Girardi plans to change his uniform number to 28
Photo credit: Getty Images | Manager Joe Girardi #27 of the New York Yankees celebrate after their 7-3 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Six. (November 4, 2009)
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Before Wednesday night, the No. 27 on Joe Girardi's back was nothing more than a bull's-eye, a reminder of his unfulfilled promise. But all that changed with the Yankees' 7-3 victory over the Phillies in Game 6, when Girardi became the first to play and manage for the same championship team since Billy Martin led the Yankees to the 1977 title.
As for his No. 27, now etched in history as the club's 27th world championship, Girardi now can say he delivered on the vow he made when he replaced Joe Torre before 2008 - a season that ended without a postseason berth for the first time since 1993.
He resisted the urge to say "I told you so" when he stood at the podium but did admit to great satisfaction. "Well, there is, for this whole organization," he said. "Tony La Russa, I know he did it in St. Louis and that was kind of the idea I got, and I have so much respect for him and all the managers I have played for.
"I really believe in this club, I've always believed in this organization, the job the Steinbrenner family has done, [Brian] Cashman and his staff. It's where we wanted to be, and the guys did it."
When asked about Girardi backing up the prediction from his introductory news conference, Derek Jeter laughed. "He's off the hook now, huh?" the shortstop said.
"I think he's well aware from playing here that when you're on this team, the expectation is to win a championship."
Which is why Girardi already plans to keep the pressure on both himself and his team as the Yankees try to repeat in 2010. Speaking Thursday during his weekly spot on WFAN, Girardi suggested that he will switch to No. 28 for next season, apparently not planning to rest on his laurels.
"That's something I talked about to Brian Cashman briefly today and I want to talk to him about it more tomorrow," Girardi said during the radio interview. "But I think I will [change to 28]. I got to talk to Shelley Duncan, see if he allows me to wear it. I think I'm going to make a number change."
In Torre, Girardi had an impossible act to follow. His predecessor led the Yankees to four world championships and 12 consecutive postseason appearances. Torre won the World Series in his managerial debut for the Yankees in 1996. Girardi did it in his sophomore season, perhaps needing to get another year under his pinstriped belt.
"He was spectacular," Cashman said. "He took a chapter out of Tom Coughlin's book. He did some special stuff. I'm very proud of him and the city should be thankful for what he did."
The Coughlin reference had to do with Girardi's making adjustments in his second year and becoming more flexible with the media and the team's various personalities. One of the more public instances was a field trip to a pool hall for a team tournament in spring training in an effort to promote team bonding. Eight months later, it seems to have helped.
"In life, you understand that you're going to learn from your experiences," Girardi said on WFAN. "You have to make changes and you have to be open to changes because everyone has their own personality.''
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