Afternoon Baseball

Joe Girardi has been groomed to be a manager for years, even when he was still a player. So, of course, we can at least guess how he might be based upon his influences.

Girardi's managers (excluding a couple of midseason replacements):
1989-91: Don Zimmer
1992: Jim Lefebvre
1993-95: Don Baylor
1996-99: Joe Torre
2000-02: Don Baylor
2003: Tony LaRussa

A lot of heavyweight talent, some beloved and some maligned. All have worked in big markets or for high-profile teams, so Girardi got at least a glimpse into how they handled being under the microscope.
With Don Baylor, he got to see another ex-player who was relatively young (44 in 1993) enjoy some success (1995 NL wild card, manager of the year) but ultimately fail. Baylor, being the first manager of an expansion team, was undoubtedly a bigger influence in Girardi dealing with the youthful 2006 Marlins.
From Jim Lefebvre, he learned about mediocrity, I'd say. You could argue he never had the talent Girardi is inheriting, so not much to glean there.
Tony LaRussa, of course, is well-known for his qualities and faults, and Girardi probably has some lessons there he won't share.

Don Zimmer, of course, was also a coach on Girardi's teams from 1993-1999. He is the biggest influence, I would believe, on Girardi's managerial style. Many have pointed in recent years to the departure of Zimmer as Torre's right-hand man as the catalyst for Torre's perceived (or real) decline in in-game managing. Girardi seems to have inherited the no-nonsense, analytical, but somewhat player-friendly style.
What remains to be seen, however, is if Girardi will be the loose cannon that Zimmer has been for years, if not decades. That temper, if he repeats his Florida behaviors (which I've said I believe was a different situation), will doom Girardi's tenure for sure.
Such an inability to censor himself would also cause a black eye for the Yankees' braintrust, as there was no chance of Don Mattingly or Tony Pena being anything but company men.

If we accept that Zimmer is Girardi's biggest managerial influence, then it just remains to be seen which Zimmer -- the old Brooklyn sage or the nut who charged Pedro Martinez -- will dominate Joe's thinking. I'm confident of the final result.

Labels: Yankees