Too Early To Talk About Firing Managers? If Not, Which Ones Should Go?

[Mitchell]

Yes, I know that we're only one month into the season, but I thought I would start a discussion about what managerial changes should be made in major league baseball.

Looking at the standings, one would have to believe that the most prominent manager on the hot seat is Joe Girardi of the Yankees. The Yanks have lost four straight, are a game under 500, and are five and a half games out of first. If this had been George Steinbrenner in his heyday, Girardi would have been gone two weeks ago.

On the other side of the coin, does anyone think that Joe Torre is smiling, thinking that Steinbrenner should stick it up his ass? Torre couldn't get more than a one year offer out of the Yankees in the fall of 2007. Torre goes to LA, makes the playoffs in his first year in LA, as the Yankees fail to make the playoffs for the first time in fifteen years, and now, Torre's Dodgers are 6.5 games in front in the NL West, as the Yankees look like they may be on their way to oblivion. The one topping on the cake for Joe, would be if the Dodgers win the World Series this year.

Mitch

 

[milagros317]

The one topping on the cake for Joe, would be if the Dodgers win the World Series this year.

Mitch

Not only for Joe, for me, too.

Back to your topic: Even impatient owners should wait until June to fire the manager. I'd say it's about four weeks too early.

 

[Mitchell]

mils, do you remember 1985, when George, still in his years of firing managers left and right, fired Yogi Berra only sixteen games into the season, when the Yankees were something like six and ten? Billy Martin takes over, and in the non wild card days, the Yankees won 98 games, and still fell two or three games short of the playoffs.

I see your point about June. It will be very interesting to see what happens with Joe G, if the Yankees are still under 500, and several games out in June. Arod's return should help, whenever that is.

Mitch

 

[luvgirlsfeet]

With all due respect Mitch A-Rods return will do little if anything at all, he is a mjor choke artist not only that the Yankees have spend close to 500 million dollars to bring in 3 new players and neither one is performing to the expectations they had with they're previous teams. My best guess is that Girardi will be gone by the all-star break

 

[Mitchell]

luvgirls, I understand what you're saying, and to be honest, I completely agree.

While I never like to see anyone lose their job, and it would be unfortunate if Girardi got fired, there's a level of me that would love to see the Yankees finish at 500, as this would prove that a $200 million dollar payroll isnt the formula for a winning major league team.

Mitch

 

[luvgirlsfeet]

i dont like to see anyone sles lose they're jobs either but i remember the hayday when Steinbrenner would fire managers with no hesitation nor sympathy, if i remember correctly he fired Billy Martin something like 3 times or so. If winning is all that the Yankees are interested in then they really dont understand the fundamentals of baseball and its best summed up by the folllowing, "it doesnt matter who wins or loses its how you play the game"

 

[The Fallen Angel]

right now the only 2 managers i could see firing would be joe giradi and eric wedge, giradi for the mess that the yankees are and eric wedge because over the past 3 years the indians have seemingly not shown up, and they have the talent to be in the playoffs

 

[Mitchell]

If Nationals ownership wasn't patient, I could add Manny Acta to that list too. Right now, there are four decent teams in contention in the NL East in the Mets, Phils, Marlins, and Braves, all within 2 or 3 games of each other. The Nats are 8 games out, in early May. Acta might well be on the hot seat, in another scenario.

Mitch

P'S-luvgirls, Steinbuyer, as I like to call him, actually fired Martin five times. Billy was manager from 1975 to mid 1978, in 1979 for part of the season, in 1983 for the whole season, in 1985, for most of the season after the first sixteen games, and again in 1988 for a time. Each time, Stein Man fired him. Had Billy not been killed in a car accident on Xmas night, 1989, who knows? Maybe Steinbuyer would have hired and fired him a few more times.

A edit to this post: I'm usually very knowledgable about baseball, but I just learned something in the Encyclopedia. According to the Wikipedia, Billy had been asked to manage the Yankees in 1990, which would have been his sixth tenure as Yankee skipper. Apparently, King George Steinbuyer had a real love-hate relationship with Billy, to hire and fire him so many times. I did not know until just now that Stein man had rehired Billy for 1990.

 

[The Fallen Angel]

diamond backs fired their manager bob melvin today

 

[Mitchell]

Shit, that is creepy. I just went to the Dbacks website and read about Melvin's firing. I hope I didnt jinx Mr Melvin.

Yankees lost again tonight. I'm wondering how long they are going to wait. Arod will be coming back, so the Yankees need to put together a winning streak quick, or Joe may be the next to go.

Mitch

 

[The Fallen Angel]

id give it till the all star break for joe, if the yanks are any lower than 2nd in their division and arent playing like they are expected to joe will go and tony pena (more deserving and a better manager imo) will step in

 

[Mitchell]

Trez, I just read a commentary in the New York Post this morning by one of their writers which stated that he believes Arod's bat is, to quote him, "no magic wand". This writer claimed that while Arod's return will help the Yankees somewhat, it doesn't cure their other problems.

From what I've read, nothing has been mentioned so far regarding the state of Girardi's job. I expect that to change in fifteen to thirty days from now, if the Yankees are still in fourth place, and several games out, as they are now.

Mitch

 

[The Fallen Angel]

Trez, I just read a commentary in the New York Post this morning by one of their writers which stated that he believes Arod's bat is, to quote him, "no magic wand". This writer claimed that while Arod's return will help the Yankees somewhat, it doesn't cure their other problems.

From what I've read, nothing has been mentioned so far regarding the state of Girardi's job. I expect that to change in fifteen to thirty days from now, if the Yankees are still in fourth place, and several games out, as they are now.

Mitch

lol that writer is defenitly right a-rod isnt magic and isnt going to change the aging and pitchless yankees fortune. I think the demise of the yanks has started all those years of dealing away their top prospects for older players is finally catching up with them. They have no starting pitching, the worst bullpen in baseball and a very old starting line up, i think the yankees are going to be sub par for the next few years

 

[Mitchell]

It would actually serve them right for trying to buy up every good player on the market, with a $200 million payroll. No team should be allowed to carry that kind of a crazy payroll. I've always said, baseball should have a fixed salary cap. No team can have a payroll of more than $100 million, period, forget "Luxury Taxes" etc.

If things continue as they have been this season, Joe Torre will have to be so thrilled that he;s not in that Bronx Mess anymore. It would be so cool if Joe won the World Series this year, so then he could really stick it up Steinbrenner's ass!

Mitch