Some Girarticles

'Girardi is very prepared, works hard and takes pride in "teaching" the game. What's hurting him is dealing with others in the organization. Obviously, there have been huge differences in opinions on how to work together. I will say this, it's amazing that whatever tensions have been in place for a while didn't impact the players themselves. They've stayed focused on playing. Perhaps somehow, upper management and manager can patch up their differences in this final week of the season. It may be too late.' (MLB)



'It's hard to know whether all the leaked negative reports are true, or if any are. The Marlins' Steinbrenner wannabe, owner Jeffrey Loria, won't discuss the situation. It's hard to know, but I can say that the very first and supposedly key incident leaked doesn't ring true at all -- at least not all of it.

'The initial hint Girardi might be fired in a year in which?he is a prime candidate for Manager of the Year came when reports surfaced that Loria nearly fired Girardi for supposedly telling Loria to "shut the ---- up''?after Loria was continually yelling at home plate umpire Larry Vanover during a game this summer. While Girardi may well have told Loria to shut up (possibly after Vanover warned Girardi to curtail the chatter), the story seems just a little shakier when it is claimed that Girardi swore at Loria. In one report, Girardi's admonishment to Loria was said to be "profanity laced.'' No shot of that being true.

'"I have never, ever in my life heard Joe Girardi saying anything off-color or use a curse word," said Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay, who's known Girardi for a decade and worked with him in the YES Network booth for two years. "Sometimes it gets off-color in the breaks, but never with Joe. Never, ever. I can't even imagine him saying the 'F' word. This is a real legitimate, religious guy."

'What else has been skewed to make Girardi look bad? Did, for instance, Girardi really argue for Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco to start in the bullpen rather the rotation, as has been reported? And did he favor?slugger Josh Willingham to catch over Miguel Olivo?

'Did he really "refuse" to attend some unspecified team function this spring? And if so, who cares?

'One real yet never recounted factor in the disintegrating relationship between Girardi and his bosses came right in the beginning. When they were courting Girardi, they didn't disclose the fact that they were about to embark on a pervasive fire sale; sure, Girardi understood that A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett would be gone, but he didn't know that Juan Pierre, Carlos Delgado, Paul Lo Duca and others would be, too. If the relationship between Girardi and his bosses started to fray early, as has been written, perhaps it was over the false picture Girardi's bosses painted during the interview process.

'I do believe what unnamed sources are saying about Girardi being headstrong, even prickly, at times. He is a drill-sergeant-type, and this style has worked splendidly for the young Marlins, as they hoped it would. He offers strong opinions and upsets some folks. But he is bright and talented, and a personality clash is no reason to get rid of him.' (SI.com)



'Of 73 e-mails, 62 were supportive of Girardi. This tells of the publicity crisis Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and General Manager Larry Beinfest face. They deserve that part of this mess, too.

'Loria, who hired Girardi, didn't broker peace or stay quiet but became embroiled in a silly and public spat with his manager. Beinfest, the main figure on the Marlins' baseball side, has hid from view for most of the year, giving fans few answers to even the most harmless questions.

'But it also says something that many talking points around Girardi seem all wrong. For instance, in another common thread, Joseph of Tamarac wrote: "While I often disagree with Girardi's pitching moves ..." And "Marilyn the Marlins fan" wrote: "I like him, but you [reporters] could make him own up to the way he works the bullpen."

'Girardi may have faults as a manager, like an annoying infatuation with bunting. But the bullpen's downfall isn't on him. Who could he trust besides Joe Borowski and Taylor Tankersley as the dream season faded in September?

'Yet, night after night, when one of the league-leading 33 games were blown after the seventh inning, people increasingly questioned Girardi. The questions should have been directed at Beinfest for not making a trade. Or maybe Loria for now allowing it.

'Beinfest and his scouts did a remarkable job in trading for talent last offseason. That's been gone over, many times, and proves they're the engine that drives this franchise. Still, once in the playoff hunt, nothing was done to improve an overachieving team with a $15 million payroll.

'This franchise is printing money this year, too. Look at the ledger sheet. It got $30 million in revenue sharing last year and will get around that this year. It conservatively will make $10 million for local TV (ratings remain strong), according to a source. It can expect around another $18 million from national TV.

'Then there's licensing deals, a $10 million payout from the Washington Nationals sale coming at some point and -- oh, yeah, tickets, concessions plus whatever slice of the stadium lease that we constantly hear is the worst in sports. It surely is, too. John Henry had the same complaint. (Quick aside: H. Wayne Huizenga did offer the Marlins free rent forever in Dolphin Stadium if they just would get rid of the infield dirt. They said there was no way around the dirt).

'Couldn't they have found a reliever to keep this team in the hunt? Everybody else tried to fill holes. The Phillies got Jamie Moyer and Jeff Conine. The Dodgers got Greg Maddux. The Reds reloaded their bullpen. On and on. And Girardi got blamed when he had no arm to help in the seventh inning of games?' (SunSentinel)



'Think about it. This could be the ideal present from the Marlins organization to Chicago. A bit of payback for the Cubs falling apart like wet bread in the �03 National League Championship Series and basically handing the Marlins a spot in the World Series (which they went on to win).

'What Girardi must do now is go to great lengths to ensure his release. Call Loria at home in the middle of the night disguising your voice as Jack McKeon. Maybe slip a Whoopee Cushion beneath him during a team banquet. Something. Anything.

'Then come to Chicago and turn around a franchise in need of a swift 180.

'Cubs manager Joe Girardi. Kind of has a nice ring to it, the emphasis on ring.' (Tribstar.com)