Joe Girardi Archives - Jane Heller

So Long, Joe

October 26, 2017

I always got a kick out of Girardi’s dustups with umpires, so I thought the above photo was a fitting way to say goodbye. Was I surprised that the Yankees decided not to renew his contract? No. And not because of the postseason blunders, but rather because 10 years managing the Yankees is a long time. What’s more, Hal is all about cost-cutting, and a new contract for Girardi would have been expensive. And maybe he wasn’t beloved by the players, who am I to say? He wasn’t as tight with Cashman as he used to be, that I know, so maybe that figured into the decision.

In any case, I thank him for bringing the 2017 team farther than anyone predicted they’d go. I thank him for his dedication and work ethic. And I wish him well. (Prediction: he’ll land with the Nationals.)

Who will replace Girardi? Someone less expensive. Someone within the organization, perhaps. Someone younger. Someone deemed to be able to handle a major market like New York with its media demands. Someone who can work with both veterans and the big corps of young players we have. Of course, by the time I finish typing this, someone may already have been hired.

To sum up, change is good, I think. I’m okay with this decision.

Fight Club!

August 25, 2017

He who shoves first ends up at the bottom of the pile (that’s you, Cabrera).

What a game yesterday. There was bad blood between the Yanks and Tigers from their last series in the Bronx, but the finale in Detroit was a crazy, crazy game. The fastball that hit homer-happy Gary Sanchez should have foretold what was to come, but I was amazed that pitchers kept plunking batters inning after inning and batters reacted how batters react: by taking exception. The worst was Betances drilling the Tiger batter (can’t remember who) in the helmet. That one scared me. And, of course, there was little Gardy who came storming into the scrum wanting to take on the big guys.

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Girardi so angry during a postgame interview. Did I mention that the Yankees lost the game – a game in which they’d shown their resilience yet again and by winning would have meant a sweep? Girardi was pissed off about the umpiring (no warnings issued before ejections, miserable strike zone, failure to realize how important the game was as the Yankees are desperately trying to contend). I anticipate suspensions all around and can only hope they’re not for long. Cabrera should get a big one for shoving Romine, but the pitchers bear responsibility too. What I fear most is losing Sanchez for a period of time. He’s been our mainstay lately. Did anybody see Judge in all these piles of players? I didn’t and wondered if he clocked anybody?

As for the other two games, they were both Janers and, therefore, a beautiful thing. I love those high-scoring contests/blowouts! Severino and Tanaka were great and our offense was stupendous. I found myself wishing we could play the Tigers every night for the rest of the season. The bullpen still worries me. This guy Kahnle has not been good – at all. I flinch every time I see him walk to the mound. Didn’t we get him in a trade?

Now the Yanks take on Seattle at the Stadium. Hopefully there will be Janers. Hopefully no one will get hurt.

I Blame Joe

April 30, 2017

I was so hoping to post the image of a broom in this edition of the blog. After the first two rousing games in the home series against the O’s during which I began to think this Yankees team would never lose (unrealistic, but they were that inspiring), today’s finale was a major letdown for me – especially since the boys pulled off yet another miracle and tied up the game in the ninth.

But my cheers turned to sighs as I watched Girardi do what he often does: over-manage. Forget the binders for once. Stop babying pitchers. Chapman’s a big, strapping guy who isn’t made of glass. He could have hung around and pitched another inning. There was no need for Mitchell to play first and then pitch, as entertaining as it was to watch Mitchell field the ball. There was no need to fiddle with the lineup, taking out Matt Holliday, the hero of Game 1. Would the Yankees have won the game if Girardi hadn’t tinkered? Who knows, but sometimes it’s okay to leave well enough alone.

Let me be clear. I have nothing to complain about. The Yanks finished the week with a piece of first place and they’ve played great. It’s just that once I get a taste of winning, it’s hard to lose a game in extras that we could have/should have won.

But onto the next series. The Blue Jays are always a handful. I hope the Baby Bombers can rise to the occasion.

Oh, have I mentioned I’m crazy about Aaron Judge? Don’t let me down, Aaron.

A Series Win at Fenway…and More A-Rod Drama

August 11, 2016

After saying A-Rod could have as many at-bats as he wanted during the countdown to tomorrow’s last hurrah as a Yankee player, Girardi backtracked and held A-Rod out of the lineup for the series opener at Fenway. While many (including me) thought the Yankees were being petty and spiteful, Girardi said he was merely trying to win games – reasoning that rang hollow when he seemed to have no problem using Romine, Tex and McCann, none of whom are exactly tearing it up with their offense. The Yankees lost that one. A-Rod pinch hit last night (a win) and finally batted cleanup in tonight’s game (another win). The Sox fans, predictably, gave A-Rod a rousing chorus of boos.

Which brings us to tomorrow at home against Tampa, A-Rod’s last game in pinstripes. The Yankees have said they plan to “recognize” their polarizing star with some sort of ceremony. Does he get a gold watch? A plaque? A gift card to NYY Steak? We shall see. Bets are also being made regarding the likelihood of A-Rod landing with another team, the Marlins being the number one contender for many. Again, we shall see.

Meanwhile, Gary Sanchez = superstar. How impressive has he been since getting called up! He is our future for sure. He can DH when either McCann or Romine is catching (although I think McCann is the next to pack his bags) or be behind the plate as he was tonight – very capably.

On the negative side, I couldn’t believe that Evo came out of last night’s game with more elbow problems. The kid already had Tommy John surgery early in his career. Does he need a redo? And who will slide into the rotation to replace him?

Questions. Always questions.

Another Series In the “L” Column

July 7, 2016

If I were Joe Girardi, I’d scratch my head at this point too. What can he do with a team that scores a bunch of runs one night and then gets blanked the next…and the next and the next? Dropping another series, this time to the Chicago White Sox, the Yankees looked once again like a team that was searching for answers to its inconsistency. Other than its offensive All-Star – Carlos Beltran – and his fellow A-S relievers, there’s no one I look to for help when a game is on the line.

And now we have a 4-game series against the first-place Indians in Cleveland. Is it possible there’s a win or two in there and the hunt to get over .500 and stay there happens? On the other hand, is being over .500 really the goal of a proud franchise that used to not only make the postseason but win championships?

I think we’ll see more clarity after the A-S break, but for now I’m guessing there could be a house-cleaning before the season is over. Maybe sweeping out the cobwebs and getting a fresh start is just what the Yankees need.

Worse and Worser

May 6, 2016

I think I’ll let the NYT tell the story of last night’s debacle in Baltimore that represented yet another game loss, series loss, and deeper sinkage into last place. After the game Teixeira said, after being shut out 1-0 and not hitting, “It’s not rocket science.” Clearly, with the Yankees these days, hitting is tougher than rocket science. In the article, it’s also hard not to detect the feeling that Girardi is not managing the team properly. I mean seriously. Not using Miller in that game? Ouch. And poor Tanaka. A brilliant performance for nothing.

Punchless Bats Doom Yankees Once More

By BILLY WITZ

BALTIMORE — Perhaps Manager Joe Girardi could have saved himself some teeth-gnashing Thursday night when he was kicked out of the game in the fourth inning if he had showered and headed somewhere bucolic with a glass of red wine in his hand.

Instead, he retreated to his office and watched the Yankees’ 1-0, 10-inning loss unfold in Technicolor high definition.

The loss, the seventh in eight games for the Yankees, was a case study in poor execution, mismanagement and squandered opportunities that joined the familiar hallmark of their season so far: a conga line of meager at-bats.

The cherry on top of this frustration sundae was that when Pedro Alvarez lofted a sacrifice fly to shallow center field, scoring pinch-runner Nolan Reimold from third with the winning run, it wasted eight sublime shutout innings from Masahiro Tanaka, who has a 2.29 E.RA. in six starts, but just one win to show for it.

“It’s kind of been the story of the season — we haven’t hit,” first baseman Mark Teixeira said. “It’s not rocket science.”

The Yankees return home from a 2-7 road trip languishing last in the American League East, six and a half games behind Baltimore and Boston, against whom they open a three-game series on Friday.

They were shut out for the third time this season, this time managing just four hits — three of which came in eight innings against Kevin Gausman, who was every bit Tanaka’s equal. Until the 10th, the Yankees put runners in scoring position just twice — each time leaving Starlin Castro with regrets and anger.

Castro was picked off second with two outs in the ninth, getting caught by catcher Matt Wieters when Brian McCann swung through a 3-1 pitch. If that irked Girardi, he was infuriated earlier when the third-base umpire, Chris Guccione, refused to call Gausman for a balk for not coming to a stop in the set position when Castro, who had doubled, had reached third with two out. A balk would have sent Castro home with a run.

“He’s balking,” Girardi said. “And they can say he’s not trying to deceive the runner — he’s not stopping.”

He added: “I still don’t understand why it’s not a balk. It’s too loose of a rule, it’s not enforced and I don’t understand it.”

Girardi, who is usually stationed at the top dugout railing closest to home plate, went to the far end to harangue Guccione. When Beltran popped out, Girardi’s barking continued for a few seconds before Guccione turned and ejected him as Girardi began to walk up the dugout steps.

“He threw me out when I was coming to get an explanation,” said Girardi, who was ejected for the first time this season. “That bothers me. If you want to throw me out because I’m arguing the balk call, that’s one thing when I’m out there. But I was telling him he was balking, he was balking. He was saying no he wasn’t, no he wasn’t. So I’m going, trying to get an explanation after the inning. Before I say anything, I take one step and he throws me out. Clearly that bothers me.”

When Girardi, frustrated, turned to head back to the dugout after he had said his piece, Guccione said something that caused Girardi to pivot and engage the umpire again. Finally, Girardi returned to the dugout, handed his lineup card to the bench coach, Rob Thomson, and headed into the clubhouse where he meted out instructions.

The most puzzling came in the 10th inning when, after a 10-pitch inning from Dellin Betances in the ninth, Girardi turned not to Miller, the closer who has yet to allow a run this season, but to the rookie right-hander Johnny Barbato, who has begun to look vulnerable after a strong start to the season.

Girardi said he was trying to save Miller because he did not think he could pitch two innings and wanted him to be able to close out the game if the Yankees had taken the lead. Miller, who had pitched just twice in the previous nine days, said he was well rested and could have pitched two innings.

“I’m trying to get a couple of outs out of Barbato and maybe you can get an inning and a third,” Girardi said. “It just doesn’t work.”

Barbato was victimized by a high-chop infield single by Kim to lead off the inning, then Jonathan Schoop laced an 0-2 pitch into center field that sent Kim to third without a play. Miller then was summoned but his 0-1 pitch was lifted to center, where Ellsbury delivered another weak throw that was far too late to make a play at the plate on Reimold.

Allowing Ellsbury to play center field with Aaron Hicks — who has one of baseball’s strongest arms and is just as athletic as Ellsbury — in left field seemed another puzzling move. Hicks did not have a ball hit to him all night.

The Yankees sent the game to extra innings when Dustin Ackley, starting in right field for the second time in his career, leapt at the wall in the bottom of the ninth to catch Wieters’s towering drive, then recovered in time to double up pinch-runner Joey Rickard at first.

Ackley had a chance to be a hero in the 10th when pinch-runner Brett Gardner stole second with two outs. But Ackley struck out against Zach Britton.

“It’s frustrating,” Ackley said. “That’s the game you want to win 9 out of 10 times. I mean you’ve got to manufacture a run, at least one or two there for Tanaka. We weren’t able to do it. We had a couple of opportunities with guys in scoring position, but weren’t able to come through.”

Another Broom

May 2, 2016

It would be easy to say that Betances blew two of the three games in Boston over the weekend – he did, thanks to serving up homers on both Saturday and Sunday – but he had plenty of company in the loser department.

Until last night, the Yankees hadn’t scored many runs and at least they managed a few more, mostly due to A-Rod’s sudden resurgence following his oblique injury. And the starting pitching, while not atrocious (well, Pineda and Severino would qualify as atrocious), hasn’t exactly been mowing down the opposition.

So here we are at the beginning of May, over a month into the 2016 season, and the Yanks are in last place. They’ve been slow starters before (my She-Fan book documented the 2007 season during which they were in last place at the end of May), but I’m getting the feeling there are changes in the air. It would be easy to fire the new hitting coach, but I actually think Girardi’s job might be in jeopardy. I do. He hasn’t had a winning team since 2009. If the Steinbrenners cared about such things, they could have gotten a new GM, I suppose, but how long will they be patient with Girardi? How long can they subsidize empty seats at the Stadium? How long before they decide to sell the team?

Yes, it’s still early, but something makes me think all is not well in Yankeeville. Just a hunch.

Swept Away

April 22, 2016

Is anything working for the Yankees right now? They looked awful against the A’s over the past three games at the Stadium. Just awful. They aren’t getting “the big hit,” as the players put it, aren’t pitching great, aren’t playing smart defense or remembering how to run the bases. Aside from a few newbies, weren’t they supposed to be the Experienced Yankees? The team with crafty, if creaky, veterans mixed in with the sharp young talent?

From what I can tell, nobody’s performing at a level worth talking about. I was with a Red Sox fan yesterday and we were both bemoaning the state of our teams. He said, “I wish David Price could pitch every day.” I was about to come back with something about the Yankees, but I honestly couldn’t think of my one wish. Is there anyone I’d want to pitch everyday? Not right now. Well, except the bullpen team of Betances and Miller.

It’s still April. The Yankees have been slow starters at times. My worry is that we don’t have anyone with the star power to carry the team through the rough patches. Even Girardi, who’s usually so upbeat/in denial, looks peeved. His scowl speaks volumes.

Still, when someone offered me Legends seats the other day, I jumped at the chance to go to a game. The Yankees are my team, for better or worse. I’d just rather it wasn’t “for worse.”

The Yanks Need to Get Hot in Hot-Lanta

August 26, 2015

Boy, am I glad to see the Yankees get out of ~~Dodge~~ the Bronx. Yes, they won one of the three games against the Astros – by a hair – but the offense went back into a slumber and the pitching, with the exception of Evo, never woke up. Pineda and Nova didn’t have it, which would be worrisome enough but now with CC out indefinitely it’s extra worrisome. Capuano was DFA-ed for the 100th time and Adam Warren hasn’t been the same since he was shuttled back and forth between the starting rotation and the bullpen. That leaves the kid with the fractured nose. I hate to keep saying it, but it would have been nice to have acquired a veteran arm (a good one).

What to make of the slumping offense? Girardi talks about how everybody’s “banged up” at this time of the year, and I don’t doubt it. Not having a healthy Teixeira in the lineup has made a difference. Ellsbury hasn’t caught fire since coming back from the DL. Didi was bound to taper off at some point. A-Rod couldn’t possibly stay hot through the entire season. Beltran has been surprisingly resilient and McCann’s had some pivotal hits. But now we’re down in the standings again to the Blue Jays and I liked it better when we weren’t.

I do have to say it was fun watching Brendan Ryan pitch a couple of innings in that blow-out game. He was good!

Will the series against the Braves bring everybody back to life? It happened once before after Girardi had a tizzy on the field in Atlanta and got tossed. I think there was a team meeting down there too. We need some kind of shove to get going again.

What a Nightmare

May 5, 2014

If I lived back east, I would have been thrilled to sleep through tonight’s atrocity at Angels Stadium. Instead, I had to witness Yankees’ relief pitchers walk six batters – the Angels actually batted around without a hit – and blow what had been a tense pitchers’ duel between Phelps and Weaver.

Home plate ump Laz Diaz didn’t help. With bases loaded with Yankees and nobody out, Gardner stepped in and was the beneficiary of a couple of truly bad calls. Girardi came out to argue, got tossed and hung around to have what looked like an aneurism. He and Diaz have history and Diaz has ejected him before, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen Joe go nuts like he did tonight. Sheesh.

So yeah, Diaz is a lousy ump, but that doesn’t excuse the parade of grotesqueness that was Shawn Kelley, Matt Thornton and Preston Claiborne. The game had been tied at 1-1 and what did they do? Lose the game. How do you not throw strikes? Ever?

Lost in all this was Phelps’ terrific performance. Just great. Ichiro laid down the most beautiful bunt; I hope the other players were taking notes. And Jeter’s bat had life after all, although he did hit into a double play and kill a rally.

I’ll try to swallow this bitter pill, but it’ll be hard.

Four More Years

October 9, 2013

Joe and his binders will be back. The Yankees rewarded his especially good job this season with a reported $16 million, four-year contract. I can understand why he asked for four years instead of the three they initially offered; he and his family like it in Westchester and want the stability of not having to jump to a new city. Still, his upcoming seasons in New York are unlikely to be stable. So many question marks – from A-Rod’s zillion lawsuits to Cano’s free agency to Jeter’s aging body. But I’m happy he’ll be back. I wasn’t thrilled with any of the other candidates mentioned (Pena, Baker, etc.) except Mattingly and he’s staying with the Dodgers unless they suddenly crash and burn in the NLCS. So here’s to another four years of the binders. May they hold at least one championship.

It’s Not Always About The Pitching

September 19, 2013

Joe Girardi got creamed tonight in the post-game scrum with the beat writers. After the Yanks dropped the finale to the Blue Jays, he was peppered with questions about why he pulled Kuroda, why he didn’t bring in the lefty kid sooner, why – of all things – he used Joba in a 3-1 game only to have him serve up a three-run homer and not be able to record an out.

But the truth is, as bad as Joba was and has been, the offense didn’t score runs – again. They really did look dead. So whether Joe used this pitcher or that pitcher, if your team doesn’t score you’re not going to win.

I wouldn’t want to be Cashman in the off-season. If Hal is serious about his austerity budget (relatively speaking), where will the players come from? Can’t afford expensive free agents. Don’t have a farm system that would form the nucleus of a team of the future. Do have too many aging and/or non-performing guys currently.

As we head into the weekend series against the Giants and Mo’s farewell ceremony on Sunday, it’s starting to feel like the end of an era. Which is okay, it really is. But it would be nice to know there’s another championship era on the horizon….sooner rather than later.

It's Not Always About The Pitching

September 19, 2013

Buck Goes Ballistic

September 9, 2013

At least there was entertainment during tonight’s loss to the Orioles and right off the top too. When Buck had his meltdown in the first inning – and no one has meltdowns like the Buckster – I actually laughed. Girardi, at whom he was yelling, was cool and collected in comparison. And the funny part was that it was all about the supposedly covert operation by the O’s third base coach to steal our signs or tip our pitches or whatever the hell it was. Like every team doesn’t try to do that. Please. It wasn’t exactly Edward Snowden leaking government secrets.

As for the game? Tillman’s a tough pitcher. CC made some mistakes. (By the way, he’s a klutz. Every time he fields a ground ball and tries to throw to second, he makes a bad throw – or so it seems.) He didn’t pitch badly and with some run support he could very well have gotten the “W.” Not tonight.

There were only the two homers on our end. Most of the hitters looked off balance and took weak swings.

And now we’ve dropped another game at a time when every win is precious. Not good. Not good at all.

So Much For That Game

September 1, 2013

I almost had to pull over in my car when the Orioles scored all those runs in the seventh inning today. I was cruising along, happily picturing Andy getting the win and the guys celebrating the sweep and lalalala.

My heart sank when Kelley imploded. (Well, it sank when Joe pulled Pettitte. I’m sure Andy was tired – he admitted as much after the game – but he’d been pitching so well that I didn’t want to mess with success.) I should have figured Kelley would have a bad outing after the NYT published a glowing story today about how miraculous his Tommy John surgeries have been in prolonging his career.

And then there was Logan….and the ever scary Joba. The next thing I knew the O’s were banging the ball and the Yankees’ bats had no answer.

Not that the offense was that great yesterday. We only won by a couple of runs. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that in previous years they would have scored four or five in the late innings and made a comeback.

Didn’t happen and it was depressing.

But…..the series was won. That’s a good thing.

"We're Not Playing for Giggles"

July 19, 2013

I’d hate to be Girardi right now. Another game, another loss, another offensive fade and another injury. In his post game interview after tonight’s loss to the Red Sox, he was asked about Gardner’s ejection. He didn’t agree with it and served up the “giggles” comment. Seems to me that players aren’t supposed to throw their helmets when they get what they think is a bad call.

The real problem is that Girardi doesn’t have guys with pop in their bats on a consistent basis, except Cano. Pettitte hasn’t been great, especially in the early innings, but tonight he pitched well enough to win – if only his team would score some runs.

Zoilo now joins the list of the wounded. Bye bye.

We need help, Cashman. By all means, bring up more kids from the minors but go out and make a trade for a bat. Or else the season is over. It’s that simple.

“We’re Not Playing for Giggles”