The man sitting next to the man, often gets to be the man. In this case it's Don Mattingly sitting next to Joe Torre as the new Bench Coach possibly becoming the next Manager. I really do think the Yanks passed on Torre's ouster to hire either Joe Girardi or Don Mattingly. I also think that Girardi signed on to do YES broadcasts as his form of Yankee purgatory; keeping close to the organization and make a play for Torre's job.
Steinbrenner's ill health might bode well for Girardi. If The Boss is less than his usual fiery self, than it's less likely they would ever butt heads. Mattingly seems like a go along to get along kinda guy. He's quiet and he's steady; much more like Torre. His two main projects as batting coach, A-Rod and Giambi, have had two different outcomes. Most batting coaches don't wind up being Walt Hriniak and create a new style of batting so I don't hold the mixed results against him.
I could go either way. Don has the Yankee Great pedigree, but Girardi is a proven (granted his experience is small) motivator. In the end the question of who takes over the job will ultimately rest on how the Yanks do next October If they need a kick in the butt after a loss look for Girardi to manage. If they win it all look for Mattingly to make a smooth transition into the job.
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