Four Requests for Girardi With Yankees Tragic Number Down To One

With a “tragic number” of one game, the Yankees are in a bad situation. They would need the miracle of miracles to make the playoffs at this point. The New York Yankees will soon be in a position they haven’t been in for almost 20 years: missing the post-season in back to back years.

Between that fact and having to say goodbye to Derek Jeter (at Fenway Park no less), it is going to be a tough next few days for all Yankees fans no matter what. From a purely petulant standpoint, if the Yankees are eliminated from playoff contention, I need Joe Girardi to do four things:

1. Sit Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann. The Yankees have had a decent homestand so far, one that would be qualified as successful if it happened earlier in the year, but they’ve done that largely without the help of those two. Although McCann has hit 4 HRs on the homestand, both are batting under .200 and have taken more walks back to the dugout after ABs than to 1B. It’s said that distance makes the heart grow fonder. Time to try that theory out with these two and give them the rest of the year off.

2. Refuse to answer a single question about the Yankees erstwhile 3B who will officially be back on the roster on Monday. Not even in Girardi’s end of season press conference should he discuss the issue. Nobody outside of the media wants to hear it. Nobody. That’s something to worry about in March. Until then, let’s pretend that the situation is not going to materialize. Leave us our illusions for just a little bit longer.

3. Say “It’s not what you want” at least three times in every press conference and do it with a straight face. Joe Girardi comes across as straight laced and more than a little stoic. Quite frankly, with all the turmoil going on around the team, I’ll take this demeanor any day of the week. 

4. Go to bat for each and every one of his coaches in the offseason. This isn’t on them, though  someone is probably going to take the fall for this disappointing and uninspiring season. It’s the nature of the business but it shouldn’t be Kevin Long and it sure shouldn’t be Larry Rothschild who did yeoman’s work this year with a massively disrupted pitching staff. Even Rob “Windmill” Thompson gets a pass on this year. This is squarely on the players.

 

This season has been a disappointment. Some things need to change with this team. Those things, however, are a concern for next week. For now, Joe Girardi should act as a buffer for the fan base, just as he does for his players.