What will Joe Girardi do?
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by BruceG
Well, Steinbrenner had to fire Torre. He said he would if Torre didn't win in the playoffs, and he had to keep his word. But then I think Steinbrenner actually took it easy on Torre; he really didn't fire him; he just made Torre a salary offer that he knew Torre wouldn't take. It wasn't like, say, Billy Martin.
Now the Yanks have a new manager, Joe Girardi. And there are good things to be said about Girardi. He certainly knows what Yankee fans want; he played for the Yanks. And though Girardi doesn't have a lot of managing experience, what he does have is a pretty good performance -- NL manager of the year in 2006. So he may be a good choice. Certainly, he has more going for him, resume-wise, than Don Mattingly, who was thought to be the choice.
What is somewhat troubling is how he lost his last job -- a fight with his team owner. If you can't handle a critical owner, can you work under Steinbrenner, probably the most demanding owner in Major League Baseball?
Will Girardi win next year? I hope so. But if he doesn't, I wouldn't be surprised to see Torre back. After all, look at how many times Billy Martin was fired (or quit), and how many times he came back!
