Looks Like Another Joe in the Bronx

Joe Girardi was offered the New York Yankees managerial job Monday morning and he is expected to accept the position. Girardi, who played for the Yankees from 1996-1999, takes over for future hall of famer Joe Torre, who managed the ballclub to 12 postseasons in a row. Girardi was named the NL Manager of the Year in 2006, when he led the rookie infested Florida Marlins to a 78-84 record. Replacing Torre will be no easy task, but Girardi does have managerial experience, unlike Don Mattingly.

I would have to disagree with the Yankees logic here though. Mattingly has already spent a few seasons with these players as a hitting coach and a bench coach. The players might respond better to Mattingly based on this fact. Girardi was teammates with some of the present Yankees, including Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera. This makes me wonder whether Girardi will be able to manage this team as well as he did when he was in Florida.

With A-rod opting out and Posada and Rivera still unsigned, next year might not be much fun in the Bronx or for Girardi. I think it might be a lose-lose situation for the new skpper. On one hand, it would be best for the team to have Posada and Rivera come back. On the other hand, if they do return to the Yankees, I can't see these two veterans listening more intently to Girardi than Mattingly or Torre. Mattingly is one of the most popular living Yankees and it would be better for the organization as a whole to have him as the next manager, but the Steinbrenner boys had a different idea.

We will see how it turns out for the Bronx Bombers, who had to sit at home Sunday night and watch the Red Sox capture their second championship in four years.

Shawn Marosek