Oh my Yankees. Things have been crazy for the past couple weeks in the Bronx. Hopefully order will soon be restored but in the meantime, here's my take on what has gone down.
As I had hoped/predicted, the new Yankee manager is another former catcher of Italian decent named Joe: Joe Girardi. To me, it seemed like the easy choice. I really don't know where everyone was getting off thinking Mattingly was the favorite in all of this. When Hank Steinbrenner said there was an inital favorite, I truly think he meant Girardi but the media took that favorite to be Mattingly. I love Mattingly, as does the rest of Yankee Nation but he is just not ready for the job. People were already giving Torre a tough time when he first came to manage and he already had some experience under his belt. Mattingly has been a staple on the bench the past few years serving as a bench and hitting coach but he's never been under that spotlight the Yankee manager gets (or any manager for that manner). He's a smart guy, no question about it, but how can he deal with all the additional crap that comes with being the Yankee manager.
Girardi just has the experience. He managed a bunch of rookies/guys that would be playing AA in any other organization to a very respectable 78-84 record in 2006, winning the NL Manager of the Year Award. The fact that he parted ways with the Marlins because he and upper management couldn't get along doesn't really bother me. He would not take the Yankee job if he felt that the management in New York would deal with him the same. He's a solid, knowledgeable who will be a great guy for the Yankees. He can deal with the New York media and is very likable. In the end, I'm not saying Mattingly isn't any of those things, it is just that Girardi already has some experience and proved he can be a high quality manager.
Now to the topic of A-Rod. What a moron. Scott Boras too. It's very classy to text message Yankee GM Brian Cashman to say that Rodriguez is opting out. It was even more classy to announce it during the Red Sox World Series clinching victory. When I sat back and thought about this, I originally thought 'hahaha Boston is getting overshadowed by some idiot ex-Yankee' but then realized 'wait, these idiots are stomping on the integrity of the game.' The integrity of the game outweighs my hatred of Boston in the end (which is quite significant). Him and Boras seriously could not wait a day or two extra to announce this? A-Rod already acted like a classless baby by refusing to even come to the table to negotiate with the Yankees. This obviously signifies that he had no intent whatsoever to return to New York and he should have just let it be known after the Yankees were ousted by Cleveland. Just get it over with. Good riddance.
Too fill in for him, the Yanks need to get another Red Sock (how do you say it singularly?), Mike Lowell. The ex-Yankee farmhand had a stellar season, and we need a new 3B. Perfect fit. Getting him to go to New York from Boston might be difficult but if we got Damon from there, we can get anyone that becomes a FA there. If Mariano leaves, I will be sad. Then I will remember we have Joba Chamberlain. They say they want to make him a starter. I say, no. He'd be as good as any closer in the league and the Yanks already have a plethora of youth pitching coming up through the ranks. Catcher might not be so easy. The Yankees need to resign Posada badly. He's coming off a career year and we don't get him, the second best FA catcher is Paul Lo Duca. Ouch.
In the end, it seems that things are finally starting to calm down in the Bronx...to a degree. Things could certainly pick up once the free agent market opens but for now, I'll enjoy this brief peace in baseball.
Girardi just has the experience. He managed a bunch of rookies/guys that would be playing AA in any other organization to a very respectable 78-84 record in 2006, winning the NL Manager of the Year Award. The fact that he parted ways with the Marlins because he and upper management couldn't get along doesn't really bother me. He would not take the Yankee job if he felt that the management in New York would deal with him the same. He's a solid, knowledgeable who will be a great guy for the Yankees. He can deal with the New York media and is very likable. In the end, I'm not saying Mattingly isn't any of those things, it is just that Girardi already has some experience and proved he can be a high quality manager.
Now to the topic of A-Rod. What a moron. Scott Boras too. It's very classy to text message Yankee GM Brian Cashman to say that Rodriguez is opting out. It was even more classy to announce it during the Red Sox World Series clinching victory. When I sat back and thought about this, I originally thought 'hahaha Boston is getting overshadowed by some idiot ex-Yankee' but then realized 'wait, these idiots are stomping on the integrity of the game.' The integrity of the game outweighs my hatred of Boston in the end (which is quite significant). Him and Boras seriously could not wait a day or two extra to announce this? A-Rod already acted like a classless baby by refusing to even come to the table to negotiate with the Yankees. This obviously signifies that he had no intent whatsoever to return to New York and he should have just let it be known after the Yankees were ousted by Cleveland. Just get it over with. Good riddance.
Too fill in for him, the Yanks need to get another Red Sock (how do you say it singularly?), Mike Lowell. The ex-Yankee farmhand had a stellar season, and we need a new 3B. Perfect fit. Getting him to go to New York from Boston might be difficult but if we got Damon from there, we can get anyone that becomes a FA there. If Mariano leaves, I will be sad. Then I will remember we have Joba Chamberlain. They say they want to make him a starter. I say, no. He'd be as good as any closer in the league and the Yanks already have a plethora of youth pitching coming up through the ranks. Catcher might not be so easy. The Yankees need to resign Posada badly. He's coming off a career year and we don't get him, the second best FA catcher is Paul Lo Duca. Ouch.
In the end, it seems that things are finally starting to calm down in the Bronx...to a degree. Things could certainly pick up once the free agent market opens but for now, I'll enjoy this brief peace in baseball.
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