I lived in Chicago when Girardi played for the Cubs. I always liked the guy. I'm not a big Yankee fan (nor do I hate them) but I did enjoy the fact that Girardi had so quickly brought the team back to the World Series.
I've always liked Girardi. Everyone knows he took the highest paid team ever to the championship, but he also took the lowest payroll (Marlins) to the playoffs a few years before.
Posts: 5953 | Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa | Registered: December 27, 2002
What makes it all sweeter for Joe Girardi is the grief he had to take last year as the Yankees failed to make the playoffs in his first year at the helm. I think he will be the Yankee manager for a long while.
That year in Florida probably helped prepare him for the stresses he would face in New York. Probably hurt some at the time to get fired after doing a good job but seems like things worked out for the best in the end. It would be interesting to have seen how Joe would have coped with the "Boss" in his prime. The sons just don't ooze the same "personality"
I am and will always be a huge Giradi fan, we all liked him very much here in FL. If you went to a game, he was out there with the kids signing autographs pregame, instead of being in the dug out, asked why he did that, he said because the game is for the kids. They fired Girardi because they thought he was too tough for the young players he managed. He also made some decisions they didn't care for. Actually I think they wanted a puppet, and that's not what Girardi was all about. I heard on the radio he changed the atmosphere in the ynakee clubhouse, he organized team nights, bowling etc, to build team chemistry to show eveyone that his team cared about each other, he encouraged the "pie" in the face after firsts. I really do beleive that he was the biggest reason for the win and the great season the yankees put together. I did think that he looked older than I have seen him look in awhile. He needs a rest.
Girardi played for the boss, so I think he probably knew him better than we think he did.
Forget the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey instead...anonymous
Posts: 12757 | Location: South Florida | Registered: July 28, 2003
I must admit I wasn't sold on Girardi as manager because i thought there were better candidates for the job like Tony Pena, and still thought so even up to the 2009 ALCS because of Girardi's micromanaging and out-foxing himself with his in-game-by-the-book decisions.
However, when he got past the Angels and said he's using a 3-man rotation on 3-days rest, I thought WOW, this guy's not screwing around and is done playing games and is gonna send a message he's gonna step on throats if he can get a series lead and he did. Anybody who struggled on the mound got passed by, went with the guys he can trust and his use of Marte showed some cujones since Marte was a stiff all year. And the benching of Swisher, who had been a boat anchor came back after the benching and contributed.
For two years, I've been knocking Girardi as being nothing more that a AA level manager who instead of always sticking his nose in the scouting book, pick up that yellow and black book that sez "Coacing 101 for Dummies" had no business skippering the New York Yankees.
Girardi made some gut moves in the WS and they paid off and proved me wrong that he can make the moves to skipper a World Series Championship team.
Posts: 719 | Location: NJ | Registered: October 27, 2007
Originally posted by CADad: Maybe being Pedro's daddy made him look older.
Pedro had me rolling wearing that pinstriped suit doing his interview claiming had he been a Yankee, he'd be "like a king"
The story about the guy holding his little girl in one arm and a beer shouting obscenities in the other and Pedro giving him the business had me going good. One thing about Pedro, is he's entertaining to listen to and had the best press conferences.
Posts: 719 | Location: NJ | Registered: October 27, 2007
