Girardi tops managers on the hot seat
Posted: Tuesday, March 03, 2009 3:55 PM
The heat will be on these skippers right from opening day:
JOE GIRARDI: Not a shock. These words actually came through my radio the other day: “The Yankees are looking up as they try to contend with both the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.” That’s the TAMPA BAY RAYS!
The Yankees believe it is their birthright to forever look down at expansion teams. So, third place is unacceptable for New York. Girardi is playing his mulligan, and he is armed with a bloated payroll, expensive free agents, and in the words of his own general manager, “a bad defensive team.”
Big spring watch: Can Jorge Posada catch? If not, someone (Posada, Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui), becomes an expensive bench player. And if Posada is the DH, the defense of the Yankees’ outfield would be truly horrid.
RON WASHINGTON: Again no shock given the close call he survived last summer with the Rangers. Make no mistake, though, that this is now Nolan Ryan’s organization. He took a hands-on approach with pitchers over the winter, and he will expect progress from an organization that is gripped by a long-term pitching drought (the exception being in 2004 when Texas pitching ranked fourth in the American League).
JERRY MANUEL: What, you say? He’s new. Yeah, but winning is equally demanded on both sides of New York. And after the last two Septembers, both of which Manuel was present and accounted for, nothing matters in 2009 for the Mets except making the postseason.
As much as the Mets’ ownership dislikes paying fired managers, and as much as the Madoff scheme may impact the family business, a new ballpark will demand winning. If the Mets stumble through the summer, unlikely as it seems, (although Johan Santana’s elbow could create panic), Manuel may be accountable again.
CECIL COOPER: I’m perplexed by Houston’s plan. Terrific hitting and a pitching staff that is Roy Oswalt and ??? But the Astros won 86 games last year. Their payroll is still healthy (around $90 million) so expectations exist, and Cooper is in the last year of his contract.
JIM LEYLAND: Here’s the shocker, and this is nothing but one vein of speculation. But the facts are the 2008 Tigers were an embarrassment. A $138 million payroll begat 88 losses. In New York or Boston, no manager would have survived that.
In the last three years, Detroit’s win total has regressed: 95, 88, and 74. And the Tigers have allowed Leyland to enter 2009 without a contract extension. He’s still one of the best in-game managers of his era, but every era ends, and Leyland may be managing to survive in the final job of his career.
Two more under new management:
BRUCE BOCHY: His new boss is Bill Neukom, and for the Giants, there’s probably a new way of doing business, witness the team’s caution in the Manny Ramirez negotiations. They do not want a replay of the Barry Zito debacle. Bochy’s contract is up after this season, and thus he likely needs a winning year and some buzz back around the team.
BUD BLACK: New San Diego ownership in Jeff Moorad’s group. Perhaps a new general manager. And the Padres figure to endure a long season. No fault to Black, but new bosses often mean new rules.
FIVE MORE SWINGS:
1. WASHINGTON IS A MESS: At least team president Stan Kasten takes the reins for now. And that can only help the Nationals, at least with credibility. Ownership allowed Jim Bowden to survive until the Feds became acquaintances with him as part of an investigation into the skimming of signing bonuses given to prospects from Latin America. Bowden says he is innocent, and has done nothing improper, but he has resigned.
What has happened with the Nationals is a shame, and Major League Baseball is not above blame given the blatant deterioration of the Montreal farm system under MLB ownership. Now Kasten has to move quickly to salvage what he can from the goodwill that greeted the return of baseball four years ago to our nation’s capital.
2. INCREDIBLE SHRINKING PLAYERS…were highlighted on the New York Times front page last week. Cleverly written, the article allowed the players to explain their physical changes with varying degrees of hilarity. No amount of subterfuge can mask the truth. Let’s remember that last season 5-foot-9 Dustin Pedroia was the AL MVP with 17 home runs. Add to that the pounding absorbed recently by Alex Rodriguez, and the alert players know the performance-enhancing-drugs gig is up.
3. MY FAVORITE BASEBALL SEASON…in terms of structure was 1995. The start was brutal, a replacement-player spring followed by the return of the real gang. But when the sport resumed, a 144-game season was played. At season’s end, players still felt fresh. And I sensed fans were left wanting more baseball.
Eighteen fewer games doesn’t sound like much, but it was significant. And this is relevant as baseball embarks on a marathon season with a November end to the World Series to accommodate the World Baseball Classic.
4. OAKLAND IS SERIOUS…about competing this year. Further proof is Monday’s news that the A's have agreed in principal on a one-year contract with free-agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera.
Cabrera’s arrival likely signals the end of former Rookie of the Year Bobby Crosby being the starting shortstop. Over this winter, the A’s lineup has been transformed from punchless to formidable.
5. THE RED SOX SOLD OUT FENWAY PARK…for six straight years, but now have single-game tickets available for April and May. Cleveland’s hierarchy is personally calling season ticket holders that have not renewed. Every day, the economy provides an interesting backdrop to the Manny Ramirez soap opera.
