Phillies firing Joe Girardi can end that silly little Yankees narrative

The Philadelphia Phillies entered 2022 helmed by former Yankees manager Joe Girardi and featuring a pile of super power bats, but without any consideration for relief pitching and defense (what else is new?), a roster issue that rots from Dave Dombrowski all the way at the top.

Thus far in ’22, the Phillies have been bad at exactly the things we knew they’d be bad at. Still, as of June 3, that was enough to determine that Joe had to go. Though his ingredients didn’t make all that much sense together, he certainly didn’t elevate the form, now did he?

While it’ll be a shame to no longer be able to scratch together gibberish comparisons between Gary Sánchez in Minnesota and Girardi in Philly (not even sure … how that would … huh), the ex-Yankees manager’s dismissal should all but end the drumbeat of fans wishing he’d never been let go in the Bronx.

While Girardi’s departure after 2017 was galling, and the resulting Aaron Boone hire was always the real problem with that tradeoff, the Yankees’ meticulously-crafted 36-15 record should be the only thing on your radar this morning. Wish Girardi well, but there’s no need to follow his ups and downs anymore.

Girardi was fired on Friday, a move as obvious as it will be ineffective in solving the Phillies’ deeper concerns. There is enough power on this roster for a potential dead cat bounce to occur, but in the end, the Phillies are too flawed for either an old-school disciplinarian or his dismissal to play any role in their ultimate fate.

Girardi would make an excellent broadcaster or commentator. We’ve already seen it. But there is no need to year for him in pinstripes again.

Yankees’ ex-manager Joe Girardi fired by Phillies

2009 was a dream season, one final coronation of the four greatest champions in this tough-to-win team sport. At the time, though, Girardi wasn’t even a popular choice to lead that group. Joe Torre’s dismissal at the end of the 2007 season was a long time coming as his veteran-laden corps bizarrely faltered in one postseason after another, but Girardi’s first season in the Bronx was the team’s first playoff-less full season since 1993. He was known as a “by-the-book” leader with no grasp on how to lead a bullpen (sound Boone-ish to you at all?).

Luckily for all parties, the ’09 club blew the doors off the league in the second half, prancing their way to a World Series win on the strength of unbelievable clutch hitting and fire under pressure. The 2010-2012 outfits were also special, though the cast of characters changed a bit. Girardi deserves all the credit in the world for adjusting to the task at hand, but when the Yankees couldn’t repeat OR follow up in eight years, the “by-the-book” criticism returned. Schisms with the Sanchize became talk radio fodder (LOL).

Enter Boone, who’s heard it all for four seasons. He’s lead 100- and 103-win clubs to the precipice. He battled 2020. He faltered repeatedly in 2021, and might’ve been walking towards a panacea firing himself. Now, he’s in his best and brightest form, and for his sake and the Yankees’, he needs a 2009-like finish to this campaign.

A Girardi reunion is not the answer, though, and at the moment, the 2022 Yankees don’t really have a problem in that department. If Girardi could hit better than Aaron Hicks or make more contact than Joey Gallo, there’d be a reason to mention his name Friday in something other than a remembrance.

As it stands, though, you can simply feel bad for the guy without wondering how he could fit in the Yankees Universe once more.

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