Making the Grade

Making the Grade was one of our favorite flicks back in the '80's. In this case though, we're talking about Joe Girardi's first half-season performance as Yankees manager. We've been hearing, surprisingly, a lot of criticism of GI Joe, some with good reason and some of it unfounded.

Has made mistakes? Absolutely. Has he done a horrible job, full responsible for the Yankees poor first half? Not at all. Some of the same fans that were clamoring for him in the off-season are now the same fans questioning his ability to manage. Sometimes we wonder what these fans expect/want and whether or not they are being unreasonable.

We've said it before and we'll stand by it. The Yankees fans, specifically those younger ones that really got into the team in the late 90s-early millennium dynasty, are spoiled. 4 World Series wins in 5 years, and 12 straight years of playoffs. The Yankees also made it to 2 World Series after that, which they lost, but the 2004 ALCS collapse seems to be what has really turned the attitude/outlook, of a number of fans, quite ugly.

Girardi has only one year of managerial experience under his belt, and that shows at times. Overall we feel he's done a decent job. He's not responsible for another poor start by Robinson Cano, injuries to A-Rod, Jorge Posada, and Chien-Ming Wang, or the disappointing seasons of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.

Girardi seems to have the respect of his players, which are a blend of veterans and kids. He's done a good job with the press, which was one of his shortcomings in Florida. At times though, he'll just about say anything, or conversely, not say anything to deflect from a situation.

We've heard criticsm from fans that he waits to go long to get someone up in the pen. We're curious if these are the same fans that said Joe Torre was too quick to warm up a reliever.

The only real knock we have on Girardi is his in-game strategy, which at times is lacking. Tuesday night's loss to Texas was a specific example. Down by a run in the bottom of the 9th, with the tying run on first and no one out, he opted not to have Melky Cabrera attempt a sacrifice bunt. Instead, Cabrera, who is in a horrible slump, bounced into a rally killing double play.

Girardi can also, at times, shoot himself in the foot. Injuries have a direct effect on the lineup, but Sunday's lineup against the Mets was baffling. The Yankees struggle with Oliver Perez, no matter who is hitting, but Girardi downgraded his lineup further, there was already a pitcher in the lineup, by playing the slumping Cabrera, rookie Justin Christian, and light hitting Jose Molina.

Overall, we still think Girardi was the right man for the job. He's not one for theatrics like a Bobby Valentine, or outbursts like Lou Pinella, but he clearly has a fire in his belly and he's had no problem laying into the team behind closed doors.

To be fair, this team is caught between trying to contend and rebuilding, so it makes things more difficult on the manager. So far so good we say, with room for improvement.

Our grade for GI Joe is a "B". What do you think? Answer our new poll and let us know.