Goodness gracious. With all that's going on around the world of baseball these days it's difficult to decide what to write about as my first ever Holy Diamond post. I suppose it makes sense to just go with the topic at the forefront of my mind, in this case that happens to be all this manager hullabaloo.
It appears likely that Grady Little will be fired as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers to be replaced by recently unemployed Joe Torre. As a
Yankee fan, the idea of Joe Torre in another uniform again is a sad thought to be sure. However, for some reason, perhaps my own fondness for the Dodgers, I'm glad for this tremendous opportunity for Torre. Joe deserves to be a part of the game until he decides it's time to hang it up and suiting up in Dodger blue is far from a consolation prize. If this is true it could be very good news for Dodgers fans. Say what you will about Joe Torre's ability to manage a bullpen, but he brought a level of class back to a Yankee team that had lost the mystique of what it meant to put on pinstripes. Joe Torre is more than a great manager, by all accounts of any who know him (Gary Sheffield excluded by cause of insanity) he is also a wonderful human being. I'm happy that Joe Torre, a kid who grew up in Brooklyn, just might be able to land another of the premier jobs in the game. In related news it appears likely according to Buster Olney (who is frequently right about these things) that Don Mattingly will follow Torre to LA should he be officially hired by the Dodgers. I suppose it is easy to understand why Mattingly is leaving the Yankees, being that he was passed over for a position he desired from the moment he signed up to be Hitting Coach. Yet as understandable as it may be it certainly doesn't make it any easier to take. It's a sad reality that Mattingly should wear anything but pinstripes.
Yet, as sad as Mattingly in another uniform may be, I think the Yankees made the right choice in selecting Joe Girardi as their new manager. He knows the game, he's a brilliant m
an, and even back in his days as a member of the team during the dynasty he was frequently the one calling team meetings and standing up when something needed to be said. Although for his many differences from Torre a lack of class can't be listed as one of them. While various front office execs from the Marlins organization took anonymous pot shots at Girardi after they fired him for having the nerve to win National League Manager of the Year in his first season, he remained silent and refused to fire back. As a former catcher Girardi has experience working with pitchers in a myriad of situations, which as ESPN reported went a long way in the interview process to make Joe the frontrunner. By all accounts Girardi was the candidate that Yankee GM Brian Cashman gave his seal of approval, and I trust Cashman. Even his mistakes are rooted in logic and can be understood. Also, lets not forget to ponder how different the Yankees might be if Cashman hadn't been thwarted in his attempts to sign Vlad Guerrero when The Boss swooped in and signed Sheffield on his own, that just being a microcosm of how things used to work in Yankeeland. Now Cashman seems to have much more say in what happens, which is what gives the Yankees a large stable of young talent, especially young arms, and in Florida Joe Girardi proved that he can be trusted to get the most out of future superstars.
As a side note, or perhaps as the dream of a poorly recovering greedy Yankee fan, shortstop Hanley Ramirez has a wonderful relationship with Girardi and tearfully thanked him after winning National League Rookie of the Year. I certainly wouldn't complain about the prospect of a remarkably talented star on the rise who happens to have a friend in the Yankee clubhouse. C'mon... a guy can dream.
Yankee fan, the idea of Joe Torre in another uniform again is a sad thought to be sure. However, for some reason, perhaps my own fondness for the Dodgers, I'm glad for this tremendous opportunity for Torre. Joe deserves to be a part of the game until he decides it's time to hang it up and suiting up in Dodger blue is far from a consolation prize. If this is true it could be very good news for Dodgers fans. Say what you will about Joe Torre's ability to manage a bullpen, but he brought a level of class back to a Yankee team that had lost the mystique of what it meant to put on pinstripes. Joe Torre is more than a great manager, by all accounts of any who know him (Gary Sheffield excluded by cause of insanity) he is also a wonderful human being. I'm happy that Joe Torre, a kid who grew up in Brooklyn, just might be able to land another of the premier jobs in the game. In related news it appears likely according to Buster Olney (who is frequently right about these things) that Don Mattingly will follow Torre to LA should he be officially hired by the Dodgers. I suppose it is easy to understand why Mattingly is leaving the Yankees, being that he was passed over for a position he desired from the moment he signed up to be Hitting Coach. Yet as understandable as it may be it certainly doesn't make it any easier to take. It's a sad reality that Mattingly should wear anything but pinstripes.
an, and even back in his days as a member of the team during the dynasty he was frequently the one calling team meetings and standing up when something needed to be said. Although for his many differences from Torre a lack of class can't be listed as one of them. While various front office execs from the Marlins organization took anonymous pot shots at Girardi after they fired him for having the nerve to win National League Manager of the Year in his first season, he remained silent and refused to fire back. As a former catcher Girardi has experience working with pitchers in a myriad of situations, which as ESPN reported went a long way in the interview process to make Joe the frontrunner. By all accounts Girardi was the candidate that Yankee GM Brian Cashman gave his seal of approval, and I trust Cashman. Even his mistakes are rooted in logic and can be understood. Also, lets not forget to ponder how different the Yankees might be if Cashman hadn't been thwarted in his attempts to sign Vlad Guerrero when The Boss swooped in and signed Sheffield on his own, that just being a microcosm of how things used to work in Yankeeland. Now Cashman seems to have much more say in what happens, which is what gives the Yankees a large stable of young talent, especially young arms, and in Florida Joe Girardi proved that he can be trusted to get the most out of future superstars.
As a side note, or perhaps as the dream of a poorly recovering greedy Yankee fan, shortstop Hanley Ramirez has a wonderful relationship with Girardi and tearfully thanked him after winning National League Rookie of the Year. I certainly wouldn't complain about the prospect of a remarkably talented star on the rise who happens to have a friend in the Yankee clubhouse. C'mon... a guy can dream.
