Aaron Boone’s name appeared on the Yankees’ Old-Timers’ Day roster, but it did not blare from Yankee Stadium’s speakers on Saturday during the ceremonial introductions for the annual event.
Boone, the Yankees’ manager and former third baseman, has heard his name called alongside other Old-Timers in years past. Usually, his intro is accompanied by video of the famous walk-off homer he hit against the Red Sox in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS.
However, no such announcement or trip down memory lane occurred on Saturday with the third-place Yankees in a months-long slide and fans growing increasingly frustrated with the eighth-year skipper.
Following a sloppy 5-4 win over the Astros, a team spokesperson said that Boone did not participate in the ceremonies because they overlapped with the Yankees’ daily pitching meetings, which the manager sat in on. Boone did visit with other Old-Timers while they were taking on-field batting practice prior to the introductions.
Boone has joked in the past that the sound of his name makes it impossible to boo him. But introducing the 52-year-old during the Old-Timers’ Day ceremonies would have surely led to jeers from the Bronx faithful, as calls for Boone’s job have grown louder and louder in recent days and weeks.
Those demands aren’t exactly realistic right now, as Boone signed a two-year extension prior to the season after leading the Yankees to the World Series last Fall.
Fans are not the only ones unimpressed with the Yankees, though.
Earlier on Saturday, a few other Old-Timers shared some pointed criticisms of the team with SNY, though they didn’t pan Boone directly.
“Teams are not afraid of us anymore,” Willie Randolph, once a big league second baseman, coach and manager, said when asked about the Bombers and Mets, who are also slumping. “We need to get that mojo back to where they come to Yankee Stadium and places like that, they know they’re gonna be in for a big fight.”
Jorge Posada added that the Yankees “gotta get a little angry” every now and then. Some fans agree, as Boone’s teams have typically reflected his unrelenting, even-keel demeanor, no matter how dire the situation.
“They need to have a chip on their shoulder,” Posada continued. “You can’t be friends with everybody.”
However, Posada also absolved Boone of blame during a group media session. The ex-catcher noted that the Yankees have dealt with several injuries and that some other players haven’t performed to their standards this season.
“He’s got some guys banged up,” Posada continued. “It’s not his fault that some guys are not playing at their potential.”
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