Steinbrenner blames Yankees players for lack of World Series title, defends Boone and Cashman

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner blamed New York's players for the team's failure to win the World Series and defended manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman.

"I thought Boone managed a good season, especially with the pitching staff, " Steinbrenner remarked Wednesday. "The bottom line is the players didn't live up to their end of the bargain in the playoffs."

New York has gone 17 seasons without a World Series title. That matches the Yankees' longest drought since winning their first championship in 1923, a gap between titles in 1978 and '96.

"If we don't win a championship while I'm here, I'm sure that will be a frontline story of it all and how people think of me and how a fanbase reacts, " Boone remarked. "I understand that."

Steinbrenner spoke alongside Cashman during a joint Zoom news conference from team's spring training ballpark in Tampa, Florida, and Boone followed with a video news conference from Yankee Stadium.

For now, steinbrenner blames Yankees players for lack of World Series title, defends Boone remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.