Something did not seem right about ex-Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland leaving for personal reasons, and now ESPN New York.com’s Andrew Marchand reveals what happened. This writer suggested that Joe Girardi may have been involved Eiland’s firing, and it sounds like that’s exactly what happened.
Eiland and Girardi had a difference of opinion about how the pitchers were used. This took place right after the deposed pitching coach came back from his personal leave.
One wonders if Girardi felt comfortable working with Eiland in the first place. When Girardi was hired, Eiland was not his choice. He preferred to work with Yankees bullpen coach Mike Harkey due to their past work together.
With the team falling short of its goals this year, the insecure manager decided to use his opportunity to blame Eiland for what’s going on.
Here’s a question that should be asked: Who made Girardi the general manager all of a sudden?
The job of a manager is to work with his coaches that his boss selected. Most baseball managers do not select coaches these days, so it should be expected Girardi should not have a say in this.
Eiland proved to be a valuable commodity. He did a great job with the relievers last year, and his work with A.J. Burnett is a miracle last year.
For some reason, Girardi made it a point to go credit himself for making it work with the relievers. This is what happens when a manager acts like he invents the game of baseball.
It was clear who won the power struggle between the two of them. This should teach Girardi’s fellow coaches not to cross that genius again. They should follow Tony Pena’s lead by agreeing everything the manager says.
It’s funny how Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is considered ruthless for the way he treated Eiland. If he was really ruthless, he would tell Girardi to deal with Eiland.
It’s clear now Cashman goes by what Girardi tells him. This guy developed a fetish with the Yankees manager going back to 2006. That was the year Girardi won the NL Manager of the Year for getting the Marlins to overachieve.
Would it surprise anyone if Cashman was not broken up about ex-Yankees manager Joe Torre not coming back? He sure did not plead with the Steinbrenner family to bring Torre back. He wanted Girardi to be the new manager.
It’s interesting why Girardi wasn’t interested in any other jobs back then. Cashman convinced Girardi that job was going to be his soon.
Plus, it’s interesting the Yankees general manager was quick to endorse the manager’s return after the Yankees were eliminated. If only Torre got that type of support in the years the Yankees were out in the first round.
What did Girardi do to earn the benefit of the doubt by his boss? It’s not like he is a great manager. If anything, he is a mediocre manager at best. With a payroll like that of the Yankees, anyone can get the team to the ALDS.
Girardi has no idea how to use pitchers, period. When a starter or a reliever is in a jam, he is quick to get that pitcher out of there. How is a pitcher going to get better when a manager has no trust?
The Yankees manager should take a hit for Joba Chamberlain’s regression. This is a guy who had no idea how to use his phenom. He limited his pitcher out on the mound by pitching him for few innings, and then he would take him out when he gives up a walk or hit.
For all the credit Girardi received for his handling of the bullpen last year, most of his relievers had no idea what to do out there this year. He put them in a position to fail because his binder told him to use them in a spot they shouldn’t be in.
One wonders if he listened to Eiland much in the three years they worked together.
The next pitching coach becomes tricky. Why would any great pitching coach want to work with Girardi? With the manager being a control freak, it wouldn’t be a good idea.
Say goodbye to Curt Young, Leo Mazzone or any other great pitching coaches out there. Marchand’s report did the Yankees a disservice.
Odds are, Harkey or Scott Aldred will be the new pitching coach. How is that an upgrade? Harkey had no answers when the Yankees struggled to pitch, and Aldred is an unknown.
Does that inspire confidence? Yankees fans will listen to whatever Girardi and Cashman are going to say like gospel.
These are the same folks that actually believed Eiland left because of his personal issues. This did not make sense from the beginning, especially when he was fired after the Yankees bowed out in the ALCS.
Now, we get an answer thanks to brilliant reporting by Marchand. Of course, Yankees fans will blindly support Girardi.
Good luck to the next pitching coach who has to deal with Girardi everyday. Being a member of his staff is not a job people should envy.
Eiland learned it the hard way.
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