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A New York Yankees blog by Sam Borden, Chad Jennings and the staff of The Journal News

Girardi better the second time around

Peter Abraham
April
5

I asked Joe Girardi if he felt better prepared for this season than he did at this time last year.

“Yes you do, because you know what it’s like to sit in that chair,” he said. “You know all the different things you have to address and handle and you know the personality of the players a lot better than you did the year before and what they’re capable of doing and what they need and what they won’t need. Just a year of understanding what the job entails.”

In terms of other things, Girardi said he liked having the second lefty in the bullpen. Phil Coke could be used to get one batter or for up to 40 pitches. “We could use him any time,” he said.

Jorge Posada on how much he was looking forward to Opening Day: “A lot. A lot. It’s been a long time. I haven’t played in a while. … You have to put in the time when you’re hurt and do everything right. It’s a lot of work. Just to be out there again will be fun. I’m eager to see how the team looks and how we play.”

Derek Jeter on the rotation: “On paper we have some pretty good starters. We have guys that are capable of dominating people. You know, it’s a challenge facing any one of them, one through five. For us, that’s a good thing. In order to win you need pitchers who can shut teams down and we have that.”

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 5th, 2009 at 5:26 pm by Peter Abraham.
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20 Responses to “Girardi better the second time around”

  1. raymagnetic aka Cold Baller

    Greater on paper?

    The Yankees pitching or Mrs. Matsui :???:

  2. TIME FOR #27

    We should go 8-1 7-2 on this road trip. LETS GO YANKEES!!!

  3. Ed H.

    Look for Joey G. to have a great year.

  4. Art Vandelay

    If Phil Coke strikes out the side, will John Sterling say, “coke is it?”

  5. CARL PAVANO's ACCOMPLICE

    WOW ESPN HATES THE YANKEES WITH A PASSION
    http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....xpertpicks

  6. raymagnetic aka Cold Baller

    Why do they hate the Yankees? I saw at least 4 predictions of the Yankees going to the series and 3 predictions that they’ll win the series.

    Also multiple writers picked Teixeira to win the MVP award.

  7. tampa yankee

    i really hope this team sticks it to everybody who doubts them.mostly the espn idiots

  8. tampa yankee

    they were picked 4 times the red sucks 6

  9. Dano

    i was particularly surprised to see hof’er peter gammons pick the red sox as world series winners.

    there’s a turnup for the books!

  10. jose

    http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/ne.....;type=lgns

    yahoo predictions were pretty bad too

  11. tampa yankee

    peter G’S choice was a real shock.HE HAS FULLY BECOME A JOKE.

  12. Ed H.

    Here’s a coincidence for you. Look at the sponsored links (advertising) on the ESPN website page with these predictions (this is a cut and paste):

    Sponsored Links
    RedSox Fan Earns $300/day
    After I got laid off, I was able to make $8k a month Online!
    ChrisEarnsCashOnline.com

    Boston Red Sox Tickets
    Boston Red Sox Tickets. Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB.com
    http://www.StubHub.com

    Jason Varitek’s IQ is 129
    Think you’re smarter? Try to beat his score here.
    http://www.MajorLeagueIQ.com

  13. Art Vandelay

    Hank was onto something about ESPN’s bias. Despite Hank being a blowhard and signing Arod to a ridiculous contract, he had his moments of wisdom and this was one of them.

  14. Jeter in LF

    I will be interested to hear Peter’s take on Girardi’s media relations improvements as the year wears on. No matter what my views on the subject are, I think it will be contain useful information.

  15. TOS

    Good post Peter. I have no idea what ESPN has to do with anything, I’m just glad I don’t have enough time on my hands to care. . .

    In fairness to Girardi I think he’s accepted a lot of the mistakes he made last year and has made a sincere effort to do a better job this year. I think the familiarity he now has with the position will allow us all to see what he can do for real.

    I’m not sure even Joe Torre could have done much more with a team that lost two key players in its lineup for most of the season, experimented with rushing two rookies (who weren’t ready) into the starting rotation to start the season, and then had Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson make nearly a quarter of the team’s starts.

    It’s time to move forward and I think this team is going to be special this year. It certainly feels like Joe G is much better prepared for the job ahead of him, and the Yankees should be a better team because of that.

  16. Nate

    I was stunned to see P. Gammons pick Boston.

  17. Betsy

    I guess hope springs eternal for every team, but regardless of what the media and other assorted experts think, this is a really good Yankees team that has a chance to be pretty special. It all starts with the pitching and the Yankees have a chance to win with every starter that takes the mound. Tex has fit like a glove – I think he’s going to have a huge year. The pen (no matter what anyone else says) is full of potential and it’s still headed by the greatest closer ever. I know every manager likes his team, but Joe really seems to think this team is special – there seems to be a tremendous optimism and confidence surrounding the Yankees. This division is going to be tough, but I’ll wager that there is some seriously high quality baseball to be played all-around. That’s exciting – for me, baseball is the perfect game, and I like to see it played well.

    As to Joe, I know the media is probably waiting to see how he handles the first losing streak, but I think he’s going to be fine.

    I’m happy for Jorge – I can’t imagine what it felt like for him to sit on the sidelines most of last year, not being able to contribute while his team struggled. I guess he felt helpless – not a good feeling. I’m glad he’s back – the team wasn’t whole without him.

  18. Minnesota Yankee Fan

    Go Yanks! Can’t wait!

  19. bru

    don’t get to caught up with the so called experts predictions.

    almost all of them if not all of them pick the same teams & the same scenarios as last year because that is all they have to go on.

    there is no possible way to predict antyhing.
    who picked tampa to win the division in 08?
    nobody on the planet.

  20. Whitey Fraud

    Love the way Joey G. speaks of himself in the second person.

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About the authors
Chad JenningsChad Jennings joined the The Journal News in October 2009, having spent the better part of seven years covering baseball in Scranton, PA. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and an award-winning beat reporter and features writer. E-mail me at cjennings@lohud.com
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Sam BordenSam Borden is an award-winning journalist who joined The Journal News and LoHud.com in January 2008. He covered the Yankees for the New York Daily News from 2004-06, and has also worked as a columnist for the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. E-mail me at sborden@lohud.com
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Sam BordenJosh Thomson has done some of everything since joining The Journal News in March 2003. He began working for the Gannett weeklies during the winter of 2002 as a freelance writer. He joined the daily staff soon after and has since covered various high school and pro sports. E-mail me at jthomson@lohud.com
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