Aaron Boone finds it hard to believe the Yankees aren’t in Baltimore to open the season today. But he’s a quick take, focused only on ways to move forward.
Aaron Boone has been at his home in Connecticut helping to home-school his children for a little more than a week now. He’s not where he’s supposed to be. It’s March 26 on the calendar, and today it’s suddenly real. There’s no baseball.
But there the opportunity for communication in the 21st Century, and Aaron Boone is taking full advantage of using daily texts, emails, and iPhone chats to keep in touch with his coaches and players.
Aaron Boone Thinking Ahead And Thinking Big
Boone has mostly left his pitching staff in the hands of his new pitching coach Matt Blake. But accord to several reports, Boone is hoping to catch up with his neighbor, Gerrit Cole, today for a backyard throwing session.
Boone has also put out the word he expects his players to keep a logbook that records their workouts and baseball activities daily.
Apparently, Aaron Boone has set aside some time for reflection, and in particular to express ways in which the 2020 season can be salvaged, and perhaps made even better once the season is resumed.
Not all of his ideas are original, but he’s not being bashful in making his thoughts known.
Widely floated and supported by Aaron Boone is a proposal to introduce seven-inning doubleheaders twice a week into the regular season schedule as a means to expand the season.
The extra strain on a team’s pitching staff, if adopted, raises the possibility that a 27th man may need to be authorized to pick up the slack.
A mandate forcing teams to make that player a pitcher must follow, and the rule is only active during the regular season.
For the Yankees, Aaron Boone would be looking at extended use of an Opener or adding possibly a Luis Cessa, Jonathan Loaisiga, or even Deivi Garcia to make those extra starts.
Baseball On Thanksgiving? – Yes!
Boone also foresees and would not be opposed to extending the postseason well into November with at least the World Series for the first time played on a neutral site.
This, of course, raises the distinct chance that the annual Thanksgiving NFL match between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers will be followed by Game 3 of the World Series. A TV bonanza for sure and a delight to fans of both sports.
To be determined and agreed on is the site; these games are to be played.
A domed stadium is a prerequisite, and I can think of three offhand that currently house teams with little or no chance of making the playoffs.
T-Mobile Park is a retractable roof baseball park located in Seattle, Washington, with a seating capacity of about 48,000.
The second venue is a brand new $1.1 billion retractable-roof stadium built for the Texas Rangers adjacent to the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas.
And finally, but at the back of the pack, because anything can happen in a shortened season and the Diamondbacks can’t be counted out yet, Chase Field in Phoenix offers an ideal venue and a desert climate to attract visitors and fans.
Aaron Boone: “This Is An Opportunity”
And so it is that Aaron Boone appears ready for anything. And I suppose if the 2019 Yankees season taught him anything with the record setting number of injuries – it’s that Plan A is only worth the paper it’s written on and you’d better have Plan D ready to go.
Flexible, intuitive, smart, and far-reaching, Aaron Boone is showing all the attributes that made him the runner-up to Rocco Baldelli in the AL Manager of the Year voting.
But it’s certainly, probably an opportunity to try some things that you wouldn’t otherwise try in a normal 162-game setting where everything is kind of going off according to Plan.” Brandon Kuty, NJ.com
Lemonade From Lemons
Seize the “opportunity” and make the best of it – lemonade from lemons. That’s what Aaron Boone, the manager of the New York Yankees, is all about.
I can’t profess to know what managers of other teams are doing to wade their way through these uncertain times.
But I would hope they’re on the same page as Boone in seeing empty ballparks today as an opportunity – and not a setback.
Ernie Banks – “Let’s Play Two” –twice a week. Ya gotta love that lemonade.
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
