The Yankees introduced their new manager today, and he immediately set a tone that, at least during the Torre era, would not have made The Boss happy:
Joe Girardi said today that the Yankees may not be ready to win a World Series yet, because the team does not “have all the pieces” it needs. But he said that is the “ultimate goal.”
Now don’t get me wrong, I think Girardi’s 100 % right here. As the 2007 ALDS demonstrated, the Yankees are lacking in two key areas — pitching and hitting — that worked for them during their regular season run, especially after the All-Star Break, but failed to materialize in the playoffs. And Girardi seems to recognize that its a failure of personnel on the field, not some flaw in coaching that has led to this situation.
It’s just that this is all very puzzling.
After all, we’re talking about a team whose owner made it clear in the middle of a playoff series that the manager would be fired if the team didn’t win the series. We’re talking about a team whose owner has fired mangers after less than a month because he was unhappy with the results. We’re talking, in other words, about George Steinbrenner, and, to a lesser degree, his sons who seem to have taken over the reigns and adopted his 1970s attitude.
It’s slightly extraordinary to see a new manager talking like that on his first day on the job.
Anyone want to take bets on how long he’ll last ?
