Kay: "To be brutally honest, you don’t know where it ends. Players’ fault, coaches’ fault, manager’s fault — but when it continues to happen, it’s not reflecting well on Boone."

When Boone is screaming at his coaches, it's over.

When the Yankees fall into third, it's over.

When Giancarlo starts shagging flies, it's over.

When sportswriters start reevaluating past Yankee trades, it's over.

When a Yankee manager has lost Michael Kay, it's over. 

Insert sigh here... 

There's a song by John Melencamp, that goes, "This may not be the end of the world, but you can see it from here." 

He should be a Yankee fan.

Honestly, it's too soon to pronounce a season as over. Remember Phil Linz and his harmonica? But maybe I'm not talking about the 2025 Yankees. I'm talking about the legacy, the mystique, the history that once made us the greatest sports team in the world. 

 

Our current descent into third traces back to the winter of 2017, right here in Miami. It began with the trade for Giancarlo Stanton's contract, a deal that has defined the Yankees for nearly a decade, just as our deadline moves this week will confine and cramp us into the distant future. 

Baseball is a young man's game, and we are always on the old side.

And trouble is coming. You can hear thunder in the distance. In a spate of recent meetings with teams, it's becoming clear that the Commissioner of Baseball and the players' union will go into nuclear war over the planned initiation of a payroll cap. This would enrich already infinitely wealthy owners - including the House of Steinbrenner - while destroying the Yankees. 

Let's face it: If we're spending $300 million for a third-place team, imagine where we'll be if payrolls are capped. 

So, yesterday, Michael Kay - the ultimate YES man - dropped a dime on Aaron Boone's management - or lack, thereof - of the Yankees. 

We are entering uncharted waters. See those storm clouds? They're coming our way.