Sports Radio Interviews

Joe Girardi: A New York Hero, Literally

The New York Yankees have taken a lot of heat in the last decade for having the highest payroll and not getting back to the World Series. The last time the Yankees got to the World Series they lost in Yankee Stadium to the Florida Marlins.  They sign all the big name free agents to huge contracts but haven’t won the World Series since they beat the Mets in the Subway Series in 2000.  They signed Joe Girardi to be the manager for this team before the 2008 season and throughout his first season with the team he was criticized for moves he made on the diamond, oh yeah and because he didn’t get the team to the World Series.  Tough crowd in the Bronx.

So here comes this season, the Yankees go out and spend big money to bring in C.C Sabathia, A.J Burnett, Mark Teixeira, and also brought in Nick Swisher to make this team more complete.  The moves all worked, so Brian Cashman looks like a genius and even after been ripped last season, Girardi made the right moves to get this team back to the promised land.  The Yankees get ripped for having the highest payroll by far, but I look at as making the money off the Yankees and putting it back into the team. They’re playing within MLB’s rules.  What’s wrong with that? Finally a good guy like Girardi gets to forget about his first stint as a manager in South Florida with the Marlins, (he managed well and the actual management was terrible) and he gets to enjoy being king of New York…well at least until pitchers and catchers report in 96 days.

Joe Girardi joined WFAN in New York to talk about the World Series win, how he got to the Yankees and what it meant to win the game in New York.

Asked about the real “team” concept the team had from day one, unlike other Yankees teams in the last few years:

“To win you have to make sacrifices and you really have to be a team.  I actually really think that during spring training when some of the people left for the WBC and we had the extra two weeks that I really think it helped out club come together because we had some really important new faces.  It was important that they felt accepted and that they fit in. They just seemed to walk right in and they took charge. We talked about you may not play as much as you want at times and we may do some things that you’re not accustomed to doing, but in the long run the unselfishness will pay off and I really believe it did.”

Asked about winning a title as a player and now as a manger and how it compares:

“It’s a ton of joy. There is a sense of relief because you know you can rest your mind a little bit for a while.  I think the joy as a player is for yourself, for your family, for all the coaches that have tutored you over the years.  I think as a manager the joy is for the Steinbrenner’s, the Boss, Brian Cashman for what he has done, the whole staff, and all the scouts and for the players.  I have been in that room and know what it feels like to win and for all those guys that have never won it, it’s just extreme joy for those guys. You know for Alex and what he meant to our season and post season, I am just really happy.  You get tired of answering questions, you know when we were 0-8 against Boston, I was tired of answering those questions, and I knew we needed a win.  I am sure Alex was tired of answering questions about the last few years in the postseason and for him to come out and do what he did and be such a big part of the championship success, I am extremely happy for him.

Asked about the story after the game last night helping a woman in distress on the side of the road:

“What had happened is, we were driving home, fortunately I was in the right lane and in the left lane coming around a bend a lady had run into a concrete barrier and her SUV looked horrible.  So we pulled off to the right, I had my wife call the police; I ran across the street, because as bad as the car had looked I was really concerned.  And when I got there she was on the phone talking to the police and she only got a little cut and she couldn’t open her door.  I was like maam you got to get out of this car; if someone comes around the bend they are going to hit the back of your car.  And I just kept talking to her and the police got there about 3-4 minutes later and fortunately she was ok, her car was mangled.  (Francesa: Is she like, oh my god Joe Girardi is getting me out of my car?) She had no idea who I was, no. (Francesa: When she found out that you just won the World Series, she must have been quite surprised). She didn’t find out from me, once the police got there I ran across the street got back in my car and took my family home. She probably found out about it in the news today”.

Listen to Joe Girardi with Mike Francesa on WFAN in New York

Tags: A.J. Burnett, Alex Rodriguez, Brian Cashman, C.C. Sabathia, Florida Marlins, Mark Teixeira, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Nick Swisher, Subway Series, WBC, World Series