There is a new sheriff in the Bronx, his name is Joe Girardi. He is of
course a former Yankee player and coach, therefore his pinstripe
pedigree is beyond question. But the big question is will his guidance
yield different results than his predecessor, the venerable Joe Torre?
A reason given for Torre's lack of success of late has been that while a brilliant manager of egos and deflector of the Big Boss' criticisms, Torre was not a great in-game strategist and lacked the energy to drive his players unceasingly to the organization's goal; to win the World Series each and every year.
It has been relayed by Team Steinbrenner, media types and fans that maybe the game had passed Torre by and he no longer had the desire to manage and light a fire under his player the way he once did.
There are several problems with this outlook, the first being that Torre was never a dust-up the umpires kind of manager. His style was laid back, and it worked well, to the tune of four World Series titles.
In recent years the Yankees have regressed, not making it past the first round of the playoffs since the collapse of 2003 against the Red Sox.
Now, what are the reasons for this? Bad luck, mediocre postseason performances, yes, but a bad manager, no way Jose!
Is is Torre's fault that the Yankee team forgot how to hit during that back end of the ALCS against Boston, or that Chien Ming Wang had two bad outings this year in the playoffs? I don't think so. So now you have a new Joe in the Bronx. One that is more meticulous and uses more statistical analysis, and supposedly drives his players harder to win.
These qualities were supposedly lacking in Torre and given as reasons for the Yankees moving in a different managerial direction. So, Will Girardi's hiring translate to more wins in the standings and longer postseasons for the Yankees? Only next summer will tell for sure, but in the meantime it can be analyzed and broken down.
As the Yankees see it here are the positives of hiring Girardi:
1.Youth movement in the Bronx: Girardi is a younger man and more comfortable entrusting young players to perform well in important situations. Torre was famous for relying almost entirely on veterans on his roster.
2.On the cutting edge: Girardi is younger and uses more of the tools of the current baseball world. He is more like most 'modern' managers and GM's, including Brian Cashman, than Torre was. He is more likely to use stats to decide match-ups. Yankee brass think Girardi is a better 'in game' manager for this reason.
3.New Blood: The saying in sports goes that sometimes a team gets 'tired of hearing the same voice' season after grueling season, and that eventually even the greatest have to step down. Yankee officials love Girardi's passion and feel that this infusion should help them become invigorated.
Each statement may contain a lot of truth, but are they reasons why the Yankees haven't advanced further in the postseason? Not likely. To balance out the ledger, here are a few negatives concerning the hiring of Girardi...
1. Clash of styles: There has been very little speculation that Girardi's style may clash with that of the club and the culture of the organization, which is a definite possibility. Girardi does know how to drive young players, but does he have the gentle touch of Torre who almost always knew how to push the right buttons to get the most from his players? Only experience can provide that, something Girardi is short on.
2.Vastly different team in the Bronx: In Florida Girardi managed a bunch of kids that were, for the most part happy to be in the Big's. He can't ride Jeter, or Pettitte or any of the Yankee veterans the way he may have if he were managing a younger team. True, the Yankees have a few young guns heading up that should impact the team, but the 2008 Yankees are by no means a young club
3.Family feud: Something that has been overlooked is that Girardi famously feuded with Marlins management, paving the way for his firing. It begs no explanation why this could prove problematic in New York. The Big Boss, while a Lion in Winter still has some roar left in him, not to mention the acerbic comments made by his sons over the last month. Also, At least until his contract expires, Mr. Cashman runs the show, there will be little tolerance for intra-team feuds or complaining under this administration.
Only time will tell if Girardi was a good hire, but with the Bombers badly in need of a longer, more fruitful postseason appearance, changes based on the reasons the Yankees stated may not have that wise.
There is a new sheriff in the Bronx, his name is Joe Girardi. He is of
course a former Yankee player and coach, therefore his pinstripe
pedigree is beyond question. But the big question is will his guidance
yield different results than his predecessor, the venerable Joe Torre?