Forbidden Love is a Cubs DNA series where our staff waxes poetic about a player on a team other than the Cubs. Maybe even one you think they should hate. In this installment, Staci turns savage in the box for New York Yankees Manager Aaron Boone!
UPDATE: Yeah, I know Yankees fans are mad about that whole game 2 Deivi Garcia opener thing right now. I probably would be too! And yeah, he's probably given Gary Sanchez a little too much leeway... when your ace starts refusing to work with a catcher because he flat out sucks, it might be time for the guy to start getting to know the pine a little more intimately. Still, Boonie worked more magic again this year while his two big sluggers spent most of the season on the injured list (Judge and Stanton are the two most fragile big men in baseball), and now his team is a game away from maybe taking revenge on the Cheating Asstros. OH, and he's still yelling at umps, which is always fun!
Okay, okay, I know you probably hate the Yankees. Everyone but Yankees fans hate the Yankees... I get it. I tolerate the Yankees, and yes, sometimes root for them only because I fell in love with a Yankees fan some 20 years ago and now I'm stuck. (It's really hasn't been as bad since 2016, I promise!) And yes, their grooming policy is painfully outdated and dumb (let a man have a tremendous beard, will ya?) and their fans can be, uh, trying (I still see you all with that "Uber" thing from last year's playoffs... that was super tacky, y'all), but I'll give them this... their team is tight. You know why? This guy:
You can say a lot of things about Aaron Boone, but the one thing that always stands out to me is the he fights like heck for his players. So much so, in fact, that a rant at an ump on a hot mic last season went viral because of how awesome it was. Here's the Jomboy breakdown version of it for extra flavor:
Two things that stand out here. First, Boone was 100% correct about that umpire being terrible. Second, the score is tied when this rant takes place, and the Yankees went on and won the game 6-2. You can see the players rallying around their skipper and getting fired up even before he gets ejected--this is what happens when a manager strategically and consistently fights for his guys like Boone does, and he's probably more effective at this part of his job than anyone in baseball. It's something I hope Manager David brings to the table as he continues in his tenure with the Cubs.
A side benefit is that this rant was forever quotable. Cubs starter letting things get out of hand? You'll find me in the DNA staff DM yelling about how they need to TIGHTEN. IT. UP.
And you could really use this line for all sorts of occasions if you try hard enough.
Ultimately, I've always been of the opinion that Boone brings a whole bunch of unity to a young Yankees team that was struggling a bit under an out-of-touch older manager. Sound familiar? Yeah, sounds way familiar. Maybe that's another reason I like him... he gives us a glimpse of what the Cubs' future could look like, and it's pretty rosy. Thanks Aaron!
