The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 3 (October 2, 2025)
Main Themes:
- Aaron Boone’s managing style and pressures with the Yankees
- The impact and limits of analytics in MLB
- MLB Wild Card and playoff expectations
- Conversation with Ian O’Connor (author, sports journalist)
- Broader look at managing, athlete accountability, and baseball’s changing landscape
- Additional segments on NFL storylines and coaching updates
Aaron Boone’s Management Style & Leadership
Guest: Ian O’Connor (The Athletic, author of a new Dan Hurley book)
[02:42] Colin Cowherd introduces Ian O’Connor
- Background: Ian has deep experience covering NY sports, written books on Derek Jeter and Dan Hurley.
Boone as “Pro-Player” Manager
- Colin’s View: “He’s very even keel. He’ll never throw players under the bus. He’s very, I would say, Yankee fans will say he’s pro player to a fault, but I think he takes a lot of heat that nobody knows about… Analytics sets the lineup, so there are things that are taken out of his control.” [02:48]
- Colin asks for an inside story on Boone’s handling of criticism.
Notable Boone Story (via Ian O’Connor)
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Ian O’Connor:
- After the controversial World Series Game 1 pitching change (pulling Garrett Cole):
- Boone “was willing to absorb so much criticism over that move, even though he had no choice but to make that move and he never said anything about it.”
- O’Connor recalls telling Boone: Fans/media hammered you for this, why not just say Cole was gassed?
- Boone’s response:
“It’s not my job to try to save face. It’s my job to protect my players… That’s not why I took this job.” [03:52] - O’Connor paraphrases: Boone prioritizes protecting his players, even at the cost of public perception.
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Fan Perception vs. New York Reality:
- Fans say Boone doesn’t hold players publicly accountable.
- O’Connor: “In New York, it’s tough. There’s so much pressure and scrutiny… It’s time for the Yankees to win a World Series again.” [04:13]
Yankees’ Patience and Success Model
[04:35] Colin Cowherd:
- Yankees are unusually patient (“three managers in 30 years”), unlike Knicks/Jets/Giants.
- But: “When you’re always making the playoffs, what move should you make?”
Ian O’Connor:
- “Brian Cashman… likes his managers at least on a 10 year cycle. It shows continuity and a commitment to a program and I think generally it works.” [05:32]
- 2009 was last championship—a “biblical drought in New York terms.”
- Discusses Aaron Judge’s legacy: risks becoming a “tragic figure” without a ring, despite being one of the great Yankees.
Playoff Outlook:
- “It’s wide open… The Yankees have as much talent as anyone and this is go time for them.” [06:00]
- If Yankees don’t win: “If they don’t win tonight, it’s an unmitigated disaster. In my opinion they are a better team.” [06:45]
Analytics, Pitching Changes & Playoff Decisions
Game 1: Max Fried’s Early Removal
Colin:
- Critiques the decision to pull Fried, given his laboring but still performing well.
- Notes NY bullpen isn’t elite; if Yankees lose, “people are going to go point at that pulling Max Fried moment.”
[08:02] Ian O’Connor:
- “I thought it was a mistake. And listen, would Joe Torre have made that move after 102 pitches? Absolutely not… It was a mistake.”
- Unlike Cole (admitted being gassed), Fried wanted to keep pitching.
- Yankees’ analytics give Boone some freedom:
“If he wanted to stay with Fried, he could have. If it doesn't work out...he just has to be willing to defend his position.” [08:35]
Garrett Cole’s Impact
Colin:
- Yankees becoming less of a World Series team without Cole.
- “The two times the Yankees looked like the Dodgers’ equal [last year] was when Garrett Cole pitched.”
- “If they got to the ALCS…without Garrett Cole, isn’t that— it doesn’t feel like a dominant team?” [09:03]
Ian O’Connor:
- There’s no dominant postseason team this year.
- “Aaron Boone went on record the other day and said this is our best team that I've had in my eight years here.” [10:04]
- Yankees went to the World Series last year with an “inferior team.”
- Says this is a wide-open year; if Yankees lose to the Red Sox—given the injury to Roman Anthony—“I think Alex Cora…it just tells you how good Alex Cora is at his job…” [10:59]
- “If I had $100, I’d put it on the Yankees. I think Judge will have a big moment tonight.” [11:07]
Dan Hurley’s Coaching – Insights from Ian O’Connor
Colin introduces O’Connor’s Dan Hurley Book:
- Dan Hurley, Never Stop Life: Leadership and What It Takes to Be Great
[11:36] Ian O’Connor:
- The biggest surprise: Hurley’s holistic, supportive manner behind the scenes.
“People see Dan as a monster on the sidelines… But the way he treats his student athletes, he’s a supporter, a cheerleader, a cornerman.” - Last year Hurley nearly burned out and almost left UConn.
- UConn could be a dynasty if they win again.
Colin (on Hurley’s wife, Andrea):
- “She met him in college and Dan was a wreck in college…I think meeting Andrea Hurley was probably the best thing in his life and still is today.” [12:56]
Key Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Aaron Boone on criticism:
“It’s not my job to try to save face. It’s my job to protect my players.” (via Ian O’Connor, [03:52]) - Ian O’Connor on Yankees continuity:
“It shows continuity and a commitment to a program and I think generally it works.” [05:35] - On Yankees’ urgency:
“If they don’t win tonight, it’s an unmitigated disaster.” [06:45] - Boone’s best Yankees team:
“This is our best team that I’ve had in my eight years here.” [10:04] - On Dan Hurley’s intensity:
“His father’s a high school basketball coach and a legend…not Bob Knight, but he was in that ballpark. And so is Dan without a lot of the negatives.” [11:36]
MLB Wild Card & Playoff Analysis
- Colin’s perspective on matchups:
- “Red Sox have been really good at Yankee Stadium this year. Yankees have more good players. I think Dodgers advance. I think Philadelphia…Dodgers Phillies is going to be dramatic. Phillies bullpen’s better than the Dodgers.” [28:48]
- Speeding up MLB games has helped the sport: “I think the games have been succinct, quick. They’re always going to go a little longer in the postseason.” [29:15]
- “It kind of feels like Aaron Judge is going to have a moment tonight at Yankee Stadium.” [30:38]
Other Key Segments & NFL Discussions
- NFL matchups and coaching talk:
- Colin and co-host riff on Saints-Giants, Brian Schottenheimer’s return to New York, Dallas’ offensive rebound (w/o CeeDee Lamb), and Kyler Murray’s uncertain future with Arizona.
- Nuggets on the uncertainty and intrigue with young QBs and hot-seat NFL coaches.
- Discussion of upcoming picks and the unpredictability of both NFL and college football weekends.
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Aaron Boone as a manager – Ian O’Connor story: [03:23 – 04:35]
- Yankees’ organizational patience philosophy: [04:35 – 05:32]
- World Series/playoff urgency for Yankees: [06:00 – 07:24]
- Analytics/pitching changes (Max Fried & Garrett Cole): [07:24 – 09:54]
- Dan Hurley coaching insights: [11:14 – 12:56]
- Colin’s MLB playoff picks & big-picture view: [28:48 – 31:13]
Summary & Takeaways
- Aaron Boone is depicted as a selfless, even-keel manager who shoulders media and fan criticism to protect his players—a strategy Ian O’Connor says comes at a cost in New York’s high-pressure market.
- Yankees’ commitment to continuity and analytics is both a strength and a lightning rod for criticism, especially during controversial playoff decisions.
- The wide-open 2025 MLB playoffs present a major opportunity—and risk—for both Boone and the Yankees, with the expectation that anything less than a World Series win will be a failure.
- O’Connor shares new insights into UConn coach Dan Hurley’s approach: intense on the outside, deeply supportive and holistic behind the scenes.
- Colin and guests mix expert analysis with candid, conversational critique, blending deep sports insight with relatable storytelling.
This summary covers the substance, tone, and key insights of Hour 3, providing actionable context and notable quotes for listeners who want the essence of the conversation without the ads and filler.