Girardi Takes Over as Yankees Manager

October 31, 2007 @ 07:38:58

By Eliott Wolbrom
Edited by Ryan Dodson

In what seemed like an eternity of drama-filled dabbling and poorly run bureaucratic procrastination, the New York Yankees finally listened to what nearly every New York tabloid and the majority of Yankee fans have been saying: Bring Back Joe. No - not the colossal Joe Torre they were referring to - rather former Yankees catcher and three-time Yankees World Series Champion Joe Girardi. Girardi, whom in addition to owning three rings, also boasts a Manager of the Year award for 2006, when he propelled the Florida Marlins into Wild Card contention with the lowest payroll in all of baseball at a miniscule $14 million.

Despite the success Girardi achieved in his first year as manager, on Oct. 3, 2006, the Marlins announced that they had fired Girardi, presumably because of his rift with owner Jeffrey Loria. While Girardi will be back in friendly waters, he will now be swimming on the deep end as filling Torre's shoes and the eyewash that comes with it is arguably the toughest job in baseball this year. Imagine Girardi telling George Steinbrenner and his sons to bug off like he did two years ago with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and general manager Larry Beinfest. What about telling the New York media "no comment" after a bad loss? These kinds of antics don't work in the big city, and Girardi knows it. Managing the Yankees requires a degree in public relations to handle the media and the celebrity that comes with being in New York. How about the skyscraping performance expectations Girardi has? Some speculate that the Yankee fans will give Girardi a break this year, understanding it's a break-in year, but that's ridiculous. If the Yankees are third in the division, behind by 15 games come July time, Girardi will get a taste of what it means to manage in New York, and all the sympathy will be gone. Speaking on Tuesday, Girardi thought back to when he replaced Mike Stanley as the Yankees' catcher in 1996, Joe Torre's first season as manager.

"I remember walking into spring training, the first day, and people saying, 'Boy, you've got big shoes to fill,'" Girardi said. "I thought, well, I wear a size 13."

Girardi, known for his school of hard knocks philosophy, will no longer be dealing with the $14 million payroll, filled with mostly rookies and sophomores that were the 2006 Marlins. No, now he'll be swimming with the sharks. With the Yankees, he'll have some young players but many veterans, especially if potential free agent pitchers Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte and catcher Jorge Posada returns. Girardi will have to decide whether to impose or contain his hard-nosed, no-nonsense managing approach on the Yankees players. Torre was known for letting the team run itself, and allowing the veterans to be the voice of the clubhouse. It's likely that Girardi will change that.

In addition to the challenge of meeting certain expectations, one of the first tasks on Girardi's agenda is using the good rapport he has with former teammates and free agents, Posada, Pettitte and Rivera to court them back to the Yankees. Girardi said on Tuesday that he would most definitely be utilizing their friendship and relationship to influence them to return. A team change from Posada could prove to be the first of many bumps in the road for Girardi, as with the catching position as thin as it is in baseball, he would be virtually irreplaceable. Rivera started out slower than normal in 2007 but finished the year with the in true Rivera fashion. While he is aging, the Yankees will have to do heavy maneuvering to fill his void. This could include moving Yankees pitching phenom Joba Chamberlain to the closer role. The Yankees though, should extend generous offers to ensure all three of them return. With many of the Yankee faithful infuriated with the ownerships handling of the Joe Torre situation, look for the suits to lock in their veteran poster boys to keep their fans appeased.

While the 2008 lineup for the Yankees is very unclear, Girardi should do a good job given the diversity in age in the clubhouse. He will have his mixture of the veterans he likes and will be able to instill his philosophy into the younger ones, which the Yankees have plenty of as well. Regardless of the outcome, the 2008 Yankees, and Girardi specifically, will be watched and critiqued meticulously.

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Eliott Wolbrom
Eliott has been with KFFL since 2007.

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