im not saying hes special but i would rather have him than half (maybe 3/4) of the managers employed by other teams.
He might be better than half of them right now. I don't like the idea of a guy managing his contemporaries. I usually like a baseball manager to be in his late 40s, 50s or 60s. I also would worry about Girardi's temper.
nobodys perfect but i think he has a decent mix of manegerial skills and chemistry with the yankees to be a successful manager.
I really couldn't care how this impacts the Yankees free agency this year. If he's the best guy for the job, I don't understand what role anything else has to play with it. I really like the hire and contrary to many, I like the stance the Yanks have taken the last couple of days. They hire a very smart guy and former catcher as a manager, and let go of an egotistical maniac. I'm proud of Cashman.
I think the ARod thing is going to be a problem. As of today, there's a fairly large hole in the Yankee lineup, and it will take two strong offensive players to fill it. One of the luxuries I think the Yankees overlooked this year is that the massive offensive production allowed its pitching staff to mature without the pressure of holding one and two run leads through the middle innings. It allowed "Joba Rules," which wouldn't necessarily have been possible in leaner offensive times. Offensively, it took pressure off of the rest of the lineup while they found their swings - which they all eventually did. I'd say the same thing about Manny in Red Sox lineup, in past years moreso than 2007. It's not a luxury in the AL East to have an RBI machine in the middle of the lineup. It's damn necessary these days. If you're spending $150-200 million on personnel, I think 20-30 of that MUST be dedicated to a run producer in the middle of the lineup because of all the ancillary benefits.
I was actually hoping for Pena to get the job but then again, I was angry when Torre was hired in 96. I think that with Girardi the Yankees will be in a "rebuilding" mode. Mo and Posada will both be gone. They will try to trade Giambi and possibly Damon as they try to extremely reduce payroll. If Mattingly was hired, I think they would of stayed with the high priced Vets since he is considered a Torre clone but I do believe that Hank and Hal are tired of losing in the ALDS and are ready to make significant changes in order to really have a championship caliber team. It just may take a few years. I also dont think that Hunter or A. Jones will be here next year.
Not Jones, he's another Boras client. Hunter will if they can ship out either Damon or Matsui or if they use Cabrerra in a trade package. He could also if they don't pick up Abreu's option but I think that is pretty much a done deal already.
The Yankees have agreed to a contract with Joe Girardi to become the team's next manager and an official announcement could come as soon as Tuesday, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney. Girardi's contract is expected to be in the three-year, $6 million range. Yanks Managing Yanks Joe Girardi is the 20th former Yankees player to go on to manage the Yankees: Manager W-L Record Yogi Berra 192-148 Frank Chance 117-168 Hal Chase 86-80 Bucky Dent 36-53 Bill Dickey 57-48 Wild Bill Donovan 220-239 Kid Elberfeld 27-71 Clark Griffith 419-370 Ralph Houk 944-806 Dick Howser 103-60 Billy Martin 556-385 Joe McCarthy 1460-867 John McGraw 94-96 Gene Michael 92-76 Roger Peckinpaugh 10-10 Lou Piniella 224-193 Wilbert Robinson 24-57 Bob Shawkey 86-68 Harry Wolverton 50-102 According to Olney, one person Girardi would want on his staff would be former Cubs pitcher Mike Harkey, perhaps as pitching coach. Girardi caught for the Yankees from 1996-99, served as a bench coach in 2005, then managed the Marlins the following year and was NL Manager of the Year. He kept a young team in contention until September, then was fired, apparently for clashing with owner Jeffrey Loria and others above him. The 43-year-old Girardi turned down the Baltimore Orioles' managerial job last summer, choosing to spend time with his father, who had health problems. "Joe Girardi is a good man," Joe Torre said Monday on "Late Show with David Letterman." "He's got a feel for this organization." Torre declined a one-year offer to return at a reduced salary after leading the team to four World Series championships and 12 playoff appearances in as many seasons. Girardi was the first to interview on Oct. 22, followed by bench coach Don Mattingly on Tuesday and Tony Pena on Wednesday. Pena won AL Manager of the Year in 2003 after the Kansas City Royals (83-79) posted their first winning season since 1994 -- Hank Steinbrenner told The Times that Pena was "definitely under consideration." Mattingly will not accept a position on the Yankees coaching staff, Marchand and ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney are reporting. "Don was extremely disappointed that he wasn't the organization's choice to fill the manager's vacancy," Mattingly's agent, Ray Schulte, said in a statement. Sources say the Dodgers are expected to fire Grady Little and would like to hire Joe Torre as his replacement. If Torre is hired, Mattingly would likely move with him to Los Angeles as a coach -- joining the organization that drafted his son, Preston, in 2006
So I wonder how this must make Torre feel? He thought he was insulted by the Yankees? The funniest part is that he will accept this despite knowing they didn't really want him. " Joe Girardi, rebuffing last-minute attempts by the Dodgers to become their manager, has agreed to succeed Joe Torre as Yankees manager. And, in a major twist, Torre may switch from the Yankees to the Dodgers. Now that Girardi is gone, people close to the situation say the Dodgers will put a full-court press on Torre and expect him to accept the job." http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/10/30/girardi.yankees/index.html
Here's an interesting bit of news. I'm actually really happy about this one. If Long leaves, along with Mattingly, we need a hitting coach. There aren't many guys I've seen play as cerebral about the art of hitting as Paul O'Neill. I think he'd make a very good hitting coach. Girardi looks like he's thinking about a former Cubs teammate as pitching coach, so that rules out Leiter or Mazzone joining the staff.
I believe the Yankees want Eiland to be the pitching coach. As for hitting coach, hopefully Long returns.
