Joe Girardi Blows It Bigtime

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

I'm not a guy who enjoys dogging Joe Girardi, not in the least bit possible.

I love supporting him, even when people question every little decision he makes when the Yankees lose games.

Being the manager in New York isn't a piece of cake, and Girardi seems to handle the pressure well.

People tend to forget it is only his second year managing.

Alright praise time over, time to get down to my first real criticism of an in-game move by the Yankee skipper.

His move last night to take out the recently stellar Phil Hughes and put in Brian Bruney with a two run lead in the eighth is ridiculous.

I consider this the most ridiculous managerial decision of his career.

I haven't seen a dumber move in awhile.

There I was, seventh inning, watching Hughes throw another amazing inning of work, making the Mariners' batters look silly. They couldn't manage one hit and had a hard time catching up to his fastball.

When the bottom of the seventh came around and Alex Rodriguez hit a two run homer to take the lead, I was jumping for joy, literally.

My thought after the final out in the seventh went something along the lines of, "Oh boy, time for more Hughes' bullpen magic and a perfect eighth to lead to Mariano in the ninth!"

Sadly, my wish didn't come true.

Instead Girardi trotted Brian Bruney out to the mound to take over in the eighth, and set up for Rivera. Unfortunately, I think he lost his job in the process.

What happened in that inning should not be tolerated by any Yankee fan.

Bruney walks a batter, gives up three hits, then gives up two runs, which subsequently blows the lead.

All the while Hughes is sitting on the bench with a 1.38 ERA out of the bullpen.

Yes, a guy who was being questioned in the move to his new role has, a 1.38 ERA in eight appearances out of the bullpen.

It feels good, due to all the Yankee's bullpen controversy, so I will say it again, 1.38.

What really grinds my gears, so to speak, is Girardi's arrogance in post game interviews.

According to the Star-Ledger, Girardi had this to say after questions about Hughes' performance.

"He's a full-fledged reliever now," Girardi said with a laugh. "(We) won't hesitate to bring him in in any situation at this point."

Oh really Joe, a full-fledged reliever who you won't leave in the game when you have a two run lead in the eighth, and Mo ready for the ninth.

Let's learn from our mistakes and let the guy with a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings keep the baseball in his hand next time, okay?

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