Hour 1: Craig Blasts 'Selfish' Aaron Judge Over Yankees Injury Drama

Craig Carton (0:06)

It's The Carton Show with Big Mac on a gorgeous Thursday afternoon in New York City. Phone number to join, as always, 1-888-808-1019.

Got a great show for you today. Obviously more fallout from the Jackson Darts stuff. And the big storm coming into town. We are looking at a half empty Medlife Stadium.

That's happening this weekend, as we've got a Nor'easter coming into town. But there's a Civil War happening right now in the Boogie Down. Aaron Judge and Aaron Boone are not on the same page. And I'm here for all of it. Good afternoon, Big Mac. How are you today?

Chris McMonigle (0:49)

I'm doing well, Craig.

Craig Carton (0:50)

No, you're not doing well because your microphone is not on.

I'd flip over to this bad boy if you don't mind. That'll make people happy. You're sitting nice and close to me. Get in cheering on the hook, please, there, big fella. And let's see if this one works.

Chris McMonigle (1:03)

Well, I'm sure it does.

Chris McMonigle (1:04)

And I was just telling him, I'm like, it sounds like my mic's not up.

Chris McMonigle (1:06)

Yeah, my mic's not on. Now your mic's on.

Chris McMonigle (1:09)

Now my mic is on.

Craig Carton (1:10)

You're a diehard Yankee fan, so here's...

Chris McMonigle (1:11)

I am!

Craig Carton (1:12)

Lowest hanging fruit is this. Aaron Boone said, can't see how Aaron Judge plays in the wild card round. Aaron Judge says, I'm playing in the wild card round.

Someone needs to remind Aaron Judge, who's very selfish right now, that he is an employee of the New York Yankees. He does not own the New York Yankees. He does not run the New York Yankees.

He'll play if he's told he's playing. He's not playing because he told us that he's playing in the wild card round, because he's probably not.

Chris McMonigle (1:44)

Yeah, I mean, look, I don't know about that. If he tells them he wants to play and he's ready to play, I'd be surprised if he's not at least on the playoff roster with an opportunity to play. But here's what I'll say about your first things, because I think there are multiple conversations about Aaron Judge. But first and foremost, the one that's really been making a lot of news is his unhappiness with the manager.

Craig Carton (2:04)

Get over it.

Chris McMonigle (2:04)

You're an employee. I get it. And I'm with you on some level. Like, I'm with you. It is ridiculous how discreet he wants the Yankees to be about his injuries. You can't say anything. Last night when told, you know, and said, well, what's the injury? Because you know, Aaron Boone referred to it as a moderate strain. Well, I don't know why he used those words. You don't know why he used those words because he's in front of the media every day, Aaron, and it's one thing to defend you or defend jazz or defend a player on an error or a misplay in the outfield or whatever the case, but he's got to stand there every day and be asked, well, what's the injury? What's the injury? And go, what?

Like you're either going to sound like an idiot or a liar. Like he said moderate. This is the lengths that Judge will go.

And it speaks to how the Yankees have handled his injuries. We don't know anything about it. We don't know when he's going to get imaging. We don't know what the imaging says. We don't know what the injury is. We don't know the level of grade on the strain. We don't know anything because Judge refuses. And if you slip up in the slightest, he will publicly say, I don't know why he said that.

Craig Carton (3:07)

Yeah, but it's weird because there's no advantage to him to have Aaron Boone or the Yankees be mom. And by the way, we just dealt with this for a day and a half.

We're Jackson Dart and the Giants. It drives fan bases crazy not to have information.

Chris McMonigle (3:22)

Right.

Craig Carton (3:22)

And if you told me there was an upside to keeping it close to the vest, like a competitive advantage, we accept that. But there's no competitive advantage.

Chris McMonigle (3:31)

No.

Craig Carton (3:32)

Being pissed off yesterday that Aaron Boone, and by the way, let me just give people an understanding of this. A manager of a baseball team talks three times a day every single day.

Chris McMonigle (3:44)

Every day.

Craig Carton (3:45)

Three times. They've got to do the radio broadcast interview.

They do the beat reporter interview before the game. And then of course, the beat reporters again after the game.