Aaron Boone’s media home is secure through the entire MLB season, with the New York Yankees manager agreeing to re-up with Jomboy Media.
Boone ditched traditional radio interviews for weekly spots with Jomboy Media’s Talkin’ Yanks podcast in 2023, where he’s interviewed by hosts and Yankees fans Jimmy O’Brien (Jomboy) and Jake Storiale. And both parties recently spoke to Newsday about agreeing to continue their media partnership for the upcoming Major League Baseball season.
“I’ve enjoyed it,” Boone admitted to Newsday. “It’s amazing how many people come up to me and ask me about it. Like, ‘Oh I love the Jomboy stuff.’ I get asked about it or comments about it a lot.”
Prior to joining Jomboy Media, Boone had deals for weekly spots with Mike Francesa and WFAN, and later on ESPN New York with Michael Kay. Francesa and Kay were both apt to ask Boone tough questions when warranted, but the less formal conversations with O’Brien and Storiale, who don’t hide their fandom, have a different feel. On the radio, Boone may have been on the phone with Francesa or Kay for 15 minutes. On Talkin’ Yanks, he’s more likely to do 45 minutes on camera, which can often produce interesting exchanges.
“What I say is at the core, they’re really good guys that love our team and love the game,” Boone told Newsday. “Sometimes they’re times in the years when it gets a little confrontational or whatever. At the core, they’re good guys. They’re pretty easy to talk to and reason with. Sometimes I say I’ve got to slap them down a little bit. They get a little too expert. They think they’re the expert sometimes. But I really like those guys.”
“It’s different than a fan yelling from the stands anonymously,” Boone continued. “They’ve got to sit there face-to-face and ask the question. So I do think they are absolutely representing and getting some of the heartbeat of the fanbase and some of that in questions. It’s an opportunity for me to address that.”
The vibe shift from radio was on full display last season, when Boone had a heated exchange with O’Brien and Storiale. During an episode of Talkin’ Yanks last July, the hosts pressed Aaron Boone on whether he was being “too big of a shield” for struggling Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe. It led to a viral back-and-forth where fans were satisfied because the Yankees manager was being asked the questions they want to hear, and Boone was satisfied because he was able to “slap them down a little bit.”
“Last year we felt like…the conversations got to the point that we wanted them to be, and we hoped they would be,” O’Brien told Newsday after noting they’re excited about continuing the partnership with Boone. “I think maybe it took three years to get there or it took the right season that had a mix of good and bad to kind of hit all angles.”
It’s not all fiery between Aaron Boone and the Talkin’ Yanks hosts. They have their share of fun or lighthearted banter as well. And it’s the balance that seems to be making this partnership work. Three years ago, it was considered unorthodox for Boone to join a podcast instead of a market one radio station for his weekly media hits. But credit Boone for buying into the partnership and being willing to open up more than he previously had on radio.