WHY RIVERA'S 602 IS SWEET NO MATTER WHAT

I respect Joe Girardi. I swear. He didn’t break away from the Girardi binder because as much as it made sense to put Jorge Posada in to catch Mariano Rivera’s 602^nd save, the reality is, why break momentum? Why break stride? The Yankees just needed to do their thing today and get the win. After all, that’s what we’re really playing for, right?

I’m a baseball traditionalist and I love the history of the New York Yankees. Everything that happens in the Bronx happens for a reason. Big games, big records to be broken and big wins. Today was the sweetest moment next to Derek Jeter’s 3000^th hit and the Yankees winning the World Series back in 1996 after a drought going back to 1978. It was destiny and it was meant to happen this way. Yes, I wanted Jorge Posada to catch Mo's 602, but I'm happy no matter what. Today to friggin' special in Yankeeland.

A lot of people don’t realize that we can actually credit AJ Burnett for doing something right today. He continues to implode. Today, that was important believe it or not. Alright, it's a stretch, but humor me. Once again Burnett couldn't get out of the 5^th inning and our awesome bullpen took over and held the Twins to 4 runs. It was the perfect storm for Mariano today. So, as much as we want to gang up on AJ Burnett, you really have to smile and thank him today. After all, he’s probably pitched his way out of the starting rotation this time, right? While he started out very strong, he just fades so quickly.

But I’m not writing this to hammer AJ Burnett, we have the rest of the season for that. This moment is for Mariano Rivera... the best closer ever. Dante Bichette Jr. said it best today when he tweeted this:

This is a kid that will be the future of the Yankees and you know what? He’s right. The Yankees do everything big and while the hype for Mariano wasn’t big until 600, it’s huge right now and with good reason. Mariano is "the Sandman", the biggest, baddest and best closer in the history of baseball. If you look at the list, he's tops to greats like Lee Smith, Dennis Eckersley, Rich Gossage and Tom Henke. Unbelievable. You can tell me that Saves are stupid and they don’t matter and as a traditionalist of baseball, I understand the argument. But while this record doesn’t seem important to some, it does to Mariano Rivera who went out there 602 times to close out a game and secure a win for the New York Yankees. Believe me Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a big deal... it’s a huge deal. Plus, it’s another record in the history books that the New York Yankees own.

Congratulations Mariano Rivera. You derserve everything great that comes your way and you deserve this record. Amazing work and an amazing career. Thanks for keeping it going and it's been a privilege to watch you in your great career. You're simply the best...ever.

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WHY LOYALTY & DEDICATION IS THE YANKEE WAY

What's the deal with kids and entitlement? I see is all the time in life and it happens in baseball too. Back in the day, ballplayers like Ron Guidry or Goose Gossage, or even non-Yankee Nolan Ryan fought their way through the ranks of the minor leagues to make a living in the Bigs and then pitched their hearts out for long careers, never giving up and never thinking they were better than the others. They had heart and they had dedication. They did it because that's what people do, they get a job based on talent and they push themselves harder and harder every year to stay on top. You're only as good as your last appearance, so you constantly need to be out there pushing yourself and never giving up, because one day, it's over and the new kids come in.



But I've noticed that when the new kids come in, it's not the same. And sometimes, the quality isn't the same. The attitude definitely isn't the same. True, they worked their way up to get to the Bigs, but many of the "new" kids think that once they're on top, they've made it. But it's only the beginning...not so fast kiddies.



Getting to the top means hard work, loyalty, dedication and you need to constantly stay on top and never flash an ego. Work, work, work. It's life, and once you make it, you can't just sit back and relax and try and change the rules, because, let's face it, the rules are always the same. Kids today feel entitled for what they've done on some minor league stage somewhere, but the big picture is once you make it, you keep your nose to the grindstone and you keep going...hard, in hopes for a long career.

Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera are perfect examples and perfect role models of this too. They share 5 championships and they never flashed their arrogance ever. Many see someone like Ivan Nova as the future Andy Pettitte. It's true, I see flashes of that. Never show ego, always show focus.



I write this because it's more common than you think. You can usually pick out these kids who feel like they are entitled all day long and you won't see them 3 or 4 years from now, because they thought they could stop working, they thought they could change the rules. They hold onto a moment that's long past, but they offer nothing more.



Baseball is a game of failure and so is life and at the end of the day the goal is to make each day count, better than the last. You never give up. That's probably why I love the Yankees, they want nothing less and they cut loose the dead weight and arrogance and guess what... they've won 27 championships doing it. Damn... they must be doing something right, huh?



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THE BOSS, PR & SECOND ACTS

This post was sent to me by a family friend. Read the original publishing HERE. She wrote it after the Boss passed away last year. I found it touching and personal, from one of the biggest Yankee fans out there. I thought it would a good way to honor the Boss on his birthday, July 4th.

Thanks Donna... Happy Birthday George. -Casey

“The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.” -- Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

“One’s a born liar; the other’s convicted” --Yankees manager Billy Martin referring to Future Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson,and team owner George Steinbrenner, respectively.

I was born in 1975 and raised a Yankees fan, so George Steinbrenner made it an interesting time to grow up. I was a little young to remember the late-70s championship teams, but I have some vague memories of the 1981 World Series loss to the Dodgers. For some reason, though, they center around Goose Gossage beaming Ron Cey and a beyond awkward post-victory performance on “Solid Gold” (Of course I’ve also blocked out most of the 2001 and 2003 World Series’ too, so maybe age wasn’t the issue).

For most of my formative years then, I was raised with one core unbending truth: George Steinbrenner was a horrible person, single handedly destroying the New York Yankees. The evidence was there for all to see.

• The botched trades and signings.
• The off-the-field controversies.
• The seemingly trivial issues that ballooned into major stories.
• The overbearing behavior.
  
• The managerial turnover.
  
• The suspensions.
  
• Thirteen years of controversy with not one playoff appearance.

And then things changed. The Yanks made the playoffs in 1995 and went on to win the World Series in 1996. There was an early playoff loss to Cleveland (an otherwise lovely city) in 1997, then three straight championships and a run of five World Series appearances in six seasons. The distractions were still there, but didn’t seem to matter nearly as much so long as the wins kept coming. Steinbrenner’s public image changed along with the team’s fortunes, though. He went from being reviled to receiving standing ovations from fans appreciative of his never-ending desire to win – and willingness to pay up to do so.

Over the past few years, fans had seen Steinbrenner take less of a public role as the head of the Yankees before finally handing over official control to sons Hal and Hank. And then the news came: After 37 years as the principal owner of the New York Yankees, George Steinbrenner had passed away at 80 years of age.

As a PR professional, I cringe when I think about the public persona that Steinbrenner allowed the media to portray early on: the fiery, win-at-all-costs team owner that cared little for the feelings and well-being of anyone that didn’t get on board with his program. Looking back though, maybe this was intentional on George’s part, creating the image he thought fans wanted to see attached to the most successful franchise in Major League Baseball.

Because after he was gone, the stories started to come:

“George paid for my surgery.”

“He paid for my son’s college tuition.”

“He taught me how his own mistakes had shown him the value of a second chance.”

And then, my own Steinbrenner story: I was in an elevator at Yankees Stadium in August of 1994 – the last game before the strike would end the season, robbing the Yankees of their best shot at a World Series in over a decade. I turned to see “The Boss” and his entourage in the elevator with us. My now husband said, in a low voice, “Raise your hand if you’re famous.”

The man I had grown up to view as a fire-breathing tyrant – during what was probably among the more stressful nights of his career – didn’t say a word, but gamely raised his hand.

I’m stricken again by the art of image management. This was a man that was for years known as a cold, demanding team owner. There was no question that George himself had encouraged this view. There have been incidents along the way that are still difficult to excuse for their boorishness. At the same time, though, it appears that there have been countless acts of philanthropy with an impact that really matters – far more so than the results of a baseball game.

If he had chosen, it now seems that we all could have had a different picture of George Steinbrenner and his core values over the years. Whether it was driven by his view of what the business required, or mere modesty, he kept that view hidden until he was gone.

Rest in Peace, Boss.

-- Donna McSorley / @donnamcsorley

Thank you for bringing my attention to your piece and thanks for letting my publish it here at Bleeding Yankee Blue.

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WHY THE BOMBERS STILL GOT IT

(In Photo: Ron Guidry)
After Opening Day, Old Timer's day is probably the best day at Yankee Stadium during the baseball year. It gives the fans a chance to see some of their favorite Yankee players comeback and play a friendly game with the rest of the old timers. They also saw the Bombers beat the Clippers 2-0 in two and a half innings of entertaining baseball.
(In Photo: Joe Pepitone, Mike Torrez)
Ron Guidry, aka "Louisiana Lightning", started the game for the Bombers. He allowed the first two to reach. But, Rick "Goose" Gossage came to the rescue and made Lee Mazzilli to hit a shallow fly ball into center field, caught by Bernie Williams, and Joe Pepitone grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
(Photo: David Wells, David Cone, Darryl Strawberry)
David "Boomer" Wells started the bottom half of the first on the mound for the Clippers as he faced "Mick the Quick", Mickey Rivers. After throwing one behind Mickey, he forced him to ground to third. You can read our interview with Mr. Rivers titled: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: MICKEY RIVERS.

Then, Boomer faced Bernie Williams--who received another nice ovation from the crowd--drilled a double in the left center field gap for the first hit for the Bombers.

Wells' good friend David Cone relieved him and gave up a big two run homer which reached about the seventh row in the first deck of the right field seats. The crowd went crazy, and rightfully so. It brought back some great memories, and I even got a couple of chills down my spine when he hit that blast.

Final Score: Bombers-2 Clippers-0 in the 65th annual Old Timers Day Game.
(Photo: Ron Antonelli/NY Daily News)
It was certainly an entertaining game to watch. It was great to see Bernie Williams, Joe Torre, and Lou Piniella--who grounded out in his at bat against Jeff Nelson--back, along with all of the other Old Timers who played in this game, and were apart of the on field ceremonies.



--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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WHY OLD TIMER'S DAY IS COMFORTING

(Photo: NY Daily News)
Every year the Yankees have Old Timer’s Day at Yankee Stadium and to me, besides Spring training and the World Series, it may be one of my favorite times of year. For 1, I have officially been a Yankee fan since I was about 7 years old. That would put me at the 1978 season and guys like Ron Guidry, Reggie Jackson and Goose Gossage were the kings of New York. So, seeing them years later, while strange because they are so much older, is really a treat for me. First off, Ron Guidry is my idol. I too am a lefty and I have had my Ron Guidry Wilson mitt since about 1985. Seeing my idol years later just pleases me to the core.

(Photo: William Perlman/The Star-Ledger)

My fondest memory of Old Timer’s Day was watching Bobby Murcer with a pinned on lavaliere mic in the field talking to the booth while he was playing. I always liked Bobby Murcer, and even though he played for other teams in his career, like the Giants and the Cubs, to me, he was always a New York Yankee. He had so much heart and pride for the pinstripes and the fans loved it and I know the Yankee family did too. Back in the beginning of Murcer’s career, many thought because he was from Oklahoma, he was going to be the next Mickey Mantle. Well, Murcer never hit as many home runs like the Mick, but he hit his fair share and hit them at the right time. We obviously remember August 6, 1979, the funeral day of Thurman Munson and Murcer both gave Munson eulogy and hit a 3 run home run in the game that night. It will be forever known as the Munson game. What touched me the most was the report of he gave his home run bat to Thurman’s widow. Man, I still get chills thinking about that. Bobby was a good ballplayer and a great broadcaster and when he was out there on Old Timer’s Day, he was having fun. There were a lot of laughs and you couldn’t help but love Bobby Murcer.

This year, another couple Yankees are making their Old Timer’s Day debut. Joe Torre, Lou Piniella and Bernie Williams will be there. Joe Torre, whom I’ve had the opportunity of meeting many times, is one of my favorite managers ever. I loved his managing skill and I loved Zimmer by his side. It will be good to see him and I wrote about it in WHY IT'S ABOUT TIME.

Lou Piniella was in the Bronx Zoo back in the 70’s and there is no doubt there will be a standing Ovation for Lou as well. Lou was always a decent ballplayer and then, over time he became a successful manager with the Reds and Mariners. He always had a tight bond with the Yankees and I appreciated Lou, even though we played against him for so many years when he was with Seattle. Lou is a Yankee and I’m glad he’s coming home.

Bernie Williams is coming back to the Bronx this weekend and even though I didn’t like the way the Yankees handled Bernie at the end of the 2006 season, I guess I need to get over it. Bernie probably did. I have to realize that it was business, but the way it was handled just bothered me. Whatever the case, it’s clear whatever riff they had is over and I couldn’t be happier to see him back in pinstripes, at least for just 1 day. This is a guy that I watched his entire career. I remember when things really started clicking for Bernie and I thought “Man, we have many more years of this guy.” That was probably in 1996. Next thing I know, it’s 10 years later and he’s walking off the field for the last time. To me, today will be special with Bernie back in the big house.

(In Photo: Al Downing)

Seeing all the greats is a comforting experience for me. You know that Al Downing will be there, he’s always there. Yogi Berra, Brian Doyle and hopefully Wade Boggs too. I am looking forward to seeing Paul O’Neill back in pinstripes, Mickey Rivers (Read EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: MICKEY RIVERS), Moose Skowron and Darryl Strawberry. These are the Yankee greats that have made significant contributions to the team during their time in the Bronx. It’s an elite group and a group I admire and have worshipped all my life.

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, today will be no different. I will be transformed into a 7 year old kid in just a few hours, watching my favorite Yankees play alittle ball; granted it’s alittle slower and alittle funnier, but never the less, they're my favorites and all of yours too and most importantly, it’s baseball…Yankee baseball, the greatest sport in the world involving the greatest team in the world.

Yankee Tradition… that’s what it’s all about and I’ll watch every inning today…I can’t wait.

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