Yankees pick Girardi as their new manager

The reports from the New York media is that Joe Girardi is the Yankees’ favorite to be their new manager, a position that Girardi will soon accept.  Expect a press conference soon.

By picking Girardi to be the replacement for Joe Torre- rather than fan favorite Don Mattingly, who had been groomed to be Torre’s heir- the organization has pretty much severed all ties with their All-Star Gold Glove first baseman from the 1980s.  It’s hard to imagine what kind of capacity Mattingly will reappear in professional baseball while not wearing Yankee pinstripes.

Coming on the heels of A-Rod’s bush-league announcement that he’s opting out of his contract in the middle of Game Four of the World Series, I’m sure the heartbeats of Yankee fans are reaching an unhealthy tempo.  First they had to watch the hated Red Sox finish their second Series sweep in four years- and becoming the first team to win the World Series with the best record in baseball since the the Yankees did in 1998- but now they’ve had to watch Mattingly follow A-Rod and Torre’s lead out of Manhattan.

A-Rod deciding not to return with the Yankees is, in my book, absolutely surprising.  The official word from his camp- and who can trust Scott Boras anyway- is that due to the uncertainty of potential free agents Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte, A-Rod was unable to commitment to commit to the Yankees by his contracted deadline of ten games after the World Series.  However, I’ve always thought that if A-Rod chooses to renege on the rest of his contract, it will primarily be due to financial reasons, as I’m sure he’s looking to demand at least $30 million per year.  Although it’s hard to imagine another team besides the Yankees willing to spend that much cash, the Yankees have said they’ll take themselves out of the bargaining picture if A-Rod opts for free agency.  So it’s hard to tell where A-Rod will- or even can- end up, where he’ll be able to play for the pay that he demands.

Of course, by saving the money that would otherwise go to A-Rod, both the Yankees and the Texas Rangers- who have been subsidizing A-Rod’s bat in the Yankees’ line-up- will free up funds for potential free agents.  I think this will make the case even more likely that we’ll see Andruw Jones end up in Yankee pinstripes.

Ironically, with A-Rod’s defection, he may ensure that Posada, Rivera, and Pettitte don’t return in Yankee pinstripes.  If that turn of events occurs, you’ll bet that A-Rod ’s returns to New York will be with the same level of warmth and affection that surrounds his return trips to Safeco.

Then again, it’s kind of hard to blame A-Rod when the public face of the franchise in recent days has been the Boss’s son, Hank Steinbrenner, the team’s senior vice-president who it appears is guiding the new direction for the club.  Contrary to the class and principled route taken by the club that we’ve just seen celebrating their second Series win in four years, Junior Boss seems intent on running the Yankees right into the ground.  First it was the parting shots he took at Joe Torre- “Let’s not forget the great team we handed [Torre]” Hanks said, simultaneously insulting Torre AND his managerial predecessor Buck Showalter (why fire Buck and replace him with Torre then if any idiot could’ve done what Joe did?)-  than there’s the attack on A-Rod a day after the announcement that A-Rod was opting out: “….do we really want people who aren’t sure they want to be a Yankee?  I mean, look at Jeter.”  Great job, Hank.  That will ensure that A-Rod and his annual 50+ home runs will never be in a Yankee uniform.  Good luck trying to reach that level of production with Wilson Betemit at third.

In the end, Girardi may be the best fit for the Yankees.  He guided a young Marlins team that was written off for 100+ losses to contention a year ago, and with the exodus of veteran players I see following Torre, A-Rod, and Mattingly’s lead, Girardi and team captain Jeter may have just inherited a junior version of the New York Yankees.  Girardi’s had experience in just such situations- and the Yankees may not even miss a beat.