There are no more fiery managers in baseball, Ken Rosenthal argues, Boone is the norm.
MLB Insider says firing Aaron Boone won't change the Yankees originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Yankees picked up a win on Sunday to break their six‑game losing skid, but there is no doubt this team is reeling. Overall, the team has now lost 16 of their last 22 games, a slump drawing renewed calls for Aaron Boone to be shown the door.
And so we’re back to the same fan cycle: the team stumbles, Boone says something that rubs people the wrong way, and they howl for a new manager.
This time, the flashpoint came via Jazz Chisholm Jr. relaying Boone’s postgame mantra: “We’re the best team in the league.” After a tough series, words like that feel tone-deaf to a fan base desperate for fire.
That’s when MLB insider Ken Rosenthal cut through it all on Foul Territory. Sure, fans might want a Boone firing, but the veteran columnist for The Athletic asks what are they expecting next. A locker-room grenade thrower? A furnace of personality like Billy Martin or Jim Leyland?
“Those managers don’t really exist anymore,” Rosenthal said.
“Name a manager right now who holds players publicly accountable. I can’t think of any who do that.”
He’s right.
That simply doesn’t work in the clubhouse anymore. Public shaming, postgame tirades, and scapegoating would have the players turning on the manager in a heartbeat. When the players check out, the manager’s job is the first to go.
Boone was hired in part because of how he treats people: players, fans and media. He protects his guys, handles challenges in-house, and avoids the big public lash-outs.
Critics can point to tight games slipping away, sloppy defensive plays, and questionable baserunning. Rosenthal acknowledged all of that has been symptomatic of Boone’s teams, at least for the last two years.
“The biggest, fairest criticism of Boone is that the Yankees don’t play crisply. They haven’t for a while.”
Boone is just doing what every modern manager does: argue with umpires, defend the group, stay calm. And unless the front office decides it's time to scrap the formula entirely, that’s probably exactly what they want him to keep doing.
So yes, fans can scream for Boone’s firing. But Rosenthal’s big question stays: if not Boone, then who?
Related: The Yankees Are Not Firing Aaron Boone No Matter the Noise
Related: Kevin Costner’s George Steinbrenner Story Hits Yankees Fans Right in the Nostalgia
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
