EXCLUSIVE: CLUBHOUSE CONFIDENTIAL

Luis "Squeegee" Castillo was a Yankee Clubhouse kid during one of the most important times in recent Yankees history. From 1998 to 2005 he was a bat boy and clubhouse attendance and witnessed first hand, 3 World Championships and a trip to the playoffs every single season. Derek Jeter gave Luis the nickname "Squeegee" because of his rail thin appearance.



When I first heard about Clubhouse Confidential, I got nervous. I was concerned that my New York Yankees were about to be tainted and young kids who picked their idols in that Yankee clubhouse were about to be disappointed. I was wrong, this book is smart and while Luis was on the inside, he didn't disturb the clubhouse perception. You walk away with a few great nuggets and you never lose that love for your team and players. These are different nuggets than the other interviews you saw with Squeegee, so enjoy it. With that, I bring you, Squeegee.

BYB: What made you decide to write this book?

Squeegee: I wrote CLUBHOUSE CONFIDENTIAL because I wanted to let Yankees fans know what happens behind the scenes, how much fun the players have off the field, what conflicts they run into, and how they cope with the stress of being Major League Baseball stars.

BYB: Former Yankee, Jim Bouton wrote Ball Four and it was considered extremely controversial at the time because it revealed a lot of the secrets of the Yankees Clubhouse and tarnished Yankee Greats. Why did you feel that it was OK to write this book?

Squeegee: As Mr. Bouton said "These guys have voluntarily gone into a business where people know that everything that they do or say is subject to being written about. They act as if they're surprised when somebody tells what they do." My book about the Yankees is filled with new information about the superstars, and people have a right to know. I also enjoyed telling the stories, just as people always enjoy listening to me talk about my eight years working for the greatest team in baseball history.

BYB: Who were the big party animals on the team during the championship years you were there and what did they do that was so outrageous?

Squeegee: Almost every one on the team liked to party, but probably Jason Giambi and Chuck Knoblauch enjoyed it more than others. Once Jason invited me to a party that didn't break up until 5 AM the day before an afternoon game. How he woke up to go to work is a mystery to me.

And Chuck always seemed to be having a good time, even in the clubhouse.

BYB: You did you admire the most and why?

Squeegee: My idol was David Cone because I also pitch and he symbolized the greatness of the sport to me. He was technically at the top of his game, and yet he had the friendliest personality and was always relaxed and willing to talk. When I warmed him up during his 1999 perfect game it was a real honor.

BYB: Explain how the Matsui "Ho's" speech came about?

Squeegee: At the end of the team meetings, Mr. T (Joe Torre) asked what we were going to do. He usually directed this question at Posada. But on this occasion he turned to Matsui and asked. Matusi said, "Let's kick ass. Pop champagne. And get some ho's."

BYB: Did you get a ring? If not, why?

Squeegee: I did not get a World Series ring and I was disappointed because I had done as much work, or more, than another clubhouse attendants who did get one. I have fond memories of working with the guys and wish I had a memento to remind me of the good time we had together.

BYB: Have you heard from some of the players since the book was released? If so, who and what did they say to you?

Squeegee: I hear from lots of players and keep in contact with some of my best friends, including Homer Bush, Jorge Posada, Ruben Sierra, Ramiro Mendoza, and others. They say things like, "Hey, what are you doing tonight? Wanna hang out together?" It's great having friends like that. Chuck Knoblauch contacted me recently and said, "What's up, my main man? Can't wait to read the book!"

BYB: Have you partied with some of the Yankees?

Squeegee: I have partied with almost all the Yankees on the teams from 1998-2005, including Derek Jeter, who is always well-behaved in public.

BYB: I am a huge Joe Torre fan. Describe his demeanor in the clubhouse?

Squeegee: It's funny that you ask about Mister T's demeanor since he never smiled and always looked grumpy. I always thought he was in a bad mood. But really he was all business. That's just the way he worked.

He used to start the day off by going on the treadmill before batting practice. He would have a newspaper tucked under his arm. He also used to smoke cigars in his office all the time.

BYB: What was the most humiliating thing a player did to you?

Squeegee: The most humiliating thing was get thrown into a garbage can by Tanyon Sturtze! He was in a bad mood at the time but later apologized and we became good friends.

BYB: Do you read Bleeding Yankee Blue?

Squeegee: Yes, I'm a big fan of Bleeding Yankee Blue and read it all the time. Keep up the good work!

Squeegee, you're awesome for talking with us and much thanks for Stephen Lee at St. Martin's Press for helping coordinate this interview.

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WHY BERNIE WILLIAMS SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN

We constantly drop the phrase “Core Four” and even now, after Andy Pettitte hung it up. Yes, it rhythms, but what about Bernie Williams? Have we forgotten one of the true Yankee greats of our time? Why not the Core Five? I hate to ignore this guy, he was so damn good for us and yes, won 4 rings for us.

Bernie Williams was home grown, just like our iconic Four… Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera. True, the others have 5 but at this point, isn’t 4 an accomplishment too?

These 5 guys represented leadership for many years on the New York Yankees and without them, I would suggest the may not have had our Championships. Bernie Williams came up big for us many times in the playoffs, dating back to 1996. Remember the 1996 ALDS against the Texas Rangers where he his .467? Remember the ALCS that year where he cranked out the home run in the 11th to put us ahead of the Orioles and eventually go to the World Series? Derek Jeter made some incredible plays and some major hits including his first and only walk off homer run against the Arizona Diamondbacks? “Mr. November!” was Michal Kay’s home run call as his circled the bases on that chilly night in 2001. Bernie was there for that.

I remember Jorge Posada hitting Pedro Martinez in the 2003 ALCS and tying the game when Hideki Matsui scored? I remember him screaming at the top of his lungs as he stood on second with his fists clinched. Bernie was there. And what can you say about Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera in the post season for all those years?… lights out and guess what? Bernie was there for almost all of it. My point is Bernie Williams is just as iconic as our Core Four and has been apart of the same teams with the same great memories and the fact that on a daily basis we leave him out aggravates me. Put it this way, when your at the stadium, you still see #51 on the backs of many hardcore fans. The Yankees are not giving that number to a player on the Yankees right now either. Why? Because Bernie’s royalty. #51 should and will never be worn again by another New York Yankee just like #2, #20, #42 and #46. Who knows when it will happen, but let’s face facts, the New York Yankees Core Five will all be retired one day in Yankeeland because without these guys, the Yankees would be just another ball club in the late 90’s. Sure, the other guys would have contributed, but the championships would have been eliminated without Bernie and company, no doubt.

So, when you’re chatting with friends and you talk about the recent Yankee greats, try dropping the "Core Five". I guarantee they'll know what you're talking about. After all, Bernie Williams cannot be forgotten.

By the way, Bernie Williams still going hot and heavy, this time with his music. He also has a new website www.bernie51.com. Be sure to check it out.

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WHY MATSUI MADE THIS YANKEE LOSS STING

(Photo: New York Times)
I really wanted this win. I wanted it so the Yankees could be up 2 to zip in this series and I wanted it for AJ Burnett. Burnett needed a confidence builder and the Yankee fans needed confidence in AJ and our sometimes wobbly rotation. Today, AJ wasn't awesome, he was just OK, and that wasn't good enough. And to make this loss sting the most, Hideki Matsui's home run off of Boone Logan to make it 4-2 in the game was the difference. Yes, Matsui burned us because even though we scored that 3rd run in the 9th, Godzilla came back to the Bronx to continue "the homer show" and as nice as it was to see Matsui get a standing ovation at Yankees Stadium, Matsui put the game out of reach for the Yankees and there is no excuse for allowing that homer to happen. None.(Photo: AP)
AJ Burnett went 5.2 innings, allowed 6 hits and 3 runs. Again, that 4th and lethal run was allowed by Boone "I can't do my job" Logan giving up that homer. That was the difference. If Joe Girardi stopped looking at his binder and started to use his gut and realize that his lefty specialist isn't so special, maybe he'd throw someone else in the mix in that situation. Surely you know that Matsui hits lefties very good Joe, don't you? What's wrong, that's not in your book?
Rich Harden pitched 5.1 innings for the A's and kept the Yankees at 2. Russell Martin was able to knock an RBI single off him in the second. Derek Jeter walked once and had 3 hits today and Nick Swisher cranked out a solo shot. It was later on that Mark Teixeira had a sacrifice fly to score the third and final run of the game for the Yanks. We just fell short.

Final Score: Athletics 4 - Yankees 3.

Tomorrow, Gio Gonzalez will face Bartolo Colon. 2 things have to happen; the Yankees need to hit and score runs and Colon needs to redeem himself and prove to the Yankees not to fear when Big Bart's on the mound. Hopefully tomorrow he's back to his dominant self and all in Yankeeland will be great once again. Damn I hope so.

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WHY MATSUI'S 500th BRINGS BACK MEMORIES

(Photo: Getty)
He may not be a New York Yankee any more, but to me he’s a Yankee for life. Hideki Matsui took over New York like no other and the international sensation translated well from Japanese baseball to America’s pastime, continuing to hit home runs here after having such a successful career in Japan where he played for the Yomiuri Giants.

Hideki Matsui hit his 500^th home run for the Oakland Athletics 2 nights ago and at that moment, everyone in Japan cheered loud enough to hear them in New York and Oakland for that matter. It amazing that there's always so much hype for huge home run milestones, but the announcers in this video kept it tame probably because the home runs weren't all in this league. Who knows. Anyway, check it out:

Matsui was a silent leader on the Yankees. While his English wasn’t at all good, he spoke with his bat and did it in style...bombs, bombs, bombs. It all started with his first home run in the Bronx, a Grand Slam and why would you expect anything less from Godzilla? The next few years on the Yankees he continued his tear of home runs and it was right about the time my sons started asking me about baseball and asked me who Godzilla was. I remember I was in my TV room and I showed them a picture of Hideki Matsui and then I had to go through the whole explanation about how before Matsui was Godzilla, there was the sci-fi Japanese Godzilla and I showed them the toy character and all of that. Next thing you know, we were watching a few Godzilla movies and yes, when Matsui would come to the plate, there was nothing funnier than watching a 6 and 5 year old cheer for “Godzilla” when he stepped in the batters box. I remember thinking "Wow", because at that moment, Japanese Hideki Matsui translated to two American kids in the United States. He may have been Japanese, but baseball is universal and it was so evident at that moment. Matsui was in fact larger than life, just like that giant lizard.

Matsui is a private guy and I knew that when I was lucky enough to meet him last year. I met him, shook his hand and I only had to show him my baseball. He smiled, he signed it and returned it to me and I thanked him. It was a brief, yet, important meeting for me. That baseball sits on my kid’s shelf as a reminder that Godzilla is one of the best international baseball players of all time. My boys love it and when he ended his contract in the Bronx, I remember my oldest son asked me why the Yankees would ever let him walk away, he was sad. I had to explain contracts and all that stuff and of course, it's never easy to explain that to a kid, but after all that, we moved on. I at least kept him updated when Hideki moved on to the Angels and then to the Athletics. It's fun for them to see Matsui in a different uniform. My oldest says "Dad, he doesn't look like an Athletic, he still looks like a Yankee." I get that, I really do. When the Athletics play the Yankees, it’s a treat to see Matsui play. You never want the opposing team to do well against the Yankees, but I’m not going to lie, my sons and I will openly root for Matsui, how can you not?

When Matsui was with the Yomiuri Giants, he cranked out 332 home runs. While in the Bronx, he knocked 140. Add 28 to that between the Angels and Athletics and that gives you 500 homers and relief I’m sure for Matsui.

The Associated Press had a quote from Matsui about the achivement. He said “I’m happy to get it over with, and it is even better that it helped us win a game. It isn’t like I’ve been aiming for this, because I don’t really combine numbers from Japan and here. To me, they are two separate leagues.”

Hideki, it’s a huge achievement and you may not combine the 2, but let’s be honest, not too many people hit 500 home runs in a career. Congratulations and enjoy it Godzilla, just enjoy it, my boys do.

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WHY IT WAS A TOUGH NEW YORK LOSS

(Photo: Getty)
Kyle Farnsworth got the save tonight and I wanted to choke on my popcorn. This guy couldn't do a thing when he was in New York and suddenly he's getting a save against the Mighty Yankees. That's baseball, you can't predict it.
(Photo: AP)
The Yankees lost tonight but in the world of pitching duels, this was one that you needed to watch. I just wish it was the Yankees on top. CC Sabathia went 8 innings tonight, gave up 5 hits and 2 runs and struck out 8. It was a great effort by "CC Monster" as my 2 year old would say, but he didn't have run support, so there you go.

James Shields was dominant, more dominant than I've ever seen him. Now I'm starting to think that the talk from Buster Olney about the Rays and their willingness to unload him for the right price may in fact be an interesting rumor. Shields allowed 6 hits and 1 run over 7.2 innings. It sucks to lose to a rival, but tip your cap, it was a battle till the end.
(Photo: Getty)
The 1 highlight tonight was Robinson Cano doubling to right and knocking in Derek Jeter. That's the run, that's the game.

I'm disturbed by Mark Teixeria right now. He's not doing a blessed thing and it's one thing to be slow in April and hot in May, but it's another thing to be cold in the second half of the season when your team really needs you. Tex needs to snap out of it.

Final Score: Rays 2 - Yankees 1

The Yankee split against the Rays in a 4 game series. While I would have wanted a 3-1 series, I'll take it, there will be more match ups and we can improve. The Oakland Athletics are next. Get ready, here comes Hideki Matsui.

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