy could play fifteen years and feel accomplished because he has two World Series rings. Over 95% of roster players go home losing every year in baseball. I probably needed a thicker skin. I spent too many sleepless nights going over strikeouts or popups. 

NUMBER 3:

My 3rd has got to be our first interview on BYB ever... back in May of 2011, and it was with my man Steve Karsay who was candid and honest and awesome. Please read: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: STEVE KARSAY.

Karsay helped get us some exposure and we will always appreciate him. In fact, I may reach out to him again and do a follow-up, this time by podcast on BYB Media. Anyway, this is my favorite quote from him:

Steve Karsay: Growing up and enjoying the game, I had many favorite players. There were so many it is hard to choose just one. I'll do my best. From the time that I was young, I always liked Thurman Munson and Ron Guidry. Goose Gossage was a favorite to watch as was Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, Oh and you can't forget Gary Carter. The last one I would have to clump in there would be Roger Clemens and the reason was, I liked to watch him play and compete. For me, to be able to watch these guys and be able to meet them and to actually have a chance to be their teammate was definitely something special. 

NUMBER 2:

My next favorite is Nancy Newman. She's smart and sexy and just the best and appreciates us and we appreciate her! And by the way, we love Bob Lorenz, Meredith Marakovits, Kenny Singleton, Jack Curry too.  All I'm saying is Nancy was just a smidge extra special for me personally. We did this interview with Nancy in January of 2015. Please read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: NANCY NEWMAN

Here's my favorite quote and a fun one for me:

BYB: I just want to say, chatting with you over the past few weeks, it's refreshing to know that I am not the only one who still uses a Blackberry. Apparently you do too, huh? Random I know, but explain to our audience why you like it when it comes to correspondence... Frankly, I'm tired of explaining myself... ha ha 

Nancy Newman: I find myself explaining my Blackberry status to people, too!! I just love my Blackberry and have not been able to "consciously uncouple" with it ! You can't beat the security features and that classic keyboard! Glad to have you with me on that! I'm a Blackberry and iPad girl.

Nancy and I will always have the Blackberry bond.

NUMBER 1:

Laura and Jorge Posada of course. Love these 2 and always have.  They are good people, private and family oriented.  Laura is building a successful career these days now that Jorge is retired and these 2 have always been amazing with it comes to support for Bleeding Yankee Blue.

Please read THE FULL POSADA INTERVIEW. 

Here's my favorite quote from each of them:

BYB: We have to know... How did you and Jorge meet? 

Laura: We met when we were teenagers on a baseball field where he was the umpire for my softball game. After the game ended, we both went our separate ways until we met again at a restaurant in Puerto Rico. After a mutual friend introduced us, he remembered he had met me at the softball game and told his roommate I was the girl he wanted to marry. 

BYB: Jorge, how do you feel about the phrase "Core Four" describing you, Jeet, Mariano and Andy? 

Jorge: It's an honor because they are my brothers. We grew up together and spending so many years as teammates is something I will never forget. 

I hope you all enjoyed this. Hey, Suzanne, Jeana and Missy... you guys go next!

IF WE COULD GO BACK IN TIME

If...this is a story about ifs, truthfully speaking.  We can't go back in time, although many of us would like to if we could.  Interestingly enough as I write this, I am realizing that it is the 35th Anniversary of the 80s nostalgia movie, Back to the Future.  We could go back, if Michael J. Fox's Delorean was real and it was a time machine.  Since we have some time on our hands, I thought I would explore if...with you.  Let's go back in time, just a few years.

Source: Newsweek

If we could go back in time, we could catch the Houston Astros red-handed, and maybe prevent the scandal that shook America's past time.

Source: Twitter/Ryan Ruocco

CC Sabathia, now completely jacked, might have retired after the 2017 season, following his second World Series ring.  He could have gotten jacked two years earlier as he donned his new jewelry. 

If we could go back in time, doctors could have diagnosed Luis Severino two years ago, and he would have had his surgery, or perhaps undergone physical therapy avoiding surgery and he'd be back.  Perhaps we could have defended our World Series title in 2018 with Sevy really hot, and because the Red Sox would have never hired Alex Cora, so they would not have won the Series.  I am liking this...let's do some more.

Source: Newsday

If we could go back in time, Aaron Judge would not have worked himself so hard, and his mysterious injury might not have happened.  In fact the doctors would have figured it out because Judge would have been relentless in his pursuit for a cause for the reoccurring pain.  He would be healthy and perhaps, 2019 would have been a three-peat for the Bombers.

If we could go back in time, the 2020 season would have started on March 26th as planned and the vaccine for the corona virus would have been developed ahead of the pandemic, because early warning signs would have been seriously vetted.  All of the players would have gotten the vaccine and we'd be almost two months in with the Yankees, clearly in first place.

Source: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps it is delirium setting in with the longest stretch of no baseball in my life.  Perhaps I don't want to talk about the fact that if the baseball players don't take the 50-50 split of revenue that comes in this year when the game starts that there might not be a 2020 season despite the plan to open things up.  If they do agree, baseball spring training could start in mid-June and the season could kick off on July 4th.  Now that is real nostalgia: The American Past time starts on America's birthday.

So much has to happen for the season happen.  So, I sit wondering if...if there will be a season and if baseball will survive COVID-19.  Here's hoping that a deal comes through soon and baseball comes back. And there will be no more ifs, only when.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

MISS TROLL SLIPPED INTO BLEEDING YANKEE BLUE'S DM'S THIS MORNING

I don't typically care about people that disagree with Bleeding Yankee Blue. We've been here 10 years and have a following and have support from folks at the YES Network, Yankee players, incredible readers and fans and beat writers and even non-Yankee players that just like to read and have a few laughs.  I was targeted this morning by someone named Patty Lynn who just doesn't understand what we do here.  If any of you aren't sure what BYB does here, let me be clear and you can use this at a tutorial in case you want to crack wise at me with no actual knowledge...

BYB is a fan site. We rant. We speak our mind. We don't have a love fest with a team just because they have the interlocking NY on their hat.

We LOVE our Yankees, but if something is happening that we don't care for, we are the first to call them out.

Mark Teixeira and Jacoby Ellsbury  and their injury records was big for that. We don't like Altuve after we found out he cheated with the rest of the ridiculous Astros.

We love Ichiro, some like Jeter over here... yet some don't like him as a business man.  You know... stuff that like... and oh yeah, and on occasion, just like a regular person walking down the street, we will use dirty language as a way to enhance our point. We also believe in free speech. You may not agree with it, but this is America and the best part is if you don't like it... then don't read it...PLEASE!

What I don't need is someone instant messaging me, like this Patty Lynn character, telling me that no one likes my site, her group rejects it and how the comments we put out are suggestive and how bad a person I am and the site is. Here is some of that... enjoy.

What are you my mother?

What is that? Who has the time to do that? I mean, she's complaining about how we present our content and how it's on her Facebook page. I mean really? This is what you're worried about in a pandemic? Go away... because here's the reality... Bleeding Yankee Blue is celebrating our 10th year this year, that's big. We're doing that because what we do resonates with readers.  10 years ago, no one was doing this like we are doing. Now others follow and many that weren't doing it, like River Ave Blue and others are no longer around. Not a slight at them, they just did it differently, that's it. It's just the nature of new and fresh content and feeding an audience that the others weren't feeding... we tapped into that and it's working.

Bottom line, we have 3 female writers, they write incredibly well, speak their mind and don't mind my quirkiness and leadership and odd rules and small successes. They get it. Here's the other thing....they just want to talk about the Yankees freely.

If you don't read us, and instead think you know what's going on, that's no way to head into a discussion. Patty Lynn the troll did that. BYB has been clear on how we will handle our content since day one. We've never changed in that regard.  Too bad people like Patty Lynn don't get it.

We will continue to serve you all here at Bleeding Yankee Blue and continue to offer solid and original content.  We appreciate your support and love.

Oh yeah... and beware of trolls... they are everywhere.

THE GREAT PETE CALDERA TALKS COIVD-19, CC SABATHIA & THE ASTROS CHEATING SCANDAL!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love reading Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record.  Not only that, I love to listen to him croon as well and have been lucky enough to do it twice at the Carnegie Club in New York City. And trust me... once we all get back to normal, I will make it a point and a promise to see him sing more once Covid-19 hopefully goes away.

But the luxury of Bleeding Yankee Blue is to tell you how we feel about our New York Yankees and life. We like to give an honest opinion of the players too, and if stuff doesn't jive, we will be the first to call out whomever! We play it straight here at BYB. We've been here writing for the past 10 years, and these past few months we've been doing some podcasts as part of BYB Media, developing a new way to deliver Yankee news and entertainment.

I've been lucky enough to chat with some great folks, Ty Hensley, Clay Rapada, my BYB staff, and now I get to share our latest... Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record.  

This interview is raw and real and we talked about so much.  We talked about Pete being a Yankee writer in Florida and watching COVID-19 breakout during Spring Training.  We talked about the Astros Cheating Scandal. We spoke about how the Red Sox got off easy and how Pete was disappointed with how Rob Manfred handled it.

Pete was awesome about talking about Gerrit Cole and his incredible work ethic. We chatted about CC Sabathia and him being an awesome leader... and we talked about the Carnegie Club and how much Pete misses singing right now.

Give it a listen.

Pete's the best! Very happy to call him my friend.

Pete, thanks for taking the time. Be Safe.

CC SABATHIA IS A MONSTER, BRO!

Quick note...

Have you seen this picture of CC Sabathia?  I mean dude... he's jacked!

So what's up? Less cereal, new lease on life. When you're a leader, you gotta walk to walk and that's what CC is doing .Think about it, he's got a lovely family, his kids are growing up, he's retired and look bro, he's got some time now so let it happen!

I love CC. Always have, and seeing this just gives me a thrill.

By the way, if you haven't heard it yet, be sure to listen to CC and Ryan Ruocco as they interview AJ Burnett on R2C2, and they're talking about the first time AJ and CC were at their press conference heading into the 2009 season. It's awesome. Check this out:

New episode of @R2C2 out now with my guy @wudeydo34!! We got some Yankee memories you don’t want to miss. S/o @RyanRuocco🎙

Watch 📺: https://t.co/shTblJsd8B
Listen 🎧: https://t.co/CfQ0lzW37B pic.twitter.com/kjkerhikuS

— CC Sabathia (@CC_Sabathia) April 17, 2020

Love it!

By the way, I just interviewed Pete Caldera from the Bergen Record and we spoke about CC and his incredible leadership with the Yankees. You need to check it out.

And P.S., we'll always love CC because of this incredible shout out!

Nice!

MAJOR CHANGES TO THE MLB DRAFT COULD HURT THE YANKEES

A major change to the MLB draft will impact the Yankees and every other team this year. The last major change came in 2012, when the draft was shortened from 50 rounds down to 40....but this summer we will have just five rounds. It's another side affect of the Coronavirus as Major League Baseball begins to regroup and bring baseball back.

Owners are looking for new ways to save some money thanks to this pandemic. I get it, baseball is a business but that doesn't mean I have to be thrilled about it right? I didn't believe the news at first, but it is true.

This decision will impact over 1,000 prospects that expected to be drafted this summer. These players will either sign undrafted and be eligible for a maximum $20,000 or wait until the next draft for more favorable terms. If I was a prospect right now I would be pretty bummed out. Some young and talented players could have to wait even longer for their big shot. From a team's perspective, this could really hurt any teams farm system for years to come. I can see why a lot of these front offices were pushing for a longer draft. You can read more about the specifics of the upcoming draft HERE.

The smaller draft does align with the league's proposal to eliminate a quarter of minor league teams, an idea that I don't like either...and it has been widely criticized. The Morning Call has a good breakdown of what that could mean HERE. The new draft is definitely a major concern for minor league teams, so it is something to watch.

So what does a five round draft look like for the Yankees this year? Well....definitely more strategic.

The first five rounds means that all thirty teams have plenty of talent to pick from. The athletes in the first few rounds are the cream of the crop, they have a good chance of progressing to the next level. Some may even say they have better odds, but regardless the first few rounds are important. This year that couldn't be more true for the Yankees. To say the first few rounds will be important to us is an understatement. Here's why....

The Yankees got their "white whale" when they signed Gerrit Cole this winter. We all know how important he is to us going forward, but when we signed Cole we also forfeit our second and fifth round picks of this upcoming draft, so we won't even get five picks. That leaves us with a first-round pick (Number 28 overall) and then a selection in the third and fourth rounds. The Yankees are going to have to be very strategic....and our scouts are going to be extra thorough.

It's an important point to realize here, the loss of the draft picks hurts BUT even if the Yankees had known they would be surrendering two of their five picks this summer they still should have signed Cole. The loss of the draft picks sucks, but missing out on Cole would have hurt a lot worse. Cole is a game changer, a draft pick is a "wait and see."

This draft will be different for the Yankees, but it's not necessarily bad. They can still sign undrafted players and maybe they will get a few of them. We have a few Yankees on the 40-man roster right now that were drafted after the 5th round. We all recognize Mike Tauchman, Chad Green, Luke Voit and Jonathan Holder, right? I guess we will have to wait and see what happens, the draft is expected to start on June 10th. I'm looking forward to it....are you?

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj

COULD MLB RESTART MAKE PITCHERS MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO ARM INJURIES?

Source: ABC7 New York 

So, another weekend without baseball brings more time for us to ponder things we may not have, if our focus was actually on baseball games.  I mean, I am sort of going through this withdrawal, kind of like a recovery in some ways.  It is like someone died and I have had to come to grips with the fact that this person is now gone.  And during this recovery period, I start thinking about things that we might want to do so we can prevent something like this from ever happening again.  With this prevention came some insights, a nugget of sorts that is something we should expose.  Could quickly ramping up the season make pitchers more susceptible, more prone to Tommy John Surgery? Could this really happen?

Source: Columbia Magazine- Columbia University

According to an article in the Medium written by head team physician for the New York Yankees Dr. Chris Ahmad, "The coronavirus pandemic may greatly compound and exaggerate the risk factors associated with the spring Tommy John surgery spike. The enthusiasm to get back to baseball right now is simply enormous. Players and their families have been understandably craving baseball for months at this point and are growing impatient. In addition, athletes are pressured to showcase their talent for a starting position or to provoke interest from college or professional scouts. That translates to maximum effort throwing." This is very concerning to say the least.  And with the current uptick in Tommy John surgeries across the league over the last few years, there is certainly a fear that any sort of elbow soreness could be the start of an injury leading to this season ending surgery.

Source: USA Today

“The reasons behind the spikes are related to some combination of the sudden start of play, rapid competition intensity, lack of early season physical conditioning, lower preparation coming from offseason, not yet fully optimized throwing mechanics and playing with elbow pain,’’ said Ahmad according to the New York Post.

Fear of the surgery may lead to fear of disclosing that there is a problem.  Many pitchers simply keep the pain to themselves, which could in many ways, make the situation worse.  “Many players after the long off-season waiting period are unwilling to disclose elbow pain or acknowledge their lack of preparation fearing they will be shut down right away,’’ Ahmad wrote.

Dr. Ahmad provides some advice to players to keep them healthy and safe during this time of isolation in order to prevent injuries. "During this time of social isolation players should continue and if not already, initiate, a strengthening and endurance program for their shoulder, elbow, and also their core & leg/base muscles. This may be accomplished with video interaction with strength coaches and baseball coaches," reports Ahmad in the Medium.  Most importantly, if a player feels pain, he needs to speak up and slow down, allowing the tendon to heal, and follow a protocol to get healthy.

Source: CBS Sports

On Mother's Day, when I would normally spend the day likely going to the Stadium with my family, I use this time to regroup and reflect on ways I could be better.  Perhaps taking a pause, slowing down and getting in touch with how I feel is the message here.  I share this same sentiment with you. Because when baseball and some sense of normalcy comes back, we all need to be ready to go.  Slow and steady wins the race is the apparent message here.  Upticks in Tommy John surgery is not something the sport or our players need.  Let's hope this serves as a wake up call to stay the course and don't rush to be better when our bodies are saying to slow down.  Stay in touch with your body and stay safe and healthy.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

DUMBEST. DUDE. EVER.

Obviously this guy put this tweet up to get a rise out of people, but when you put statements out like this and it's out there forever, you really have to worry about your own credibility. And that's the key here... with all we know about the Astros, the cheating, the coverup by MLB, the bond between Crane and Manfred and there agreement with this team so MLB wouldn't turn into a circus (and it did even worse), you can't put a tweet out like this if you want to have any credibility... and this guy... certainly does not.

He gets the egg in the face award from Bleeding Yankee Blue now doubt.  I'm glad I snapped it, and I'm glad I saved it and put it on Bleeding Yankee Blue, because no doubt when this fucking moron sobers up he'll realize that the Astros were cheaters and cheated their way to that 2017 championship... and while everyone was rooting for them then, little did we know they had a strategic operation intended to steal baseball of it's credibility and lie to all it's fans... even just plan MLB fans who thought they won it fair and square.  We know now they did not.

I've said this a 1000 times here at BYB, but it's worth saying again.... Astros players should have been banned or fined HEAVILY.  Jim Crane should have been forced to sell his team. But none of that happened, because the conflict of interest of Manfred's friendship with Crane. That's what really scued his vision on what was right and what was wrong.

You don't make deals with the devil to get ahead in life. The Astros will always be tainted, and this dude that thought it was cute to suggest what he did about the Astros and the greatest sports story of the last 20 years? That's the most insane thing ever.

But that's fine, he'll go on his corny radio show and talk about how he got everyone all lathered up.  Because I guess credibility doesn't matter to anyone these days, does it?

Loser.