SARASOTA, Fla. — Yankees manager Aaron Boone will be without his spring training roommate for at least 11 days beginning March 1 when bench coach Brad Ausmus leaves Tampa to manage Israel for the third time in the World Baseball Classic.
This departure will be noticed in Yankees camp because Ausmus is in charge of setting up the daily spring training schedule for activities on all four fields.
“It’s a little bit of a bummer leaving the guys and leaving camp, but the WBC is a lot of fun,” Ausmus sad before the Yankees’ 2-0 loss to the Orioles in Friday’s Graperuit League opener.. “It’s high energy in the stadium with 30,000 people in the stands for certain games. It’s a playoff atmosphere.”
Ausmus, who turns 57 in April, is in his third season with the Yankees after 18 years as a major-league catcher, which included three Gold Gloves and one All-Star selection. Post-playing days, he’s managed the Tigers (2014-17) and Angels (2019) and also was field executive for the Padres (2011-13), a special GM assistant for the Angels (2018-19) and coached for the Athletics (2022) before joining Boone’s staff.
“We’ve gotten really close, so I trust him” Boone said. “We enjoy hanging out and talking the game because we played in similar times. He’s got a ton of experience. Obviously, he was one of the outstanding catchers of our generation. That experience, coupled with he’s been in the front office and managed a couple different places, he’s been there, seen it all. To have that next to me is really valuable.”
Ausmus is featured today in NJ.com’s daily spring training “favorites” questionnaire:
Teenage celebrity crush: Kristy McNichol.
Childhood sports hero: Jim Rice.
Favorite movie: Good Will Hunting.
Favorite actor: Denzel Washington.
Favorite actress: Jennifer Aniston.
Favorite musical artist: Walker Hayes.
Favorite musical group: Hootie & the Blowfish.
Best little league memory: I hit an inside-the-park homer, missed third base and was tagged out in the dugout.
Favorite zoo animal: Gorillas.
Favorite non-MLB teams: None. I used to be a Chargers season-ticket holder before they left San Diego.
Best sports besides baseball: Basketball. I was a drive-and-jump guy.
Favorite road city: Chicago.
Favorite ballpark: Wrigley Field (Chicago).
Toughest pitchers to face: Kevin Brown and John Smoltz.
One rule change I’d make if I were commissioner: I’d have an international world championship every year between the World Series champion and Japan’s champion.
Favorite holiday: Thanksgiving.
Favorite cartoon: Tom and Jerry.
Favorite toy as child: Baseball glove.
Favorite childhood family vacation: Cape Cod, Mass. My parents would rent a cottage there.
Dream vacation: Any warm island.
Favorite subject in school: Study hall.
Favorite video game: Call of Duty.
Favorite meal: Italian.
Favorite candy: Haribo Goldbears. They are gummy bears, but it has to be Haribo.
Favorite snack: Dark chocolate.
Favorite soft drink: Coca-Cola.
Favorite ice cream flavor: Chocolate
Food won’t eat: I eat most everything, but I usually ask without tomatoes.
Favorite TV station/streaming network: Netflix.
Hobbies: Surfing in San Diego and pickleball.
3 living or dead people you’d invite to dinner: Jackie Robinson, John F. Kennedy and Julius Caesar.
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YANKEES’ FAVORITES SERIES
— Feb. 12: Aaron Boone
— Feb. 13: Jazz Chisholm
— Feb. 14: Tim Hill
— Feb. 15: Amed Rosario
— Feb. 16: Clarke Schmidt
— Feb. 17: Jake Bird
— Feb. 18: Max Fried
— Feb. 19: Spencer Jones
— Feb. 20: Ryan Yarbrough
— Feb. 21: Brad Ausmus