Girardi, Leyland can relate to Francona

At the beginning of another playoff run, two experienced managers found themselves talking about the end.

The end that virtually every manager experiences. A farewell lathered in some mix of disappointment, bitterness and regret.

On July 15, 2008, across the street at the old Yankee Stadium, Terry Francona managed the American League to a 4-3, 15-inning All-Star Game victory over the National League. There to celebrate with Francona were his coaches, Joe Girardi and Jim Leyland.

On Friday, before American League Division Series Game 1 at the new Stadium, Girardi and Leyland fielded questions concerning the end of Francona's eight-year run with the Red Sox.

Girardi endured an ugly exit from his first managing job in Florida, and Leyland departed his previous gigs in Pittsburgh, Florida and Colorado without a strong measure of happiness. Shoot, Leyland was so burned out after running the 1999 Rockies that he went underground for six years, leading a scout's life.

Hanging around the Stadium on Friday, Joe Torre -- now Major League Baseball's executive vice president of baseball operations -- could write a book about the bad feelings surrounding his departures from the Mets, Atlanta, St. Louis, the Yankees and the Dodgers. Oh, wait . . .

"These jobs are precious, there's no doubt about it," Girardi said. "There are expectations. A lot of times, they're extremely high expectations when you're in certain towns. We understand that when we take the job.

"High expectations are better than no expectations. You do enjoy it, and you enjoy your time when you're there."

In light of Francona's departure, it's worth noting just how good a job Girardi has done this season. The Yankees entered spring training with reason to feel significant disappointment after losing Cliff Lee to Philadelphia and Andy Pettitte to retirement, but by the time Opening Day arrived (against the Tigers and Justin Verlander), they played like a club that had moved on and accepted who they were.

They experienced only one "crisis," when Jorge Posada pulled himself from the Yankees' lineup May 14, and that was the Yankees' fourth straight loss. Two more losses followed, the Yankees' worst streak of the season.

Yet Girardi didn't conduct any slump-busting meetings in which he channeled Knute Rockne. Nor did he attempt any radical lineup changes. He performed damage control with Posada, letting the front office act as the heavies in that battle, and kept showing faith in his guys.

The result is that Girardi is enjoying his third straight playoff appearance, and Francona -- who couldn't control a clubhouse featuring questionable Theo Epstein signings John Lackey and Carl Crawford -- is unemployed.

It's a fickle game.

Leyland began the 2011 season with an expiring contract and with a team that hadn't qualified for the postseason since 2006. He was on everyone's "Hot Seat" list. Then his Tigers surged in the second half and Leyland got himself an extension for next year.

"Most people say they don't hear [the scuttlebutt about the future] and don't read it. They probably are fibbing, to be honest with you," Leyland said. "I knew all about it.

"But it's what we do. You have to be strong in this game and you have to accept it."

You accept the good times; Girardi (2009 Yankees) and Leyland (1997 Marlins) each owns a manager's World Series ring. And you accept that it probably won't end well.

And that down the road, other veteran managers might be discussing your departure from the fraternity.