My Exclusive Q&A With New York Yankees Manager Joe Girardi

Courtesy of Dove Men+Care, Lady Loves Pinstripes was given the opportunity to ask New York Yankees Manager Joe Girardi some personal questions about his life at home and on the field.

Here is Lady Loves Pinstripes exclusive Q&A with Yankees Joe Girardi.

Lade Loves Pinstripes: Where do you see yourself in five years?

Joe Girardi: As I’ve gotten older and become a husband and father, I’ve come to a point in my life where my priorities are with my family. In five years, my daughter and son will be in high school and what I will want most then is stability for my family. Other than that, I really can’t say.

LLP: Is your son showing any interest in being a baseball player?

JG: My son, Dante, is nine, and he shows a lot of interest in being a baseball player. We spend a lot of time practicing together.

LLP: If I asked your family, "Is Dad better as a player or a manager," what would they say?

JG: My wife would definitely say that I’m a better manager than a player because I don’t have to deal with hitting. My kids were really too young to know me as a player.

LLP: Your wife and you look very in love, and I have read that you are a great couple... is that a main component to your success on the field?

JG: Kim and I are very much in love, and I think that this is extremely important success in any line of work—you can’t perform at your best without a strong support system at home.  Our journey and the milestones we experienced together have allowed me to be more comfortable with who I am as a person—in my life at home and as a professional.   

LLP: I had noticed the braces for the last two years. Now I know why from the Dove Campaign video that you did it with your daughter...anything else you have done like that with your kids?

JG: The Dove Men+Care “Journey to Comfort” campaign celebrates the unsung moments that have helped me become comfortable in my own skin—truly comfortable with who I am. I do silly things, and as a dad, I am able to laugh at myself because it’s about making them happy. As you’ll see in the videos that can be found at www.dovemencare.com, my daughter Serena and I got braces at the same time. I even put on colored bands on my braces to match Dante’s at one point.

I’ve reached a stage in my life where I no longer care about what people think about me having braces or embarrassing myself because your kids are what matters the most. I once made deal that if gas prices got below my weight I would do a cartwheel. The “Journey to Comfort” videos take a look at the personal achievements and experiences that have led Albert Pujols, Andy Pettitte, and me to reach a level of comfort within ourselves. Now, thanks to Dove Men+Care that is formulated specifically for a man’s skin care needs, we can all have total skin comfort—literally.   

LLP: Who is each of your kids' favorite player on the Yankees, and your wife's, other than you, obviously?

JG: My daughter, Serena, favors whichever player has the youngest child and lets her hold him or her. My son, Dante, doesn’t have an allegiance to one player either. He emulates Alex Rodriguez when he hits, wears a Derek Jeter jersey, and recently asked for a Robby Cano autograph.  

LLP: Finally, I went to school at Convent of the Sacred Heart in NYC, and I know you brought the World Series Trophy to our Greenwich-sister school because Brian Cashman and your daughter attend. Did you find the CSH girls interested in baseball? Just because I am a female fan, who attended CSH for 10 years and pro sports were not a hot topic.

JG: I found the girls at Convent of the Sacred Heart in New York City to be very interested in baseball when I visited. They had great questions and I was able to take pictures with every class. Having my daughter introduce me to her school was a special personal moment in my life and that memory will last forever.

Dove Men+Care has teamed up with New York Yankees Manager Joe Girardi, along with Yankees Andy Pettitte and St. Louis Cardinals Albert Puljos for a video series called “Journey to Comfort”.