Insider Confirms Aaron Boone Has Full Yankees Game Control
When the New York Yankees have their regularly scheduled early playoff exit or another June swoon, the analytics boogeyman is usually the scapegoat. It doesn't matter that the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the most data-driven teams in sports, are the cream of the crop as far as number crunching goes and are back in the World Series.
Manager Aaron Boone is usually at the center of fans' ire for more reasons than one, but the biggest objection is that he has no heartbeat and relies heavily on numbers. Ask most any fan around Yankee Stadium or on social media during games what they feel the main issue with Boone is, and they say he does everything by the book, and some may even express that the front office pulls the strings for him.
Aaron Boone is No Yankees Puppet
The idea that Boone has no say over lineups is something that Brian Cashman mentioned this week. He dispelled that notion after it was raised at the Fox Postgame desk by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. According to Cashman, Boone has full autonomy with his decisions.
Chris Kirschner confirmed that during his Reddit AMA. According to Kirschner, while the Yankees do have a hands-on approach to many facets of their organization, they allow Boone and his coaches to make in-game decisions.
"I know the Yankees get routinely criticized for the front office giving Boone and his staff instructions on how he should manage that night's game," The Athletic's beat writer for the New York Yankees said during his AMA. "What I can tell you is that they do have conversations at every level, but Boone and his staff have 100 percent liberty to coach how they want, which includes making lineups."
The idea that Boone is under control has been raised in the past. On one occasion, the GM said that his manager is "no puppet."
This quote came during the 2020 postseason after another disappointing loss against an American League East rival.
“There’s that narrative about the manager being a puppet, none of that is true,’’ Cashman said five postmortem pressers ago, according to Dan Martin of the New York Post. “I’ve never ordered a manager to do anything. People want to believe whatever they want to believe. I just know we have a healthy, strong process and one that we’re proud of.”
While Boone has autonomy, the organization does value feedback at every level. Kirschner made mention of that in his AMA.
"The Yankees are a pretty inclusive organization, meaning all voices are heard at every level. For instance — and I know this is not the case for every team — but for the draft, they will fly in every single scout they employ and have them in the room. That goes for the most minor scout they have."
NHL Must Throw the Book at Capitals’ Goon Tom Wilson
The National Hockey League needs to step in and protect its players from unabashed cheap-shot artists like Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson.
On Sunday, Wilson lined up an easy target in Vancouver Canucks center Filip Chytil. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Wilson delivered a heavy, blindside hit on Chytil near the end of the first period.
With the Capitals trailing 3-0, Wilson decided to take out his frustration on an unsuspecting and helpless Chytil, who had just released the puck on a neutral-zone rush.
Chytil did not return to the game. The 26-year-old has a history of concussions and needed to be helped off the ice.
After review, no penalty was called on the play, and it was announced as “a clean hit.”
Back on Mar. 15, Chytil suffered his fifth career concussion when he was on the receiving end of a brutal hit from behind from Chicago Blackhawks center Jason Dickinson. No supplemental discipline was issued to Dickinson from the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Dickinson skated away scot-free. Chytil would miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season. Does that seem fair in any kind of way?
It’s Time to Get Serious About Player Safety
Now, it’s possible that Chytil may have suffered a sixth career concussion due to the whiplash nature of Wilson’s hit. At some point, Chytil will need to end his career prematurely because the NHL refuses to adequately protect the health and safety of its players.
Too Often, Greats Have Hung up Their Skates Prematurely
Calling it the Department of Player Safety is a joke. Who are they keeping safe here? It seems like they’re doing a lot more to ensure that the goons are safe from discipline rather than actually protecting the guys who play it clean.
Too often, we’ve seen great players have their careers shortened by repeated concussions.
Former No. 1 overall pick Rick Nash was one of the league’s brightest stars during a career spent mostly with the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers.
Nash suffered at least three known concussions – and probably sustained several other traumatic brain injuries that went undiagnosed throughout his 15 years in the NHL.
While a member of the Boston Bruins, Nash suffered the final concussion of his career when he was hit high by Tampa Bay Lightning center Cedric Paquette on Mar. 17, 2018.
Earlier that season, Paquette served a one-game suspension for boarding then-Bruin Torey Krug. That slap on the wrist punishment did nothing to deter Paquette from ending Nash’s career.
Nash initially waited for his concussion symptoms to fade before he ultimately retired from the league prematurely at age 34.
Paul Kariya, Eric Lindros and Pat LaFontaine are among Hockey Hall of Famers to have their careers shortened by repeated concussions and post-concussion syndrome.
Kariya was asked by TSN’s Michael Farber in 2017 about the possibility of the league hiring someone like him to work for NHL Player Safety.
“That’s a question for the league,” Kariya responded.
In the same interview, Kariya pointed to the need for the league to take head shots more seriously.
“I think today we’re in a way better spot (than) when I retired,” he said. “Things are moving in the right direction, but still those targeted head shots are still in the game. And for me, there’s no reason to have that in the game.”
Currently, the NHL Department of Player Safety is run by former enforcer George Parros. The 45-year-old recorded just 36 points across 474 career regular season games, while being whistled for 1,092 penalty minutes.
Having Parros as the head of NHL Player Safety feels a bit like inmates running the asylum. Maybe there would be actual change if someone whose career was cut short by head shots like Kariya, Nash or Marc Savard was in charge.
It's long overdue for the NHL to finally get serious about concussions and player safety.
