Yankees manager Aaron Boone threw another hissy fit last night, getting tossed again in a trend that’s very disturbing.
Aaron Boone was ejected from last night’s game with the Orioles for the third time in the Yankees last ten games for arguing balls and strikes.
What is disturbing is, like all managers, Boone knows beforehand that arguing calls by the home plate umpire is fruitless, and MLB rules call for immediate ejection from the game.
So, other than looking ridiculous, and risking the wrath of umpires on his team, what is Aaron Boone’s purpose?
Aaron Boone A Distraction
What’s even more comical in Boone’s behavior is the disparity between his laid back approach to his job otherwise, and his actions on the field.
It’s not as if Aaron Boone’s reputation precedes him like, for instance Earl Weaver, who made a career of intimidating umpires, or former Yankees manager Ralph Houk, known otherwise as The Major and no nonsense person.
Oddly then, if Boone has a temper, and apparently he does, it’s certainly kept under wraps in his everyday dealings with the media, as well as with his players.
Already, Boone has been handed a not so gentle warning from the Yankees team leader, Aaron Judge for arguing balls and strikes arguing balls and strikes while he was at-bat and “working”.
The incident occurred during the fiasco surrounding the ridiculous charges that Judge was cheating and stealing signs through the Yankees first base coach.
Typically, major league managers step in to rally their players when the team is in a slide, but in this situation the Yankees are playing their best brand of baseball this season. So, again, what in the hell is Aaron Boone thinking.
As indicated by Sports Illustrated, Boone has been wearing umpires out ever since he took over as New York’s manager in 2018. Since then, he’s been ejected 30 times, per ESPN Stats & Info—more than any other manager in baseball during that span.
However, only once during that time has Aaron Boone convinced anyone that his outrage triggered an appreciation of his righteousness. Yankees fans will recall Boone’s “My guys are savages “ outburst that gave him points with nearly everyone.
If We Know, Then Why Doesn’t Boone Know It Too?
By now, nearly all fans, and certainly all players know the strike zone varies from umpire to umpire. We also know that MLB grades each umpire for their accuracy in calling balls and strikes. Plum assignments (I.e. extra money) like the All Star Game and the World Series are based on these rankings.
Typically, players ask only that an umpire is consistent in their calls, pitch to pitch and inning to inning.
This only magnifies Aaron Boone’s misguided obsession for arguing balls and strikes, and it leaves him open to criticism from his players for interfering with something they can control by themselves.
If the Yankees brass hasn’t already done so, it behooves Brian Cashman to step in by delivering a warning to Boone that not only is his conduct unbecoming a New York Yankee, but it’s also detrimental to the team.
Generally, Aaron Boone does not enjoy the support of most Yankees fans, and when things go wrong, he is most often the person looked to as the cause, especially when it comes to his use of the bullpen.
Stay in the dugout, Aaron…we don’t need this
Postscript – Saturday, May 27 7:30 am EST
MLB levied a one-game suspension on Aaron Boone that was served Friday night during the Yankees loss to the San Diego Padres.
The suspension and fine came after Boone was ejected the previous night. His rather lame reaction: “I should not have been thrown out of that game,” Boone told the New York Post afterward. “He wasn’t gonna deal with me. I really didn’t do that much (yelling from the dugout). I thought there was some egregious stuff going on and he was very dismissive. I don’t think it warranted being thrown out by any means.”
Here’s hoping the Yankees do not reimburse Boone the amount of the undisclosed fine, as is the case many times by teams seeking a measure of good will when fines are levied.
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.
