Has Joe Girardi won you over yet?

by Ed Valentine on Aug 31, 2009 8:40 AM EDT in Analysis Comment 30 comments

More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP

Joe Girardi

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports is singing the praises of New York Yankees Manager Joe Girardi this morning.

General managers are the real power brokers in baseball, assembling the pieces that win World Series or lose meaningless dog-day games. So as the calendar turns to the final full month, let’s give due to the manager – around whom not just the baseball world but every game revolves – and start with the best this season.

Not always does that come from the top team, either, but Joe Girardi does deserve such recognition in 2009. He handled with grace the Alex Rodriguez steroid debacle. He survived the five weeks sans a recovering A-Rod. He never panicked or complained about Yankee Stadium’s home run tendency. (Probably because it behooved him, but still.) He shifted Phil Hughes to the eighth inning, a maneuver that stabilized the Yankees’ season. He didn’t chafe at the Joba Rules as many other managers would have. He integrated Jerry Hairston Jr. and Eric Hinske seamlessly.

More recently, he put to bed any questions of a rift between Jorge Posada and A.J. Burnett. It was, in fact, something straight out of Joe Torre’s book: squash any perception of a truth before lingering questions turn it into one. Girardi is learning very quickly,

I understand you guys well enough to know that any Yankee manager, not just Girardi, will generate a mixed reaction. Praise of the Yankee skipper will be greeted warmly in some quarters, and with a great 'Harrumph!' in others.

After all, The Yankees are not 130-0. They have actually LOST 48 times. And it's mostly because Girardi doesn't know when to bunt or use Phil Hughes. Oh, and he actually had the audacity to play Cody Ransom when he was on the roster.

So, with the Yankees easily holding baseball's best record right now and cruising toward the playoffs how do you feel about Girardi now? Vote in the poll and let us know.

Poll

How do you feel about New York Yankees Manager Joe Girardi?

He should be Manager of the Year and get a long contract extension

220 votes

He's doing OK, but he has to win a World Series this year

384 votes

The Yankees have so much talent they could win with anybody managing the team

101 votes

I'm still not sold on him, but as long as they make the playoffs he deserves to keep the job

217 votes

He's an idiot! Doesn't have a clue! Should be fired immediately, regardless of the Yankees record

18 votes

940 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Passan is an idiot

Just ‘cause he finally got around to writing his token pro-Yankee piece for the year before going back to root for Cleveland and Boston doesn’t mean we should pay him any attention… We don’t even need to get into his writing style…. Or that great piece a few weeks ago where he discovered FanGraphs and had to tell everybody!

Girardi still makes mistakes. He gets away with a lot of them because his team is putting up big numbers, but they’re mistakes none the less. Without some of them the Yankees could be five plus games farther ahead. They could have avoided the 0-8 embarrassment…

Let’s see how he does in the playoffs where he doesn’t have 60 games to make up for some blown ones, or a 6 game cushion to rest on.

by ivan256 on Aug 31, 2009 9:40 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yes Girardi makes mistakes

However, I don’t know if I can blame him for the beginning of the season. Cody Ransom not withstanding the guy was with out an MVP player in A-Rod, they were trying to hold on while waiting on him to get back. Tex got off to a really slow start, and finally picked it up when A-Rod came back. The fact that they lost the first 8 to Boston sucks but at the same time it’s understandable if only for the fact that they didn’t have all their weapons, and while they got A-Rod back in the middle of those series the team at that point was still trying to find an overall identity.

The other thing is their bullpen, sorry to say, just wasn’t that good at the beginning of the year. They had and still have some very talented arms in the pen but it was an unstable situation going into the 8th inning. You’re right, Girardi has made some mistakes but I’m not sure what he could have done differently to avoid going 0-8 to the Red Sox to begin the season. They had spent all their money in the off-season on Sabathia, Burnett and Tex, they were waiting to get A-Rod back so they were not going to go out and get a starting third baseman to start off the season just to have to cut him or eat his contract later in the year. I don’t know of any trades they could have made to alleviate some of the burden at third and they haven’t made any trades, minus Gaudin as long relief/spot starter, to shore up the bull pen. In this case the fact that the Yankees were able to keep pace with the Red Sox despite losing the first 8 games of the season series to Boston speaks volumes of the fact that this team has the right attitude when it comes to winning in the regular season. Whether or not that translates over to the post season is up for debate but honestly, I have to give Girardi a lot of credit for the way he has handled the team this season.

by IDCWhoYouLike on Aug 31, 2009 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yet they've overcome the 0-8 embarrassment

to build a six-game cushion.

if anything, Girardi should be commended for that.

by SBakerTheTouchdownMaker on Aug 31, 2009 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

we're still the best team in baseball.

if u take girardi of the yankees we are not in first. he put hughes in the bullpen and has manged the pen very well, torre would use the same guy everyday and tire him out by season end (speaking of that the dodgers have the 2nd most innings pitched this year). he has manged the club great and has created a bond between players that the yankees have not had since their last world series. i used to hate joe but he has shown he can lead the yankees to best team in baseball.

Schumer said: "Now the Giants aren’t just New York’s team, they’re America’s team."

"You forget about it whether it was 15-2 or 3-2. It's still a loss. It doesn't matter what the score was if we win tomorrow."... Derek Jeter.

by donnybaseball23 on Aug 31, 2009 9:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

All I have to say is

Cody Ransom?Over and over again.Im still extremely worried come playoff time.If this guy is going to win me over he has to not do the stupid thing when it can cost you the series.Then I will trust him.I have seen guys take good teams to good records and get punked in the playoffs by a lesser team with a more savy manager to many times.His clock starts in October.

by cashman bashman on Aug 31, 2009 10:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That's actually a good point...

What’s missing from the poll is “Only if he wins at least one series in the post season”.

At this point, we are in good position to make the playoffs. To me, the problem with Torre after the ALDS in 2004 is that he didn’t win a post season series, and had an attrocious record of 5-13 after game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. If Girardi gets us in the ALCS or WS, I’d let him continue. But if we are one and done again, as we’ve been since 2005, I’ve contemplate a chance, even though I really like what he’s done with the pen and with the team overall.

by coops2001 on Aug 31, 2009 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Girardi is clearly very intelligent and certainly has the competitive drive

to win. I worry about two things…

1. Overconfidence in his own baseball knowledge. Joe still has plenty to learn… and never will learn it if he believes he always is right!

2. Possibly, an inability to do anything not by the book. Example being the infamous Swisher bunt against Texas. In that circumstance one can make an excellent case that a bunt was NOT the inevitable, obvious choice Girardi made it out to be. It’s not that the bunt decision was wrong (though I personally think it was a poor decision), but rather that Girardi seemingly didn’t even have any other course of possible action on the radar… it was a knee-jerk reaction for him, or so it seemed, more than a conscious decision.

I shudder to think about Girardi in a close game managing against Scioscia… the latter seems to have the think-on-your-feet ability that Girardi sorely needs. I would be delighted to be totally wrong on this… WANT to be proven completely wrong… and will give Girardi his due credit in that event. I do like the Phil Hughes decision, couldn’t understand the Cody Ransom saga, still can’t fathom how Girardi could trot CM Wang out again and again and again when it was so obvious even to the casual fan that something was very wrong. Some of his decisions on pulling a starter when he does make no sense to me… if memory serves, there was one game in particular where Sabathia was dominant but Joe pulled him in favor of a reliever who promptly got into trouble. The intentional walk call on Mo earlier this season made no sense to me, either.

Also gotta say that to me, Torre was a great manager. The fact is he took us to the playoffs every year of his tenure, and when he want to LA, a down-and-out team at the time, he took THEM to the playoffs in his first year, and barring a monumental collapse it looks like they’ll be back in the playoffs this year. If we’re going to criticize Torre for his poor performance in the playoffs in recent years, we must also acknowledge that he was at the helm when we won 4 WS titles in 5 years, reached the WS 6 of 8 years.

All in all, I like Girardi but do worry that he will learn to improve on his deficiencies as a manager, and quickly. Right now I cannot call him a great manager, but merely okay… I very much WANT to see him grow into one of the truly great managers, and hope that he does, sooner rather than later!

by pinstriper on Aug 31, 2009 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Buster Olney

says not much chance Penny signs with the yanks.Twins might claim him and pay his full salary.Boston gets so lucky sometimes.If not looks like San Fran.I dont know how to feel about this one.

by cashman bashman on Aug 31, 2009 10:40 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I have seen guys take good teams to good records and get punked in the playoffs by a lesser team with a more savy manager to many times

Like Joe Torre?

Strikeouts are boring- Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.

by CasanovaWong on Aug 31, 2009 10:41 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Girardi makes mistakes?

Every manager makes mistakes there isn’t one that doesn’t. Girardi has to make several decisions every game the right decisions go unnoticed. The questionable decisions get criticized by every monday morning quaterback out there. Girardi has made decisions that I have questioned but then they worked out. Its a good thing i’m not managing the yankees. We all have the benefit of hindsight when evaluating Girardi. This is a great thread though if the yankees were 130-0 someone would still be criticizing something about the team. As fans some of us really suck. People talk about Joe Torre and he won 4 world series. Mariano Rivera has been booed in yankee stadium. Unless the yankees win every world series from now til the end of time u will always hear from these fans. I choose to take a different path. Are the yankees gonna win the world series? Who knows, but right now i’m having a lot of fun. I was thinking about it yesterday. We have the best starting pitching right now of any team likely to be in the playoffs we have the best bullpen we have the best lineup. I couldn’t say these things a couple months ago.

by bronx joey on Aug 31, 2009 10:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

My only legitimate criticism of Girardi, at this point, was his decision to start Aceves against Minnesota. I, personally, believe the Yankees were swept in Anaheim (after the bullpen blew two 4-run leads) because of that one decision.

Other than that, I think he’s done really well. It’s not easy managing a baseball team, and it’s tremendously difficult managing a team in NY. Hell, the Yankees have the best record in baseball and some people are calling for him to be fired.

by murp0837 on Aug 31, 2009 11:56 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Girardi

He’s doing a fine job. Yes, he’d be in trouble with all that talent if he wasn’t winning, but he and his coaching staff have done a fine job with the pitching staff ( guys understanding their roles in the bullpen) and a goodly number of the starting position players are having really good seasons. They had their injuries early, particualrly at catcher and most everyone is ( reasonably) healthy at this point in the season. Proved they can take a punch from the Sox and not go down, unlike the last few seasons. Still need to prove they can beat the Angels. There is a sense of confidence in this team that was lacking the last few years. They expect to win tight games now, not just blow outs. You can see it in their faces.

by fredny on Aug 31, 2009 11:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Obviously the postseason will tell most of the story

If the team gets shitcanned by Detroit or Texas first round,(I don’t believe in jinxes BTW) then Joe might go.
Do they really have to win the World Series this year to have a good year? Don’t get me wrong, that is the goal. But if they go 7 with Philly is it a lost season? I’d say not really.

-I'm the straw that stirs the drink.........Then I drink the drink too.

by ReggieARodJeter on Aug 31, 2009 11:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

+1

"I don't want one of those guys who'll drive in two but let in three every game." Casey Stengel

by tnredneckyankeesfan on Aug 31, 2009 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I know this isn't a referendum on Passan, but

I have to note some decidedly mixed feelings toward his articles. On the one hand, I do respect his willingness to express an opinion and stand by it… that alone puts him well above the run-of-the-mill dishrag columnist who lacks the courage to stand for much of anything.

On the other hand, I find him shockingly arrogant. In a recent column, for example, he pressed the case that Joe Mauer should be MVP above Derek Jeter. I have no problem with his opinion on the matter. What bothers me is how emphatically he stated it — that the conclusion is so totally obvious and undeniable that anyone even suggesting otherwise is wrong, period, end of story. Saw him on video debating the MVP race with Tim Brown (if memory serves)… Passan’s whole case was that Mauer should be MVP because anyone with a different opinion was wrong. That was the whole argument!

by pinstriper on Aug 31, 2009 12:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

In a word, no.

Here’s the problem I have with people who constantly defend Girardi. They assume that every time we realists point out a mistake that we want him fired on the spot.

It makes them feel mentally superior and enlightened when they minimize our opinions to that of ranting, raving lunatics.

Like every Yankees manager, Girardi will ultimately be judged on how the Yankees fare in the postseason. Quite a few of his decisions boggle the mind, and God help him if he fucks this team up come October with his by-the-book decisions and Showalter-esque over-managing.

And if I see Phil Coke throw a single pitch in a meaningful game that is closer than 4 runs, I am going to turn into the ranting, raving lunatic I talked about earlier.

And Passan is a dope. The Yankees have been winning because the lineup has been terrorizing opposing pitchers and the Yanks are getting quality starting pitching of their own, not because Girardi is sitting over there contemplating ways he can somehow get Cody Ransom on the postseason roster.

by New York Sports Jerk on Aug 31, 2009 1:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh, and can we talk about another Cashman draftee...

…who needs TJ surgery?

Betances, Brackman, Melancon, Kontos, Horne, etc…

It would be nice to draft someone healthy for once.

by New York Sports Jerk on Aug 31, 2009 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Riight, the Yankees

are the only team whose prospects undergo Tommy john surgery. I forgot about that. Plus, Oppenheimer is the guy who drafts them, Cashman just signs em.

Strikeouts are boring- Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic.

by CasanovaWong on Aug 31, 2009 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Passing the buck, huh?

Cashman is the General Manager. Oppenheimer has to run everything past Cashman.

And where did I say the Yankees were the only team to have prospects undergo TJS? They just seem to have a large number of guys who are damaged goods or highly risky on draft day.

by New York Sports Jerk on Aug 31, 2009 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

In this day and age

seems like even the ball boys are getting TJ surgery

by HappyLuckyGoldenDragonNumber1! on Aug 31, 2009 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

These days...

you are better off getting the ones who had TJ surgery.

They come back better and stronger. Also less likely to get it again (or in the first place……)

GODZZIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

by FreeBradshaw on Aug 31, 2009 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Might As Well.....

get em while they are young….. and have the time to bounce back

by Gangsta Yanksta on Aug 31, 2009 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well.....

If you don’t want your opinions marginalized as “ranting, raving” lunatic opinions, maybe you should state them in some sort of vaguely logical way. For example: “by-the-book decisions and Showalter-esque over-managing.”

Huh? If all his decisions are “by-the-book,” meaning he never does anything creative, isn’t that, well, “under-managing”?

I actually think he’s had a good balance of stepping in and shaking things up when he has too, but sitting back and letting the players dominate when they are playing well.

Also, Phil Coke has been our only decent (though not great) lefty reliever all year. What do you want, Mo Rivera to throw 800 innings a year? They can’t all be superstars. Once in a while a less-than-perfect reliever is gonna find his way into a tie game in August.

by B Rose on Aug 31, 2009 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

My point...

…before you mangled my words to suit your own comment, is that Girardi isn’t infallible, and it’s not a crime to point out errors he’s made.

Every time that happens, though, you have clowns like FreeBradshaw (see below) who think all we want to do is fire Girardi on the spot. There’s no room for dissent, apparently.

by New York Sports Jerk on Sep 1, 2009 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs