BOONE'S BACK BUT I WON'T BE

This is likely the worst season I have ever witnessed as a Yankee fan. And now, painfully I have to watch mediocre teams, better than the Yankees clearly, battle out for a chance at the Division Series. The topper of this sundae is that word on the street is that the dugout mastermind of this disgraceful team is coming back next season. So, if Aaron Boone's back I am pretty sure I won't be.

"Per SNY's Martino, general manager Brian Cashman and Yankees officials will meet on Wednesday to discuss what went wrong this season. Boone will be involved in those talks since he is likely to be retained as manager," reported SI.com. Seriously. Unless they are bringing him in to can him, it seems like Boone who's measured against no outcomes clearly will be leading the 2024 Yankees to exactly the same place they were in 2023.

"The Yankees recognize that their record was unacceptable this year, but Martino from SNY says the front office and clubhouse view Boone as part of the solution." In what world does any of this make sense? If I failed to meet the outcomes set by my department, month after month let alone year after year, I would be gone. But I guess Boone is measured against an invisible rubric designed to retain mediocrity and enable bad managing to continue in the most storied franchise in history. And I am not sure why Aaron Judge and the rest of the team want him back. They lose under Boone. Am I missing something?

According to CBS Sports, "In Boone's six seasons the Yankees are 509-361 (.585) and have won two AL East titles (2019 and 2022). They haven't won a pennant since 2009, however, and their 14-year pennant drought is the second longest in franchise history behind 18 years from 1903-20. It seems likely the Yankees will change something this offseason, but apparently it will not be the manager." Do the Yankee brass think Boone is capable of preparing the next generation of Yankees stars because he is a good communicator? Honestly, I am concerned that he will break those shiny newbies just as he has killed the veterans on this team. 

I invest a lot of time and money in the Yankees. I buy gear, I go to games, I pay for MLB TV, I write this blog and I watch every game. And when I am not watching, I am reading about the Yankees. But I have to say, with Boone coming back, I don't know that I can commit all of this time into the Yankees next season. I feel like I have just been cut by the team in many ways. Maybe the cold weather and time away will ease the harsh feelings I have. But right now, right here, I have to say unless Wednesday hands Boone a pink slip, I need to step away from this team until change in leadership happens. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

BUCK NEEDS TO COME BACK TO THE YANKEES FOR A GIG YOU WOULDN'T EXPECT

Buck Showalter is a New York Yankee.  Why are we not looking at what happened over there in Queens and consider bringing in Buck Showalter to straighten things out in the Bronx? He's got the baseball mind, the experience and was Manager of the Year last year in the National League.  It makes sense to me.  And let me ask this again... why is Aaron Boone in ANY high-level Yankee meeting when he is actually the problem.  We just saw Gabe Kapler get fired from the San Francisco Giants and Buck from the Mets.  Boone's still there... why?

There's a great article out about bringing Buck back home to the Bronx, but not as the manager. Crazy right and it's a great idea, but I'd like the manager gone too. Baby steps. Anyway, Check this out:

"The Yankees should hire Buck Showalter.

But not to manage.

I believe the Yankees would do better creating an executive of quality control who has an unquestioned understanding of what works on the ground in the majors to help bridge a divide between philosophy and application in the big leagues. Showalter would be an ideal hire for that....

What the Yankees would be appealing to if Showalter would even consider this is that at his core he is a Yankee. That the organization that drafted him and gave him the first chance to manage in the minors and majors remains his true home base, and putting the franchise back on a championship path would be ultra-meaningful to him. "

I am all for this.  Buck needs to be with the Yankees again in some executive capacity. He's too smart, he's too good and he is respected.  Even Francisco Lindor didn't want the Mets to get Buck go. But ultimately the Mets were in panic mode. They'll regret getting rid of Buck.  We wouldn't regret getting rid of Boone.  But more to that point, bring Buck in and let him tinker on the executive level and get things straightened out.  It's a huge start and something that needs to be done.  

Great Article, Joel Sherman.

BOONE IS ABOUT PRIVILEGE, NOT TRUE HARD WORK

It's October... and the Yankees aren't in the playoffs.

I rooted for the San Francisco Giants last night. That team has balls. 

Now there's an example of a guy like Gape Kapler at the helm that still needs to truly cut his teeth as a manager... but here's the difference... the dude played ball for 12 years like Boone, but Kapler didn't come in on a pedagree. Daddy and grandpa weren't part of the baseball family long before him. Kapler came up earning a spot and going for it. 

His dad was a classical pianist in Brooklyn. His mother was an educator. But there's more to it. There's no privilege when it comes to Gabe Kapler. What you see is what you get. He comes to work, he expect nothing but excellence when his team hits the field and his team respects the hell out of him because he lets them play. In return, the team's scrappy... the team knows how to play, long ball, small ball... baseball.

I'm big on earning things. I'm not saying Boone's a bad person... all I'm saying if that Boone doesn't know enough about leadership and experience to command respect because he is a man of privledge.  I tweeted this the other night in my ramblings of the Wild Card game.

Boone. Only moment in baseball for him homering against the Red Sox in 2003. Again… why does it make him qualified to manage the @Yankees?

— Robert Casey (@BleednYankeeBlu) October 6, 2021

 I mean that's how I feel. That's how I've always felt. Don't get me wrong, I loved that home run all those years ago, but do you realize that after that he got hurt playing basketball and the Yankees basically told him to F off and dumped him? No one remembers that. It was kind of a scandal at the time. The hero became the zero... and it was all based on a bad decsision. Here... the New York Times from 2004:

"Boone told the Yankees last Monday that he had injured himself playing basketball, and the Yankees flinched at the news, even as they appreciated the admission. The injury came at the worst possible time for the Yankees, with virtually every third baseman already signed for the coming season." 

And so this is what has always bothered me.  He made a bad decision back then, essentially ending his baseball career after that.  But then, years later the Yankees bring him back as manager and he continues to make bad decisions and cannot save this team to win a championship.   And for me... it comes down to judgement. Can Boone decipher? 

No, not really because all his life he's been handed stuff.  Why? because of baseball royalty. His Boone family name has helped him.  

As a man myself with a 19 year old who plays college baseball, let me be the first to tell you that I watched my own son work his ass off and get passed over from time to time in his young baseball career. Why? Well, he's not a big kid, he doesn't hit dingers, but he knows how to this for average and has an amazing baseball IQ. But in baseball, that's not enough. For us, I was never directly involved with his high school or club teams. What I did teach my kid was that hard work mattered and "let them overlook you now, they're gonna want you later when you beat them." And that movie plays every season. These days, he earned his spot on his college team. But through his journey, we watched less talented players pass him by once in a while all because their daddy knew someone or they just kissed the right ass.  My point? Privilege is rampant. We saw it in the young baseball seasons for years... we see it now on the Major league level with a guy like Aaron Boone. Boone's not very complex because Boone was never challenged, he was handed things. He not a thinker, this is clear. 

And in the end, the Yankees just picked the wrong guy. They chose giving "an old baseball friend" a chance, and didn't choose to find a leader with guts.  And now... they're paying for it.  

The New York Post wrote:

"Whether Boone and the coaching staff will return remains in doubt, as the Yankees absorb another early postseason exit.

Boone has stated his desire to return, but also told The Post last month he wasn’t overly concerned about his future.

“I’m not worried about it,” Boone said at the time. “I’ll be fine whatever happens.”

And this is what bothers me the most. This is privilege. He doesn't understand hard work. He doesn't understand decision making, integrity, character.  Oh... he's "fine" with losing a job he can't do.  He'll be "fine" with "whatever happens."  The Yankees have to understand what they have here.  This guy hasn't earned a damn thing in his life, because if he did, he would take pride in his job, he'd command respect from this team. HE WOULD CARE.  But he doesn't. If they win, that's great for Boone... if the Yankees don't, he still gets paid. He's a lump. He's got Boone money, he'll be "fine."

If I'm Hal... I read Bleeding Yankee Blue today and I'm thinking long and hard about the Yankees future. If I'm Hal, I recognize what lack of earning means to his franchise. If I'm Hal, I ax Aaron Boone soon.  Unless of course... Hal Steinbrenner is the same guy as Boone, meaning, not earning anything all his life... just being handed his daddy's toy.

There's something to be said about hard work. It makes you more determined, passionate and a leader.  Boone's track record doesn't represnet any of that.  It's time for Boone and his coaching staff to leave.

We need to teach this Yankee team what it's like to play gritty, hard and true to the game. Anything less... is playing for Aaron Boone.

WILL JOE GIRARDI LURE YANKEES TO PHILADELPHIA?

While waiting for the SEPTA Regional Rail at Suburban Station in Center City Philadelphia recently, I looked up at the video billboard and my eyes locked a blazingly large picture of Joe Girardi, accepting his post as the Philadelphia Phillies new manager.  The headline under his picture said, "Bring it home, Joe."  It made me nauseous.  But what makes me even more sick to my stomach is the possibility that Girardi could be the catalyst that causes some key Yankee fixtures to take the next train to Philadelphia this winter. 

Source: USA Today

The Philadelphia Voice had this nugget on Saturday.  "According to George A. King III of the New York Post, the Phillies are interested in a pair of Yankees free agents, righty reliever Dellin Betances and catcher Austin Romine. Previously, it was reported that the Phillies were also interested in shortstop Didi Gregorius, as the team now has some inside info on these players after hiring former Yankees manager Joe Girardi to replace Gabe Kapler earlier this fall."  

Wow, Philly, wow.  Could this mass Exodus really happen?  Despite his multiple injuries, the Phillies may be willing to take a chance on the 6-foot-8 right-handed reliever.  And as far as Romine fitting in?  He would likely play back up to one the Phillies biggest signings last season, J.T. Realmuto. Why would Romine jump ship in the Bronx to head to South Philly?  Two reasons: money and Girardi.

Source: NY Post

"The one saving grace for the Phillies, however, could be Girardi, as Romine, like Betances, has spent his entire MLB career with the Yankees dating back to 2011, meaning he played parts of six seasons under the new Phillies manager. Perhaps there's a relationship there that could save the Phillies a little money or convince Romine to take a lesser deal to play under a familiar face," reported the Voice.

With the Winter Meetings set to take place Dec. 8-12, in San Diego, California, there could be a lot of movement, some to the Yankees's delight and others to their demise.  Honestly, losing Betances would not be a big loss, but Romine is a different story.  As we wrote last week, Romine has been invaluable over his tenure as a Yankee, more recently with Gary Sanchez's injury-prone body.  Losing him to the Phillies or any other team would be a deficit for the 2020 Yankees.  Let's hope Girardi doesn't have too much influence over his former players looking for an opportunity to play for their former skipper.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

GIRARDI TO BE PHILLIES NEW MANAGER. METS LOSE AGAIN.

The Mets are idiots.

There are reports out there that Joe Girardi has become the Phillies new manager. Great move.

The New York Post writes:

"Girardi was one of three experienced candidates the Phillies interviewed, with Buck Showalter and Dusty Baker also receiving consideration.... His hiring by the Phillies, who fired Gabe Kapler after two seasons earlier this month, also marks a return to the NL East. Girardi was the Manager of the Year in 2006 for the Marlins, but was fired after one season after a fallout with then-owner Jeffrey Loria."

Now the Mets need to figure it out.  They just need new everything to help that young team blossom. Right now they are a total mess.

SEVY IS LIGHTS OUT IN PHILLY!

Source: Associated Press

Luis Severino is a stud, and quite frankly the most versatile, most athletic and convincingly one of the best pitchers, if not the best pitcher in baseball right now.  Now, Phillies' fans could just be bitter, but when I engaged one in Citizens Bank Park regarding Sevy's powerful performance on the hill, all I got was, "Yea, well he's not Clayton Kershaw (1-4), Justin Verlander (9-3) or Corey Kluber (11-3)." I said, "No one is doing what he is doing right now, despite their record. He's got more punch, more life than any of those guys." Not to mention that Sevy was lights out in Philly as he picked up his 12th win (12-2) in a 6-0 shutout lowering his ERA for the season to 2.08.

 Source: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images North America

As Philly manager Gabe Kapler suggested, Severino was "as dirty as you could possibly be." "A lot of our guys were talking about the life on the fastball and difficult to catch up to," said Kapler of Severino's 100-mph heater. "We knew it was going to be on top of them, but it just had a little extra life today. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap to the other pitcher," reported NJ.com.

 Source: Hunter Martin/Getty Images North America

No place I would rather be than at the game last night to see Sevy take down the Phils one by one.  The night was set to be a pitcher's duel but Jake Arrietta just didn't have anything against Aaron Hicks and Didi Gregorius, who each launched a dinger, making my night complete and Arrietta's very short.

 Source: Hunter Martin/Getty Images North America

"Severino easily outpitched Arrieta, the NL Cy Young award winner in 2015 with the Cubs. In five innings, Arrieta allowed six runs (three earned) and five hits. He is 5-6 and looking like a bad $75 million free-agent investment by the Phillies," reported the NY Post.

Source: Jim Rogash/Getty Images North America

With one more game in Philadelphia tonight, the Yankees take a breather on Thursday as the Red Sox roll into town for a three-day stint against the Bombers at home.  The heat is on in the AL East as the Sox and Yankees could both be vying for another arm, potentially the same arm, in their respective rotations.

Source: Mike Stobe/Getty Images North America

"Problem is, he (Red Sox GM) doesn't have much left in the cupboard to swap for an arm, unlike Cashman, who has a well-stocked minor league system. So if the Yankees make a run at Toronto Blue Jays lefty J.A. Happ or Texas Rangers southpaw Cole Hamels, they should have an advantage over the Red Sox," reported NJ.com.  The Yankees will stack their advantage against the Sox with CC Sabathia, Sonny Gray and top off the series with Sevy on Sunday Night Baseball.  Oh it's a great to be a Yankee fan especially when you have Sevy shining at the top of your rotation.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

BOONE MAKES A STARTLING REVELATION

Source:  ANDREW SAVULICH/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Let me start this Sunday morning by prefacing that I am skeptical of Aaron Boone's ability to lead.  I believe that this year's pennant is ours to lose, meaning, we truly have the potential of coming out on top by the time the 2018 season closes this fall.  I believe that if we are not able to close the deal in October, it is not about how we perform on the field per say, it is how well our manager performs his job duties.  

Source: Jonathan Dyer | USA TODAY Sports

After our piece last week entitled CLUBHOUSE CULTURE: IT MEANS EVERYTHING,  I received a number of inquiries about why there were no pictures of Boone managing in the piece and how come I didn't report Boone's vision like I did the other new managers featured in the report: both Mets manager Mickey Callaway (former Cleveland Indians pitching coach) and Phillies manager Gabe Kapler (former Director of Player Development for the Los Angeles Dodgers).  The answer:  I didn't have any pictures of Boone on the field, managing and I didn't have any vision quotes to insert.  A week and couple of games in, I now have something to report, and despite this piece's headline, I don't think it's earth shattering.

Source: Kim Klement | USA TODAY Sports

 "I want us to be obsessed with controlling the strike zone. That's one of my bumper stickers, if you will," stated Boone as reported by NJ.com.  Obsessed with controlling the strike zone? That's his bumper sticker?  I understand that players need to be patient at the plate particularly our powerhouse sluggers, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, who are no strangers to strikeouts with Judge striking out 208 times (a rookie record) and Stanton whiffing 163 times (tied for 17th in the league).  But what is your vision, Boone?  Can we put whatever that is on a bumper sticker?

Source: MLB.com

I say all of this because I am concerned.  I am concerned because Boone has no experience coaching.  Both Callaway and Kapler have incredible resumes and previous experiences leading players.  Boone, not so much.  Now to be fair, last week, Boone did share some hopes and dreams, which could be equated to a vision of sorts.

Source: Sweeny Murti/WFAN

“I want to be somebody that is known as a smart manager that makes smart decisions, that’s prepared,” Boone said. “But also, one that when you walk into our clubhouse, hopefully I’m a part of what I believe is a winning culture — a culture where guys are at ease, where guys are allowed to be themselves, where when you walk into our room, it’s not a stressful place; it’s a place where guys are at work and enjoy coming there to do their job, and hopefully I’m part of creating that atmosphere,” reported CBS Sports.

Source: SI Live

He offers a lot of hope in his statement but hope is just not enough. What are you going to do, Aaron? The Yankee administration chose Boone because of his baseball acuity and his personality.  But as many have said including John Harper of the New York Daily News, if "Boone has the personality to let criticism roll off his back, (that's half of the battle of managing in New York). That stuff seemed to eat at Girardi at times, adding to the tension he created for people around him with his grinding intensity." 

Source: NJ.com

I HOPE that Boone's bumper sticker vision evolves into something more than "hope" and "I want to be" and strike zone strategies.  Perhaps this will all become clearer as Boone gets more games under his belt.  He needs spring training to iron out his wrinkles just as the players need it to ready themselves.  April will be here soon enough and as excited as I am for opening day, I worry that our new manager is too green.  We have a lot of potential to win this year, folks.  But when it comes to management in the clubhouse, we are definitely going to need Boone to step it up and back up his hopes and dreams with some actions.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

CLUBHOUSE CULTURE: IT MEANS EVERYTHING

Source: Lynne Sladky | AP

As Spring Training 2018 unfolds with a number of first time managers, I might add, it will be interesting to see whose clubhouse can lead the best.  Yes, I said lead, not hit, not pitch, but lead.  Because behind the clutch hitting and stellar pitching, is a foundation, which supports players taking risks and giving it everything they have. Positive clubhouse culture provides the skeleton of success and this year, it is going to be a change agent when it comes to winning.

Source: NJ.com

"In Culturize, author and education leader Jimmy Casas shares insights into what it takes to cultivate a community of learners who embody the innately human traits our world desperately needs, such as kindness, honesty, and compassion. His stories reveal how these "soft skills" can be honed while meeting and exceeding academic standards of twenty-first-century learning," totes Amazon about the book published in late fall 2017.  Time and time again we have discussed the importance of clubhouse culture and its value to a team.  And when we reflect on the "students" of the game entering Major League Baseball seemingly younger and younger, the connection between Casas's book on culture and baseball could not be more clear.

Source: Twitter

Do baseball players need to be kind, honest and compassionate?  Yes. As Bryan Hoch said in his interview with our BYB skipper, Robert Casey yesterday in his piece BYB EXCLUSIVE: BRYAN HOCH, AUTHOR OF "THE BABY BOMBERS," "What you saw in the dugout with the thumbs-down and the Toe-Night Show stuff was the same kind of vibe we were seeing in the clubhouse. It's the Yankees, so there was a certain responsible atmosphere that still needed to be in place, but there was a much more youthful vibe. They laugh with each other and they pull for each other."

Source: Lynne Sladky | AP

Yankee manager Aaron Boone shared his vision for culture in his first press conference of spring training last week.  "I think it’s having that ability, and maybe it’s a little bit of an art form, but to have the ability to connect in the clubhouse with the guys, to have that trust factor, to have that your players understand that you do care about them, you’re putting the New York Yankees in this case in the forefront , as we’re going to do in the end always what’s best for the New York Yankees," reported NY Daily News.

Source: NY Daily News

Soft skills cannot be underestimated in a ball club, particularly one that is looking to shift its culture, much like we see with the NY Mets and their new leadership under Mickey Callaway and the Philadelphia Phillies with their new skipper, Gabe Kapler.  "I'm going to show them day in and day out, by the decisions I make, the way I communicate with them, that I truly, truly care about them," stated Callaway as reported by Golf Digest's The Loop.

Source: STEVE NESIUS

Kapler has filled the Phillies' spring training quarters with the inspiration of music, stating that music motivates and re-culturizes the clubhouse. "Ultimately, when we’re surrounded by music, we feel good,” said Kapler, whose father is a music teacher and a classically trained pianist. “We smile more, we’re more relaxed at the plate. There’s science behind this. It’s been studied. Workplaces are happier and they are more inspired when music is playing,” reported the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Source: NJ.com

The culture of an organization is the backbone of its success.  Besides warming up arms and bats, teams should be looking to warm up their culture much like we are seeing in the new manager strategies of Boone, Callaway and Kapler.  Clubhouse culture is going to be a main component to whose team is on top come October.  May the best culture win and may that culture be the Yankees.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

HAL'S SEARCH FOR YANKEE MANAGER CONTINUES

Kathy Willens/AP Photo

The first weekend without baseball.....and it sucks. I am ready for some hot stove and moves to be made so feel free to announce Brian Cashman's new contract anytime now. Then maybe we can finally get this new Yankee manager signed too and get the 2018 Yankee team in motion. The sooner these things happen the faster baseball officially comes back....right?

Photo: Gabe Kapler / Getty Images

Well, it's wishful thinking anyway. The field of Yankee managerial candidates dropped by a few in the past week:

• The guy I thought was one of the top favorites for the gig, Joe Espada has a new job as third base and bench coach for the World Champion Houston Astros.

• Former LA Dodgers director of player development, Gabe Kapler is now the new manager for the Philadephia Phillies

• Another former bench coach and World Series Champion, Dave Martinez says Goodbye to the Chicago Cubs and heads to Washington as the new Nationals manager.

So who is still in the running? Well, new rumors are swirling after a veteran major league scout talked to NJ.com and said he thinks that Brad Ausmus is going to be Cashman's next choice despite all of the predictions of some saying the Yankees will hire a young, analytical guy that Cashman has close connections to.

This scout believes the Yankees will hire a guy with major league experience with another team and has "thick skin." Sounds like this scout likes a guy that can coddle and kick a guy in the pants if needed....and he thinks Ausmus is that guy.

On paper, Ausmus may not look like the ideal candidate to replace Joe Girardi. After all, Girardi had a 910-710 record as Yankees manager and won a pennant and won a World series title. Ausmus on the other hand managed the Detroit Tigers from 2014-2017 posting a 314-322 record and 2015 and 2017 he finished with losing seasons. How could that possibly translate to a good candidate to replace Girardi?

Honestly, I think Ausmus wasn't set up for success in Detroit and Peter Gammons agrees, you can read that HERE. Ausmus had an aging roster that was inconsistent and a subpar farm system. He simply didn't have the right team to work with yet he was expected to win. Dave Dombrowski should share some of the brunt of the failures here. He was in charge of giving Ausmus the tools to help him win and he simply didn't do it. Gammon's quote of  "Dombrowski has long viewed his role not as trades and acquisitions, but organizational-building" is an eye-opening account of what he and perhaps other outsiders perceive what his role was in the Tigers organization. I don't care how much organizational-building" you do....if you don't have the right people you aren't growing at all. The GM did not give his manager the tools he needed to do his job which is especially hard to ignore when Ausmus had no previous managerial experience.

Photo: NJ.com

I don't foresee that happening in New York. Cashman has been very clear on his expectations and how he plans to accomplish them and he has followed through on them. He has a very different approach and maybe Ausmus is the guy for the job. One MLB scout thinks so and Ausmus is certainly trending in the news so maybe the Yankees are interested?

Who knows if there is any truth to Ausmus and his connection to the Yankees but as the pool of candidates get smaller the rumors become harder to ignore.

Would you want to hire Ausmus and give him a chance here? Tell us why or why not.



--Jeana Bellezza

BYB Managing Editor 
Follow me on Twitter: @NYPrincessJ