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sports Diaranson 20 october 2021

Boone returns on 3-year contract, Yankees demand success

(AP) — Aaron Boone will “That was one of the things I 1998 and is signed to a five-
be back with the New had to struggle through with year contract through 2022.
York Yankees next year, for a couple days,” Boone
their first manager since said. “That was a tough cou- “Ultimately, it falls on me,”
Miller Huggins in 1922 to ple days for me, honestly. I he said. “Obviously if (con-
return for a fifth season did have to, I guess, do some trolling owner) Hal Stein-
after failing to win a title soul searching.” brenner or anybody wants to
during his first four. decide to make some changes
A third-generation major down the line, that’s above
“A manager is only as good leaguer who hit a pennant- me.”
as the players he’s got,” gen- winning home run for the
eral manager Brian Cashman Yankees in 2003, Boone led New York remains without
said Tuesday after announc- the team to a 328-218 record a World Series appearance
ing a three-year contract for and four postseason appear- since winning the 2009 title
Boone that contains a club ances but just one AL East under manager Joe Girar-
option for 2025. title. di — in the last full season
before the death of George possesses the baseball acu- career from 1992-2005.
“If he was entering the free- “I think I can help lead us to Steinbrenner, Hal’s father. men and widespread respect
agent market, I believe he’d the top. That’s why I’m here. in our clubhouse to continue New York was Major League
be the number one manage- That’s why I came back,” New York beat Oakland in to guide us forward,” he said. Baseball’s streakiest team this
rial candidate in baseball,” Boone said. “Ultimately, the 2018 AL wild-card game “As a team and as an organi- season, with winning runs of
Cashman said. “There’s a though, the proof will be in and lost to rival Boston 3-1 zation, we must grow, evolve 13, seven and six games, and
number of different vacan- the pudding.” in the Division Series, swept and improve. We need to get two each of five and four, but
cies, and we would be going Minnesota in the 2019 Divi- better. Period.” also skids of seven, five and
to market looking for some- Cashman revealed he is in sion Series and lost to Hous- four of four.
one like him.” the market for a shortstop to ton in a six-game Champion- Boone, 48, was an All-Star
replace Gleyber Torres, who ship Series, swept Cleveland third baseman and an ESPN Even after in-season moves
Cashman and Boone held was moved to second base on in the 2020 Wild-Card Series broadcaster and had never to add Rougned Odor, An-
lengthy end-of-season news Sept. 13. He also said right- and lost to Tampa Bay in a managed when he was hired thony Rizzo and Joey Gallo,
conferences, explaining the hander Jameson Taillon will five-game Division Series, by the Yankees. Yankees left-handed batters
decision to fire third-base have ankle surgery next week and lost to the Red Sox in this were last in the majors with
coach Phil Nevin, hitting and will not be 100% when year’s wild-card game. Boone’s grandfather, Ray, was a .207 batting average, 26th
coach Marcus Thames and spring training is scheduled a two-time All-Star infielder in home runs with 53 and
assistant hitting coach P.J. to start. “We want more and we ex- from 1948-60. His father, 28th in RBIs with 148. Their
Pilittere. pect more,” Cashman said. Bob, was a four-time All-Star righties hit .249 with 169
“Bottom line, shortstop is catcher from 1972-90, then homers and 518 RBIs.
Boone had talked to Nevin an area of need,” Cashman Steinbrenner issued a state- managed Kansas City from
about returning and said of said. “I think Gleyber is best ment insisting on progress. 1995-97 and Cincinnati from “It was at times both unstop-
getting rid of the trio: “That served at second base.” 2001-03. His brother, Bret, pable but many other times
hurt, honestly.” “We have a person and man- was a three-time All-Star sec- unwatchable,” Cashman said.
Cashman has been GM since ager in Aaron Boone who ond baseman in a big league

NBA preview: Silver says he hopes Irving gets vaccinated

(AP) - Adam Silver, the and San Francisco requiring ees, must be vaccinated by window opened. rebounds. Only the third
basketball fan, would pre- vaccinations as a prerequisite league mandate. — Adding an in-season tour- such game with that many
fer to see Kyrie Irving on for working. The Nets said nament, something Silver points and rebounds in NBA
the court again with the last week that Irving would “I hope that Kyrie, despite has sought for some time Finals history. The Milwau-
Brooklyn Nets as soon as not be involved in team ac- how strongly he feels about and models in part after what kee Bucks were crowned
possible. tivities “until he is eligible to the vaccination, ultimately exists in European soccer, world champions for the
be a full participant.” decides to get vaccinated be- remains a viable possibility first time in 50 years, Ante-
Adam Silver, the NBA com- cause I’d love to see him play going forward. “I think we’re tokounmpo — who played
missioner, would prefer to And at this time, that means basketball this season,” Silver still in the process of formu- through a knee injury in the
see Irving vaccinated. vaccinated. Silver would not said. lating what would be the best series — was the easy choice
disclose if he has spoken with proposal for all concerned,” as NBA Finals MVP.
Silver said Monday he hopes Irving directly, but made his In other matters Silver dis- Silver said.
Irving — one of the few play- stance clear. cussed Monday: And if that wasn’t enough,
ers in the league who has not — Silver said the league’s $10 — Expansion will be a serious the story might have gotten
yet chosen to be vaccinated “There’s nothing fair about billion revenue projection for topic again, “at some point,” even happier for Bucks fans
— changes his mind before this virus,” Silver said. “It’s 2021-22 is based on having Silver said. Seattle is a city two months later when Ante-
long and clears a path to get indiscriminate in terms of full arenas all season. He said the league is eyeing, but the tokounmpo announced that
back on the floor with the who it impacts. And I think the league missed revenue league won’t look at grow- he’s just getting started.
Nets. it’s perfectly appropriate that projections by about 35% last ing past the current 30 teams
New York and other cities season, largely because arenas until it is “fully through the “I don’t care about tro-
“I would like to see our play- have passed laws that require were not filled for much of pandemic and know that phies. I don’t care about the
ers vaccinated, because I people who both work and the year. we’re back operating on all MVP’s. I don’t care about
think it’s a public service of visit arenas to be vaccinated. cylinders.” defensive player of the years.
sorts, particularly to young That seems to be a respon- — There still are no reso- All those things, I don’t
people who might not see the sible public-health decision.” lutions to league investiga- Some other storylines enter- care,“Antetokounmpo said.
value of getting vaccinated,” tions into the sign-and-trade ing the 2021-22 season: “I care about getting better
Silver said on the eve of the About 96% of NBA players deals that sent Lonzo Ball to because I know if I do that,
league’s 75th anniversary sea- have been vaccinated, Silver Chicago and Kyle Lowry to The last time there was an there’s more things coming.”
son, the third to be impacted said. That means that about Miami this summer. The in- NBA contest that mattered,
by the coronavirus pandemic, 20, or less than one per team vestigations are trying to de- Giannis Antetokounmpo The Bucks will try to become
on average, are not. Anyone termine if the Bulls or Heat picked the perfect time to the first Eastern Conference
Irving cannot play for the working games in proximity broke league rules by making have the game of his life. team to win back-to-back
Nets in large part because of to players this season, from contact with the players be- NBA titles since Miami in
rules unique to New York referees to stat-crew employ- fore the NBA’s negotiating His numbers: 50 points, 14 2012 and 2013.