Joe Girardi was last major vestige of the old Evil Empire
Aaron Boone Becomes 33rd Manager in History of the Yankees
Future baseball historians may look back on Joe Girardi's dismissal as the day the old Evil Empire exhausted its final breath.
Girardi was not oblivious to the transforming realities encircling him. Game fundamentals and the science of baseball itself have been undergoing changes throughout this new millennium. The former Yankees manager was living it, thinking he was up to speed, and that everything was just fine.
Why wouldn't he?
As the former catcher for a modern dynasty, who other than Girardi understood the pressures of having to meet the Boss' high expectations, or performing to Bronx Cheer for that matter? Who among available candidates could match his wealth of first hand knowledge and practical experience?
After managing the Yankees through ten straight winning seasons, overseeing the organization's lone member of the 3,000 hit club, a Rookie of the Year winner, first ballot Hall of Famers, capturing the 2009 World Series championship, and most recently knocking off the defending American League champion Cleveland Indians, who among the pool of potentially available managerial candidates could possibly have been more qualified to replace Joe?
In more recent years, Girardi also believes he had sufficiently demonstrated an ability to not only evolve with the pace of baseball's changing trends with a willingness to embrace and apply front office metrics, but had also expressed his openness for continuing in the redefining of 21st century operational relationships between front office and field managing.
Ironically, as it relates to this off-season's turn of events, Joe also won Manager of the Year honors in 2006 for the way he guided Miami's young players. It's no wonder, then, he ended the 2017 season under the impression that he'd been establishing positive relationships and communicating quite well with the Yankees younger players.
Joe Girardi's resume can otherwise be captured in three words: The perfect fit.
Only he wasn't; not here; not anymore.
In my opinion, Brian Cashman decided to move on two years ago. The optic emanating from the dugout spoke volumes. Girardi was suddenly a granite symbol of the old imperial system; a lingering relic of the old republic; an immovable triumphal arch smack in the middle of a modern dugout; and ultimately something very ancient and somewhat strange to an even newer generation of players whom no longer understood Latin. Fairly or not, everything on Joe Girardi's resume screamed old school.
Generations have passed. My parents were Baby Boomers, making me a Generation X'er. I in turn brought a Millennial into the world. While the new manager of the Yankees will be dealing with many of those, he more importantly will be inheriting Generation Z - teenagers, and those presently old enough to serve in the military, but still too young to legally drink. These are the upcoming players Aaron Boone is specifically being asked to manage ... in a kinder, gentler way, that many of of old fools from the old school don't quite understand.
Funny ... like me, Girardi and Boone are both Gen-X'ers. Boone is only nine years younger than Girardi. I'm somewhere in the middle. I know Aaron comes a lot cheaper than Girardi does.
Just saying ...
Baseball no doubt courses through Aaron Boone's veins. His grandfather, father, and brother, all major league players - his pedigree is impeccable. His coaching and/or managerial experience, however, is nonexistent.
So what's he gonna do, hand out cans of Dr. Pepper?
Six candidates interviewed for the Yankees post: Carlos Beltran, Eric Wedge, Bobby Thompson, Hensley Meulens, Chris Woodward, and Aaron Boone, whom apparently out-shined them all. In fact, Boone's former colleagues at ESPN are only some of the many that have done nothing but rave about him.
In any event, Brian Cashman continues steering the organization into new uncharted territory. But make no mistake, the energy of the old empire is not dead. It is merely being transformed.
This is Brian Cashman's New Bronx Order.
It needn't to make sense to us.
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