Yankees manager Aaron Boone is making new strides in the sports talk world.
Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports that starting March 26, Boone will make a weekly appearance on Jomboy Media’s “Talkin’ Yanks” podcast.
“I thought it was a really interesting opportunity, and a cool idea,” Boone told the paper. “These guys have been innovators in this business and they’ve built a massive, young following. I think Jimmy and Jake are both really good guys. And they’re passionate about what they do, and they love the Yankees. And, sometimes they’re a little misguided and it’s my chance to set the record straight every now and then.”
Previously, Aaron Boone appeared on ESPN Radio’s “The Michael Kay Show” for a weekly paid appearance. Not known for his hard questions (even after drawing some of Boone’s ire last year), the Yankees play-by-play man may also be leaving ESPN when his contract expires in the fall.
By pivoting to appearances on “Talkin’ Yanks,” Boone will speak to hosts who are more fans first. That is, compared to a media vet like Kay and even his co-host Don La Greca.
Except much like Kay’s show, the “Talkin’ Yanks” podcast is also affiliated with the team-owned YES Network. Jimmy “Jomboy” O’Brien and Jake Storiale, Jomboy Media’s founders, inked a programming deal with YES last year. Another Jomboy podcast, YES commentator and former Yankee pitcher David Cone’s “Toeing the Slab,” is also simulcast on both the network and the YES app.
This probably means an episode or two of asking actual hard questions. Then, Jimmy and Jake could very well pivot to the Kay method. That’s asking softball questions that don’t require too much thinking.
Given Kay’s likely departure from ESPN, Boone probably saw the writing on the wall and just wanted to ensure he knew who’d be asking him the questions come playoff time.
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