When the Yankees opened the season last week against the Red Sox on YES, one of its top analysts, Paul O’Neill, was noticeably absent.
On Monday night, O’Neill made his season debut on the Yankees-Blue Jays game, broadcasting from his home in Ohio while Michael Kay and David Cone were in the booth at Yankee Stadium.
It was awkward.
YES officially said O’Neill’s work-from-home setup was because the Yankees legend had “family issues,” which leads to the question:
If that is the full reason for O’Neill not traveling to The Bronx, then why did YES have him broadcast at all?
The larger issue involves O’Neill’s COVID-19 vaccine status. O’Neill is not vaccinated, according to sources.
If nothing changes, there is something even bigger than a broadcast that could be potentially impacted.
On Aug. 21, the Yankees are
set to retire O’Neill’s No. 21 at Yankee Stadium. Even if unvaccinated, a ceremony probably could still happen, but it most likely would not include any current players and could be tamped down.