Debrief on the 2026 Yankees

And what I want to say is the fact that, as I talk with Lou Terminello, but the fact that Aaron Judge has Aaron Boone's back is major.

When the star captain...

the star player and probably Major League Baseball star has your back, that means you're doing something good.

And there is no doubt that Aaron Boone's 90-plus win season without Aaron Judge, without Giancarlo, with an injured belly here and there, Trent Grisham not 100%, And adjusting well to Volpe at second and Lombard at short, I'd say, and an incredible pitching staff, I'd say to keep the Yanks at 94 wins was really incredible.

Could have been a lot worse.

But what can be done to change the fundamentals and the thinking? And I will not stop stressing this.

A week ago tonight, when the Rays were playing the Yanks, and the Yanks were fumbling around the ball like it was, you know, hate to say scataboo, fumbling the ball against Washington, but that's what it felt like.

Five errors, five E's from the Yankees.

That felt like game five of the 2024 World Series, fifth inning specifically.

It was that poor of an inning.

And that changed the entire series.

You could say Rasmussen was dominant, but I guess the Guardians found a way to get to him last night.

You could say Wells should have stayed in second and he probably should have.

But there's a fundamental thing and thinking that has been lost.

17 seasons have now gone by.

I started this radio show, podcast, online radio back in 2009 when the Yanks were on this very path of a playoff run.

Dave Robertson saved the Yanks by getting on a bases-loaded jam against the Twins, and they never looked back.

They never looked back.

17 seasons later, they don't look like a fundamentally sound team.

Now, is that Boone's fault? Is that analytics' fault? Is it the player's fault? Or can it be a collective? Look, Aaron Boone can't play all nine positions.

But he can look at who's riding the better bat, who's got the better fielding.

And Anthony Volpe should have been in second base games one and two and three.

I was voicing everybody out of the sun.

Where the F is Volpe? I was saying that last week at this time in game two.

And he was nowhere to be found, except for Game 3.

And what I want to say is the fact that, as I talk with Lou Terminello, but the fact that Aaron Judge has Aaron Boone's back is major.

When the star captain...

the star player and probably Major League Baseball star has your back, that means you're doing something good.

And there is no doubt that Aaron Boone's 90-plus win season without Aaron Judge, without Giancarlo, with an injured belly here and there, Trent Grisham not 100%, And adjusting well to Volpe at second and Lombard at short, I'd say, and an incredible pitching staff, I'd say to keep the Yanks at 94 wins was really incredible.

Could have been a lot worse.

But what can be done to change the fundamentals and the thinking? And I will not stop stressing this.

A week ago tonight, when the Rays were playing the Yanks, and the Yanks were fumbling around the ball like it was, you know, hate to say scataboo, fumbling the ball against Washington, but that's what it felt like.

Five errors, five E's from the Yankees.

That felt like game five of the 2024 World Series, fifth inning specifically.

It was that poor of an inning.

And that changed the entire series.

You could say Rasmussen was dominant, but I guess the Guardians found a way to get to him last night.

You could say Wells should have stayed in second and he probably should have.

But there's a fundamental thing and thinking that has been lost.

17 seasons have now gone by.

I started this radio show, podcast, online radio back in 2009 when the Yanks were on this very path of a playoff run.

Dave Robertson saved the Yanks by getting on a bases-loaded jam against the Twins, and they never looked back.

They never looked back.

17 seasons later, they don't look like a fundamentally sound team.

Now, is that Boone's fault? Is that analytics' fault? Is it the player's fault? Or can it be a collective? Look, Aaron Boone can't play all nine positions.

But he can look at who's riding the better bat, who's got the better fielding.

And Anthony Volpe should have been in second base games one and two and three.

I was voicing everybody out of the sun.

Where the F is Volpe? I was saying that last week at this time in game two.

And he was nowhere to be found, except for Game 3.