The New York Yankees, with 27 World Championships and 41 appearances in the Fall Classic are the most iconic and tradition-bound franchise in baseball. Each year, for 77 of of the team’s 123 years of existence, the Yankees have honored that tradition with an Old Timers’ Day event, honoring many of the players from generations gone by who have helped the franchise become what it is.
But at the 77th Old Timers’ Day, held on Saturday at Yankee Stadium prior to the Yankees’ game against the Houston Astros, there was one former Yankee who was present and listed on the day’s Old Timers’ roster who was simply ignored by the team during the proceedings.
Snubbed Player Was Current Manager
That player, who was responsible for one of the most iconic Yankees moments of the past 25 years, was the team’s current manager, Aaron Boone.
“The optics were not great,” wrote senior MLB writer Sagarika Das of EssentiallySports. “Boone, who was there, was not introduced with the former players. Roger Clemens got his ovation, and others got the love, but Boone â nada, left off the roll call. Some saw this as nothing, but others saw this as a symbolic sign.”
Symbolic of what?
Boone Presides Over Yankees Collapse
The Yankees have been in a tailspin since the end of May, and fans are understandably unhappy â with many calling repeatedly for Boone to be removed before his eighth year as Yankees manager is up.
If the Yankees fail to win the World Series this season, Boone will become the manager with the longest run at the helm of the team without leading the team to a championship.
Arguably, he already is. Ralph Houk managed the team for seven years from 1967 to 1973 without a title, but Houk was in his second term as Yankees manager. Houk also managed from 1961 to 1963, winning the World Series in both of his first two seasons.
Old Timers’ Day ‘Referendum’ on 2025 Team
On May 31 this year, the Yankees were 35-22, leading the American League East by 5 1/2 games. Heading into Sunday’s series finale against the Astros, the team had gone 27-33 since then, falling to 5 1/2 games out of first, and hanging on to the AL’s third and final Wild Card spot by just a half-game over the Cleveland Guardians with 45 games remaining to play.
“I donât think itâs an overreaction to say that between some of the quotes from the old timers, and not introducing Boone during the ceremony, this day is a referendum on the current team,” wrote Emmy-winning sports documentarian Randy Wilkins on Saturday.
Former Yankees greats including Jorge Posada and Willie Randolph offered statements critical of the current Yankees team when interviewed on Old Timers Day.
Boone’s Place in Yankee History
Boone’s place in Yankee lore was assured when he belted a walk-off home run in Game Seven of the AL Championship Series against the team’s arch-rival, the Boston Red Sox, in 2003 â in a game that the Yankees had trailed 5-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The 52-year-old was listed among the former Yankees players honored on Old Timers Day, but his name was never called, and “a team spokesperson said that Boone did not participate in the ceremonies because they overlapped with the Yankeesâ daily pitching meetings, which the manager sat in on,” the New York Daily News reported.
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