Boone officially to guide Yanks
Aaron Boone’s hiring was finalized yesterday by the New York Yankees, who gave the ESPN broadcaster a three-year contract to succeed Joe Girardi as manager. New York, which picked Boone over five other candidates last week, scheduled a news conference for tomorrow at Yankee Stadium.
“I firmly believe that Aaron possesses the attributes needed to follow in the tradition of great Yankees managers,” owner Hal Steinbrenner said in a statement. “From all accounts, he is a polished communicator who possesses the ability to cultivate and grow relationships. Aaron has also spent a lifetime immersed in baseball, affording him a unique and intimate understanding of what fosters team success.”
Now 44, Boone has never been a manager or even a coach at any level since retiring as a player after the 2009 season. His 11th-inning home run off Tim Wakefield won Game 7 of the 2003 AL Championship Series for the Yankees against the Red Sox.
“Aaron’s name is already etched into Yankees history,” Steinbrenner said. “This opportunity will allow him to continue to make a positive impact on this organization in distinctly new and meaningful ways.”
Boone was a big league third baseman from 19972009 and an All-Star in 2003, when New York acquired him from the Reds at the trade deadline. Boone tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a pickup basketball game in January 2004 and was released by the Yankees, who claimed he violated a prohibition against basketball in the guarantee language of his contract.
He is part of the first family that produced three generations of major leaguers. His grandfather, Ray Boone, was a two-time All-Star infielder from 194860. His father, Bob Boone, was a four-time All-Star catcher from 1972-90, then managed Kansas City from 1995-97 and Cincinnati from 2001-03. His brother, Bret Boone, was a three-time All-Star second baseman and played from 1992-2005.
He will be part of only the third father-and-son pairing to manage in the major leagues, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. George and Dick Sisler, and Bob and Joel Skinner are the others.
New York also interviewed Yankees bench coach Rob Thomson, former Cleveland and Seattle manager Eric Wedge, San Francisco bench coach Hensley Meulens, Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Chris Woodward and former Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran, who retired as a player after winning his first World Series this year with Houston.
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