Yankees' Old-Timers' Day makes it even more obvious: Current team does not compare

The Yankees did everything possible Saturday to honor their glorious past, and specifically the 2000 World Series team, during the franchise’s 77th Old-Timers’ Day at the Stadium.

Even Derek Jeter, the conspicuously absent captain, appeared on the centerfield video screen at the ceremony’s conclusion, like the favorite uncle who  FaceTimes to say hi during holidays although  the rest of the family shows up.

Jeter phoning it in was embarrassing enough for the Yankees. Not only was the Hall of Famer just hanging out in Cooperstown two weeks ago, but he was the MVP of that 2000 World Series victory over the Mets.

The most glaring omission from Saturday’s Old-Timers’ event, however, was someone who already was inside the building — which emphasized the stark juxtaposition between the Yankees’  dynastic years and whatever the heck is going on right now in the Bronx.

That would be manager Aaron Boone, who was listed on the Old-Timers’ Day roster but never was mentioned during the pregame on-field introductions, as he was in previous years.

Thirty-six names total, right down to Homer Bush, Jose Vizcaino and longtime trainer Gene Monahan. But no Boone.

Considering the hostile climate surrounding the Yankees lately, it was the smart play. Why risk having the manager booed during festivities meant to celebrate one of the best days of the summer, as it was described by YES broadcaster/emcee Michael Kay? The Yankees don’t play baseball very well, but give them points for this rare bout of self-awareness.

And somehow, by the end of Saturday's 5-4 victory over the Astros, as much as the Yankees tried to give away the game, they still wound up shaking hands. There were plenty of boos anyway — most directed at reliever Camilo Doval, whose throwing error and plain ineffectiveness led to Houston’s tying two-run rally in the eighth.  Trent Grisham’s two-out homer in the bottom of the inning rescued this W from the dumpster.

“He is The Big Sleep,” said Boone, referring to Grisham’s ultra-relaxed demeanor. “But he’s really confident, too, and really talented. He’s got a real good understanding of what he needs to do every day to be ready to go. He’s been a money player for us in big spots.”

As for the rest of the Yankees, we keep wondering when the wake-up call is going to come. There was a lot of talk Saturday about the 2000 champs also facing plenty of adversity en route to title No. 26, ending the regular season by losing 15 of their last 18 games. But the core of those Yankees already had won back-to-back World Series crowns, including the ’98 squad that has “Best Ever” inscribed on their rings after finishing with 125 wins that year.

These Yankees seem like an entirely different species from their three-peat ancestors. They look the same — same pinstripes, same interlocking NY. But the championship DNA is missing, and as hard as Boone & Co. try to manufacture it, they can’t recreate the right formula.

Or purchase it. Hal Steinbrenner has spent way more than his Boss dad ever did in pursuit of No. 28, but all he’s bought for this year’s $316 million is a third-place team that’s barely holding on to a wild-card playoff spot — along with a heaping side order of nightly aggravation.

So when you invite those 2000 Yankees back for Old-Timers' Day, the return of Bronx legends such as Joe Torre, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez and Mariano Rivera reminds us of everything that the current Yankees are not — until Boone’s bunch convinces us otherwise. As much as the early-arriving fans enjoyed their gilded trip down memory lane by watching their turn-of-the-century heroes play at senior-citizen speed, once the crowd swelled to 45,738, it was back to the sobering reality: These guys ain't  them.

“I think the pressure that the Yankees of today have is the fact that they’re trying to get where we were,” Williams said. “There’s already a certain amount of pressure attached to that. They have come very close on several occasions, but they still have that thing they still need to accomplish. And they’re not getting any younger. Time is kind of running its course on this generation.”

Along those same lines, Boone finally pulled the trigger Saturday on sticking the immobile 35-year-old Giancarlo Stanton in rightfield so he could join Aaron Judge, the 33-year-old DH because he can’t throw, in the lineup. It had the makings of a disaster. But Stanton survived out there for seven innings, chipping in with a pair of RBIs, as Boone actually got lucky for a change.

That good fortune didn’t last, however. The Yankees went right back to their self-sabotaging ways in the eighth, as Boone’s clear bullpen path — with the two prized deadline relievers — got muddied quickly by Doval’s meltdown. Summoned to put out the fire, David Bednar issued a bases-loaded walk to tie the score, but he got out of it with two strikeouts and got the final five outs with another longer-than-planned outing.

“I’m still trying to feel out when my name’s getting called,” said Bednar, who had to throw 42 pitches for the five-out save against the Rangers on Wednesday. “So I’m just kind of ready whenever.”

The combination of short starts and shaky relief efforts has left Boone scrambling for the late innings. Not exactly how the Yankees drew it up with their trades for Bednar, Doval and the now-broken Devin Williams. But Rivera isn’t walking through that bullpen door — or anywhere else after apparently suffering an Achilles injury during the Old-Timers’ Game.

As if anyone needed a reminder that 2000 was a very long time ago.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.