Joe Girardi: Best Manager Ever (Humor)?

(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

In yet another instance of managerial magnificence, Joe Girardi was bailed out for the 158th time by the New York Yankees Sunday, as the Bronx Bombers completed a four-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox, winning 5-2.

While skeptics have speculated that the even most strategically inept human being can lead the 2009 New York Yankees to 100 wins, Girardi is well on his way to proving them right.

Leading 1-0 entering the eighth inning, Girardi brought in lefty Phil Coke to face Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, and Victor Martinez.

Rather than just facing the three batters, Coke instead elected to face five. He came in with a 1-0 lead and left trailing 2-1, his fifth blown lead of the year, complementing a stellar 4.98 earned run average and further showcasing Girardi's continued inability to manage a bullpen.

To Girardi's defense, the regular eighth inning man, Phil Hughes, had pitched the previous two games to the tune of a whopping nine pitches and two batters faced.

Three more would have been a lot to ask.

Hughes' ERA since being moved to the bullpen in June is 1.45, allowing runs in only three of 24 appearances.

Phil Coke allowed more runs (six) in 0.1 innings pitched just a week and a half ago against the Chicago White Sox than Hughes has total (five) since June. Given this kid's stat line for the season, you would think he was on the other New York team.

Coke, the weak link in an otherwise stabilized bullpen, even offered some bulletin board material after the game.

"So much for 8-0, huh?" he said, in an Associated Press report.

Let's answer Coke's question with a question of our own—should a win in the box score really generate such an unnecessary ego boost?

Andy Pettitte had one of his best outings of the season and gets a no decision. Ten minutes after coming in, Coke destroys everything the team had done for the first seven innings, yet registers a win and then gloats?

Please excuse me for a moment while I minimize this window and slam on my keyboard relentlessly.

So, what frustrates me more? Joe Girardi thinking he deserves any credit whatsoever for this team's success, or Phil Coke's completely undeserved sense of achievement?

Answer: Neither!

What really got me was after Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira went back-to-back in the bottom of the eighth. Everyone's favorite captain, Derek Jeter, knew exactly where the cameras would be, so he sat down right in between Teix and Damon as they excitedly discussed their bombs, not even paying attention to the conversation, just catching a tan in their sunshine.

Girardi should start getting advice from Jeter about strategy. That one definitely took the cake.

Enjoy the win, Yankee fans. Enjoy the sweep. Just don't get too confident. You've got a liability in the bullpen who is a favorite of your manager, who is an even greater liability.

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