When things are going sideways for the New York Yankees, Bret Boone has a quip he likes to deliver to his brother.
"Sometimes I tease Aaron (Boone) throughout the years that he’s been in New York,” Boone said on Audacy’s Baseball Isn’t Boring. “When he goes through a tough run I’ll call him and I’ll say ‘So, you want to be the New York Yankees manager, do ya?”
One has to think he’s probably been able to get a good mileage out of that zinger this year.
The Yankees have underwhelmed all season and are now in the midst of a freefall, having lost eight straight after getting swept by the Red Sox this weekend. New York’s season is all but over, yet another year they’ve fallen short, this time well short, of expectations under Boone.
How much of that is on Boone is up for debate. His in-game decision-making is often under scrutiny, yet the Yankee roster is so bad that there’s only so much he can do with the personnel he has.
Regardless, Bret Boone, who hosts his own podcast “The Bret Boone Show” took exception to those who say Aaron is phoning it in.
“Aaron is a lot like my father. Man, he worries about stuff,” Boone said. “He gets to the ballpark at 12 and he’s grinding it out until the last day. I was laughing, I was reading an article ‘Aaron Boone Has Given Up’ on social media, and I laugh at these keyboard warriors that have no clue what Aaron Boone is made of.
“Aaron Boone is one of the biggest fighters I’ve ever seen, he’s one of the most passionate kids I’ve ever been around. If you give him a one percent chance, man he’s going to fight to the death for that one percent. …
“I’ve played on some great teams, I’ve played on some teams that were tough. And I know this, a handful of times in my life – and I played a lot of games – do we sit around as players after the game and say ‘You know what? Man, skipper really screwed us tonight, that’s why we lost the game.’ It doesn’t happen. Players win games, players lose games, managers manage games, they manage people.”
The story of Boone’s tenure as Yankee manager has been about coming up short. They’ve had teams that could’ve made the World Series but came up short. They’ve had teams that underperformed and were bounced from the playoffs early. This year, they'll outright miss the playoffs.
Bret Boone said he has given it to his brother straight whenever they discuss the losses.
“The last few postseasons I’ve told Aaron ‘Honestly, you’re not as good as that team,’" Boone said. “A year ago I said you’re not as good as the Houston Astros. Now, this is baseball and anything can happen, and of course Bret, your brother, is definitely going to be pulling for you, but it’s not going to surprise me if you lose. It’s going to surprise me if you beat them, to be honest with you.
“Now, that’s my honest analysis. What Aaron is going through right now, I try to make the moments light. I haven’t talked to him for about a week or so, I kind of leave him alone, usually he’ll call me. I’m just there to support him, I know how hard this game is, we all do.”
The Yankees reportedly are taking a “close look” at the entire organization following this season, as well they should. Managers have been fired for less than what Boone has displayed this season and, fair or unfair, he could be on the chopping block.
His brother thinks it would be a mistake for the Yankees to can him.
"There’s a lot that comes with (managing the Yankees), and we all know there are a lot of perks being the manager,” Boone said. “Man, if you win in New York one time you’ve got the key to the city, and that’s what Aaron is striving for.
“If you’re an honest evaluator, if you’re a man of the game and you know the game, and you blame this year on Aaron Boone, you can’t really have a conversation with me, because you’re at a different level.”
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