Yankees manager Aaron Boone discusses vaccine mandates, baseball returning to normalcy
TAMPA, Fla. -- Vaccine mandates are still a very hot topic for the Yankees down at their spring training complex in Tampa, Florida.
With several players reportedly not vaccinated, it could limit the number of games they can play.
Owner Hal Steinbrenner spoke Wednesday and repeated that team president Randy Levine was working with City Hall on the vaccine mandate issue that could see unvaccinated players miss all games at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone reiterated that when he spoke one-on-one with CBS2's Otis Livingston.
"If and when a time comes that, you know, we have to be start being strategic about things, so be it, but for right now, my focus is on trying to get our club ready for April 7," Boone said.
One thing Boone was able to address was the return to baseball after the long lockout.
"How difficult was that for you, and frustrating, not to be able to talk to your players during that off-season time?" Livingston asked.
"Yeah, it was really difficult. I missed just the human connection and personal relationships that I have with our players," Boone said. "When the news broke, I was actually driving on the highway. I started honking my horn, and I was in the car by myself, kinda yelling and screaming."
For the first time in over two years, the media has been allowed back into the Major League clubhouses as the COVID restrictions loosen. Believe it or not, Boone is just as happy as we are.
"There's a rhythm to the season. There's a cadence to baseball, and a lot of that has been missing the last couple of years," Boone said. "Getting to address the media in person is something that I appreciate. It allows you to connect from a human standpoint much better. But yeah, I do like seeing them back in our clubhouse."
But as we know, it always comes down to winning, bringing title number 28 to the Bronx. It's something that's eluded Boone in his four seasons at the helm.
"We've been knocking on the door. We've had varying degrees of success in the post-season. Ultimately, though, we've gone home disappointed. We're trying our best to change that and hopefully put ourselves in position to have another shot at it by season's end," Boone said.
It's Steinbrenner's job to get the players and Boone's job to manage them and make them a World Series contender.