Hour 4: Boone's Future

Summary

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Don, Hahn & Rosenberg — Hour 4: Boone’s Future

Date: July 22, 2026
Podcast Hosts: Don La Greca, Alan Hahn, Peter Rosenberg
Guest/Analyst: Joel Sherman
Episode Theme: The ongoing struggles of the New York Yankees, Aaron Boone’s job security, and larger questions about the team’s philosophy, roster, and the state of the American League.

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the intensifying frustration among Yankees fans and media regarding the team's lackluster performance, especially in close games and with runners in scoring position. The hosts, along with analyst Joel Sherman, dissect Aaron Boone's future as manager, whether roster injuries excuse the team's mediocrity, and if a shift in organizational philosophy is overdue. Listener calls spark heated debates, nostalgic memories, and blunt honesty about where the team stands.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Yankees’ Struggles in Close Games, Fundamental Play

(00:45–02:37, 10:21–12:07)

• Callers express exasperation over repeated failures: lack of productive outs, inability to advance runners, and an overreliance on the long ball.
• The hosts and callers highlight a stale offensive approach under Boone—rare bunting or steals, “waiting for the big three-run homer.”
• Quote
  “The problem with the Yankees, they keep playing for home runs. ...They don’t move runners up. ...No hit and run. They did a little bit early in the season. I don’t know why they just stopped. They are so bad to watch. Unless they’re hitting home runs.” — Peter Rosenberg, (10:21)

2. Boone’s Comments, Accountability, and The Rule Controversy

(01:05–02:37)

• Boone’s public statements (“we like our approach”) and explanations for questionable plays are scrutinized.
• Conflicting accounts about a rule dispute ("Caballero doesn’t know the rule; MLB changed the rule on us") further erode trust.
• Frustration grows that Boone is reverting to prior patterns—joking after incidents, dodging responsibility, or playing semantics.

3. Is it Time to Move On from Boone?

(02:37–06:17)

• Despite being self-identified Boone supporters, Joel Sherman and Peter Rosenberg debate if his time is up:
• Context: If the Yankees miss out on a weak AL East, lose early in the playoffs, or continue underperforming despite the massive payroll, is a change needed?
• “How do you not have it on the table that maybe you’ve just got to change the manager? … You let Joe Girardi go, who won you a World Series, and you brought in Boone and what is it—9 seasons and you didn’t win a World Series?” — Joel Sherman, (03:32)
• Injuries aside, other teams have less talent and payroll but better results.

4. Injuries and Excuses: How Much Slack for Boone?

(05:03–08:02, 14:25–17:47)

• Sherman asks if missing stars (Judge, Stanton, Cole, etc.) truly justifies another mediocre year.

• Is it fair to fire the manager when your "NFL quarterback" goes down for most of the season?

• Quote:
  “Is this equivalent to an NFL quarterback getting knocked out in week one and the team slims to a .500 season and then firing the coach?” — Danny (Caller), (14:31)

• The argument: With the American League as weak as it is, shouldn’t the Yankees—boasting Bellinger, Jazz, and a strong rotation—still be top contenders?

• “This one I think would hit a little differently, because even with all the injuries…they're right there to win this division. ...If you get Judge back in September…then what's your excuse at that point?” — Joel Sherman, (07:08)

5. Organizational Philosophy vs. Personnel

(06:49–08:02)

• Sherman: “Managers get fired, Peter. You don't have a job for life.”
• There’s skepticism that firing Boone solves anything as long as the overarching philosophy (driven by Brian Cashman) remains static.
• “Until they decide to change their philosophy on how they do things, they're not going to matter.” — Guest, (06:55)

6. Fan Frustration and Historical Context

(12:07–13:02)

• Discussion of other strange MLB feats (Red Sox win streak, historical stats) demonstrates how unpredictable the sport can be, but also underlines the Yankees underachieving relative to expectation.

7. Nostalgic Listener Memories

(12:43–14:31)

• Listeners recall legendary calls (“Ray from North Carolina”), sharing where they were as if it was a cultural event, further displaying the emotional attachment and history intertwined with the team and station.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Peter Rosenberg (on Yankees’ offense):
  “They don't move runners up. They don't even move up the ghost runner. ...Unless they're hitting home runs, they are so bad to watch.” (10:21)
• Joel Sherman:
  “How do you not have it on the table that maybe you just gotta change the manager?” (03:15)
• Caller (Danny):
  “Is this equivalent to an NFL quarterback getting knocked out in week one and the team slims to a .500 season and then firing the coach?” (14:31)
• Joel Sherman:
  “The only team right now that's better than you is Tampa. ...There's still enough talent on this team, guys, that they should be able to...” (16:23)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:45–02:37: Fan frustration with Yankee offense and Boone’s approach.
• 02:37–06:17: Discussion of Boone’s future, the case for change, and the limits of injury excuses.
• 07:08–08:02: Are the Yankees falling behind because of philosophy?
• 10:21–12:07: Razor-sharp critique of Yankees’ “home run or bust” mindset.
• 14:31–17:47: Comparing Judge’s injury to a star QB, whether it excuses the season, and the MVP debate.
• 12:43–14:31: 10-year anniversary reflections on iconic sports radio calls.

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Tone

The conversation is candid, sarcastically humorous at times, and heavily based in fan sentiment—equal parts analysis and therapy session for the Yankees faithful. The hosts don’t sugarcoat the failings of the team, organization, or manager, but also recognize the broader history and emotional weight carried by the Yankees brand.

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Conclusion

Hour 4 of "Don, Hahn & Rosenberg" delivers a passionate, multifaceted examination of the New York Yankees’ stagnation, Aaron Boone’s increasingly precarious role, and the depth of fan investment—while questioning if the franchise's true Achilles’ heel lies beyond the manager's office. The demand for accountability is palpable, and the chatter mirrors the city’s own impatience for a course correction.

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Transcript

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Don Hahn]

this is the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

[Joel Sherman]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Don Hahn]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 880 ESPN, the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers.

[Joel Sherman]

Let's go to Steve in New Jersey. You're on ESPN New York. What's going on, Steve?

[Steve (Caller)]

Hey guys, thanks for taking the call.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Always.

[Steve (Caller)]

I'm just so frustrated about the game today. You know, the one run losses and the over, you know, the Manford man stuff that they always lose. How about in the third and fourth inning when you have guys on first and second base and no outs, at least get the.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But they didn't advance past there.

[Steve (Caller)]

Nobody moves and they're unproductive outs. And then you got Boone saying, well, we like our approach and he better choose his words very carefully in the next couple of days because either Major League Baseball is lying, he's lying or Caballero's lying because they're coming out and saying that's the rule.

[Joel Sherman]

Well, they're going to play the semantics game, Steve of He said he said about it. But at some point they're going to have to get him on board. Major League Baseball, whether it's right or wrong, is making an example of him and he is going to have to get on board because if the umpires are going to be throwing strikes at him left and right, it's going to hurt his chances of getting on base. It's going to hurt their chance of scoring some runs. Because Steve, you know, even though it should be better without Judge, this is a very ordinary offensive team and they pitch pretty well today.

[Steve (Caller)]

You can't put, you can't put. Well, that's the other thing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You score some runs there when you

[Steve (Caller)]

have first and second and nobody out and your pitchers don't have to be perfect. You know, maybe Cole pitches a little more. Maybe you don't use five pitchers in the top of a double header and you know, they don't take care of the opportunities. And now Boone is just reverting back to the old Boone in the beginning of the year. I thought, oh, hey, he's going to keep Volpe down and. And then Lollipop Gate happens and he turns right around and back, starts joking about it the next day. And now it's, oh, Caballero doesn't know the rule. Major League Baseball changed the rule on us. He's just reverting back to his old self.

[Joel Sherman]

You're talking. Oh, Steve, thank you. You're talking to two people in Peter and myself that are Aaron Boone fans. All right? Not because we're Yankee fans, but we just, we think he's a good manager and we think he's a good guy. But I don't know if Peter will jump on board with this. But with as bad as the American League is if this team loses the division to the Tampa Bay Rays, who have like a third of the Yankees payroll, and if this team gets bounced early in the playoffs, how do you not have it on the table that maybe you just got to change the manager? Honestly?

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[Joel Sherman]

Now are they gonna still fall? Oh, well, we didn't have judge for most of the year. We didn't have Stan for most of the year. Cole didn't start the year. Freed got hurt. Rodin got hurt and just kind of march it back.

[Caller/Guest (Possibly Peter Gammons or another analyst)]

What's the point?

[Joel Sherman]

Something happened.

[Caller/Guest (Possibly Peter Gammons or another analyst)]

What's the point of firing him?

[Joel Sherman]

The point.

[Caller/Guest (Possibly Peter Gammons or another analyst)]

How is, how is this the issue? What does it solve?

[Joel Sherman]

Sometimes it's just, you know, we're gonna have to make a change.

[Auto Parts Announcer]

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[Joel Sherman]

We brought. Because eventually gonna have to answer this question and I'm not saying you should fire him. I'm just saying it's on the table. Have a discussion. Have a conversation about it. You let Joe Girardi go, who won you a World Series and went to game seven of the league championship series in his last year and you brought in Boone and what is it so 18 to 28 seasons as Yankee manager. 9. And you didn't win a World Series. You went to one. And now in the last season, yeah, you had injuries. Everybody's got injuries. And you lose it out to Tampa and you can't win a weak ass American League like I'm sorry, it can't be a conversation. I'm not saying that.

[Auto Parts Announcer]

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[Joel Sherman]

You ultimately decide, all right, you know what, we're going to bring Boone back because we think he's a good manager. We don't think it's his fault and the injuries are the injuries. Okay. But I to say that no, no. He's just had. And then I guess he does have a job for life. Survive missing the playoffs in 23. You go to a World Series but you don't follow it up by going back. And now the American League is just a wasteland and you're not gonna take advantage Managers get fired, Peter. You don't have a job for life.

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[Joel Sherman]

They thought they could do better with Girardi, did they? I just saying it's on the table. I don't want to see anybody.

[Caller/Guest (Possibly Peter Gammons or another analyst)]

I hear you too. I see why it has to be on the table. I just don't. Until they decide to change their philosophy on how they do things, they're not going to matter.

[Joel Sherman]

Now you're asking to let Cashmen go. We know that's not.

[Caller/Guest (Possibly Peter Gammons or another analyst)]

And we know well that. But that would be the one that always makes sense because that's the philosophy.

[Joel Sherman]

But to to defend the Yankee fans for a second and you know, all the Yankee splaining, whatever. This is just not what they do. At what point do you change what you do? You don't change anything. This is just what we do. And every time you fail, it's because, well, we had injuries or it's a crapshoot. But every year we're above.500, every year we go to the playoffs. This one I think would hit a little differently because even with all the injuries, Peter, they're right there to win this division. They should get Judge back. They should get Stanton back at some point. Freed's going tonight. Rodan's right around the corner. They're going to have a good two and a half months as a fully healthy baseball team, possibly at least with their rotation. And if you get judged back in September, if you're a game and a half out of first place and you've got Judge and you've got Stanton, your rotation, then what's your excuse at that point?

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[Don Hahn]

thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast.

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[Don Hahn]

Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Joel Sherman]

Let's go to Richard in Manhattan. You're on espn.

[Auto Parts Announcer]

Hello, Richard.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hi, Peter. Hi, Don. The problem with the Yankees, they keep playing for home runs. They're waiting back, waiting back. No pressure on the def. All these guys, all the guys in the lineup. Bellinger, Goldschmidt, Grisham, Wells, McMahon, Dominguez. They're combined. Here's him.230 batting average. Bellinger. I don't know what happened to this guy. This guy's going to have the lowest batting average from a major League baseball All Star game MVP ever in the history of the sport. He's been terrible.

[Steve (Caller)]

I don't know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

He's getting 32, 33 million a year. But the Yankees play from the beginning for the big three run homer. They don't move runners up. They don't even move up to ghost runner. Nothing. Same way it's been like this with Boone since he got here. They don't steal bases. No hit and run. They did a little bit early in the season. I don't know why they just stopped. They are so bad to watch. Unless they're hitting home runs. Fellas, do you guys think in your lifetime, let's say you guys both have 60 years left each in your lifetime, do you guys think you will see a major League baseball team go the whole game without a strikeout? Yes or no? No.

[Joel Sherman]

Never.

[Auto Parts Announcer]

No.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Okay. Don, do you think you'll ever see a 220 game winner? Cole has the most. Take aside Scherzer and Verlander, Cole has the most. Not.

[Joel Sherman]

Not under the current format. Richard.

[Steve (Caller)]

No.

[Joel Sherman]

Unless something changes dramatically, it'll never happen.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No. Fellas, the Red Sox, I will put this 15 games under and then go on a 15 game winning streak. That is more unlikely in my opinion. Of course not the same effect. More unlikely than The Knicks down 2 to 1 into Atlanta and coming back and winning the championship. That's what I think. I think this is an unbelievable.

[Joel Sherman]

Richard, here's. You wanted to know the stat. The last time it happened was 110 years ago. The New York Giants started 2 and 13. There were 11 games under 500. Went on to win 17 straight games. This Red Sox team was. I guess well because they're, they're four over now. They were 11 under and then they turn around and win 15 games in a row. It's.

[O]

It's.

[Joel Sherman]

It's amazing. First time since 1916. 110 years ago. Greg on Long Island. You're on ESPN New York. Hi, Greg.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hi, Don.

[O]

Hi, Peter. How are you? Hey, long time.

[Joel Sherman]

Welcome back.

[O]

So I don't know, I don't know if you guys realize it. I was checking the yes. Network video but Anthony gave me the exact date. It is 10 years ago. Since Ray from North Carolina.

[Joel Sherman]

Oh well Ray from North Carolina was. Was 10 years ago today. I remember it was 2016.

[Auto Parts Announcer]

What are you saying? To the day.

[Joel Sherman]

To the day.

[O]

Apparently the exact date is the 20th, but the yes. Network video has the 22nd. But it is 10 years ago this week that the greatest call in this radio station took place.

[Joel Sherman]

And we never heard from him again. Greg. Which I.

[Peter Rosenberg]

To me. To me.

[Joel Sherman]

Greg. That confirms that it wasn't made up. Cuz it was so good we would have revisited it 10 years later. Never did. And he never called back. He legitimately hated Peter.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wanted y' all get rid of that sloppy pig.

[O]

The better you can do.

[Joel Sherman]

Get it off his chest. And was done.

[Rich Eisen]

And that was it.

[Joel Sherman]

Not just a hey guys walked out. How's back your belly? Nothing.

[Caller/Guest (Possibly Peter Gammons or another analyst)]

Yeah, I know I said it, but now I like him. Nope.

[Auto Parts Announcer]

No, that was it.

[Joel Sherman]

He was. There's a.

[Caller/Guest (Possibly Peter Gammons or another analyst)]

There's a chance he hung up the phone and drive just keeled over and said I did what I needed to do.

[Joel Sherman]

That's it.

[Auto Parts Announcer]

Wow.

[Joel Sherman]

He may know. He may.

[Caller/Guest (Possibly Peter Gammons or another analyst)]

I need to repost that.

[Auto Parts Announcer]

That's.

[Caller/Guest (Possibly Peter Gammons or another analyst)]

It's today.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I hate to see you.

[Joel Sherman]

Well, yes. Posted it on the 22nd, but it actually happened on the 20th. July 12th. I was on vacation. I wasn't even here for that. I had taken Nancy to a Red Sox Giant game in Boston and I remember hearing it driving home from Boston. Incredible. Ten years.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Put on your T shirt and get the hell out of that.

[Joel Sherman]

Let's go to Danny on Long Island. You're gonna close it out today. What do you got, buddy?

[Steve (Caller)]

I actually remember where I was when I Call house. Like the Kennedy assassination. Where were you when the lights went out?

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[Steve (Caller)]

Where were you when it's all from? North Carolina. Unbelievable that we remember these things in our brain. I could barely remember I had for breakfast today at 62 years of age. But listen, as I'm walking, I'm thinking about your listeners, about Boone Shaboom be fired. And I'm thinking, with Judge missing the majority of the season and we don't know if he's coming back, is this equivalent to an NFL quarterback getting knocked out in week one and the team slims to a.500 season and then firing the coach? I mean, you had a conversation yesterday about the best player and the MVP player. I agree with all that. Judges, all judges, everyone, anything. Because now, if anything ever proves he's mvp, look at this team without him in it, it's impotent. So he proved it completely that he's the MVP of the team and the best player in the league. So it is fair to fire Boone if they limp through this season and without the probably the greatest baseball player that's ever lived playing any substantial amount of time. That's just my question.

[Joel Sherman]

It's a good question, Danny, but I think what. What the fair thing to do is look at this team relative to the rest of the league. Now, are they. Is Tampa clearly better than the Yankees? Because judges out. Are the Mariners better? No, Mariners are barely above.500. The Red Sox are hot, but they're still only four games above.500. So we'll see where that turns out to be. The defending American League champions are like six, seven games under.500. So, yeah, losing Judge is killer. But Peter, with Bellinger, with Jazz, with that, with that rotation, should, shouldn't they still be among the best teams in the America?

[Caller/Guest (Possibly Peter Gammons or another analyst)]

You would think this year. You would think this year, given what the AL is, there's no reason they wouldn't at least be able to compete

[Joel Sherman]

and shouldn't be in the toilet right now. They've had Judge. God, he's been out for how long? But they've been able to hang. They've gained ground on Tampa. They're three back of the loss column. They have the second best record in baseball. They always beat the Central Division team. So you're telling me without Judge, And I think Judge is going to come back, but let's just say for sake of argument, he doesn't. And this team's got to settle for the wild card and lose to Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs. Can you just Say, well, we didn't have Judge. Well, it's the Guardians. Why can't you beat the Guardians in a best of five series? The only team right now that's better than you is Tampa. And you've got a, there's still enough talent on this team, guys, that they should be able to. Are you lose to the Dodgers in the World Series. Are you. Of course you lost to the die. You lost your best player. But I think it's more of a referendum on the American League still stinks. So even without Judge, you stood, you should be able to make a run. And if you lose to the Rays, but hey, you lost to the Rays. They were better than you anyway. But is anybody else better than them?

[Caller/Guest (Possibly Peter Gammons or another analyst)]

I agree. But at the same time, if you, if you end up doing that and you come up short, can it really be a year that you base any major decisions on? And I hate, I know Yankee fans hate that it's another year you're kicking the can.

[Joel Sherman]

Ultimately, you're right. All I asked was is it on the table to have a discussion? And if the discussion is, well, listen, he played without Judge all year, let's keep him.

[Auto Parts Announcer]

But hey, and I hate that you're

[Caller/Guest (Possibly Peter Gammons or another analyst)]

back to going, wait, do we have a judge injury thing again?

[Joel Sherman]

Well, I hope not, but certainly we have this year and it's not going to get any better as he gets older. All right, that guy. Thursday, tomorrow. Back with you at three. Enjoy the night. Talk to you tomorrow.

[Don Hahn]

Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, but I just want to know. It's good. Hear more of Don Allen and Peter. Good afternoon. Starting at 3 on 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.

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