Mike Francesa does not want to hear about the Yankees’ injuries any longer. Or home run balls getting knocked down by the open roof. Or the Astros’ past cheating.
“The Yankees have become masters of the excuse,” the WFAN legend said on his BetRivers podcast after Houston wrapped up its ALCS sweep. “Nobody cares. Nobody cares. Get the result. That’s it. They need changes. They need wholesale changes.”
Francesa said he no longer believes the Yankees will do anything to win. But the first step following another “brutal and numbing” loss to the Astros is to move on from general manager Brian Cashman. And if that means Aaron Boone leaves with him, so be it.
Francesa also believes there are “very few guys that have to be on this team next year.” And he does not necessarily consider slugger Aaron Judge to be one of them. Francesa said he believes first baseman Anthony Rizzo is a player who has return.
“I don’t think the Yankees are going in the right direction,” Francesa said. “They need a new voice. … This team isn’t missing something. It’s missing a whole lot.”
KRATCH: Yankees are going nowhere if Boone, Cashman stay put
Francesa added, “It has been a while since they’ve acted like Yankees. It’s been a while since you got the idea that they understood what it means to be Yankees.
“As someone said to me, this group is incredibly jealous of the [Derek Jeter era] Yankees that accomplished all they accomplished, in winning the way that they did. The last Yankees dynasty.”
“I think they need a different tact. … It’s not about making the playoffs. They haven’t been to a World Series since 2009. And now there is a team they can’t get past. No matter what they do, they cannot get past them. And if anything, the gap has widened.”
James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com
