THE BABY BOMBERS UPDATE YOU NEED TO READ

(In Photo: Tyler Austin)
It has been a couple of weeks since I last wrote about a few of our up-and-comers that are making themselves heard in the Yankees’ minor league system, so it’s time for another update on some others.  It is my hope to provide you with regular posts on the status of players that will one day take the field in the Bronx.

 Ty Hensley – In 2012 Hensley was the first round draft pick of the Yankees.  At age 18, the pitcher had a promising career in front of him and struck out 14 in 12 innings at the Rookie Level Gulf Coast League that season.

Unfortunately for Hensley, 2013 was a complete wash as he had to undergo surgery to repair a bone impingement in his right hip.  He was expected to be ready for Spring Training this season but his recovery experienced a setback when he had to undergo hernia surgery.  It is expected that he will be able to resume throwing sometime this month; possibly this week.

The baby Bomber recently tweeted:

Big week coming up. Can't wait to get going!
— Ty Hensley (@TyHensley17) May 12, 2014

Keep in mind that the right-hander is still only 20-years-old, so his prospects remain bright, and he certainly hasn’t let the setback affect his attitude. BYB is pulling for him 100%.

Mason Williams- The 2010 fourth round pick by the Yankees is slowly working his way through the farm system.  Rated by Baseball America as the team’s third ranked prospect, the outfielder is blessed with great speed (rated fastest base runner in the organization) and tremendous defensive ability (ranked the top defensive outfielder in the organization). 

To this point, it would seem that the only thing holding Williams back is what he has done at the plate.  After hitting .349 as a 19-year-old at the low-A NY Penn League Staten Island Yankees in 2011, his average has steadily declined.  In 2012 he hit .298 while splitting the season between single A Charleston and A+ Tampa, and last year his average dropped to .245 (hitting just .153 over 17 games with AA Trenton).

As of this writing, Williams is hitting .193 through 34 games at Trenton.   At 22-years-old there is still plenty of time for him to turn things around at the plate.  His speed and sparkling defensive abilities make it worth the Yankees’ time to be patient while they help him work through his hitting issues.

 Cito Culver- A 21-year-old shortstop who was a first round pick in the 2010 draft, the Rochester native is a defensive star with a cannon for an arm and great speed to boot.  Like Williams, the drawback to Culver has been what he’s accomplished at the plate. 

Since 2010, Culver has slowly worked his way from the Gulf Coast league (rookie level) to the NY/Penn league (Low-A) to the South Atlantic League (A) to, most recently, the Florida State League (High A).  Through 399 minor league games, he carries a .235 batting average; though in 16 games last season at Tampa (FSL) he did hit .355 – perhaps a result of Culver giving up on hitting from the left-side of the plate (he was a switch-hitter, and in an effort to simplify things decided to solely hit right-handed).

This season he has struggled to a .203 average through 32 games.  As with both Hensley and Williams, the Yankees continue to exhibit patience with their young shortstop.  He continues to be used at both the 2^nd spot in the order and the 8^th spot in the order with Tampa – a sign that they are trying to help him find his “niche” in the lineup.

If he can finally reach his potential offensively, Culver has the tools to one day occupy the ground Derek Jeter currently calls home.

Tyler Austin- Injuries have slowed the progress of the 22-year-old outfielder through the Yankees farm system.  Until a wrist injury last season while with Double-A Trenton, Austin had hit .354 in 2011 and .322 in 2012; belting 23 home runs in 157 games across those two seasons.  

Hampered with a bad wrist, Austin’s 2013 season saw him play in just 83 games with the Thunder, and his home run total dropped to six.

This season began with promise, but he has been limited by a groin injury to just 16 games for Trenton.  He has yet to hit a home run and his average sits at .262, but in the two games since his return he has gone 3 for 9 with two runs scored while batting fifth in the lineup.  Hopefully it is a sign of good things to come for Austin.

Eric Jagielo- In 2013, the 21-year-old third baseman was the first college position player selected by the Yankees with their first pick since 2001 (John-Ford Griffin).  A graduate of the University Of Notre Dame, Jagielo is ranked fifth in the Yankees farm system by Baseball America.

Last year in 54 games the left-handed hitter slugged six home runs and hit .268 for the Gulf Coast League (rookie) Yankees and low-A Staten Island.

Already this season Jagielo has seven home runs over his first 34 games at high-A Tampa.  His average is on the low side at .244, but he hits fifth in the Yankees lineup and is blessed with an above-average arm at a position where the organization desperately needs depth. 

In only his second year of professional baseball, Jagielo is already showing the potential for a meteoric rise through the ranks of the organization.  Given the uncertainty at third base over the past few seasons, it can’t happen fast enough.

There you have it - updates on five of our “baby Bombers”.  Next week we’ll bring you up-to-date on five more future Bronx residents.


    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1



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DON'T MAKE ME ANGRY. YOU WOULDN'T LIKE ME WHEN I'M ANGRY

I'm not sure how much longer I can stay calm. The fact of the matter is the Yankees suck...and that's no joke.

The Yankees are scoring runs, this is true... but the Yankees can't keep up, and the reason is because pitching is giving up too many runs.  Now, it's not a quick fix, but it needs to be fixed, no doubt about it. 

The Yanks scored 7 again tonight, but the New York Mets are actually good this season, much like my friend Dan, a Mets fan, predicted.  He claimed, "2014 is their year." I laughed, I mean, after all, it was 2012 when he said it, but look, I will continue to laugh, because I can't see the Mets good again EVER, but tip your cap to them tonight, because they beat us again.

Vidal Nuno started for the Yankees and went 3.1 innings. I was not impressed.  In fact, I liked the guy a helluva lot more before we started to consistently use him as a starter.  To be honest, I've been down on him, David Phelps and Adam Warren for about 2 weeks now.  I want hardcore, hard nosed, passionate starters and it's clear to me, these guys are "filler" and nothing more. Sure, Warren is now relief, but the same thing applies... I am not too impressed.  Sure, be mad at me...  you can. I'm just angry these days.

Alfredo Aceves who is normally good was bad tonight giving up 4 runs himself. Yuk. I am chalking it up as a bad outing. Maybe he'll bounce back.  It's clear the Yankees want him to succeed though, they've been using him like crazy. Tonight was definitely not his night.

Some of the Yankee highlights went like this;

In the first, Mark Teixeira singled home Brett Gardner. Then Brian McCann hit a 2 run homer.  In the bottom of the 4th, Gardy knocked home Yangervis Solarte. In the 5th, Alfonso Soriano singled home Jacoby Ellsbury. 

Oh and to top it off, Joe Girardi was tossed for arguing balls and strikes after a Kelly Johnson strikeout.  Sure, he was mad, but there was theater involved here. He was trying to get his team energized. Even Joe knows you can't win on a balls and strikes call.  I give him credit though.  It didn't help, but I like that a lot.

Final: Mets 12  - Yankees 7.

Start winning Yanks... or I will definitely get angry and turn into the Hulk...or something.

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IT'S A PITCHER'S MARKET

During a good part of the off season we and the rest of baseball fans globally were holding their breath as teams, one by one, showed interest in phenom pitcher Masahiro Tanaka.  Frankly, we were all obsessed.

Why?  Because he throws hard.  Because he has a variety of pitches.  Because he has a good track record.  Because he has consistency and accuracy.  Because he throws a lot of strikes.  Because he has good control.  Because he could bring a team a championship, anchor a pitching staff and sell tickets.  This week I have been keeping a close eye on the NFL Draft.  I know it’s baseball season, but it was on and I am a Giants fan and the Yankees  were on the West Coast.  A friend of mine said something very profound as we watched the draft this week.  “The New York Giants need to be careful who they pick.  They can’t just consider talent and history, they also have to consider brand power and fit for a team in a major market like New York.”  I agree.  And the Yankees are no different.  But, I have to also state that we are in a pitcher’s market right now and the market is beating hitters much like they did back in the 1970s. 

According to the recent New York Times article, “Pitchers Handling Hitters From Start to Finish,” “with few extreme year-to-year differences, the overall batting average of the major leagues has slowly dropped from .270 in 2000 to .249 this season, which would be the lowest mark since 1972 and the 18th worst mark in the sport’s modern era.”  But why?  Why are pitchers so lethal?  Well according to the same article, some baseball analysts say that it is due to the crack down on PEDs.  But others cite the fact that pitchers are striking more and more hitters out, which has nothing to do with PEDs because if you can’t make contact, you can’t do anything.  ESPN calls it “The End of the Steroid Era=The End of Age of Offensive Insanity.”

Besides striking out more batters, “pitchers have also been more efficient as strikeouts have increased, with an average of 2.5 strikeouts for every walk this season, just off last year’s average of 2.51. Before 2013, the last time baseball had such a high ratio was in 1884,” stated the Times. 

According to the ESPN article “The Age of the Pitcher,” hitters claim that “pitchers throw harder now. Much harder. And not just some of them. Practically all of them -- other than maybe R.A. Dickey.” The article goes on to list the number of pitchers throwing 95 or more miles per hour.  From 2007-2011 the average has more than tripled. 

PITCHERS WITH AVG. FASTBALL VELOCITY OF 95+

• 2007: 11
• 2008: 16
• 2009: 24
• 2010: 29
• 2011: 35

There are a number of reasons why guys are throwing harder but the most notable are personal training, early onset of training (as young as Little League), pitching limits preserving young arms and more long tosses building overall arm strength. 

Then there are the specialists.  The guys who come into the came from the bullpen and blow past pitchers must like a hurricane strikes the coastal towns of the Northeast. I get so excited when I hear so and so is warming up in the bullpen.  The only group of people who don’t get excited about a reliever warming up in the pen are hitters.  And I don’t blame them.  “Relievers this season are averaging 8.59 strikeouts per nine innings and have combined for a 3.72 earned run average. Compare that with starting pitchers, who average 7.62 strikeouts per nine innings and have a 3.91 E.R.A., and there seems to be no sense to leave a tired starter in a game in the hopes of fulfilling a romantic notion of “finishing what he started.” And who can argue with a manager who would rather bring in fresh arms than hold out for complete games.  Which also supports the notion of protecting arms with workout limits and managing pitch counts. 

So, we are in a pitcher’s market.  Despite the fact that the number of ballparks being built today give an advantage to hitters, pitchers are reigning supreme. Does that make baseball more interesting or boring?  Pitcher’s duals are so exciting, particularly when the suspense of a possible no-hitter is in the air. 

I think it is more interesting overall, yet I will agree young guys like Yangervis Solarte, Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu are electrifying and other players like our Captain, Derek Jeter, David Ortiz, Jose Bautista and Albert Pujols make the game fun to watch.  But nobody lit up the ballpark more than specialist Mariano Rivera.  Talk about having the whole package- velocity, athleticism, efficiency, consistency and brand power.  Yes, it is a pitcher’s market folks, so hang on for another wild ride at home plate again this season! 

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof



 
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YANKEELAND PANIC! WHERE'S OUR CONFIDENCE?

The Yankee world has been turned upside down.  Suddenly we all know what is needed to fix our club. We all have the answers. It's is unbelievable to think that nearly 60% of our rotation is KO'ed and while we can still hit and score runs... we can not pitch. We have no confidence, we have no true leader...we have no Mr. Miyagi.

All of it is a bunch of crap, and I mean that respectfully to all the fans, me included.  We are spoiled brats who have it in our minds that if we stack our lineup with "superstars" we will never lose.  Well, that's not how baseball is played.  Baseball is played with pure guts, heart, confidence and believing in yourself... not just talent. It's true... the Yankees should not have lost to the Mets last night.  On paper, that would make sense... but we did.  Do we fire Joe Girardi? No... why would we?

Should we ship out Preston Claiborne and Matt Thornton because they let up runs to put us behind after we were up 7-4? Nope. Again, why the hell would we do that?  Do we suck it up and realize that it's a 162 game season and it's May 13th? Um... yeah.  Baseball is a long season... we will be fine.  This is a bump in the road. We are the mighty Yankees... we will survive. But we  need someone to step forward to take the reigns and show us the way... we need our own Mr. Miyagi.

Look, last night we started out great.  Brett Gardner hit a grand slam and we were on our way.

In fact, in last night's game, Derek Jeter and Yangervis Solarte each had 3 hits.  Jacoby Ellsbury and Alfonso Soriano had 2. We were hitting well.  But something happened.  The Mets kept on coming and as shocking as it was for me, it was for you:

@MyMiaLove @jetdom @suzieprof @BleednYankeeBlu 4-8 in last 12 games. Five losses in a row to @Mets
— T. Frank Gentry (@yankeefrank23) May 13, 2014

@BleednYankeeBlu @DRob30 yup joe needs to go
— Jesse.Valenciano (@j2marine) May 13, 2014

These @Yankees are the most fragile flowers: c'mon #BuckUpBoys @BleednYankeeBlu
— Doug Stroup (@dougstro) May 13, 2014

The Mets scored 1 in the 5th, 2 in the 6, 2 in the 7 and 3 in the 8th.  Suddenly we were behind and the Yankee pen had imploded. The Mets poured it on.  We stood there and couldn't stop them.

The good news is we scored 7 runs last night. The bad news, we had no defenses, we were helpless.  It was like Danny Larusso in Karate Kid. No... not at the end, but in the chase to the fence.


We got our asses beat. Luckily for Danny, in the shadows stood Mr. Miyagi to right the ship, defend him and build him up... and get him some confidence.

Well, where is our confidence in Yankeeland now? Where is our Mr. Miyagi?  Where?

Final: Mets 9 - Yankees 7

We win today... we win the rest of this week. Time to dig deep.

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DEFINING "HURTING THE TEAM"

Remember when Derek Jeter played on his ankle knowing good and well he wasn't 100%, but in the thick of the season when we needed him most, he collapsed? His reason? He knew he had to be there for the team. He didn't want to let the team down. Stuff like that... remember that?  Well, I'm equating CC Sabathia to that situation, the difference is, it's May. 

It turns out that CC did in fact have discomfort in his knee and according to LoHud, "The Yankees rotation was a source of encouragement and optimism out of spring training. Six weeks into the season, it’s become an uncertainty.

'That’s why I didn’t want to say anything,' Sabathia said. 'But I think I was doing more damage to the team than helping the team by trying to hide it.'

Sabathia said he first felt the discomfort during last Sunday’s start against Tampa Bay. It was his worst start of the year, and his knee was swollen afterward, but he stayed on turn to make another underwhelming start on Saturday. When his knee grew swollen again, he finally spoke up, and a Sunday morning MRI revealed the problem. It’s the same knee that Sabathia had surgically repaired after the 2010 season.

Although Sabathia said this injury is showing the same symptoms, the initial MRI suggests this it’s less significant, with no damage to the meniscus."

Am I naive? Maybe, but I'll tell you what, I'll take a guy who wants to try and keep the team winning when all else is going down around him.  The guy just didn't want to offer another blow to the team, and much like Jeter when he collapsed, There goes CC and the Yankees, with now yet another starter on the shelf.  Was it the right move? Look, right now it doesn't look too good.  You can suggest he hurt the team more by hiding the damaged knee. You could suggest Jeter did too.  The big difference here is CC is doing it in May, not the playoffs.

I'm not bashing either player here.  It's a fine line when it comes to sports and athletes. They don't want to disappoint the fans or the club, but at the same time, they do, if they get hurt and get more damaged.

Hey CC, I ain't mad at ya... just keep the team in the back of your mind... especially at this point in the season.  We need you healthy guy.

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I'M NOT TELLING HIM

You can almost imagine the conversation between Joe Girardi, Kevin Long and Brian Cashman. It would be like 3 kids arguing as to who will tell their father about breaking the garage window.

“I’m not doing it, Bri! You do it."
“Nuh uh. You do it. Kev!”
“I can’t do it. I got to figure out why Tex is suddenly working.”

Why would they be so uneasy? Because there are rumblings... Some are suggesting it may be time that the Captain can no longer be the 2-hole hitter.

I myself don’t see the immediate need to move Derek Jeter down in the lineup. It’s true the 0 for 7 performance in the marathon game against Tampa was not “Jeterian” by any means, but shuffling his spot the order this soon is hasty in my opinion. I get that Derek is pushing 40, and if his struggles continue GI Joe will have to pull rank and pencil the future Hall of Famer’s name in the 6 or 7 spot in the order…but let’s count to 10 and breathe on that one.

The truth is the Yankees have to worry about CC and Hiroki before they have team meetings on “Derek’s Demotion”. The two elder statesmen on the starting staff have looked helpless in recent outings. CC is now on the shelf.  a bad knee, the cutter didn’t cut, the curve didn’t curve and the fastball…well, we don’t call it that any longer.

Hiroki picked up this season where he left off at the end of last season. He works slow. He seems to be grinding out the first and second innings every start. Pitching looks like a day of heavy lifting and it’s barely early May. The bottom line is without Masahiro Tanaka the Yankees’ rotation would be a rudderless ship. I’d say the focus should be on those issues well before any sit downs with the Capt’n.

The question I ask is why would moving Jeter be such a big story? He may not love the idea, but one thing we all KNOW is that Derek will do whatever is best for the team.

And maybe moving down the lineup card temporarily might help. Joe Torre moved Paul O’Neill, Tino and Bernie around to shake off slumps. Is Jeter immune to that type of move? No. Truth be told mixing and matching here and there might help break out McCann, Soriano or Solarte. Changing it up, especially early on, might show the lineup can be dynamic in other ways. A different look could bring runs in bunches. And suddenly a string of wins would make people forget Jeter’s struggles. If the Captain is relaxed he can focus on hitting.

Again, I don’t see moving Jeter to be the top priority at the moment. I believe he will snap back into driving balls to the opposite field and moving runners. This road trip comes at a great time. He can get out of New York and take it one at bat at a time. This is a very different season for The Kid from Kalamazoo, not only because it’s his last, but because of the heightened scrutiny that comes with it.

Will Jeter be batting second all season? I doubt it. I think he will have some time in other spots, but as long as the team wins I know Jeter won’t bat an eye. It’s May, Derek is hitting .240 and it’s not where any of us (especially Jeter) want him to be. But if you panic, if you call for his relocation to the 7 spot, if you think he is done…well, you don’t know Derek Jeter.

** You know Jeter will show up in the end…**






--Mike O'Hara, MLB Fan Cave Host, Season 1
   Twitter: @mikeyoh21
"Paulie was always my favorite player."




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BYB IS OUR OWN FIELD OF DREAMS

"So, you just write because you like it?"

About 98% of the people that I meet, and converse with always raise an eyebrow when I describe BYB as a labor of love. For artist, of any kind, "labor of love" is how we describe something we really enjoy doing, but receive no monetary compensation for it. For me, it's okay because I really enjoy it, and so long as our fans enjoy it too, it pays off in the end. 

I'm getting ahead of myself. 

I'll be extremely blunt, and say that life is incredibly overwhelming right now. It feels a little bit like Dodge Ball day, in PE, during grade school. I was the nerdy kid, with the glasses, and pocket protector, so you can imagine how dodge ball day might have been slightly different for me, than for some of you. Point blank, I wasn't very good at dodge ball. I had my fair share of bruises from the game. Honestly, sometimes life gets hard. It's just something we all go through. We reach a point where it feels like our heads may explode due to the pressure. We gear up, put our heads down, and pile drive through it. You grind it! 

I can only speak for myself, but writing for BYB brings me a sense of calm. It's a piece of normalcy to me. I absolutely cannot stress enough how much I love this gig. It combines two of my greatest passions. Writing, and baseball. We're a match made in baseball heaven if you ask me.

It's as if Casey were Ray Kinsella. "If you build it, they will come." And we did. As readers, and as writers. We came flocking. Because BYB is something bigger than just me, and just you. It's us, as a family, a theme that we are familiar with at BYB.


I keep logging on, as do the other writers, because we love what we do. We keep penning out piece after piece, because you guys keep looking for us. You continue to show your support, and how terrible would we be if we just disappeared on you after you put your faith in us? So we continue writing. We continue building, little by little. Slowly but surely. 

Life gets tough for us sometimes. But we keep grinding because we appreciate you all. We love your support, your kind words, and your loyalty to us. We can't abandon you now. We keep writing because you guys never give up on us. Maybe we aren't YES network, or ESPN, or MLB. We're a blog... an underdog. But that's okay! Because you, the people who read and share us, are what matters most to us. We do this for you. And hey, who doesn't love a triumphant underdog story, am I right? 

So yes, this is a labor of love, but I can honestly say I am more than okay with that. BYB is your home, you are our family, and we tae care of family. Period! 

Thank you, for your support! We'll keep grinding. You just keep reading.

--Erica Morales BYB Senior Writer 
Twitter: @e_morales1804

 
 

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THE WALLS ARE CLOSING IN

I mentioned on Twitter that the Yankees were about to "shit the bed" in the bottom of the 9th with Rickie Weeks getting a double and then moving to 3rd on a passed ball. He was then knocked in by Mark Reynolds.  I mean, my thinking was, on that Weeks hit down the line, Mark Teixeira  was no where to be found. Why?  Is there a reason why a gold glover is waiting for that ball to go foul? Why is he not running toward the line.

I would rather he try and miss than watch it go over the bag and into right field. But that was only part of it. I'm going to say something now that I have never admitted to anyone; I'm not "all in" on Adam Warren.

I know, it goes against everything we've said here about the kids and giving them a chance. But I never feel good watching a ball game when Warren is on the mound. Maybe it's not fair. Maybe I should give the guy a chance, but maybe it has everything to do with the spot Girardi puts him in.  I don't know what it is, but I'm underwhelmed and today helped me cement it.

Yup today was a let down.  The Yankees did in fact "shit the bed" even though they tied it up. With CC now out too... I don't have much faith right now. The Yankees don't look good.  Anyone want to help me feel better? Please step forward.

David Phelps started today.  5 innings, 8 hits and 4 runs given up.  Matt Thornton gave up a run and then Warren blew it for me in the 9th.

The Yankee runs went like this; Kelly Johnson had a grounds rule double and knocked in 2. Alittle while later, Yangervis Solarte sacrificed home Mark Teixeira. In the 7th Solarte knocked home Tex again.In the 9th, Tex homered.  That homer unfortunately didn't help him watching that Weeks grounder roll down the line to start things off in the bottom of the 9th.

It was disappointing and I'm pinning this loss on Tex and Warren... bad day.

Final today: Brewers 6 - Yankees 5

Oh and for those of you that never heard the term "shit the bed", here's the definitely in the Urban Dictionary:

1. (American) Failure of a device, usually in a non-repairable manner. 
example: "My car shit the bed when the timing belt broke."

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BUM KNEE

I found it to be incredibly insulting and embarrassing for both the New York media and fans to insinuate that CC Sabathia "lied" about his knee injury today.  I read Andrew Marchand's Tweet about how CC and Girardi both said CC was healthy, almost like he was piecing together an investigation into the "When did the knee hurt... and who knew about it?"  Guess what? Injuries happen, and sometimes there are no signs when they're about to occur.

After previous start, Girardi & CC both said CC was perfectly healthy.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) May 11, 2014

I like Marchand, and perhaps he was just throwing it out there because dumb guys like me would bite, but I just found it to be silly...and I bit.

Here's the drill... CC Sabathia is on the 15 day DL for knee inflammation.  Maybe he was working through it and it got bad yesterday, maybe it just happened, whatever the case, the Yankees needed to recall Matt Daley, hardly a driving force for the Yankees starting rotation.  And now we are literally left with 5-0 Masahiro Tanaka and a whole lotta nothing.

What fans should be doing is wishing CC well, not bashing the guy for getting injured... for Christ sake... he's not Carl Pavano for crying out loud.

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MOTHERS KNOW BEST

Mother knows best.

When "you know what" hits the fan, it's your mother that has the solution. If your mother gets sick or has a cold, your dad has no idea what the sports schedule is for the kids, what birthday parties are happening and how to make dinner. In other words, it's mass chaos.  Dad's are good for some things, but mothers complete the family and handle the heavy load.

I am lucky enough to have a terrific mom. This is a photo of her above as a little girl and trust me, she had an amazing mother as well. My mom has always been in my life and is always there to give me advice, even now.  I'm a mama's boy and have no problem saying that.  It's important, especially with my own family.

Here's a picture of my wife above.  She comes from a strong line of mothers before her. Her mom's a tough cookie and provides important values in her children and her mother before her did the same.  I'm happy to say that I have a wife that is a terrific mother and in this day and age of youth sports and a crazy school day for each of my children, my wife is there nurturing and aiding my kids in everything they need.  She's running them around town, giving them a push when they need it and still manages to make dinner at the end of the day. A mother's job is the hardest job in the world. Anyone that tells you that it's not is full of it.

There are many great mom's that I have gotten to know over the past few years. Mom's that are inspirational and nurturing in their families lives.  I always tip my cap to Marci Hensley, Ty Hensley's mom (Read THANKSGIVING WITH THE HENSLEYS), Laura Posada, Amber Sabathia, Kim Austin and Mariana Bichette (Read MOTHER'S DAY WITH THE BICHETTES.) 

Real nice, lovely women, members of the Yankee family and important role models in their children's lives.  These women do it all in life, yet, at the same time, they still manage to guide their children to do the right thing, to shoot for the stars and to try and be the best through hard work. 

Look at Tyler Austin, Ty Hensley and Dante Bichette Jr for instance.  Still plugging away and working hard to make the bigs in pinstripes one day.  They learned the importance of hard work and dedication... not only from their father, but because their mother was there too... for a shoulder to cry on, to talk about their frustrations... and then, they got back out there and worked alittle more.

Look at how important Amber Sabathia (Read CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR: INTERVIEW WITH THE SABATHIAS) and Laura Posada (Read THE FULL POSADA INTERVIEW) are, not only to their families, but for individuals like you and me. 

They push to the limit and offer an inspiration and drive so passionate, it not only resonates with their families, it rubs off on us as well.  They are all truly terrific people... they are also mothers.  Mothers who believe in their children. It's nice to see. 

Today is gorgeous in the Northeast, and if you live in New York where I am, you know that it's almost symbolic, especially after such a brutal winter.  Today is an important day.  Do the right thing, make that call, get some beautiful flowers. Make a trek and go see mom today.  After all, she raised you, she inspired you and she has always been there for you.  Again, I can't thank my mother enough for being the driving force in my life for so many years. It's very important to me and your mom should be to you too.

Today is Mother's day.  Sure, act like it's just another holiday, but this one is significant. If you are here on this earth, you have a mother. Thank her today for being there.  Thank her for all the good she has done for you. Thank her for guiding you, loving you and being there if you've ever reached a dark hour in your life.  When "you know what" hits the fan, it's your mother that has the solution. Always.

Happy Mother's Day Mom. You are simply the best in so many ways.

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