Hour 1: Bring Boone Back

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And a good afternoon, everybody. This is indeed the Michael Kay Show. We thank you for joining us on this October 20th of Tuesday, 2026 Me and you for two. Those are the rules of engagement of the fastest moving two-hours-in-sports talk radio. And it's fast moving because of you, my esteemed co-host. The number is 1-800-919-3776 to join the band. The Knicks tonight, the great off season finally ends. And there's a bit of melancholy about it. When they put that banner up tonight at the Garden, that will be it. Then it's on to the next. Then let's see you do it again. There have not been that many teams in New York sports history that have repeated. You got the Yankees, you got the Islanders, you got the Giants way back in the 20s. There aren't many others. It just doesn't happen. So this officially caps what was a wondrous stretch for the Knicks, an unbelievable stretch in the post season, the ticker tape parade, all the things that happened during the off season. And now we start another year as they try to win another one, win back to back. And most of the prognosticators in the NBA are saying that that's probably not going to be the case. They had the Knicks coming out of the East, but they think the Knicks would be stopped by OKC or by San Antonio. And it's a good thing. Now the Knicks could use that as a little bit of a, a little bit of a motivational tool. Nobody believes in us. We won a championship. We rolled over everyone, including the mighty San Antonio Spurs. And still nobody believes in us. Essentially the same team, except for Mitchell Robinson. Then they replaced him with Andre Drummond. Now Drummond does some things that Mitchell Robinson doesn't do. But Mitchell Robinson does things like, with his amazing rebounding skill and protecting the rim, that Drummond is not as good at. But otherwise it's the same team coming back. So 7 p.m., the Knicks raise the banner, they get their rings to open their season against LeBron James and the 76ers at Madison Square Garden. Coverage begins at 6 p.m. That'll be right here on 880 Espn. 7 p.m., the Devils host the Avalanche at the Prudential Center. And 7 p.m., the Islanders host the Ducks at UBS Arena. It's funny, tonight, or today, is the start of the NBA season. So the first game's gonna be 3 p.m. from across the pond. And then the Knicks will start their game at seven. And from everything that I'm seeing and reading and being told, the ceremony to raise the banner and give out the rings will begin promptly at 6.30. Yesterday, after we got off the air, it was reported first by Pete Caldera, who's covered the Yankees forever, that Aaron Boone was indeed going to be coming back as the manager of the Yankees. And when I heard it, I said, boy, they're gonna be a lot of Yankee fans that are not pleased. And this was the likely outcome from the very beginning. The Yankees do not usually get rid of people in the middle of a contract. They just don't. And they weren't going to do it in this time. Joe Torre, 12 seasons, they talked about another contract. They did not give him as much as he was making. He said, no, I'm good, I'm out. And then ended up taking the Dodger job. Joe Girardi took a team that was, quote unquote, rebuilding and took it to game seven of the ALCS against the Astros, an Astro team that later admitted to cheating the entire season. And he was let go, although he desperately wanted to stay. And then the Yankees, after an exhaustive search, ended up signing Aaron Boone out of the ESPN broadcast booth to be their manager. And the 2027 season will be the 10th season of his managerial career with the Yankees. He's done everything you possibly want a guy to do during the regular season. He has not done what you want a Yankee manager to do, and that is win a World Series. He's been to one, been to a couple of ALCSs, but one World Series and they lost in five games. But Yankee fans were so upset, and I understand why they were. They were screaming it was all about Boone, that he didn't know how to manage in the postseason. And you just knew that with the lockout coming up, it didn't make much sense for the Yankees to make a change. And by that, I mean when December 1st hits and the players are locked out, no one from the team will be able to have any kind of a connection, a conversation, a correspondence with any of the players. Any of them. Not one. Not a thing can be said. Not even a phone call. Hey, how you doing? You are not allowed to reach out. In fact, they put guidelines out that you could send a Christmas card, but I believe that it has to be sent out before December 1st. That's how maniacal this is going to be. So, if you got rid of Boone, and you brought in a new manager, and let's say that manager was hired tomorrow, that would be October 21st. He would be able to talk to players until December 1st. And we don't even know how the team is going to turn out. We don't know who they're going to acquire, who they're going to tender, who they're going to give qualifying offers to. We have no idea whatsoever. It's amazing because once the lockout occurs, you cannot even talk to a player about their medical concerns if they're rehabbing from an injury. So, as of December 1st, the Yankees will not be able to check in on Clark Schmitt, who tried to come back from Tommy John surgery, didn't get too far, felt some pain. And before December 1st, doctors are going to lay out some kind of plan for him, but the Yankees will not be able to monitor it. They will not be able to visit him. They will not be able to coordinate any kind of rehabs or anything like that. So, any team that's going to bring in a new manager is going to be at a distinct disadvantage. Because managers during the off season, they talk a lot with the players on their roster. Sometimes they travel to see them. That is not going to be the case. So, maybe the Yankees, and again, I have no information whatsoever. It took me by surprise. This is what I assumed was going to happen. I didn't think there was going to be a change. I don't think there's going to be a change with Brian Cashman either. This is what I assumed was going to happen. And any team that brings in a new manager is going to be decidedly behind the eight ball. And they know that with Boone, he knows the players inside out. They have a great relationship. So, there's nothing that he actually really touch in with them about. So, they are not going to be working on that disadvantage. So, when you hire a new manager, if you're a team, like the Seattle Mariners are interviewing for a manager.