Is Joe Girardi Acting on a Personal Vendetta Against A-Rod?

Ever since his announcement to retire, Alex Rodriguez’s sudden last hurrah with the Yankees has been nothing short of bitter.

Much of the bad feeling has to do with Yankees manager Joe Girardi’s decision to not play Alex Rodriguez in his last few days in pinstripes, despite the fact that the manager vowed to find a way to play him every game.

This vow was nothing but an emotional impulse, and after Girardi had time to recollect himself, he was quick to tell the media that, “I got caught up in my emotions, and I apologize for that, OK?” Girardi said Wednesday. “I made a mistake. I’m human.”

To many Yankees fans, Girardi’s actions against the tainted superstar look petty and disingenuous. This makes one wonder: Is Joe acting on a personal vendetta against Alex?

Joe Girardi: My job description does not entail farewell tours

At this point, A-Rod has had to suffer more than enough to account for his sins. Playing him for the rest of his stay won’t manifest the Yankees front office’s fear of him reaching a 700-homerun-milestone payday. Girardi’s defense is that the Yankees are playing to win, and he can’t afford to make decisions based on emotions.

Adding to this, Girardi said that his “job description does not entail farewell tours.” This is another way to say, “No, you’re not getting the Jeter treatment.”

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In retrospect, Derek Jeter, who struggled from a .617 OPS in his retirement tour, was allowed to stay in the lineup’s two spot in 2014. “I didn’t have anyone to replace [Jeter] with [in the second spot],” said Girardi when asked about the subject. However, Jeter’s playing time was protected by his fans, who were paying a fortune to see his “RE2PECT” tour. If Girardi had treated him like he has treated A-Rod, he would have been eaten alive by the fans and chased out of the Bronx.

To Girardi’s defense, he has defended A-Rod countless of times in the past, including during his PED-suspension. This fact makes trying to understand Girard’s latest decisions against him even more mind-boggling.

Still, according to Girardi himself, his individual cannot get in the way of his managing, and his “responsibility is to put the best possible lineup out there.” Yet, the bombers don’t have a real chance of making the playoffs this year, so why not let A-Rod have his final week of redemption?

Next: Is Joe Girardi Cracking Under the Pressure?

After all, Girardi surely couldn’t have been all about winning when the Yankees failed to make the playoffs during the “RE2PECT” tour, so what’s his logic now?