Joe Girardi Has Struck Out: Not a Crazy Idea To Make Managerial Change
October 24, 2010 · Leslie Monteiro · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
A reader selected a Yankee to either go away or to stay in the New York Daily News poll. He loves to oust guys than keep guys.
He ousted the usual suspects like Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Javier Vazquez and Nick Johnson. He ousted one guy that will make people react. That guy is Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
Yes, it’s time for Girardi to go. A change might be beneficial for everyone involved.
The manager may need a change more than anyone. It’s clear Girardi is not having fun dealing with the responsibility of being the Yankees manager. He’s either wound tight or he panics at a moment’s notice.
He doesn’t like any second-guessing from anyone, and he does not seem to have the answers if things go awry. He likes to be smug in the top step of the dugout, but he shows frustration when the team is in crisis.
Is this the type of leader the Yankees need? As crazy as Billy Martin was, the players knew they had a leader that would guide them through the problems.
Talk about how Girardi managed seamlessly last year. Guess what. He did not have to manage much with the free agents doing their job last year. Everything went too good last year. Maybe last year was an aberration.
It’s rare where things go right for a manager every year. It doesn’t work that way. This should give the Yankees hierarchy pause when they evaluate Girardi. Can he handle the ups-and-downs of a long season? So far, it’s a resounding no when one realizes the Yankees did not make the playoffs in his first year, and now they lost in the ALCS.
Making the ALCS is not enough for this proud franchise. It is one thing to lose in the World Series, but to go lose in the ALCS and get outworked is not acceptable.
Maybe Girardi is better off managing in a market where he can just manage rather than handle the scrutiny.
The players could use a change. What they need from a manager is to lighten up the mood. Too many guys took on the personality of Girardi’s this year, and it’s not a surprise the team did too much in the playoffs.
For all the credit Girardi received for lightening up the clubhouse, it was Johnny Damon and CC Sabathia that had people having fun last year. Winning can do it too of course.
No one is advocating the Yankees to go hire a clown, but hire a manager that can keep the team sharp yet have fun. When Girardi mentions this is work in a big series against the Rays in September, it’s a red flag.
Who knows if the players tune the manager out? Maybe they are not now, but sooner or later, they are going to be. It could happen this year. Managers tend to lose their voice quickly if he does not have success.
The Yankees need to be ahead of the curve rather than wait until it’s too late.
Plus, this team could use a manager that does not rely on loose leaf binders to make pitching decisions. They don’t need a manager to make decisions based on spreadsheets.
Manager should be making decisions based on gut, trust and instincts. This is what baseball is all about.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman wanted to reinvent the wheel of being a manager based on the philosophy the Red Sox had. The Red Sox used computer printouts to make up the lineup and all, and he wanted a manager that can do it. He found that fit in Girardi.
It has been an epic fail. These decisions don’t work. Remember when Girardi kept A.J. Burnett on to face Molina because the spreadsheets say Burnett would get Molina out? So much for that. Molina got a base hit off Burnett.
How about walking Josh Hamilton to face Guerrero? That was because the spreadsheets told him to. Guerrero made the Yankees pay on elimination game.
The last straw for this critic came when the Yankees manager starting resting guys often in an attempt to have them fresh for October not to mention playing a foe that they know they will beat in October.
That’s all well and good, but players need to get their at-bats, so that way they can be sharp in October. A manager cannot have players being off-kilter.
Plus, resting guys sends a wrong message. It means complacency. When is it okay to be a wild-card? This is the Yankees. They shouldn’t be afraid to play anyone, especially with the payroll they have.
Which manager would be the right guy? If the Yankees knew, Girardi would be gone, but they don’t trust anyone, so he will stay on as a manager.
It shows this team is not doing due their diligence in finding the right fit. Couple of managers would be great choices. Larry Bowa or Willie Randolph comes to mind.
The choice would be Randolph. He managed in New York, and he won with the Mets. He would be the opposite of Girardi when it comes to managing.
Randolph’s drawback would be handling the media here, but if the team wins all the time, he will be fine. With him being older and wiser, he should know how to handle them.
At the very least, Randolph should be assisting Girardi as a bench coach next year. Forget Girardi’s feelings. This is about winning not making the insecure manager comfortable.
It shouldn’t come down to that. It should be Randolph running the show next year.
Too bad the Steinbrenner family lack foresight, so expect more Keystone Cops leadership by Girardi next year.
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