Hour 1: Joel Sherman

0:00College football is back. So, Hilton called to me the superstition concierge to make your fan rituals a reality. Need a room to match your lucky number? We got you. Want to make sure our team doesn't wash your lucky jersey? Oho, that smells lucky. Hilton's unmatched hospitality can keep up with any superstition. Even a marching bandwreck up call it 555 and 55 seconds. Hit it! When you need a team that will do whatever it takes on game day, it matters where you stay. Hilton, for this day. This is the Michael K. Show podcast. I gotta get more K. Listen live, we're Dazed One on the ESPN New York app and your smart speaker. And a good afternoon everybody. This is indeed the Michael K. Show. We thank you for joining us on this Wednesday. It's October 7th at 2026. Me and you for two. Those are the rules of engagement. It's the fastest moving two hours in sports talk radio. And it moves fast because of you, my co-host, 1-800-919-3776.

1:01Because even when we disagree, we agree to have a discussion. And I love that. There was a lot of disagreement on some of the words I had in yesterday's show and that's fine. That's what this is all about. This is what talk radio is about. Some people think it's all on Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman. And I seem to think that when a player boots a ball, it's kind of on the players doorstep. Not the coaches and not the manager. I've been pretty steady in that all year. You know, when people wanted to get rid of the hitting coach when the Yankees were struggling, I said, well, he's not in the box. He might be telling the right thing to do. And then I'm not executing it. But I know that there's a lot of residual. I wouldn't say hate, but discontent with Aaron Boone because of the fact that, you know, this is this ninth year. And in the previous eight years, he is not want a world series. And I know that that's what it's all about with the Yankees.

2:02And I've told you, and I told you yesterday, a Yankee fan that wasn't upset with the way the Yankees performed on Monday. Really lives in the land of unicorn and rainbows because you're supposed to be upset when the team that you root for, that you put all your energy into when they don't perform even at a respectable level. You're supposed to be upset. And I don't try to cut you off at the past there. I think that where we sometimes disconnect is you automatically want to blame the manager and the GM. And I think that there's enough blame to go around. You know, I blame Ryan McMahon for making that error to start the game and game two. But I also blame Aaron Boone for putting in Ryan McMahon at third base when I said that the guy that should be playing third base was Jose Cabo era. So there's all the blame to go around.

3:03You can you can find blame for everybody. You could. That's the way it is. So now tonight turns into a win or go home situation for the New York Yankees. And having been around baseball as long as I've been around, momentum only goes as far as your next day starting picture. So of the two games, there was one game where the Yankees were overmatched and seemingly outclassed. Game two. They had four official errors on the board. And there were more mistakes than that. That weren't scored errors. Game one was a good old fashioned game of hardball. The Yankees pitching was outstanding. There was one pitch that Jonathan Aronda hit into the seats. And the Yankees lost one nothing to a pitcher that they have always done poorly against except one start this year. And that's your Rasmussen.

4:04None of that should impact today. None of that. Now the likelihood of coming back from 0-2 is not great. The odds tell you it's not great. So was it 91 teams have gone down 0-2 and a best of five and 10 of them have come back to win? And the last one to do it, I believe, was the 2007 Yankees against the Cleveland Guardians. I don't know if they're the Guardians or the Indians at that point, but against Cleveland. So is it impossible for them to do it? No, it's not impossible by any stretch of the imagination. But I'm going to be quite forthright with you. It's improbable. Because despite what a lot of people said leading into this series, the race of not overachieved. The race should not be looked at as a little engine that could. The race are a really good team with really good starting pitching and a really good bullpen. And although they have a payroll of 110, they don't ever roster of 110 million.

5:08Think about it. Junior Cam and Arrow on the open market. Probably a 30 or 40 million dollar player. But the race have them at a young age and he's really been great the last two years. But that's not a little engine that could, guy. That's a great player. A great player. Yandidias is an outstanding player. Jonathan Oranda is an outstanding player. Now they don't make as much money because you know what? Tampa Bay gets rid of their guys before they make money. Drew Rasmussen on the open market, a healthy Drew Rasmussen, is worth 35 million dollars a year. So please don't think this team is a little engine that could. Think of this team as a team that's been put together beautifully by their front office. And they have these guys before they are due to make big money. That doesn't mean that they're not really good players. They are really good players. But the matchup today or tonight, if not an overwhelming matchup for the Yankees, Nick Martinez has had a great year.

6:13Great year. But he's not unhittable. He certainly not Drew Rasmussen. And I think that when the lineups come out, let's say around four o'clock, we'll probably be off the air by them. But you know, Don Han and Rosemberg will be on. I think it's going to change up. I don't know if it's going to be as drastic as some people want it to be. Joel Sherman is going to join us at 130, the columnists from the New York Post. He'll pine today that goldsmith should be at first. Volpe should be at second. And Caboero should be at third. That's a whole lot of changing. Are they going to do it? I don't know. I think my gut feeling is. I keep saying my gut feeling is Camonero. The Caboero will be at third. I'm just not sure because of freed. But McMahon's not hitting. And McMahon, although we certainly make him out to be an outstanding defender, to be quite blunt, he has not been outstanding this year.

7:18His defensive metrics are below average. Now, when he got here, I was I was mesmerized by how good a defender he was. But then you slowly saw that the arm was a little scatter shoot. And this year, he's not feeling the ball all the time either. So maybe they bite the bullet and say, let's take our chances with Caboero because this team, the raise, you're not going to strike out. And for the most part, although Max Frieden, when he's right, can certainly get strikeouts, he has them put the ball in play. And if they're going to put the ball in play, there's going to be a lot of ground balls of third base. That's going to be a really, really tough decision for Aaron Boone. Now, as for Goldsmith at first base, I don't think I would do that. I don't think I would do it. You know, everybody's saying, well, Garcia hasn't looked good. This is the first time he's gone this deep in the playoffs. I get all of it. Garcia is a professional hitter. Luis Garcia had some big hits for the Yankees after he came over from Washington.

8:19I don't know if I'd go with Goldsmith at first base. And as for Anthony Volpi at second, I think he acquitted himself quite well as a neophyte at second base. And I know that that jazz chism really drives in nuts. You know, the throw he made on the double play, it's just mind boggling sometimes. But the raw skill is there. And against the right hander with that short porch and right field, he could run into one. So I'm not quite, you know, that's why Aaron Boone makes the money that he makes. That's why it's such a tough job. And that's why it's such a job that you can easily speculate and second guess. Because I've said this going into this playoffs, if you remember. And I thank you all for listening as long as you do. This is a roster that's set up for Aaron Boone to be second guest at every single turn. Because there's so many righty lefty options. And if he doesn't change, and he stays with the team that he would normally put in there against a right hander, then it's his fault that they don't hit.

9:24And then if he does make these changes, like he makes the three changes that Joel wrote about today, well, all of a sudden he's panicking. Now, I'll defend that. This is do or die. Sometimes you are supposed to panic at doing die or do or die. Sometimes you're supposed to make moves that you wouldn't make in game 87 in the season. This could be the end of your season. So whether it's panic or you know, you've got to make some moves because the offense has been has really been terrible so far in this series. Rice and Austin Wells are four for 12. Two home runs, two doubles and a walk. The rest of the lineup because the game one and two lineup was the same. One for 46. One for 46. So do you stay with what got you here or do you all of a sudden make a drastic move?

10:25I would not under any circumstance want to be the one responsible for making that decision. But that's why managers get paid big bucks. They get paid big bucks because they have to make these tough decisions and they have to wear it. And in the case of Aaron Boone, not only does he have to wear his decisions, he's got to wear everything that goes on. There was a great column by Eno Conner and he sent out part of it as a tweet today. It was an older column that he wrote for the athletic. You know, in game one of the 2024 World Series, Boone got terribly, terribly criticized for taking out a Garrett Cole after 88 pitches. Right. And Cole was pitching very well. And Boone got terribly criticized because the move didn't work out and he wore it.

11:26He never said which came out later that Garrett Cole came in after that inning and said, I've got nothing left. I can't go anymore. And Boone said, okay. And then he went to the open. But in the eyes of many, it was Boone making a bone headed decision simply because his player said he couldn't go. So rather than hang his player out to dry, he owned it. Yeah, I decided it was time to take him out. I didn't like, you know, I didn't like his stuff at that point. But it was, it was called that asked to come out. And then when Eno Conner asked Boone about, he goes, I don't care about what people think about me. That's not why I'm in this job. And I'm paraphrasing you could look it up. He said, I'm here to protect my players and I'll own everything. So that's why it's always in today's world and baseball specifically where it's so heavily analytic. I think part of the job that the manager takes is to own every single decision.

12:26And we'll never know which ones are his and which ones aren't. And that's probably the sign of a good leader because if I was the manager, I would tell Cole after that, listen, I'm going to tell people that you're done. Because if this doesn't work out, it's going to be on me. But you know what? I'm a different bird. Boone protects his players at all costs. That's why they've learned through a wall form. Let's see how they react today. Max Fried doesn't have good numbers this year against Tampa Bay. Two games started against Tampa. He's given up seven runs and 14 and 2-3 innings 4.30. That's not going to get it done. Now we always say it's such a trait phrase. You got to get off early. You got to score first. Yeah, of course you want to score first. But today, I think it's imperative that you score first. Why? Because if you fall behind early, there's going to be doom and gloom at Yankee Stadium. And the players themselves will have to fight doom and gloom.

13:29And you can't think about winning three in a row of the eight. You have to win tonight. As I said, baby steps, small bites. When you're at bat in the first inning, when the first inning, second, third, then win the game. Then think about how you're going to beat Rasmus in the morrow. And if you can do that, then you think about Saturday. How you're going to win on Saturday and pull off a come from behind victory and go on to the ALCS. But if you think about we got to win three in a row, that's probably not going to work. It's too enormous a task when you look at it that way. But winning tonight, winning tonight's not an enormous task. And I know the Yankees looked overmatched in game two. I don't think they looked overmatched in game one. They ran into a great picture of that as always giving them problems. And maybe that set them back. Losing that first game in a short series is a psychological nightmare. Because you know you're really getting close to losing the series. And then when you lose game two, now you can almost like throw caution to the win. Everybody expects us to lose anyway. Let's roll.

14:31Let's see how it works. Let's just be out there. Be loose. Make the plays. And again, I'll repeat the same thing. It's a broken record time here on TMKS. 27 hours. That's where I can give them. Can't give them more. Can't make mistakes. You just can't. This is not the team to do that against. This is what they thrive on. This is what they're built for. They want you to make a mistake. They want you to make a mistake. You know, I referenced it's like Rick Patino and Louisville. You know, 94 feet of hell. And somebody wrote on the anti-social media. That was Nolan Richardson at Arkansas. Well, that's what it was called under Nolan Richardson 94 feet of hell. But that's what Rick Patino ran in Louisville. But I thank that person for pointing it out. I wasn't saying that that was trademarked by Rick Patino. But that was the hallmark of Rick Patino team at Louisville. And even at Kentucky. Let's press until they break. And for baseball team Tampa Bay is like that. Let's press until they break.

15:31And in game two, the Yankees broke. Maybe tonight they don't. Thank you for tuning in on the micro case show. ESPN New York YouTube channel. Brought to you by our good friends at the Paris min firm. 4 p.m. ALDS game three between the Guardians and the White Sox. Coverage begins at 3 30. That'll be on 10 50 ESPN. 6 p.m. The Dodgers and the Braves played game four of their series. Coverage on 10 50 ESPN immediately following the Guardians and the White Sox. And the Dodgers won last night. 3 to 1 behind Yamamoto. So they lead that series to games to one. It's a winter go home for the Braves. We told you 8 p.m. tonight Yankees hosts the race. Game three of the ALDS at Yankees stadium. Coverage on 8 80 ESPN begins at 7 30 p.m. And the pre and post game show on yes, the pre game show starts at 7. Post game show immediately following the final out. And 10 p.m. game four of the NLDS between the Brewers and the Padres. Padres won last night. Michael King with two innings in relief after starting game one.

16:36He's a stud. That's a that's a worst. That was the toughest one for the 80s to give up in the Soto trade. I make that trade a million times because Soto helped them get to the World Series in 2024. But Michael King was the one that had a swallow heart on. And he is going to be a big time free agent this year. But he pits two innings in relief. Mason Miller. His wife was giving birth so he was not there. And the Padres held on the beat. The Brewers. Brewers up two games to one. Anyone game four coverage on 10 50 ESPN begins at 9 30 p.m. All right, let's go back to the phones 1 800 9 193776. Let's go to Zach in Albany. He'll start it off. Zach, talk to me. Hi, Mike. Can you hear me? Oh, yeah. How you doing, Zach? I'm good. I want to thank you for taking my call. A long time listen to first time call. Welcome. I just think that I think change and everybody listening. We should realize that two things could be true at once.

17:39So I try to rationalize. That's why I like to show because you seem to look at both sides and everything. I try. So when it comes to boom, I think this was his best season as the Yankees manager. He's getting enough credit for the thought that they wanted many games they did, I think, was AmeriCorps given the circumstances. And the thing is, it's when the playoffs come around. I think fans are really frustrated. At least my one credit season would be. We're losing. It seems like in the same ways, whether it's, you know, base running mistakes or fielding mithaps. And like you said before, it's not like it's the same guys making the same mistakes. It's not like they've completely ran the rosters back the past few years. And yet, even so, during the playoffs, the past couple of years, they've made the same mistakes. And obviously the players are the ones making the mistake. They need to take the responsibility. But I don't think Bern is devoid of blame either because it's, you know,

18:44different players every year. And yet somehow it's the same result as far as base running and fielding mistakes. And so the one constant just happens to be boom. So I don't know how much of that might be his fault or how much, you know, because like I said, it's not like, boom's out there with a glove making the throws or the catches or anything like that. But at the end of the day, it's almost like these guys aren't prepared, maybe mentally. Because it's not like they're bad feelers. Like when it's on a bad field or, you know, well, isn't a bad catcher. And jazz is definitely not a bad second base one. But maybe it's more mental mistakes. And I think some of that might fall on the approach. Yeah. Listen, it's hard to delineate what's, you know, a hundred percent of players fault. You know, why do they have games like game five in the World Series in 2024? Why do they have games like game two in this ALDS? Why is there a lack of accountability? Again, I don't, I don't traffic in that because I don't know what the accountability is. Because boom keeps everything close to the vest.

19:45What's in that room is in that room. He doesn't rip players publicly. He just won't. He's a players manager. Well, who knows what he does behind the scenes? Maybe there's just the wrong players. Maybe they're getting the wrong players. I have no idea. There's many ways that you could go with this. But everybody wants to just point their finger at Aaron Boone. And, you know, I'm not hiding the fact I personally like Aaron a lot. He's, if you met him, he's impossible not to like. He's a decent human being. And in sports, sometimes coaches, particularly in football, they're not the best people in the world. I mean, I'm not going to go chapter in verse into it. This is a really good guy. And I know the players love him. But they didn't step up for him in game two. So he's going to, he's going to have to wear some of the blame. And we don't know what's his fault and what's their fault. Is it culture? Is it lack of accountability?

20:45Is it, you know, he's a player's manager, which means that he's not in their face. But I don't think that that's what they would hire anyway. I mean, Boone thinks that, or should I say, Cashman has always said he thinks Boone's a great manager. So I'm not quite sure how to go on it. But I'm not going to begrudge you that that's who you're pointing the finger at. You might be wrong. You might be right. But I don't know for sure. So I'm not going to sit here and bash a guy who, who I, who I a personally like and be. I have no idea what he's doing behind closed doors because that's the whole purpose of closed doors. Nobody has to know. He doesn't care if you think he's not holding them accountable. He cares if he's holding them accountable. So he might be holding them accountable. And let's see. Is he holding man accountable for that error? Is make man in the lineup today? Is he going to hold jazz accountable for that ridiculous throw that he made? We'll see.

21:45And is that really accountability? Now, if he runs them out there again, maybe it's him showing faith in his players. Larry and Brooklyn, Larry. Hey, how you doing? How are you doing, Larry? Finally, get to speak with you, man. You're pretty good. Good. You know, I've heard you speak about, uh, blame the players when they make errors and I'm certainly on board with that. But you know, at some point, you know, the captain is ultimately responsible for a ship. I mean, this is not the same team he inherited. So now what totally do totally new different players, we're getting the same result. And what point do we blame the captain? Again, that it's kind of unanswerable, Larry. I hear what you're saying, but okay, then if we want to blame the captain, when do we blame the person who built the ship?

22:45So how much is cashman and company's fault of getting players that don't perform in the big spotlight? How much is it Boone's fault that those players are not performing? And how much is it the players fault? So to me, it's not as cut and dried as fans want it to be. I think everybody deserves some, some blame. You know, Don, Don taught me over, you know, Don LaGrecca taught me over the years and he was right. Well, they have to have some fault lying at the feet of the manager or the coaches. Otherwise, why are they there? So I would tend to agree with him, but I just don't know how much. So is he get credit for building up 93 wins when he had judged for what 58 games? Or is the players that stepped up in that time and not the manager?

23:45Does he does he get credit for a pitching staff that's been outstanding and a bullpen that he made out of whole cloth with Matt Blake? Where Paul Blackburn and Brent Hedrick are the the setup guys for the closer? I don't know what he gets credit for. And does the front office get credit for finding a Paul Blackburn and for finding a Hedrick? And for making a trade for Bednar. Remember, when the Yankee straight for Bednar that year, he had been sent down to the miners by the pirates. And they've turned him into a lockdown closer this year. I just don't know. I wish I had every absolute answer for you because that's what you're looking for. But the funny, weird part of sports is I don't know if there are absolute answers. I just don't know. Tom and I slip Tom. Hi, Michael. How are you? I'm good. Tom. How you doing? I'm doing good. I just want to talk about the Yankees.

24:47So like you can't go from game one, almost getting no hit, to looking as bad as they did game two. Like, like the game three is like, do a dime last night. Like they have to like the offense is kind of like wake up. Because you can't have your three best pitches on the mound and get swept and look as bad as they did. Yeah. And I think I think Tom that they know that that's why today there's so much pressure on the Yankees and not much pressure on the race. The race they go into this Lucy Goosey, the two games and nothing. And even if they lose today, they got drew Rasmus in the Mar. So I don't think there's any panic in them. The Yankees every single out is important. Every bad is important. They don't want their season to end in the ALDS for the second straight year. And also, you know, ending on a series where game two was just, it was an abomination. It's hard to accept that. They're not, they're not, I mean, they might have some trouble, you know, making all the plays.

25:55They're not that. They're just not that, which would lead you to believe that the enormity of the moment affect them. And if it did, then that's on them. I'm not sure it's on Aaron Boone. That's on them. Nobody ever ever seems to want to blame players. And I'm not putting all the blame on the players. I think, you know, up and down, everybody gets somewhat of a share of the blame. But who's the person with the glove? Who's the person with the bat? Who's the person throwing the ball? Those are the people that ultimately didn't do it. Now, you can, you can fight me back and go, well, Boone put them out there. I mean, he's got to put a starting line about there. And that's essentially the line that they ran out there against most right handed starters. And they racked up 93 wins in 161 game season. I will get more clarity from a brilliant baseball columnist from the post friend of mine, Joel Sherman. He's going to join us in just a moment as he's heading to the stadium. It's the case show right here on ESPN, New York.

26:57As you know, managing maintenance repair and operations is never easy. But for the ones who always rise to the challenge, Granger has your back. From professional grade products, you can count on to fast, dependable delivery. They're there to help you keep things running smoothly. Plus, their technical product specialists are here to help answer your toughest questions. And because Granger knows safety is always a priority, they're committed to being your partner and protecting both your people and your facilities. Call 1-800-GRANJURE. Click Granger.com or just stop by. There's nothing worse than waking up sick. In this time of year with the kids back in school, surrounded by hundreds of others, yours may bring home a whole new world of viruses and bacteria. Your family may have no immunity to. No kids? Viruses are everywhere. And one ugly stranger showed up. Now it's 2 a.m. Your throat feels like strep and your fever spiking. Urgent care? Get dressed and wait in a room full of sick people? Your doctor? Good luck. Or open your medicine cabinet and smile because you have a fully stocked medical emergency kit from the wellness company.

28:00It's like an urgent care and drugstore at home. It contains essentials, prescription medications, and your name for over 30 common conditions. Streptrot, sinus infections, pneumonia, UTI, stomach bugs, and more. Plus telehealth doctor standing by for questions. I trust my medical emergency kit. And I can save you $45 right now. Visit urgentcarekit.com slash sports promo code sports. That's urgentcarekit.com slash sports promo code sports. College football is back. So Hilton caught on me. The superstition concierge to make your fan rituals a reality. Need a room to match your lucky number? We got you. Want to make sure our team doesn't wash your lucky jersey? Oh, that smells lucky. Hilton's unmatched hospitality can keep up with any superstition. Even a marching bandwink up call at 555 and 55 seconds. Hit it! When you need a team that will do whatever it takes on game day, it matters where you stay. Hilton, for this day. Thanks for listening to the Michael K. Show podcast. He's been here a long time. He's going to be here even longer.

29:04Catch the show on demand whenever you want. Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to the show everybody. We're on till three o'clock that time Don Hahn and Rosenberg. Talking about the Yankees and the Reyes. I must win for the Yankees here in game three tonight at Yankee Stadium. Joe Sherman, the baseball columnist from the post is driving to the stadium as we speak and I got to I gotta be honest. Long time friend. First thing I read every single morning in the post. First thing what Joel has to say. Because he always has an interesting take on everything and he joins us now on the show. Hello, Joel how you doing? Good. And thank you for the kind words Mike. Sitting in bumper to bumper traffic and getting to the stadium. But so I'm happy to be distracted to talk to you. Well, thank you for doing that. I read your column today and I thought you kind of had a line of delineation there about You know panic and not panicking if if boom makes a line about like you suggest to say who gochement Volpe and Caminero

30:05How does that not send a message of panic into that room and night that adversely affect them? Yeah, Mike. I think that this is a question of You could say it's panic or you could you know, where's inspiration and desperation meet? I I thought if you were with me before game two I thought it was wrong that Cavalierro wasn't starting and also that the conversation was if Cavalierro wasn't starting Volpe at third base because he likes the idea of Cavalierro as a Like porn piece to use after the sixth inning, you know run hit defend someplace on the field at this point Ryan, you know, Cavalierro is just a better player than Ryan McMahon And I don't care if they're starting a righty a lefty. I think they could kind of use his irrational confidence right now On on this team as they're a little shaken So I thought that was a game to move that one would have been easy for me And I just think that like like the jazz

31:05The jazz thing is one step forward one step back one step, you know like it's the game hunting him down For you know, he can win it or lose it. I think at this time of year I would just go for the steadiness of when the balls hit by the raise You got to get 27 hours. I think one of the things that got gotten lost in this series Mike is I think a lot of yanky fans are why don't we hit like the raise and I'm like the raise or one for 18 with runners and scoring position if the Yankees were scoring just a little bit and Turning the balls that should be out into out they would be tied or up two games to none The reality is they're not and just I don't know like Long Bar got an error the other day on a ball to me that Garcia just dropped And Garcia had a singular very good game against Boston But to me since about the middle of September it wasn't great It feels like high water here. I just want all my defense on the field I think what the first thing you guys do against Tampa Bay is

32:06They're gonna be the Mike Bantone team eight seconds or less They're gonna make you play fast and 27 outs have to be 27 outs against them and if I'm gonna struggle to score anyway I'm gonna commit to defense and I'm good and that would be specifically true with freed who's more of a contact guy Then cold or slither so I I would just play the defense Or strategy I'll see you to strategy and if you want to panic them panic a little bit your seasons on the line You know, I agree with you on the cob I arrow stuff He I thought he should have played game two as well, and I don't like Aaron Boone's excuse You know, he likes him there that he can plug and play him anywhere late in the game Joel He's played the outfield one inning in the first two games and not gotten it at bat So you're using this all-purpose piece and you never get a chance to use them So why don't you use them and but the thing about this? I know you wrote in the paper you think that cob I arrows is good as McMahon McMahon at least on his resume is supposed to be a prime defender and with Max Fried on the mound

33:07There might be a lot of ground balls the third do you trust cob I arrow in the spot? I would ask Mike do you trust McMahon because to me he's been more unsteady this year defensively than he was after the Yanke I thought he was tolerable for his offense last year because with Rodon and Fried There's just so many ground balls to the left side of the infield that I'll exchange some offense for defense for a guy Who's gonna hit eight or ninth in a lineup where I feel like my top six or seven or the wait list There's anyway, but I don't think his defense has been as sharp this year And I don't know that I'm taking a defensive downgrade with cob a arrow Uh, you know the one thing I worry about with cob a arrow is he's an emotional player You'd be playing against the team that traded him. He hasn't played yet Might you get the over emotional version of Cavalier where he like kind of like like makes mistakes of wanting to be aggressive and overdo it Again, I would rather play the he's such a

34:11Confident player in he's a pesky player and you know like to me I just put his good athletes and defenders on the field against the raise as possible Because they just really feel like if you limit the raise to 27 outs They're having as much trouble scoring against you as you are against them The thing is they just gave a game away by not and it started with a routine ground ball to McMahon Like can I prove that if he feels that ball the rest of the errors don't happen? I don't know, but it's it's a couple of pitches and one out in the first inning and you're on your way And I just think it opened the book that the Yankees didn't want to read from once he makes the error And I know I'm not getting offense from him. So I might as well I just think the other guy's a better player if he gets on base he could feel a base I don't think it's a downgrade defensively and I think he's more likely even righty on righty to run into something I just played the better player instead of hoping that there's a pinch running situation in the eighth inning Tom with Joel Sherman of the New York Post year on the Michael K show Joel you and I've covered baseball for about the same amount of time

35:15And I'm just wondering because as you can imagine on this show and on anti social media Everybody blames boon for game two no discipline. That's why they play that way How much is attributable to the manager? How much blame should the players get? Well, I think that there's probably big piece of a pie to go around right like the front office has brought in a you know some players that I think Play the game questionably all the time I think the manager is a manager his strength is The good vibrations and I think that generally is the right way to handle it when players are on Anti social media all the time and like dealing with mental health situations and stuff that boom keeps it positive and has their back Etc But I am also very much, you know Mike you go back you're a harken to you know we both felt this way I feel like I learned so much baseball from Buck shall Walder and like the the seven years

36:16I covered six of them buck was on the staff He was a third-base coach for two and the manager for four and it felt like a PhD program and I quote Buck shall Walder all the time is like part of it is like when guys walk in the room Who do you want walking in the room and then like how does your head hit the pillow at night for who you use and it's just like There's some stuff with this team where it's just like I felt like There needed to be tougher talk to the player or Publicly because whatever was going on some of the mistakes are repetitive and I think I think attitude as far as how hard you play and Smartness is a reflection on the manager and there are this team is much better all around I think that this team is much better than the team that went to the world series in 24 But Every once in a while working underneath the the skin of this team has been this bad team just waiting to come out And I do feel the manager has some rest of responsibility for

37:21Trying to get on top of that because there are moments where where this team goes to really Unshark periods and I feel that is manager responsibility and it's been a problem a lot over the years All right, so let's let's extrapolate out and let's say the Yankees don't win these next three games in their season is over Do you believe that there is a A reasonable chance that they would make a move at the manager So Mike I thought that the move if you were going to make a move I thought the move was after last year I think that this is I know nobody wants to hear this again from like unfortunately like the loudest and and and and the most Forotious and angry kind of like wag the dog now And stir the conversation But you must deal with the reality that we're going to have a lockout on December 1st And we're going to probably miss games which means a three weeks bringing training at some point whenever we do play baseball And hopefully we play baseball in 2027

38:21Do you really want to like go through a manager search Mike? Let's pick the day the Yankees come up with a manager on November 15 You know they go through two or three rounds they get it to two guys They finally come up with the guy to be the manager, you know whoever that guy is that guy has two weeks Where he can talk to his new team on December 1st? It's radio silence your manager can't talk to the players There's a lockout then there's going to be a hurry up spring training where it's really just going to be about get trying to get your starters as Ready as possible in a short period of time I think I think one of the reasons for example the diamondbacks didn't move on from Tori levelo Was they were worried about exactly the scenario? I just told you and I just think this is a tough off season may tougher if you're the New York Yankees and everything that goes into Operating in this environment and so I think that boon is going to be safe because we know that the owner and the GM Particularly like this manager. I think this is a very successful manager

39:22Again regardless of what the loudest scream, you know, he wins 58% of his games pretty much every year And I think he's going to be the manager because the the calendar and and and the negotiation is going to work against hiring somebody new Now you mentioned cashman and obviously you're very aware of what people think and the Yankee fan base I wouldn't say the majority. I have no idea. I'm not making a poll They don't seem to like him. They don't think he's done a good job Continually put the team out on the field every single you that has a chance With his rope be shorter with how Steinberg or is this how Steinberg like the job that Brian's doing Yeah, I mean, I actually think you can make a case this was one of Brian's better years He has formed the best rotation arguably of his time running the team I would point out that this is probably the best rotation since 2022 By the way that Yankee team in the postseason that everybody loves because it was cheater and burning and

40:25Passata they lost to an angel team that plays very much like this racing They put the ball in play against the great rotation. It was well. It was petted. It was clemened with new scene and and and it was great and The Yankees lost to that kind of team I think that the rotation is good. I think that they're starting to get stuff from their farm system From a team that doesn't draft near the top of the draft I think that the GM has done well with a blind spot. I think for a couple of types of like I just think Got to try to convince players to play hard and smart you're picking the wrong players at some point And I think that there is still some of that that looks better on a spreadsheet than when you're playing the biggest games of the season And I think the Yankees have to get out of the business of having those kind of players Before I let you go and I know you still stuck in traffic What's your gut feeling about tonight? Do you think they win or do you think the seasons over?

41:26You know might be the last time a team came back from 0 2 and a 5 game series was the 2017 Yankees against Cleveland Which you know with some some coincidence to this Jojorardi's you know one of his greatest moments and he end up losing his job anyway when they went to game seven And we learned a lot about those Astros 2017 Astros in retrospect Do I think these Yankees could come back from 0 2 I do But I would not it's not something I would feel strongly about I thought they were the best team in the American League this year I had never I don't believe I'd ever picked them to win the World Series in a preview section of the Post and Spring training And I've been doing this for about 35 years I actually picked them this year because I love the potential of the pitching of the rotation and I think that that is actually Flowered and been what they wanted I Just think that their head space is bad right now the first run of this game or the first couple of runs of tonight's game to me

42:30They've got to play from ahead And they've got to play clean and I just think that this is a team that's gonna have trouble playing 27 straight clean innings so like even if I feel good about tonight Do I feel good about the next 27 innings I do not But I didn't feel good about the 2017 Yankees and they somehow found a way and people think oh Cleveland Cleveland was great that year They had a there were a number of seeds that was coming off of the AL Championship and game seven the World Series the year before and they were actually Better in 17 and the Yankees found a way back So you know you know how momentum changes this time of year Mike one win and suddenly who knows and But I just just feel like this team will have trouble Play a playing against Tina And in play as the race for 27 straight innings Joel. Thank you for your time. I'll see you at the ballpark a little later All right, Mike. Thanks for having me on all right. That's Joel Sherman New York Post So interesting stuff from him. Let's talk about it 1 800 919

43:333776 the K show we're rolling until three right here on the SPN New York College football is back so Hilton called him me the superstition concierge to make your fan rituals a reality Need a room to match your lucky number we got you want to make sure our team doesn't wash your lucky Jersey Oh, that smells lucky Hilton's unmatched hospitality can keep up with any superstition even a marching bandwink up call it 555 and 55 seconds Hit it When you need a team that will do whatever it takes on game day it matters where you stay Hilton for this day This episode is brought to you by Nordstrom For 125 years Nordstrom has been part of your story the stylist who found the perfect out but for your big interview The first pair of walking shoes for your one-year-old the tomato soup you shared with your sister at the cafe These are the moments that make Nordstrom Nordstrom bigger small we're here for all of it Celebrating 125 years with new moments still add discover it all in Nordstrom stores and at Nordstrom dot com

44:39This episode is brought to you by born in Roma fragrances by Valentino Beauty the iconic fragrance duo Donna born in Roma Ode to Parfum is a feminine fragrance featuring juicy black current central Jasmine Woody Cashmer and warm vanilla It's masculine counterpart. Womo born in Roma Ode to toilet Has notes of fresh violet leaf Aromatic sage green vetiver spicy ginger and mineral salt shop at macy's dot com Thanks for listening to a Michael K show podcast. He's been here a long time He's gonna be here even longer catch the show on demand whenever you want just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcast Snick fans ESPN New York is going live from stout all season long starting October 20th the next season opener Don Han and Rosenberg will broadcast live once a month from stout on 35th Street from October through April get there early on Tuesday October 20th grab a drink and be part of the energy as the guys break down the matchup set the stakes and get you locked in for

45:41Opening night. It's your pregame headquarters with ESPN New York's biggest voices. It's Don Han and Rosenberg live on Tuesday October 20th at stout on 35th Street all starting at 3pm I you heard what Joel Sherman had to say now. Let's hear what you have to say. Let's start with Jay and Long Island Jay They might have you done thanks for having you got it Jay. What's up, bud? Hey, man? So so I just want to say that I don't I don't hate Aaron boom, right? Like I think anyone that like hate Aaron Brunner I don't know if you like you're honestly thinking straight about this Take his personality and his and who he is as a person out of this And I think what we've been able to clearly see is that he hasn't been able to perform and get the Yankees to win the championship He's 21 and 22 in his postseason record. He's done a phenomenally great job during the season given whatever talent He's been provided but to get them over the hump He hasn't been able to do that and I think it's absolutely fair to say that he's a great coach and he's if the Yankees ever let him go

46:43I think there'll be teams clamoring and paying him whatever he wants for them to go to their to go to their team And I think that that spirit acknowledged that he is a talented individual But he just doesn't have the it factor to get us to where we need to get to within this specific team Right and and I think the other thing I'll share is the Yankees are down 0-2 I'm a diehard Yankee fan. I love the Yankees But I'm also very real about this Aaron Brunner has two sides of coaching During the season he is very strict, regimented But then when he wants to try and do different things he finds a way to be successful with it But I think the other portion of it is when he's in postseason He has a very difficult time Coaching under postseason pressure In season pressure and postseason pressure are two craziest differences But he has a very big problem coaching under pressure in the postseason Which is why I personally believe we continue to see this collapse for nine years straight It's a collapse. It is what it is He has collapsed and he will continue to do so. I don't think he can get us over the home

47:44What are your thoughts on that? You know what? It's very well said and you're always welcome to call in because it was a rational discussion and Listen it If anybody out there all the haters out there that want him fired they ever met him You I mean I'm not saying that you wouldn't want him fired But there's it's impossible not to like him that's number one But you know Jay brings up a good point you have to separate that so let's separate that So if your ultimate grading is did he win a championship Then in the first eight years and this is year nine he hasn't won a championship So if you think that that's a fail past thing and if he doesn't want a championship he's failed Then you you are operating under the assumption that it's him and he shouldn't be here. Okay fair But the Yankees have not let him go So maybe they're grading on a different scale Maybe they're saying every year this team Perseveres Place through a lot of injuries and he still gets us into the postseason

48:44And one thing that we do forget Is that they were in the world series in 2024 They lost in five games, but they were in the world series in 2024 So I mean we can't make it out to be an epic fail Now again if you're grading that the only way you succeed is to win the world series title then I can't argue with you But there must be a different scale That they're looking at within the organization And I'm glad that Jay brought up that one point too that you know if he was let go he'd get a managerial job in a second and And people on the anti-social media That they keep coming back to this because I said this before That you know if if boon or cashman We're not retained that they get a job in a second And they seem to think that what I'm saying is that's why you don't get rid of them No, no, I'm not saying that I'm just saying that these people Are valued within the industry of baseball and they realize how good they are at what they do

49:51And if in fact they were let go they get a job now that doesn't mean that you shouldn't let them go if you think that They should be let go. I'm just telling I'm guaranteeing you That they'll get another job in a hurry Now Brian I think is about my age about 64 65 Who knows if he'd want to get into the grind of you know GMing a team somewhere else You know he's been here for you know as long as I have almost 40 years So I'm just saying when I say that Not that well you cannot let them go because it get a job tomorrow. That's not what I'm saying I'm just telling you that if you do let them go They would get a job. So it's not like they'd be out of work But if a house time or it comes to the conclusion, you know what? I've got to make a change He shouldn't be worried about if somebody's gonna hire the the manager of the GM then he's gonna make a change my gut feeling If they lose tonight And they get swept out of the series And for a lot of the reason that Joel just said as well. I don't think there is gonna be changes I think the organization is happy with the job that he's done

50:54Yeah, they're disappointed that not winning a world series But overall they look at the overall scope of the job that he's done Every year the team is exciting every year the team wins a lot of games every year, but one of the first eight He he has not made he's made the playoffs And when you say oh well with that payroll do I have to say there are some teams with higher payrolls that don't make the playoffs So it's not a give me But I'm not I'm not battling any fans about being upset that there's no championship not battling them at all I understand completely And if you're if you're a fan of a certain age You grew up with that edict world series of bust now that edict has not been presented under um Hal And the rest of his family that edict came from George But since George Steinberg passed away in 2010 no one has uttered that World series are bust they want to put a team out on the field that has a chance to win the world series every single year

51:56And they're probably red hot that they haven't been able to do it But if you look at it and say well, it's an epic fail Well, you might be looking at it differently than they do And I'm going to tell you another thing about you know Aaron Aaron boom I've done the show a long time So I certainly know what was said In certain points of you know the 25 years that I've done this And After jurority won the championship in 2009 Don and I sat here on the afternoon drive show and fielded call after call how he's the worst He's got to go he's a terrible manager. He can't get the best out of his team. He's a hack They should fire him immediately We remember that. I mean, I'm not making that up Now you all talk about how you missed jurority You miss this toughness you know you wouldn't let players get away with things

52:59It's all an ebb and flow And if you ever let if you ever let Aaron boom go And he went somewhere else and did well You you'd reminisce about the good old days when while they made the playoffs every year with boom Just like you reminisce now about jurority A lot of people talk about that last year when he got them to the ALCS game seven and lost to the Astros who admitted to cheating And that was a rebuilding team and he still got canned But before 2017 You all wanted him gone just like you all want boon gone now And now you all have wanderlust about G wouldn't it be great to have a manager like Joe jurority I'm just telling you it changes like the wind We'll come back talk more about this big game three coming up Mike Lupica is Wednesday. He joins us at 230 So stick around the case show right here in ESPN New York. Thanks for listening to the Michael case show podcast You know what? Check yourself here more from Michael K. Wheat Days at one on the ESPN New York app and your smart speakers

54:05This episode is brought to you by born in Roma fragrances by Valentino Beauty iconic fragrance duo Donna born in Roma Ode to parfume is a feminine fragrance featuring juicy black current central jasmine woody cashmurin and warm vanilla It's masculine counterpart Wombo born in Roma Ode to toilet has notes of fresh violet leaf Aromatic sage green vetiver spicy ginger and mineral salt shop at macy's dot com