Sorry for the delay in replying, I just got back from my usual Sunday morning occasions—

Nothing to do with size. A claque is a group of admiring or fawning followers. A clique is a snobbish or narrow coterie.

I wonder if he’s juiced.

The disagreement here seems to be about whether Girardi is allowed to be criticized like any other sports manager or must always be treated as if he were a sacred icon. Girardi clearly prefers the latter view and some highly emotional fans go along with him.

I don’t hate Girardi. I went on record as supporting his succeeding Torre long before Torre was gone. That doesn’t mean I’m blind. He has not been an above-average manager as far as in-game decision-making, or inculcating the small-ball approach that could have made up for some of the loss of offensive power, or in dealing with a media-rich environment. That he’s scraping along at average in his first year in a major market (and only his second season as a manager) is not surprising or shameful, and is no indication that he may not be a superior manager someday.

I will be rooting for that day to come. In the meantime I’ll be looking for plenty of info on him and the team, and expecting respectable reporters like Pete to be out there getting it for me regardless whether Girardi and his claque get steamed.

I’m willing to be almost anything that telling the media that no final decision has been made on Damon was the truth, and that what was said to Damon was merely managing expectations. If Damon wakes up, feels fine, and Cash and Girardi then decide it’s okay to activate him, then Damon gets a nice surprise. If not, then it’s just what he expected.

In other words, why do you think the lie was to you, and not Damon?

All in all, though, I do think the Girardi Lies schtick is beyond old.

Weird tangential analogy, I know. But the point is, why is the media taking it personally when Girardi is coy about injury, roster, or lineup information? There are many legitimate reasons he could be doing this from not having final say, to having final say and wanting to reach consensus with team, med staff, and player. Maybe he’s trying to keep Giese or Hawkins focused for one more day. Maybe he’s emotionally weary of releasing Hawkins. Imagine if he managed a factory and the media was interviewing the plant manager about upcoming layoffs, mentioning factory workers by name? Bottom line, it really isn’t his priority to answer to the media but rather to win ballgames, motivate, and take care of his team. Please give him a break. He’s cautious by nature and will open up more next year, as he sees what really has a negative effect and what does not. That is my opinion. I hope it can be respected. Thanks.