Aaron Boone has four children, and 11 years ago he had open heart surgery to repair a bicuspid aortic valve – a condition and procedure that keeps him as a potential health risk even a decade later.
That said, the Yankees' skipper had "no hesitation" about opting in for the 2020 MLB season.
"I feel like health-wise, I'm in a very good place, and fortunately, my family is healthy. And, as things have started to open up here in the northeast, we're being smart and safe with the decisions we make as a family," Boone said on a media conference call Wednesday. "As far as going back to work, I don't have any trepidation – I'm excited to get back at it, and will do all I can to help everyone in the organization get through this as smartly and safely as possible. I'm really excited to get back with a group of guys I have a ton of respect for. I know how badly they want to win a title and be part of something special."
On top of the truncated schedule, new COVID-19 protocols in place will make this MLB season unlike any other before, and on the personal side, the entire situation is a juxtaposition for Boone: he's glad he's gotten to spend time with his family at home in Connecticut during the shutdown, but is sad they won't be able to join him as usual at Yankee Stadium, at least in the interim.
"It's been fun to kind of sit and watch the seasons change, and watch something as simple as the trees filling in; this has given me a time to spend more time with my family that I otherwise would have to space out much more, and for the most part, it's been very valuable for us," Boone said. "But for my daughter, it's a bummer for her to not be able to come to games. We'll make the best of it, and who knows where we'll be a month or two down the road. It's been such a trying and crazy year that we're just trying to make the best of every day, and hopefully at some point, they'll be able to be part of this."
On the field, Boone will have the challenge of getting a now 60-man player pool ready for the season in just three weeks' time, then guiding them through 60 games in 66 days, all while navigating brand new COVID-19 related protocols are sanctioned in a manual MLB has given to all teams.
"I've definitely thought about this a lot, and honestly, don't quite know what to expect on a daily basis as we navigate what we can and can't do," Boone said. "I do feel like we do a great job communicating with our guys, and we'll get creative in how we communicate, and how we can use the entire run of Yankee Stadium. On the first day when I address the team, it will probably be in several smaller groups – that's okay, and that's part of what we have to do. I know our coaches and staff are ready to do whatever they have to do to get our players in the best place possible to be successful."
Within navigating those protocols, though, Boone knows that his overarching message, above anything baseball-related, is to keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible.
"I'm one of the drivers of our message, and one of our overarching messages – from Day 1 and on through the season – is that we all have a responsibility in this," Boone said. "There will be challenges, things we're not even accounting for yet, and be daily nuisances that you have to navigate. I believe one of my biggest jobs will be to make sure that guys are constantly enforcing the message, and keeping each other accountable as we navigate these waters."
Hopefully, he'll see his ultimate wish come to fruition: a "full" uninterrupted season, one that ideally ends in the Yankees' 28th World Series Championship.
"If this year has taught us anything, it's that anything is possible with (COVID-19). All I know is that in my world, my job and focus is to comply as best I can, and have my team comply as best we can, and focus every day to get ready to play at a championship level," Boone said. "Hopefully that ends up with us getting to play for the next four months. As we go, if circumstances change, or the virus dictates that we can't do something, that's out of my control."
And things out of his control, especially with COVID-19, are things Boone won't worry about.
"Our job, in the end, is to get ready to play, and we've been working hard the last several days to get things in order and figure out how we want to attack this three-week buildup to the regular season," Boone said. "Starting this weekend, we have to lay a foundation to put ourselves in position to win a title. We know it will be challenging and there will be bumps along the way, but my focus is on trying to get our guys in the best possible position to go out and be successful."
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