Ex-Yankee Aaron Boone called it a career today, retiring at age-36 and a year after having open heart surgery. He’ll join ESPN as a television analyst, and for his sake I hope he does better than Tino Martinez did.
Boone came to the Yankees at the 2003 trade deadline in exchange for prospects Brandon Claussen and Charlie Manning, plus some cash. The aging Robin Ventura was hitting just .251-.355-.392 with a .326 wOBA at the time of the trade, though the in-his-prime Boone didn’t improve on those numbers at all, hitting .254-.302-.418 with a .322 wOBA in pinstripes. By the time the ALCS rolled around, Boone found himself on the bench regularly while Enrique Wilson started at third. Despite all that, he made his mark in pinstripes, and will forever be remembered in Yankee lore for that one special moment.
After Boone tore up his knee in a pickup basketball game during the offseason, the Yankees went ahead and acquired Alex Rodriguez from the Rangers. Boone’s time in pinstripes was brief, but it certainly did not lack impact. I wonder how long it’ll be before we see him at Old Timer’s Day.
* * *
Here’s your open thread for tonight. Both the Knicks and Nets are playing, plus there’s the Olympics. You know what to do, so have it.
Photo Credit: Bill Kostroun, AP