Go on #YankeesTwitter, and you actually won’t see anyone railing about firing manager Aaron Boone. Not even after Monday’s gutless 5-1 loss to the even more gutless, chaotic Chicago White Sox (the Bombers did win Tuesday)
Rather, everyone is applauding Boone for taking home plate umpire Laz Diaz to task over his wide strike zone. It was not only the Yankees skipper’s MLB-leading sixth ejection of the season, but perhaps an Oscar-worthy performance.
For the small handful of Yankees fans who have checked out of the season, nothing has changed. The “Bronx Bombers” and their anemic offense are 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot and dead last in the ultra-competitive AL East. It’s a season so uncharacteristic of the Yankees that, not surprisingly, fans demand changes.
Granted, we at ESNY don’t exactly disagree. We’ve speculated on Aaron Boone, his future, and who might take his place if the Yankees move on. It’s not his fault the team built by general manager Brian Cashman hasn’t performed up to par, but the manager is the easiest to blame in New York. Cashman, fortunately/unfortunately, isn’t going anywhere.
However, perhaps neither should Boone. Leading all managers with six ejections in the midst of a failed season shows one thing. The man cares. Plus, according to owner Hal Steinbrenner as of May, Boone still has the room.
The season isn’t over yet, but the Yankees are running out of time to make a run at the postseason. Assuming New York misses out, they’ll have two options. The easy one is blaming Aaron Boone, firing him, and hoping a new manager brings his same passion for sticking up for his players, but with better results.
Or, they can blame this season on injuries and changing hitting coaches midseason, and give Boone one more shot in his contract year.
Because with ejections like Monday night’s, why risk losing that to a smaller market squad?
