When the New York Yankees hired Joe Girardi as their manager before the 2008 season, they felt he had the ideal background to help nurture the development of young players, particularly pitchers Ian Kennedy, Philip Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. They promised patience.
Not that anybody should have believed it.
After the Yankees slipped to third place in the American League East last season -- they failed to advance to the postseason for the first time in 14 years -- the direction has changed. The Yankees are back to outbidding the rest of baseball for veteran players.
They brought in CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira, re-signed Andy Pettitte and rekindled the great expectations of Yankees teams past. As a result, Girardi has to be at the top of the list of managers on the hot seat as teams prepare to open spring training in two weeks.
But he's not the only manager who's future is in limbo.
-- Clint Hurdle took the Rockies to the World Series for the first time in franchise history in 2007, but that's the team's only winning season since he was hired in April 2002. The coaching staff was revamped in the offseason, and the team adjusted its approach to the spring to emphasize more playing time for regulars. Hurdle needs a solid start.
-- Washington's Manny Acta is considered a manager on the rise, but the Nationals are the worst team in the National League - possibly in all of baseball - and a third year is not charming for a manager in that situation.
-- Texas manager Ron Washington was on the verge of being fired in the midst of last season, but owner Tom Hicks was out of the country, so the dismissal was put on hold and the team rallied to save Washington's job -- for the time being.
-- Houston manager Cecil Cooper enters the season in the final year of his contact, which is not the norm for the Astros. That would put him on the hot seat if the Astros start the season cold.
INFIELD CHATTER
-- With Pettitte returning to the Yankees for a guarantee of $5.5 million, a base line has been established for the remaining free-agent pitchers.
-- The Mets are trying to finalize a deal with left-hander Oliver Perez but also have kept talks alive with Ben Sheets, who is likely headed to Texas, and Randy Wolf, more likely to wind up with the Dodgers.
-- Outfielder Bobby Abreu, no longer looking for a three-year, $50 million package, is high on the list of both Seattle and San Francisco.
-- Baltimore is showing interest in right-hander Braden Looper.
THE ROTATION
Five managers who are bulletproof in 2009:
-- Joe Torre, Dodgers. General manager Ned Colletti will take the fall before Torre, a fave of Dodgers ownership, even if he has burned some bridges at Yankee Stadium.
-- Bobby Cox, Braves. Fourteen consecutive division titles bought Cox security.
-- Mike Scioscia, Angels. Just signed an extension through 2018 that includes an opt-out in 2015.
-- Ozzie Guillen, White Sox. He has weathered politically incorrect statements and sub-par seasons. He's a fave of owner Jerry Reinsdorf, one of the most loyal owners in the game.
-- Terry Francona, Red Sox. He has won two world championships, ending a franchise drought of 86 years, and this season, his three-year, $12 million extension kicks in.
OUT IN LEFT FIELD
Just how much difference does a pitching coach make? The folks in Pittsburgh and Texas are about to find out.
Joe Kerrigan takes over with the Pirates, who had a 5.10 ERA last season, highest in the NL by a team other than Colorado since Cincinnati came in at 5.19 in 2004.
Mike Maddux, meanwhile, is taking over in Texas. Since 1996, Texas has had a team ERA of 5.25 or higher in four seasons.
Only the Rockies have done that more often (six times), and they at least had the excuse of no humidor from 1996 through 2001.
CLOSING STATEMENT
So Jeff Kent tears up in an emotional retirement announcement, and there is a sudden flurry to proclaim him a lock for the Hall of Fame -- even though it'll be five years before his name even appears on the ballot.
The selling point for Kent is that he hit more home runs than any other second baseman in history. The question is why are Hall of Fame position players so often defined by an offensive stat?
Shouldn't Hall of Famers have been complete players? Shouldn't defense have a value? Shouldn't a player's impact on the clubhouse be a factor?
If so, Kent had a career .290 batting average, which isn't Hall of Fame caliber.
NUMBERS GAME
-- .211: Batting average for Cubs pinch hitters the past five years, 26th in the majors. Cubs chairman Crane Kenney has said the cramped conditions at Wrigley Field are a problem for player preparations. While most new stadiums have batting cages near the dugouts, where pinch hitters can loosen up, Cubs pinch hitters prepare by hitting balls into a net in the clubhouse. The cages are under the center field stands.
CAMPAIGNING FOR RAMIREZ
With spring training two weeks away and Manny Ramirez still unsigned, the Dodgers coaching staff is putting pressure on ownership to bring him back.
Coaches Don Mattingly and Larry Bowa have spoken out in support of Ramirez, who declined the Dodgers' initial two-year offer worth nearly $50 million.
HE SAID IT
"Going from the top to the bottom, I think that's a pretty big shock to myself, (president Dave Dombrowski) and our manager (Jim Leyland). I think we'll stabilize this year, and then next year, we'll become very, very aggressive and, hopefully, we've got a steady ship and team chemistry."
-- Mike Ilitch, Tigers owner, whose team went from the World Series in 2006 to last in the American League Central in 2008.
(Tracy Ringolsby writes for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, Colo. E-mail ringolsbyt(at)RockyMountainNews.com.)
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