Bob Boone, a Vice-President with the Washington Nationals since 2005, has departed the club because he refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The Nationals are one of the few MLB teams which requires all its employees to be vaccinated.
Boone is, of course, the father of New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone who has been vaccinated. Boone's elder son Bret had a distinguished playing career while his father Ray played MLB with several teams as an infielder in the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's.
I will always associate Bob Boone with the Philadelphia Phillies especially when they won their first World Series title in 1980. Boone was one of the greatest defensive catchers in MLB history winning 7 Gold Gloves - two with the Phillies, four with the California Angels and one with the Kansas City Royals. His credentials certainly are deserving of consideration of Cooperstown, but that's another story. He would later manage the Royals as well as the Cincinnati Reds before joining the Nats' front office.
Boone has spent more than 50 years of his life in MLB. I cannot imagine why not being vaccinated is more important to him than working in baseball.
Given that I remember Boone from my childhood I tend to think him of as an adult who would have more sense. After all wasn't he vaccinated against polio as a child? But I am slowly learning that this isn't the case and being an adult isn't the same thing as being grown up.
I'm even sadder to believe that Boone is far from alone in having this attitude. It's just the Nationals don't view vaccines as a matter of choice. Given that other teams aren't taking a more fervent line I wonder how many more Bob Boones, John Smoltzes and Al Leiters there are out there.
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