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Debrief on the 2026 Yankees · OneLegUpAlex Media

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Here's your host, Alex Garrett. All right. It's time for
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: the debrief. The one that I want to really break
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: down in a few minutes' time because I broke it
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: down with Lou Terminello a little bit, but while I
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: have a second here and I want to be out
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: of here by 9 p.m. Eastern from the studios in
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Manhattan and be back home in Queens, but I have
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: a moment to just reflect with you. here at One
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: League of Alex Media. And what I want to say
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: is the fact that, as I talk with Lou Terminello,
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: but the fact that Aaron Judge has Aaron Boone's back
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: is major. When the star captain, the star player, and
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: probably Major League Baseball star, has your back, that means
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: you're doing something good. And there is no doubt that
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: Aaron Boone's 90-plus win season without Aaron Judge, without Giancarlo,
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: with an injured belly here and there, Trent Grisham not 100%.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: And adjusting well to Volpe at second and Lombard at short,
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: I'd say... and an incredible pitching staff, I'd say to
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: keep the Yanks at 94 wins was really incredible. Could
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: have been a lot worse. But what can be done
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: to change the fundamentals and the thinking? And I will
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: not stop stressing this. A week ago tonight, when the
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: Rays were playing the Yanks and the Yanks were fumbling
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: around the ball like it was you know hate to
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: say scataboo fumbling the ball against Washington but that's what
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: it felt like five errors five ease from the Yankees
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: that felt like game five of the 2024 World Series
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: fifth inning specifically It was that poor of an inning.
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: And that changed the entire series. You could say Rasmussen
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: was dominant, but I guess the Guardians found a way
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: to get to him last night. You could say Wells
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  Speaker 1: should have stayed in second, and he probably should have.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: But there's a fundamental thing and thinking that has been
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: lost recently. 17 seasons have now gone by. I started
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: this radio show, podcast, online radio back in 2009 when
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: the Yanks were on this very path of a playoff run.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: Dave Robertson saved the Yanks by getting out of that
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: bases loaded jam against the Twins and they never looked back.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: They never looked back. 17 seasons later, they don't look
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: like a fundamentally sound team. Now, is that Boone's fault?
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: Is that analytics' fault? Is it the players' fault? Or
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: can it be a collective? Look, Aaron Boone can't play
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: all nine positions. But he can look at who's riding
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: the better bat, who's got the better fielding. And Anthony
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Volpe should have been in second base games 1 and
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: 2 and 3. I was voice noting everybody out of
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: the sun. Where the F is Volpe? I was saying that.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Last week at this time in game 2. And he
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: was nowhere to be found. Except for game 3. And
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: the fan interference screw up. was just the final mark
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: of a horrible, horrible series. And Volpe hit that same
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: spot with the Grand Slam in 24 in the World Series.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: But you have a healthy pitching staff, and by goodness, Kershaw, Scherzer,
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: and Verlander Probably are all going to be gone. I
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: know Scherzer hasn't officially announced it yet. But by goodness.
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: If there was ever a time. To pray to father time.
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: That Rodan and Cole get to stay on this line.
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: Rotation for another year. Try another season. Or two. Now's
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: the time. As these old school pitchers are retiring. And
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: the new schoolers like Cam and Miz and the Dodgers
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: down 2-0, by the way. Dodgers down 2-0 to the
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: Brew Crew with the series going to L.A. All they
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: need to do is take one of two in L.A.,
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: clinch it home, and the Brewers are the World Series,
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: I believe, for the first time since 1982. But that
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: could be a very long series still. But imagine having
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: the Dodgers... On the ropes. I'll get to that in
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: a second. I'll get to that in a second. I
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: can't blame Cashman. For this. Because he was the one
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  Speaker 1: that said let's call up Volpe. And boy was that
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  Speaker 1: a good move. Boy did that save our butts. And
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  Speaker 1: putting him in second. That's our infield. In 2027. Lombard
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: and Volpe should be the infield. Look. Jazz seems like
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  Speaker 1: a cool dude. He's got a great foundation, but he's
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  Speaker 1: just not playing Yankee baseball. McMahon at third, you know,
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: he was starting to hit a little bit when he
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: was healthy. And Austin Wells, I don't know what happened
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  Speaker 1: behind the plate this year. I think Ben Rice, Ben
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: Rice is good at DH. He should not be trying
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: to catch her. I thought he'd be great, but Now,
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  Speaker 1: you've got to keep his 40 home run intact for 2027.
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: You've got to. Goldschmidt, I don't know what they do
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  Speaker 1: with him. Grisham, are we really going to bring him back?
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: I don't think so. $ 22 million, and he strikes out
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  Speaker 1: a lot. And he did not have the best postseason either.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: but the fundamentals. That's where we got to hone in on.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: You can have all the personnel in the world, but
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: if they're throwing the ball away or they're not running
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  Speaker 1: the right way, who's that on? And I do feel
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: like that's on leadership. I do feel like That's on
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  Speaker 1: Boone being too much of a player's player. Okay, you
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: have Aaron Judge's back and you took this team to
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: 94 wins without Aaron Judge most of the year. That's
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: flipping impressive. So build off that. Get tighter with the fundamentals.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: That's where I think Boone's managerial poise... needs to sharpen.
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  Speaker 1: He had 100 wins... in 17... and I think 18... no...
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  Speaker 1: in 18 and 19. He was one of the first managers...
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: if not the first... to do back-to-back years of 100 wins.
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  Speaker 1: He is good when he manages from his gut. But
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: there is a difference... between being a player's manager... and
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  Speaker 1: a manager manager. You can have all the guys' backs,
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: and you can be respected in the clubhouse, and that's major.
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: I agree. It's major. Aaron Boone is supported by Judge.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: I agree. But he's got to be a manager's manager.
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: He's got to still hold his guys accountable. Remember when
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: Glaber didn't run out the ball and he benched him?
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: That was pretty ballsy. He's got to act from that.
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  Speaker 1: He can't sit there. And by the way, Boone's getting older. Like,
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: you can just tell this job has aged him. And
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: another elimination in the ALDS probably doesn't help. Second one
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: against the Rays. I know the first one was during
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: COVID era. But second one against the Rays. They, of course,
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  Speaker 1: lost to the Blue Jays last year. This didn't look
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: like a team that had quote unquote unfinished business. And
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: who is that the fault of? You can blame it
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: on all the coaches you want. Ausmus. And the likes.
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  Speaker 1: But I highly believe. Here on October 13th. 2026. I
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: highly believe. That the fault also lies. With the manager.
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: He will keep his job. And that's going to be
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: what it is. And he's a decent guy. But if
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: he's going to keep this job. Unless the Yanks pull
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: a surprise move once the World Series is done. I
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: don't know what's going to happen there. But the fundamentals
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: are on a manager's plate. Are they not? They're on
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: the manager's plate to get right. to punish if they
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: don't look good on the field. You could have a
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: Volpe in game two at some point when you saw
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: Jazz struggling. I don't know. But that five-error disaster a
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: week ago tonight showed me and the world And Yankee
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  Speaker 1: rep BX community. That these fundamentals. Have not been fixed
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: at all. Since two years ago. When they lost to
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: the Dodgers. In the World Series. And as Lou mentioned Saturday.
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: The scouting report always tells us. Tells these opponents. Hey
• 12:16
  Speaker 1: they're going to make mistakes. Guys. Guys. The Yankees used
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: to be a feared organization, a feared team. You did
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: not want to come to Yankee Stadium to play the
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: Yankees because you knew it would be tough or game over.
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  Speaker 1: Now they're being scouted as, oh, they're going to make mistakes.
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  Speaker 1: So if Boone's going to keep the job for another season,
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  Speaker 1: if Boone's going to keep the job for another season,
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  Speaker 1: the first task on the list aside from From putting
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  Speaker 1: Volpe at second. Permanently. Is to get his team together.
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  Speaker 1: And practice the fundies even more. That's what he's got
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  Speaker 1: to do. And I have to believe they're keeping him.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe on a short leash. Because the next year. His
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: contract is expired. So maybe he's on a shorter leash
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  Speaker 1: than we think. But the series versus the Rays and
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: the fact that we went from scoring nine runs, two days,
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: 18 runs in two days, nine runs a game in
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: the wild card to that is alarming in and of itself.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: It's alarming in and of itself. But that's because Anthony
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  Speaker 1: Volpe wasn't in the lineup. That's what I believe. He
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  Speaker 1: should have been in there for games one, two, and three.
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  Speaker 1: In a short series, you play like it's a short series. Now,
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to turn my attention real fast to what's
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: going on in the NL and ALCS. The ALCS, I'm
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: getting heat a little bit from one friend that I'm
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: raised up against the Guardians. Because the Dodgers may be
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: down 2-0 now, but we know a Robertson. And we
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  Speaker 1: know the Dodgers, they can lock in at any time
• 14:26
  Speaker 1: and make a comeback against the Brewers. If they don't,
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: if the Brewers can really win 3-1, go up 3-1
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  Speaker 1: in LA, and come back and clinch it, that's a
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  Speaker 1: story right there. That's a story. That is a dethroning
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  Speaker 1: of not only the world champion or the national league champion,
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  Speaker 1: but the world champion, the The supposed dynasty. And it
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  Speaker 1: would preserve the Yankees three-peat, would it not? Would it not?
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: So why the Rays? Well, firstly, as you probably heard
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: on this podcast, I did get to meet Chandler Simpson.
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: Kudos to Billy the Bat Boy for pointing me in
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: his direction at the MLBPA Palacios event. And I did
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: meet Richie. And yeah, they both killed the Yanks this year.
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: Chandler Simpson in a career year. But you know what?
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: A decent human being. And if I could say I
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: had a World Series champion on my podcast, how cool
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: is that? From the 2026 World Series? How cool would
• 15:37
  Speaker 1: that be? And thanks to the MLBPA again for having
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: me out last November. But how cool would that be? See,
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: I have a little personal interest in this. Not just
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: because I think the Rays could be the overall team
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: to knock off a three-peat. But because... Two of the
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: guys were very nice to me. And though I don't
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: like how they freaking celebrate on our field, not them particularly,
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: but like... Caminero and Diaz, like... Just take the win
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  Speaker 1: and go to the locker room and do the champagne there, bro.
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: You're not at home. And if that sweeping motion... does
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: not fire the Yankees up to knock off the Rays
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: 9 out of 12 games next year, I don't know
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: what other motivation you need. I don't know what other
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: motivation you need. If I was watching that sweeping motion
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: from the dugout like the Yankees were, bro, I would
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: be fired up to take out the Rays in 2027
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: and be like, we're taking you down this year. But
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: I don't know if they had that fight in them.
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: I really thought they were going to come into the
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: year and avenge what happened to them in the 2025
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: ALDS versus the Jays. I really thought the Yanks were
• 17:28
  Speaker 1: going to do that. But they didn't. Anyway, the Guardians
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: are up 1-0 and that's interesting too because if they
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: go up 2-0 after going... being down 0-2, winning the
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: next three games, that'll be five in a row. Five
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: in a row in the season. And that's a run.
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: Days apart, I don't care. That's a run. And if
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: J-Ram and Gavin Williams can lead this team to the
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: World Series, maybe they do have a shot against the Dodgers.
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: Or Brewers. And Milwaukee, man. Jackson Churio. Yellich. Who's captain,
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: by the way. First ever Brewers captain. Bryce Terang. Now,
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: I gave Terang some crap last year because he didn't
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: wear it in that pivotal at-bat against the Dodgers, and
• 18:43
  Speaker 1: he ended up striking out, and the Dodgers go on
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: to the World Series. But boy, has he come back stronger,
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: hasn't he? Boy, has he come back stronger. And what
• 18:56
  Speaker 1: a way the Brewers have done this. What a way
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: Pat Murphy has done this to cornerstone with the Miz.
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: He's your ace. He's your guy. He's your everything right now.
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: And he's got that city so pumped up, you could
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: just tell from the TV screen how pumped up he's gotten.
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: And the Brewers won 7-4. They're scoring against this pitching.
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: Wilson Contreras, Jake Bowers, and by the way, him and Sanchez,
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: two former Yankees on this team. I believe Dougie Hamilton.
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: I mean, all these guys. And if they do beat
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: the Dodgers, then I will say on this podcast that
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: 101 win season is not a fluke. And by the way,
• 20:01
  Speaker 1: what rhymes with fluke? Uke. I believe the spirit of
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: Bob Uker is with this team right now. Pat Murphy
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: read a Statement by... A letter by... By Bob Uger.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: He supposedly wrote... For them in the postseason. So he's
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: with them in spirit, man. And... I would love it.
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: I think we all would love it. If a team
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: that has to rely on deferred payments... To pay their guys?
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: Because they're paying them millions and half a million and
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: basically have a billion? Like, really? And their owner is
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: in the hot water right now? God, for them to
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: fall from grace and be ousted from the NLCS would
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: be unbelievable. I would root for the Brewers just to
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: see that story have an ending like that. And I'll
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: tell you a funny Bob Uecker story while I have
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: you here real quick. After a Dynamets dash one Sunday
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: afternoon at Shea Stadium, Bob Uecker came up to my
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: dad and I, or we went to say hello to
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: him or however it worked out, and he says to me, Oh,
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: I saw you were on the bases there well, young fella.
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: And of course I had very long hair at the time.
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: And so I say, I'm a boy. Because I thought
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: Philemon girl. And he laughed. And he laughed. He also
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: signed my book of wit. Which we probably got up
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: at Yankee Stadium one of the years. So yeah, I'm...
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: I'm personally intrigued by the Rays because of my connections
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: there that I got to meet. But I would love
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: to see the Brewers, see the... See them win it all.
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: That's why I got a Brew Crew shirt from Fanatics.
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: A Miz shirt from Fanatics. And I'll drop that link
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: for you right now. Mizoroski shirts on sale at Fanatics
• 22:27
  Speaker 1: right now. This podcast affiliate powered by Fanatics. Check it
• 22:34
  Speaker 1: out in the description below. But that's my debrief. not
• 22:43
  Speaker 1: starting Volpe, and not honing in on fundamentals. Those are
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: the two big changes for the Yankees that need to
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: happen in 2027. I love Volpe at second. I love
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: Barnett short. And I would love it if we didn't
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: make five errors on the big stage in the postseason
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: moving forward. And Nat... is what Aaron Boone needs to
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: change if he's going to be in this very hot
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: managerial seat in 2027. And that's my message at One
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: Leg Up Alex Media.