By all accounts, Yankees manager Aaron Boone received plenty of props from his players after he lambasted home plate umpire Brennan Miller during the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader vs. the Rays.
The players, however, weren’t alone.
According to a report in the New York Post, owner Hal Steinbrenner was also impressed with the fury his manager displayed after Boone thought the Yankees were getting the short end of the stick on some strike calls.
Post columnist Joel Sherman referred to George Steinbrenner’s penchant for seeing his managers -- most notably Billy Martin and Lou Piniella -- giving umpires a mouth full when they weren’t pleased with a call. Martin and Piniella, of course, wouldn’t hesitate to kick dirt or throw things if the situation called for it as well.
Boone didn’t kick or throw anything Thursday, but his profanity-laced tirade was recorded by a mic and on Friday, the second-year manager was suspended for a game.
Didn’t matter much to Hal Steinbrenner.
“(The tirade) shows that he is one with his players,” Steinbrenner told The Post. “He is there with them and for them, step by step throughout this season. As any good leader would, and should, be. Aaron is a good leader.”