The New York Yankees Next Manager
Mattingly, Bowa, Pena or Girardi Will Replace Joe Torre in the Bronx
The New York Yankees are looking for a new skipper for the first time in 12 seasons. Who is going to take over for Joe Torre?
It won't be Tony LaRussa. He just signed a new deal to stay with the St. Louis Cardinals. It won't be Bobby Valentine, either. Hank Steinbrenner confirmed this week that Bobby V. isn't even in the running for the job. Lou Piniella's not going to leave the Chicago Cubs anytime soon. And Casey Stengel has been dead for thirty years. So who is going to replace Joe Torre as the manager of the New York Yankees?
Less than a week after Torre rejected the Yankees' much maligned one-year offer to skipper the team for a thirteenth season, it looks like the club has narrowed the field of prospective leaders to four guys: Joe Girardi, Don Mattingly, Tony Pena, and Larry Bowa.
Here's the lowdown on each of the candidates.
Joe Girardi
Girardi seems like the logical choice. He was a part of the last great Yankee Dynasty. He taught Jorge Posada how to catch, and he helped Mariano Rivera become the most dominant closer in baseball history. He's also friendly with the team's captain, Derek Jeter, and with its best pitcher, Andy Pettitte.
Furthermore, Girardi has the skills to lead the team's young players like Cano, Cabrera, Chamberlain and Hughes. He managed a bunch of kids in Florida to great success in 2006, leading the Baby Marlins to 80 wins and winning the National League Manager of the Year award. Six of his first-year players also finished in the Top 10 in Rookie of the Year voting. All of which begs the question: Why did he get fired?
The Yankees interviewed Girardi on Monday, October 22. The former catcher apparently spent five hours with the baseball operations staff, and then talked for an hour with the three Steinbrenners and team president Randy Levine. According to both sides, the interview went very well.
Girardi has a unique mix of talent, knowledge and ties to the Yankee family, but if he gets the job and has a bad April, the fans and media will be calling for his head in favor of the next guy on this list.
Maybe it's because he's been the bench coach the last two years. Maybe it's because he's a Yankee legend whose Number 23 has been retired. Maybe it's because the team needs to make a positive public relations move in the wake of the Joe Torre contract debacle. Whatever the reason, the Yankees top brass acknowledges that Don Mattingly is the front-runner for the job. Hank Steinbrenner recently commented that Mattingly is "a slight favorite, but not a heavy favorite."
Although Donnie Baseball undoubtedly has the right name, reputation and relationships to be a popular hire in New York, he has no managerial experience and he has a lot to lose if things don't work out. Will the Steinbrenners be willing to risk their team and Mattingly's place in Bombers history? Probably. Yeah, probably.
Tony Pena
Pena managed Kansas City from 2002 through 2005, and had one successful season, leading the small market Royals to an 83-79 record in 2003. He's coached first base for the Yankees the last two years, and he's universally liked by the players. But he is clearly a second tier candidate and will only be seriously considered if Mattingly and Girardi aren't interested, which, unfortunately for Pena, they are.
Larry Bowa
Bowa is sort of the anti-Torre. Joe had no luck as a player but great success as a manager. Bowa won five division titles and two pennants as a player but never led a team to the post season in his five years as a manager. Whereas Joe has always been cool and even-tempered, Bowa is a notorious hothead. And while Torre eventually grew comfortable as a classic American League manager, often sitting back and waiting for the big blast from one of his power hitters, Bowa is aggressive and a huge proponent of playing National League small ball.
Although Larry would rekindle memories of the late Billy Martin, he falls into the same second-tier category as Pena, and won't be a real candidate unless the two top guys don't work out.
It Will Be Mattingly or Girardi
This one is a real toss-up between Mattingly and Girardi. But what the Yankees really need isn't a new manager; they need somebody who can get a hit in October.
