EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: STEVE KARSAY

When Steve Karsay came to the New York Yankees in 2002, I was psyched. I had followed this guy's career for a few years before and always loved the guys heart and talent. In the back of my mind, I always wanted to have him in the Yankees pen because I knew he'd do some damage. Luckily, it happened.

The Internet is a strange place. While I was tweeting one day, Steve Karsay was tweeting too. I figured, what the hell, I'll reach out. Well, it's not every day that athletes and celebrities reach back, after all, it's the Internet, but Mr. Karsay did and I couldn't have been happier.

It is with great pleasure that I was able to get inside Mr. Karsay's head and bring you our Exclusive Bleeding Yankee Blue Steve Karsay interview. Check it out, you will not be disappointed, and make sure you comment.

Oh, and most of all, Thank you Mr. Karsay for taking the time, for the fans, and for me, a fan as well.

BYB: According to my research, you grew up in Flushing. Were you a Mets fan or Yankee fan at that time?

Steve Karsay: Yes, I did grow up in the town next to Flushing which was College Point. To be quite honest, I was a baseball fan. I rooted for both the Mets and Yankees. I will have to admit, I did go to more Mets games because it was much closer and easier to get to by taking the 7 train just one stop. When having the opportunity to get to Yankees games though, it was definitely special because of all the history that the Old Yankee Stadium had and the players that I use to read about that played for such a storied franchise. I still get chills thinking about walking into Yankee stadium as a kid and knowing that I had what many kid's dream about... stepping foot and playing, in my opinion, in the best or one of the greatest stadiums ever built. I would say only Wrigley and Fenway are a close second.

BYB: Growing up, who was your favorite major league ballplayer and why?

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.

BYB: I read that you were a starter early on in your career and later developed into a dominant relief pitcher. Why and how did that transition happen?

Steve Karsay: Yes, that is correct. I was a starter when I got drafted by the Blue Jays in 1990 and worked my way to the big leagues in 1993. I was starting, but injuries and a trade from the A's to the Indians is how I developed into the dominant reliever you had mentioned. In 1995, I had Tommy John surgery and at that time, the surgery was not perfected yet and was still a major surgery without knowing if a pitcher was ever going to be the same. It took me 18 months of rehab to get back to the big leagues and was able to get back to the starting rotation with the A's in 1997 and still didn't regain my velocity, so after the 1997 season, they decided to trade me to the Indians. At that point, the GM, John Hart saw my talents and decided to put me in the bullpen in 1998 and let me get used to being a reliever. After all, I was still working to get my velocity back. After the 1998 season, I went to Winter ball in Puerto Rico and at that point, my velocity was better than even I expected and came to Spring Training in 1999 throwing 97-98 MPH. From that point on, I had become a staple in the bullpen role for the rest of my career.

BYB: Yankeeland was excited when you came to the Bronx and you were impressive for us in 2002. What's it like to pitch in Yankee Stadium?

Steve Karsay: Pitching in Yankee Stadium is like no other when you have the Pinstripes on. Coming in and pitching as a visitor was nice, but there is a big difference being from New York and knowing the tradition and what was there before you. Many greats have put there stamp on what Yankee Stadium is with all the Championships that were won over the years. To say it quite simply... to play in front of the greatest fans in the world and to have a dream come true is truly AMAZING.

BYB: You've probably met several amazing Yankee Greats. What's your favorite meeting, who was the Yankee and why is it special to you?

Steve Karsay: Meeting any former Yankee is special. Having the opportunity to be around for Old Timer's Day and meeting the greats like Yogi, Ralph Houk, Ford and many others is like a kid in the candy store. But the ones who were the most special, were the ones whom I grew up watching and playing with, like Goose Gossage and Ron Guidry, when Guidry was an instructor. I got to learn the way to play the game correctly and they taught me how to respect the game as a player.

BYB: What is your favorite moment playing as a New York Yankee?

Steve Karsay: My favorite moment playing as a Yankee would have to be pitching at Yankee Stadium in the 2002 playoffs and getting the win against the Angels. My first Opening Day putting on the Pinstripes would have to be a close second.

BYB: Your last pro game was with the Oakland A's. You pitched against the Dodgers on June 17, 2006 and pitched 2 scoreless innings in a 17 inning game and you got your last win that day. On June 18th, you announced your retirement. Why?

Steve Karsay: This is how that story goes. After having my shoulder surgery in 2003 and having a rigorous rehab, I can truly say my shoulder was never the same. I continued to play, hoping that the pain would subside and I could get back to being a quality pitcher and helping a team win. It is no secret that I struggled in 2005 and 2006, but I was determined to battle and play the game that I love so much. After getting back to the A's in 2006 and pitching 1 month in Oakland, my shoulder again became to painful for it to be fun anymore. I wasn't just going to hang around if I felt in my heart that I couldn't compete at the level I wanted to... a big league level. So at that point, I had a conversation with Billy Beane and told him that it was best for him to get someone that could pitch healthy and help his team win the West. So I decided to retire and have my second shoulder surgery that off-season.

BYB: If fans want to reach out and meet you or get your autograph, how can they do it? Do you make appearances?

Steve Karsay: I do not make appearances anymore unless I am asked to which is occasionally for charity events and golf tournaments. To this day, I still get cards and other things in my mailbox. Not really sure how they get my address, but they do. Unfortunately, I can not give you my address but maybe we could do something through Bleeding Yankee Blue.

BYB: Do you read Bleeding Yankee Blue?

Steve: Karsay: Yes, I do read Bleeding Yankee Blue when I am interested in the article caption, and from what I have seen, you are doing a tremendous job running BYB.

Mr. Karsay, again, it was an honor to interview you and we appreciate the feedback. You're a great New York Yankee and we salute you. May we work together on something in the near future. The Best!

 

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!

IN THE MIDST OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WE REACHED 7 MILLION STRONG

These days, every single day is like a blur to me. I mean sure, we do our 'work from home' routine, exercise and in some cases help our kids with their school work, but this "Stay at Home" stuff is for the birds.  Does it save lives? It does. Is it working? It is, but it's amazing. Never if my life have I ever seen such an incredible thing in my world. Never, ever.

But in the midst of this tragedy, a glow of light.  Bleeding Yankee Blue has done it again. We have reached a new milestone, something to be proud of. We have reached 7 million views on our pages, and that is all because of people like you!

Over 7 million views is not only historic, it makes me all fuzzy inside. That means that since September of 2010, we have built an audience and found a way to deliver news and information to our audience in a unique way. And I say unique, because there were already so many Yankee blogs out there. But we do it differently. We are honest.

We don't kiss the ass of the New York Yankees. I mean yes, we are fans first, but if someone in the Yankee clubhouse is blowing it or saying the wrong thing, we're gonna tell it to you straight.  We've done it over the years and continue too... even when it comes to guys like Sonny Gray or Giancarlo Stanton or even Joe Girardi. Whomever. That's one. 2... our writers don't need to agree with each other to make a solid product. Look at the spats between Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa and Mike O'Hara when it comes to a player like Mark Teixeira for example. One loves him... the other... not so much.

We started after a bad game back in 2010. BYB built from there.  Our first interview was with Steve Karsay. That was in 2011. It was awesome and helped put us on the map. (Read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: STEVE KARSAY).

Years later, our first podcast interview was with Ty Hensley. He gave us stability and there will be more podcast interviews as we move forward. (Check out A BYB PODCAST INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVE WITH TY HENSLEY ). We love this dude and let me be honest... we were the ONLY blog that was consistently following him throughout everything he's been through. And now he's back on top on the verge of signing with a Major League club again.

My point is, Bleeding Yankee Blue has evolved for our audience, because our audience is the foundation to this entire process.

💚 GREEN I 💚 It’s my favorite color and the color of revitalization and rebirth. Hopefully, after this passes we will be better as a partner, mom, sister, friend, human being and we appreciate even more how important it is to be healthy. 💚 pic.twitter.com/QlMdSjbgVE

— Laura Posada (@PosadaLifeCoach) April 10, 2020

We've met and got the know many people over the years.  Laura and Jorge Posada. Clay Rapada. Marci Hensley, Joba Chamberlain, Pete Caldera of the Bergen Record and others.  They are loyal to us... we are loyal to them.

My writers don't stop. I mean some do, but my staple Managing Editors do not. Suzie and Jeana are unstoppable and unique and important to our brand.  We need them on the pages of Bleeding Yankee Blue, and love them very much here.

And finally to our readers, our freaks, our friends, our loves and our loyal crew.

We do this every day for you because you come to us for information, smiles and news when it comes to the New York Yankees and of course the despicable Houston Astros, which, if you know us, has been incorporated into our daily routine.  We fight for justice, and the Astros need to be buried for what they did to this great game.

But you, our readers are our base and our rock and our voice of reason if you agree or disagree with what we put out.  You are the reason we exist.

Thank you. Thank all of you for being there and for supporting Bleeding Yankee Blue.

Wow... 7 million views of our pages.  More than 10,000 stories on our website since it all began in 2010.  That means something. That means we are relevant.

We appreciate you being with us on our journey. Let's continue to blossom.... together.

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

HOMER BUSH'S KID IS A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK!

We love Homer Bush over here at Bleeding Yankee Blue. We interviewed him back in 2011, and it was a really good chat and since then he's been part of the fam over here... like Steve Karsay, like David Robertson, like Laura and Jorge Posada... even like our guy Pete Caldera.  

These are the names that helped build this brand into the cult classic Yankees blog it is today. Read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: HOMER BUSH for more on Homer.

But more to that... let's talk about Homer and his kid.  I saw Homer post this on Twitter and I have to say, as a kid that still plays baseball as well, when your kid does great stuff on the baseball field, you gotta share it.  Seeing Homer's post made me proud:

Proud dad. That’s all. That’s the tweet. https://t.co/WSxM46EEc2

— Homer Bush (@BushHomer) May 20, 2023

Now look, there are a ton of great college players out there. As you know I just recently wrote about Jac Caglianone in THE AMERICAN OHTANI. 

We love college guys with real ability. This is the MLB's future. It's awesome.

Homer Bush Jr plays for Grand Canyon Baseball as you can see. He's a junior.  .321 average as we speak right now, and from last year, 2022 with only 7 stolen bases... he's jump to 23 in 2023.  Quite impressive.  

I just want to say congrats to the Bush family. Gotta love the moments! 

BYB EXCLUSIVE: KEEPING THE BASEBALL CONNECTION GOING

We like to interview interesting and unique individuals with good stories and good causes here at BYB. We've done it for the past three years. After that, they become a Bleeding Yankee Blue family member for life.  It all started with our first interview... Read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: STEVE KARSAY.  Since then, it's advanced to other interesting people, like Bob Lorenz (HERE), Dante Bichette Jr (HERE), Laura and Jorge Posada (HERE). Even our pals Charles and Joey Moses (HERE) and our friend Ty Hensley (HERE). You can read all of them on our website... on the left side. 

Well, I have another interesting treat for you today. Kris Totten helps run Akadema, a baseball supply facility. He's also a former minor league baseball player.  Bottom line, I find the dude interesting. Plus, as part of Akadema, they donated the bat for the Jack DiSalvo Scholarship this past spring, a scholarship BYB was front and center on.  The winner of that scholarship was Augustine Graziano. Read all about it in, TEAM DISALVO FOLLOWS THROUGH BIG TIME! His picture is below:

Recently, I even received my very own Bleeding Yankee Blue engraved bat from Akadema.  A very nice gesture from a very nice guy.  So, I became curious... what makes Kris Totten and Akadema tick.  I decided to interview Kris and pick his brain for the BYB audience.  I hope you enjoy this... I sure did.

BYB: First off, thank you for the bat and the great work you did donating for the Jack DiSalvo scholarship earlier this year.  How did Akadema begin?

(In Photo: Jack DiSalvo)

Kris Totten: You're welcome. It was a pleasure to be associated with such a great event like the Jack DiSalvo Scholarship.   I know Mr. DiSalvo did a lot for his community and was a big mentor to a lot of the kids he coached. We need more people like him around.

(In photo: Larry Gilligan)
Akadema began in 1997.  It started out just doing fielding gloves, batting gloves and wood bats. Lawrence Gilligan, who played MiLB with the Cardinals and White Sox didn’t think there were good fielding gloves available at that time. That was in the late 80, early 90’s, and so the brainstorming to form a baseball glove company began.  I joined shortly thereafter once I got done following my dream of playing my own pro-ball career. (It was minor league ball with the Seattle Mariners.) 

(In photo: Kris Totten)
My career MiLB ERA of 5.00 wasn’t getting me anywhere in this game, so I had to get a real job.  Akadema has since expanded into a full blown sporting goods company now almost 20 years later. It offers metal bats, apparel, uniforms, turf shoes, etc. It's great.

BYB: Who are some of your clients. Give us some big names.  Do they use Akadema bats during play throughout the season?

Kris Totten: Right now, Akadema fielding gloves are currently being used at the MLB level by the following players:  Shane Victorino, Derek Holland, JB Shuck, Kevin Pillar, Vin Mazzaro, Jason Pridie, Craig Breslow and Abraham Almonte.  We have dozens of high end MiLB players under contract as well that should break into MLB at some point this year, so that's exciting.

 BYB: You're a baseball fan and I believe a Red Sox fan looking at your Google + Avatar.  Am I right? How the hell did I even allow you to be interviewed on our site?  Who was your favorite player growing up and why. Currently, who do you love to watch play?

(In Photo: Roberto Kelly)

Kris Totten: Ha Ha. Actually, I'm not a Red Sox fan. I'm a true Yankee fan, I promise. My favorite player growing up was Roberto Kelly and for no other reason other than  I liked the way he set up in his batting stance. I know, it's a weird reason, but I always tried to emulate him growing up and play like did. He was a good player and he made the game look easy to me. 

Oh, and the reason for the Manny image on my Google + is simple;  Manny Ramirez was our first “big sign” with Akadema, and he continues to promote the brand to this day in Iowa, so I feel obligated to promote him when I can.

My favorite player today is Mike Trout. He is the future of the game, simply the best player in the MLB. It pains me to say it, but Mike used Akadema batting gloves and fielding gloves coming up through the minors, but Mike is no longer using Akadema. That being said,  I wish him nothing but the best. He's a very humble kid. He plays the game the right way and has a skill set that no other player in the game can match. Plus, he is a Jersey kid, so you gotta root hard for them.

BYB: If someone is interested in looking at the Akadema products, how can they do that?

Kris Totten: If you are interested in Akadema you can visit us personally if you are local. We are located in Hawthorne, NJ.  Or you can visit our website at www.akademapro.com to view our product line.  973.304.1470 is the office line and we are open Mon-Friday 8:30-4:30. 

BYB: Do you do engraving like you did for us here at Bleeding Yankee Blue? How does that work if some of my BYB readers are interested in doing it?

Kris Totten: Yes, engraving is an option we offer on any of our wood bat line. That can be done on our website. We have a feature on our site for this, or you can call us directly to order any wood bat of your choice and have it engraved with your name, nickname, team name, etc. We also offer custom bats with colors as well.

BYB: You're a big baseball fan, a Yankee fan. So, here's a scenario; You're the manager of the New York Yankees for 1 week.  Looking at the state of the Yankees right now, their pitching troubles, their weak bats, what do you do to change that?

Kris Totten: Wow, that’s a tough question.  The veterans they have are getting older and not producing like they have earlier in their careers and the new guys they have just don’t have enough experience at the MLB level. 

Masahiro Tanaka is obviously a bright spot for them and guys like Yangervis Solarte and Jacoby Ellsbury have cooled off since their hot starts. Outside of going after some players via trade, not sure what the Yankees have to offer player-wise that will bring the type of player or players in via trade that can be immediate impact players that can turn it around. But I would certainly  love to see the current roster of players rally and motivate themselves around the fact that it's Derek Jeter's last hoorah and push themselves into a position to make a strong run to get into the playoffs and send Jeter out a winner!

BYB: If you could meet 1 baseball legend of all time and sit and have a beer with them, who would it be and why?

Kris Totten: Mickey Mantle and/or Babe Ruth. Why? Because they loved to party and somehow found time to become 2 of the best players to ever play the game.

BYB: Final Question... Do you read Bleeding Yankee Blue? If so, what do you think?

Kris Totten: To be honest, no I have never read Bleeding Yankee Blue before you and I were first introduced to each other a few weeks back.  I have since and do regularly and I do enjoy it, you do a great job!

Thanks Kris, and thanks to Kris for a great interview. Oh yeah... and  the great Akadema bat! You did a great job with it, and it's proudly displayed in my office!

WHY YOU CAN'T FALL INTO THE TRAP

Yes, CC Sabathia has an opt-out clause that he could exercise after the 2011 season. We all knew that right? I mean, the Yankees were in the room the day they hammered out the contract with Sabathia. Guess what? Good for CC. You have to give credit to his people. Guess what else? Good for the Yanks, they managed to win a World Series with CC the first year in.

Baseball and contracts are nuts, aren’t they? You get attached to players and the next thing you know, they want to leave. Or do they? In this case though, CC is doing what any player would do...he's exercising the system. Why wouldn’t he?

Should you be mad at CC Monster? No. Do you want to be mad at him? Probably. You probably feel betrayed, right? But why? The reality is 2011 hasn’t even started yet. We have a whole season with CC and at the end of the season, it is then, and only then, that we should think about this whole opt-out clause. For now, take a moment, take a deep breath, because one thing I hate is chaos at Yankees camp on day 2.

This tweet comes from former Yankee pitcher Steve Karsay yesterday afternoon, and it rings true. It's plain and simple. Yesterday was the first official day of Spring Training. So, why? Why are we talking about this now? In my mind, the Yankees have bigger problems right now. Rotation holes for sure. Filling them is priority number 1. Priority number 2 is winning. Priority number 3, if everything clicks, is dealing with CC.

There are many different opinions on the way this whole opt-out thing goes down for CC:

Scenerio #1: If the Yankees win it all, CC will opt-out and try to get more years or more money with another team. But what team will take that on? The Yankees. So most likely, in my scenario, The Yanks may have him back any way.

Scenerio #2: If the Yankees win, CC feels close to his team, his teammates and decides the stay in the Bronx and ignore that opt-out clause crap.

Scenerio #3: CC works with the Yanks on a contract extension.

Scenerio #4: CC leaves the Bronx at the end of 2011 season and signs somewhere else.

The one thing no one can do tight now is panic. Jeez, you can tell there is nothing to talk about at camp except CC losing weight and Joba gaining weight. It's alittle boring so the media decided to jump on this nugget. It comes as no surprise to me that Bob Klapisch can just casually throw a tweet out there Day 1 and the world joins the conversation. It makes for unwanted controversy that nobody needs.

Now, in fairness to all the reporters, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post, CC used to be clear about staying a Yankee. Now CC said this to Sherman:

"Anything is possible in a contract...Who knows what is possible, but I am not thinking about anything beyond Opening Day.”

Those are 2 quotes from CC. Sounds concerning right? Wrong. Don't read into it. Please, you'll just fall into the frenzy. Think about it, the first controversy came when Lee signed with the Phillies. The second was Pettitte retiring. Now there's talk about CC opting out. We are all just constantly looking for the next shoe to drop for the Yankees, like the empire's about to crumble. I hate it. It's wrong, it's unfair and unfortunately, it's the nature of reporting.

So, how do you feel about it? Tell me what you think. Personally, me, I think it's a bunch of crap. We are months away from that doomsday scenario. Right now, we have baseball to play. Let's go play it, and back CC in the process.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BYB. WE TURNED 1 BECAUSE OF YOU.

In my wildest dreams, I never thought I would actually have a Yankees blog that anyone would care about. But you readers out there are pretty damn passionate and need your Yankees news and opinion and we love it.

When we started on September 14, 2010, Bleeding Yankee Blue started as a rant page because I was tired of yelling at the TV because of another Yankee loss. Sergio Mitre, the thorn in my side was involved, so you can only imagine why I freaked out. Here’s the first post ever on Bleeding Yankee Blue titled WHY LAST NIGHT WAS IMPORTANT.

Since then we’ve posted 975 posts and we have writers who have developed into personalities and readers look for their work. Some of you think we’re the cat’s meow. Well, we know you are but what am I? This journey has been incredible. What we have built here isn’t because of any of us. It really has more to do with all of you. If you don’t read us, we write for no one. When you read, you send it to a friend who sends it to a friend. You Tweet it, you "Like" it on Facebook. Maybe Google news picks it up, or ESPN picks it up and calls us Intrepid Bloggers and some of you even send us pictures of yourself for Bleeding Yankee Blue’s Fan of the week. It’s pretty damn cool.I still remember our first "BYB Fan of the Week" on a chilly week in February. It was Robert in full Yankee gear and suddenly BYB's Fan of the Week was born. Since then we’ve had a fan of the week, well, every week and the pictures are pouring in, it’s just amazing. Keep it up by the way, just send them to mailto:Bleednyankeeblu@gmail.com

We do Yankee interviews here, many blogs do not. Our first was EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: STEVE KARSAY and since then we’ve interviewed Mickey Rivers, Scott Brosius, Chuck Knoblauch and our favorite gal of all time, Kimberly Jones. We love her.If BYB didn't exist, we would have never got to interview Kimberly Jones. But we do and we did and we're very happy about it. We've even helped bring awareness to David Robertson's charity High Socks for Hope.
On the flip side, people like to rain on our parade too. It’s OK, but the viciuous stuff needs to be checked at the door. Don’t hate, be constructive, that’s all we ask here. Hey, bottom line, we’re still relatively new, we haven’t worked out all the kinks yet and we’re not perfect, but we’re trying our best. You want to hear a funny story? I was on a commuter train maybe a month ago looking at Bleeding Yankee Blue on my phone. Pathetic right? That's not the story though. This is... It was tight quarters. There was a guy standing next to me and said “You read them?” He was looking over my shoulder at my phone. I said “Sure.” He said “9 times out of ten, Casey nails it, every once in a while, he ticks me off.” “Totally”, I said with a smile. What am I going to do, argue with a New Yorker and Yankee fan? Hell no. It was totally bizarre and a moment I'll never forget.

The point is, today we turn 1 and at this moment I have one focus; We will keep moving forward, for you. We vow to keep getting you interesting material, news and opinion as well as personality, something some of the others lack. We’ll try and keep it fresh, we’ll try to keep it fun and the day it doesn’t become fun for me personally, I’m closing shop. But right now, it’s really fun and you make it fun... so thank you.

We’ve had some real great posts over our 1^st year. Christy Lee wrote a truly touching piece called FAMILY RIVALRY & THE LAST WORD that has received tremendous feedback. Christy's like my sis and I'm glad she's in the BYB family.

I love Jesse Schindler’s piece titled WHY ROBERTSON DESERVES MORE CREDIT. He wrote it back in May and since then David Robertson has developed into one of the greatest set up men of all time.

There’s Mikey Blue’s piece titled WHY JORGE'S HEART BEATS STRONG. In our BYB world, we love Jorge Posada and this particular post hit home. Not only did Jorge have a great game in that 9-2 victory, we saw some life from the gritty veteran.

Grant Cederquist wrote WHY THE KIDS ARE GROWING UP and has proven he's one of the best bloggers out there when it comes to the minor league guys.

Jeana Bellezza, a newcomer and my go-to-gal who wrote a piece on Derek Jeter which is my favorite by her titled WHY IT'S MORE THAN 3000, IT'S DESTINY.

Lem Allen is a friend of mine and this one of his was my favorite: WHY IT'S JUST BASEBALL SUZYN.

Will Cohen, my first writer ever wrote WHY DOESN'T CASH LIKE SPENDING CASH? This was his first piece and with it, he became published and had a new passion in life.And Me? Well, I love to write, but if I had to choose, there would be 2; WHY JETER IS EPIC FOR 1 GOOD REASON and AN OPEN LETTER TO JORGE POSADA. They are 2 of my baseball heroes, never to be forgotten.

The point is, we love what we do because you love to read it. So, do me a favor, on our first birthday, today is important to us. So comment today on our blog, use the comment section and take a moment and tell us what you think, you can even wish us a happy birthday. Just take a moment and let us know what you like and don’t like. Keep it clean and have a good time with it. Tell us what you like about our pieces, the writers, me and the site itself. After all, feedback rules and that’s how we know how to improve. You have questions? Ask, we’ll try to answer. All I ask is you keep reading and enjoy it. Also, Word of mouth is key, so if there’s something you like, tell someone about it, after all, the playoffs are right around the corner and this is what we have been writing for all year... the Quest for 28.

And a special personal note to the Bleeding Yankee Blue writers. You do a great job. You approached me and I approached you and a marriage was made. Thank you for being there and thank for you taking this ride with me.

Again, thanks to the BYB readers, it’s been swell and you guys made it happen. We couldn’t do it without you… well, we could, but we’d be 8 writers reading each other’s material and that’s no fun, right?

We received some great notes from many of you, and decided to publish some of them in this post so you can be part of our history. I couldn't get you all in here, but I hope I got most of you. Thank you all. We now move on to our "Quest for 2."

"Bleeding Yankee Blue describes exactly what it's like to be a NY Yankee Fan!"
--Brittany Canal Fulton, Ohio

"I like Bleeding Yankee Blue because it is awesome and one of the best out there, Happy Birthday to you!" --Dana Trentacost

"Happy B-day BYB!!! Keep up the great job!!!" --Kiley

"You bring me the most informative YANKEE information available!"
--Mike, Loxahatchee, Florida

"It's run by true Yankee fans who write their posts from the heart and also appreciate other peoples views." -- Charles, Sydney Australia

"Happy Birthday! Keep the blogs coming~ One year? Went fast." --Debi

"Happy Birthday BYB! Living in Seattle, WA, it's hard to stay current with Pinstripe Pals and BYB has been an awesome resource for game summaries and info on future stars and all things Yankees! Great job!" --Tom, Seattle

"I like Bleeding Yankee Blue because they are informative, honest, and are HOPELESSLY biased towards the NY Yankees!" -- Marianne

"I like Bleeding Yankee Blue because they love and support The Greatest Baseball Team ever. The New York Yankees. Sing it Frankie!" --Judith