Joe Girardi feels 'blessed' to manage New York Yankees
In Joe Girardi's mind, that's where he will be standing Wednesday night when he exchanges lineup cards with the Phillies' Charlie Manuel.
Girardi will emerge from the first-base dugout shortly before the World Series opener, Yankee Stadium sure to be crackling with electricity after Alicia Keys sings the national anthem. He might feel like pinching himself, but nothing will interrupt his focus.
The Illinois native, a quarterback at Spalding Institute in Peoria, an industrial engineering graduate from Northwestern and an All-Star catcher with the Cubs, says he feels "blessed" managing the Yankees in the World Series.
He knows he's walking where few do, especially those with the Cubs, whose players he worshipped long ago. He had hoped to manage in Chicago, but Lou Piniella got the job that would have seemed to fit him well.
Instead of trying to help the Cubs end a drought that has reached 101 years, he has a chance to guide the Yankees to their 27th World Series title.
"I think of all the kids who have played Little League," Girardi said. "All the people who played in the big leagues. Being a Cub fan, understanding Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo never got to experience that, you realize how fortunate you are."
You don't get in Girardi's position by winning the lottery, however. He has spent most of his 45 years acquiring the experience that allows him to tell Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez what to do.
He's not afraid, either. Few managers ever have been as quick to push buttons in postseason games as Girardi over the last three weeks.
"The key for me is preparation," he said. "That's what helps me handle everything that comes my way."
Student of game Northwestern coach Paul Stevens was an assistant on Ron Wellman's staff during Girardi's tenure as an All-Big Ten catcher for the Wildcats. The Cubs took him in the fifth round of the 1986 amateur draft, more for his fielding and ability to run a game than his bat.
"He was the backbone of the team here," Stevens said. "Joe has always had a very good head for the game, and he was like a coach on the field. ... I've been around a lot of intelligent guys here, but Joe really stood out."
Girardi, who survived 15 years with four teams and won three World Series rings with the Yankees, graduated from Northwestern in four years. He may never use his engineering degree, but it honed his work habits.
"Joe has tremendous time-management skills," Stevens said. "He's a stickler for details, as organized as you can be, meticulous in his preparation and never misses a thing."
Success was elusive in his first managerial stop with the Marlins in 2006. Girardi kept a young, cheap team in wild-card contention before it faded to a fourth-place finish with a 78-84 record.
Clashes with the front office were frequent and increasingly volatile, and his dismissal was no surprise even as it coincided with his being named NL Manager of the Year.
Girardi felt he had been undermined and misled when the Marlins traded franchise cornerstones Josh Beckett and Mike Lovell to the Red Sox, shedding payroll after he had been hired. Bad blood between Girardi and the front office over the budget and the coaching staff, among other things, boiled over during an August game against the Dodgers.
Owner Jeffrey Loria was loudly questioning ball-and-strike calls from the stands when someone in the dugout shouted, "Shut the (expletive) up." Loria believed it was Girardi yelling and stormed into the manager's office afterward, intent on firing him.
One of Girardi's coaches was the culprit, but Loria still ordered the manager to apologize in front of the team.
"It was irretrievable after that," said Mike Berardino, who covered Girardi for the South Florida's Sun Sentinel.
Girardi will emerge from the first-base dugout shortly before the World Series opener, Yankee Stadium sure to be crackling with electricity after Alicia Keys sings the national anthem. He might feel like pinching himself, but nothing will interrupt his focus.
The Illinois native, a quarterback at Spalding Institute in Peoria, an industrial engineering graduate from Northwestern and an All-Star catcher with the Cubs, says he feels "blessed" managing the Yankees in the World Series.
He knows he's walking where few do, especially those with the Cubs, whose players he worshipped long ago. He had hoped to manage in Chicago, but Lou Piniella got the job that would have seemed to fit him well.
Instead of trying to help the Cubs end a drought that has reached 101 years, he has a chance to guide the Yankees to their 27th World Series title.
"I think of all the kids who have played Little League," Girardi said. "All the people who played in the big leagues. Being a Cub fan, understanding Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo never got to experience that, you realize how fortunate you are."
You don't get in Girardi's position by winning the lottery, however. He has spent most of his 45 years acquiring the experience that allows him to tell Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez what to do.
He's not afraid, either. Few managers ever have been as quick to push buttons in postseason games as Girardi over the last three weeks.
"The key for me is preparation," he said. "That's what helps me handle everything that comes my way."
Student of game Northwestern coach Paul Stevens was an assistant on Ron Wellman's staff during Girardi's tenure as an All-Big Ten catcher for the Wildcats. The Cubs took him in the fifth round of the 1986 amateur draft, more for his fielding and ability to run a game than his bat.
"He was the backbone of the team here," Stevens said. "Joe has always had a very good head for the game, and he was like a coach on the field. ... I've been around a lot of intelligent guys here, but Joe really stood out."
Girardi, who survived 15 years with four teams and won three World Series rings with the Yankees, graduated from Northwestern in four years. He may never use his engineering degree, but it honed his work habits.
"Joe has tremendous time-management skills," Stevens said. "He's a stickler for details, as organized as you can be, meticulous in his preparation and never misses a thing."
Success was elusive in his first managerial stop with the Marlins in 2006. Girardi kept a young, cheap team in wild-card contention before it faded to a fourth-place finish with a 78-84 record.
Clashes with the front office were frequent and increasingly volatile, and his dismissal was no surprise even as it coincided with his being named NL Manager of the Year.
Girardi felt he had been undermined and misled when the Marlins traded franchise cornerstones Josh Beckett and Mike Lovell to the Red Sox, shedding payroll after he had been hired. Bad blood between Girardi and the front office over the budget and the coaching staff, among other things, boiled over during an August game against the Dodgers.
Owner Jeffrey Loria was loudly questioning ball-and-strike calls from the stands when someone in the dugout shouted, "Shut the (expletive) up." Loria believed it was Girardi yelling and stormed into the manager's office afterward, intent on firing him.
One of Girardi's coaches was the culprit, but Loria still ordered the manager to apologize in front of the team.
"It was irretrievable after that," said Mike Berardino, who covered Girardi for the South Florida's Sun Sentinel.
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