When Leaders Don't Lead, Franchises Crumble

Is it almost Dead Day for this guy? I mean Boone is awful and needs to be canned. Sure, suggest I’m being dramatic, but the truth is I’m right. Bad leaders destroy a franchise. Google it.

Every week, I get emails. Facebook comments. DMs from confused Yankee fans asking the same question:

“Why do you keep going after Aaron Boone and Anthony Volpe? Nothing’s going to change.”

Here’s why: I don’t do “nothing.” Never have. If something I care about is rotting from the inside out, I speak up. And right now, the thing that’s decaying faster than day-old fish in the Bronx sun is the New York Yankees.

Once a proud franchise. Now? A parody of itself.

The front office is asleep at the wheel. Brian Cashman? Complacent, clueless, and somehow allergic to making an actual impactful trade. He’s been GM so long, he probably thinks VHS tapes are coming back. And Aaron Boone? Oh boy. If there’s a Mount Rushmore of managers who shouldn’t be managing, Boone is George Washington.

This guy couldn’t lead a marching band in a one-horse town. If Boone were in charge during WWII, we’d all be toasting bratwurst in Berlin. He’s soft. He doesn’t lead; he babysits. He’s turned the Yankees clubhouse into a summer camp where nobody gets cut and everyone gets a trophy. He yells at the media because of the pressure, but doesn’t understand what comes with the job. It’s not about arguing balls and strikes, its about leading players to victory… and he can try and suggest “players aren’t playing well” all he wants, but there’s a reason why… and it’s him.

And his obsession with Anthony Volpe? Borderline Shakespearean. Volpe could boot three ground balls and strike out looking twice, and Boone would still run out like a helicopter parent screaming at the ump for hurting his “special boy’s” feelings. It’s not just cringe—it’s deeply weird. A grown man managing a professional baseball team should not act like he’s defending his son in tee-ball.

Meanwhile, I’ve been calling for Boone’s firing since Aaron Judge had baby cheeks. And at long last, baseball insiders are starting to see what I’ve been yelling about. Enter Ken Rosenthal, who—diplomatic as ever—finally hinted that Boone might just be a problem.

Rosenthal wrote:

“The Yankees’ performance is again lacking. And until they play cleaner baseball, it will be fair to question whether Boone is doing enough to hold the players accountable. If he is not, the accountability ultimately will fall on him.”

Translation: We’re getting close to Boone’s dead day. In other words, his firing.

This feels like 2022 all over again. Or worse—2004 Red Sox Highlight DVD levels of dread. Only now, we don’t have a manager with fire. We have Boone, who looks permanently confused and sounds like a podcast host who forgot to prep.

Last night’s game? Embarrassing doesn’t cover it. Four defensive errors, mental gaffes, and a total lack of urgency in an 8-4 loss that pushed the Yankees even further out of the division race. Boone says this is a “very good defensive team.” That’s either gaslighting or he’s watching the wrong sport. Because the Yankees out there? They looked like the Savannah Bananas with a head cold. And the Bananas are better fielders AND do tricks

.As for Volpe, he’s got all the hype and half the glove. He’s a walking error. But Boone still treats him like he’s the chosen one. It’s beyond favoritism—it’s delusion. And it sends the worst possible message to the rest of the team: Play poorly, and the manager will defend you like a fangirl.

Fans like me? We’re tired. Tired of the excuses. Tired of the gloss. Tired of Boone acting like this is Little League and not the freaking New York Yankees.

Managers used to hold players accountable. Boone hands out warm milk and bedtime stories. And guess what? The team reflects that. Sloppy, slow, uninspired.

At the end of the day, leadership matters. Performance matters. The Yankees aren’t performing. And Aaron Boone, the manager who somehow thinks effort is enough, should be out of a job today. Not next week. Not in October. Today.

Because until someone in charge actually holds these players responsible, the only thing we’ll be winning is participation ribbons.