MY BASEBALL BIAS

From Mark Feinsand of the Daily News:

The Yankees will roll out the red carpet for their new manager Thursday, formally introducing Joe Girardi at a Yankee Stadium press conference.

The event, slated to begin at 1 p.m., will feature all the pomp and circumstance, as Girardi will be presented with his pinstripes. This will be Girardi’s third tenure in the Bronx, having played for the Bombers from 1996-99, winning three championships, then spending the 2005 season as Joe Torre’s bench coach.

Girardi was hired Monday as the 32nd manager in team history, signing a three-year contract worth almost $8 million.

With all the “pomp and circumstance”? Are the going to play Pomp and Circumstance too? Will Bob Shepherd introduce everyone as they enter the press room? God I hope so.

Let’s hope all the Steinbrenners, and that includes old George, will be in attendance for this one.

Good news for Yankees fans today. Andy Pettitte announced today that he’ll either come back to Yankees or he’ll retire:

“The New York Yankees committed an awful lot of money to me and put it in my hands, gave me a player option and trusted me with that option,” Pettitte told KRIV-TV. “It probably wouldn’t be real honorable for me not to do anything other than if I shut it down, shut it down or go back and play for the New York Yankees.”

Pettitte said he was happy for the new Yankees manager — former batterymate Joe Girardi — but said that he would not let the managerial change influence his decision.

“It won’t,” Pettitte told the television station. “I’ve got to figure out in my own mind exactly what I want to do. I know a lot of speculation is out there as far as with [Torre] losing the job and stuff like that — what effect it would have — but the Yankees gave me the contract. That’s the organization that has committed to me, and it won’t have any bearing.”

“The three guys they interviewed, it would have been great for any of them,” Pettitte said. “They are all great men. I don’t think they could have went wrong with anybody they picked.

“I played with Joe. He’s caught me plenty. He’s a great baseball man. He’s going to do a good job for them.”

You gotta like the way he’s talking here. It sounds like he feels obligated to come back and pitch because of how much “trust” the Yankees showed in him. Does he want to pitch and have the desire to pitch? We’ll have to wait and see.

Pettitte has until Nov. 7 to tell the Yankees whether he plans to return. He has a $16 million option.

I think he comes back and the Yankees need a big-game left-hander in the rotation, but I’m done predicting anything the rest of the off-season.

It seems like all the news surrounding the Yankees just came to a screeching halt.  A new manager has been signed, their biggest run producer has chosen to go elsewhere and two beloved, but former Yankees seem to have found new jobs in La La Land.

Many are speculating, however, on where A-Rod will end up.  Everyone has an opinion, including myself.  Ken Rosenthal has an enlightening piece about how the Mets, Rodriguez’ favorite team growing up, could fit him in their crowded infield if they get creative.  I think it’s 50/50 right now with the Mets.  How are they going to clear up the cash to do it though?  I have my doubts, but GM Omar Minaya will definitely kick the tires.

Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times is reporting that the Angels have already contacted Scott Boras about A-Rod.  Again, the issue comes down to payroll.  Can the Angels afford it and will Owner Arte Moreno go back on his word about never paying a player over $20 million a year?  I think most of what Moreno says is really posturing for negotiation purposes.  The Angels desperately need another big bat in the lineup and the proximity to Boras’ offices in Long Beach make this an attractive place for Rodriguez to land.

Brian Cashman has obviously made some very sound free agent signings (Scott Brosius, Mike Mussina and Hideki Matsui) and not so good ones (Jeff Weaver, Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano and Randy Johnson come to mind).  Now many will argue that everyone was after Pavano and that may well be true, but he’s probably one of the worst FA signings in recent history (Gary Matthews Jr. $50 million dollar deal is another).  Mike Lupica of the Daily News says Cashman, a man who is very respected by a lot of people in Major League Baseball, is a GM the Yankees should be lucky to have.  I tend to agree.  I like “Cash-money” and I’m especially pleased that he’s begun to reduce payroll and develop the young guys.  I give him credit for that much.

Tune in tonight as bloggers Anthony of the Oriole Post and Ian of Sox and Dawgs join me for our hour long baseball show called, “The Hits Keep Coming” on Blog Talk Radio and on MVN Radio. Every week at 7PM Eastern Time (6PM Central/ 5PM Mountain/ 4PM Western/Pacific) we chat, analyze and comment about the world of Major League Baseball.

This week we wrap up the World Series!

If you’d like to call in, the phone number is 718-664-6564 or you can send us an instant message if you use AOL IM at hitskeepcoming20.

Please join us at either: http://blogtalkradio.com/oriolepost or http://mvn.com/radio/ - 7PM Eastern Time tonight!

Topics to be discussed this evening:

• Review of the World Series, Ian’s thoughts on the 2007 Red Sox
• A-Rod opts-out of his deal, will hit free agency
• Joe Girardi is the new Yankee manager
• Joe Torre is a Dodger now?
• Mike Cameron is using
• Free Agency period begins

You can listen to last week’s show by going over to the sidebar on the right and looking for the Blog Talk Radio section.

See you all tonight!!!

Possible Yankee Coaches under Girardi, courtesy of PeteAbe:

Pitching: Dave Eiland

Eiland was the AAA pitching for the Yankees this past year in Scranton-Wilkes Barre. The thinking here is that he’s worked with many of the young arms that are now in the bigs (Chamberlain, Hughes, Kennedy, Karstens). Interesting fact about Eiland: He’s the only player in Major League history to give up a home run to the first batter he ever faced and hit a home run in his first ever at-bat. He played for the Yankees, Padres and the Devil Rays in his twelve year career.

Hitting: Kevin Long

Long looks to be locked up for three years and earned a nice raise to $1 million per which is quite a lot for a hitting coach. There were rumors that he might follow Torre, but it looks like the Yankees offered him more money and he decided to stay.

Bench: Rob Thomson

Thomson is the interesting choice here. He was the major league field coordinator in 2007 and has been with the Yankee organization for the last 18 years. Advance scouting was also one of his duties. I guess Girardi and he have a history or it was just time to give him a promotion. For four games in late September 2006, Thomson took over the first base coaching duties for Tony Pena who had learned that his father had died.

Third base: Bobby Meacham

For those of you that grew up in the 80’ s and watched a lot of Yankee baseball, I don’t need to tell you who Bobby Meacham is. For those of you who may have forgotten , he was Steinbrenner’s whipping boy and tore in to him numerous times in the press for his inconsistent play at shortstop. He served as Girardi’s third-base coach with the Marlins in 2006 and was the Padres first-base coach in 2007

First base/catching: Tony Pena

Pena has been the first-base coach for the Yankees the last two seasons. He was a candidate for the Yankees managerial opening which ultimately went to Girardi. He’s a former catcher so I’m sure he’ll be a perfect fit on Girardi’s staff. I’m glad to see he’s back.

Bullpen: Mike Harkey

He was the Marlins bullpen coach in 2006 when Girardi was manager and their relationship goes back to the early 90’s when they were battery mates with the Cubs from 1990-1992.

Here is the audio from the Girardi conference call as promised.

The audio is courtesy of Peter Abraham from Lohud:

Click play below to listen:

Girardi sounds very professional and we found out that he sat in on the Mo Rivera meeting this afternoon. That can only be a good thing.

UPDATE: Below is audio from Mark Feinsand at the Daily News from Brian Cashman and Hank Steinbrenner:

Click play below to listen:

From the AP via the NYT:

Grady Little resigned as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, paving the way for Joe Torre to take the job. The 57-year-old Little leaves with one year remaining on his contract plus a club option for 2009.

Team owner Frank McCourt said on the season’s final day that Little would return next year, but recently several news outlets reported the Dodgers were speaking with Torre about their managerial job.

”I’ve got my own personal reasons,” Little said. ”It was a mutual resignation.”

”We haven’t hired anybody,” general manager Ned Colletti said. ”We’re talking to some people, that’s all I’m going to tell you. We’ll talk about where we go from here at a later date.”

Torre’s agent, Maury Gostfrand, declined comment.

Looks like Torre will start a new era in La La Land. Whether or not he brings along Don Mattingly, whose son Preston is in the Dodgers organization, remains to be seen. Current Yankee hitting coach Kevin Long is also a possibility to join Torre’s staff when he takes the job.

I must say, I didn’t like the way the Dodgers left Little “twisting in the wind” but maybe there is more to the stroy than we know. That’s usually the case.

Don Mattingly Day - 8/31/97

If you listen to this conference call closely, you will finally understand why Don Mattingly is one of the classiest and most respected people in ALL of baseball. He expressed disappointment in not being picked for the Yankee managerial position, but he was so reverent and still loyal to the Yankees that if you couldn’t understand why he is cheered louder at Yankee Stadium than Derek Jeter and even Yogi Berra, you will now.

The audio is courtesy of Peter Abraham from Lohud:

Click play below to listen:

When asked a question about whether he felt “cheated” by the organization he answered:

“Trust me, I’m not going to all of the sudden root for the Red Sox.”

He was also asked a question about boycotting the Yankees on things like Old-Timers Day and he flat out said “no” and he “had no hard feelings” toward the Yankee organization. He went on to add:

“If the Yankees are playing Boston, trust me, I’m rooting for the Yankees.”

That’s why Don Mattingly is and always will be my favorite, all-time Yankee.

Don Mattingly not angry at Yankees, will look at other options - AP

Yankee press release from MLB.com:

YANKEES NAME JOE GIRARDI 32ND MANAGER IN FRANCHISE HISTORY; SIGNED TO A THREE-YEAR CONTRACT THROUGH THE 2010 SEASON

The Yankees announced today that they have named Joe Girardi the 32nd manager in franchise history, signing him to a three-year contract which extends through the 2010 season. He becomes the 17th Yankees manager to have played for the club and the fourth former Yankees catcher to skipper the team, joining Bill Dickey, Ralph Houk and Yogi Berra. At 43 years old, Girardi becomes the third-youngest manager in the Major Leagues, behind the Washington Nationals’ Manny Acta (38) and the Cleveland Indians’ Eric Wedge (39).

Girardi was the 2006 National League “Manager of the Year,” guiding the Florida Marlins to a 78-84 record in his only season as a Major League manager. With the award, he matched the Houston Astros’ Hal Lanier (1986) and the San Francisco Giants’ Dusty Baker (1993) as the only managers to win the honor in their managerial debuts. In 2005, he served as the New York Yankees’ Bench Coach and Catching Instructor in his coaching debut.

In 15 Major League seasons as a catcher, Girardi played for the Chicago Cubs (1989-92 and 2000-02), Colorado Rockies (1993-95), New York Yankees (1996-99) and St. Louis Cardinals (2003). He was originally selected by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 1986 draft and went on to appear in six career postseasons, winning World Series titles with the Yankees in 1996, 1998, and 1999. In 1,277 career Major League games, he batted .267 (1,100-for-4,127) with 454 runs, 186 doubles, 36 home runs and 422 RBI, finishing with a .991 career fielding percentage while throwing out 27.6% of potential base stealers. He was named to the National League All-Star team in 2000 while playing with the Cubs.

As a Yankee, Girardi was behind the plate for Dwight Gooden’s no-hitter on 5/14/96 vs. Seattle and David Cone’s perfect game on 7/18/99 vs. Montreal. In Game 6 of the 1996 World Series vs. Atlanta, Girardi tripled in the game’s first run in a three-run third inning as the Yankees clinched their first World Championship since 1978 with a 3-2 victory.

A native of Peoria, Ill., Girardi was a three-time academic All-American and two-time All-Big Ten selection at Northwestern University, graduating with a degree in industrial engineering in 1986. Following his retirement as a player in 2004, Girardi joined the YES Network as an analyst and won an Emmy Award for hosting YES’ “Kids on Deck” series. In 2006, he rejoined YES, working as an analyst on Yankees broadcasts. He and his wife, Kim, have three children, Serena, Dante and Lena.