I love this guy more now than before.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-112...la-sports-front

The influx of youth hasn't dimmed the spirits of new manager Joe Girardi. Speaking from his Lake Forest, Ill., home Thursday, Girardi remains excited about his first managerial post. Even without Delgado, Lowell, and Beckett, and the prospect of several other veterans on their way out, Girardi has not lowered his expectations.

 

"Not one bit," Girardi said. "I expect them to win every day. That's the only expectation. That you play hard, you're prepared, and you play to win every day...Just because you have a lot of [young players] it doesn't mean you're not going to be any good."

 

Girardi added that the Marlins never made any guarantees regarding the 2006 roster. They told him the stadium situation would force their hand when it came to high-price personnel.

 

"I didn't really ask best-case, worst-case," Girardi said. "My job is to manage players. They have to make the moves. I know they have an owner in Jeffrey [Loria] who wants to win and he's going to put as much money as he can in it to win. They've been successful there. That's what was attractive to me. When they've had to make moves and trades, they've made great trades.

 

"It's important for the people to remember that when they won in 2003 there were a lot of kids out there...I knew I was going to have a young talented team or a veteran team with a lot of talent. Either way I was going to compete with a lot of talent."

 

and

 

When he was hired as Marlins manager on Oct. 21, Joe Girardi said he accepted the job over an offer from Tampa Bay because he thought Florida had the best chance of winning next season.

 

One month later, first baseman Carlos Delgado is gone, and pitcher Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell are just about out the door, all replaced by prospects and rookies.

 

 

More players soon could leave, too, as part of a cost-cutting strategy for 2006 that was announced Tuesday.

 

So, does Girardi still think Marlins have a realistic chance of competing for the playoffs next season?

 

"I expect them to compete for the division. That's my expectation right now," he said Thursday from his home in Chicago.

 

"I think we're going to surprise a lot of people. Just because you're young doesn't mean you can't play. It's just that nobody knows who you are yet."

 

And no, Girardi insists, he was not shocked or angered by the trades because he said he was told about Florida's plans when owner Jeffrey Loria and General Manager Admin Beinfest began interviewing him for the job in October.

 

"We talked about it. They said there was a chance they were going to go real young, but the trade had to make sense. They weren't just giving players away," he said.

 

"They want to win. It's important for people in South Florida to remember that in 2003, when they won the World Series, some of those guys were really young. People can't forget how young Dontrelle Willis was and Miguel Cabrera was."

 

So far, the Marlins will receive top prospects who, like Willis and Cabrera did before they were called up, dominated in the minor leagues.

 

Mike Jacobs, a 25-year-old rookie from the Mets, will replace Delgado at first base. Hanley Ramirez, Boston's top prospect, is expected to start at shortstop. And right-hander Anibal Sanchez (Boston) and left-hander Yusmeiro Petit (Mets) will compete for a starting rotation spot.

 

But, Girardi agreed, there's no guarantee any of those players will blossom into a young superstar like Cabrera or Willis.

 

"How many guys are rated like the next Miguel Cabrera? We're getting a lot of good players to fill out the roll, a lot of players who can play important roles," he said.

 

"People who know about these players are farm directors, but the majority of people don't know who they are because they haven't seen them on TV yet."

 

Although Girardi said the Marlins have kept him "in the loop" on both trades, he said he does not know whether more trades are coming.

 

Second baseman Luis Castillo, catcher Paul Lo Duca, center fielder Juan Pierre and reliever Ron Villone are on the trading block.

 

"I don't believe it's a fire sale because of the people they are bringing back. They are making moves for the long run," he said.

 

"It's all kids, but in 2003 Beckett wasn't very experienced. Dontrelle wasn't very experienced. When Derek Jeter came up, he was a fine young talented player. Now, he's a superstar."

 

Girardi said he'll probably hire a batting coach, bullpen coach and bench coach next month after the Marlins continue to mold their 2006 team.

 

"I want to know exactly a sense of what the landscape of the team is. Then I'm going to pursue some coaches just because I want to know the type of coaches I'll need to fit the personality of the team. But I know I can't wait forever to fill my coaching staff," he said.

 

He said he and Beinfest have discussed hiring Don Baylor, the former American League MVP who has managed in Colorado and Chicago, as a hitting coach.

 

The two coaches he has hired ? third-base coach Bobby Meacham and pitching coach Rick Kranitz ? are not upset about the direction of the team, he said.

 

"My coaches are excited about the players they're getting," Girardi said. "They knew the team was going to change a little bit.... I do know that if they don't get the people they want in return, they're not gonna make the trade. "

 

Girardi laughed at the suggestion that the Marlins hired him, then gutted the nucleus of his team.

 

"I'm not ticked off," he said. "I'm excited. I love being around young ballplayers because they are very easily influenced and full of energy."

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/conten...rlins_1125.html

I really love Girardi's attitude. He really seems like the perfect fit for our kids. And who knows, maybe we'll be like Atlanta next year with all of our kids. Suprise the world and play good baseball.

 

 

Actually, I like the thought of no expectations for this season. It seems like we always suck under an expectation.

So much for that storyline.

 

One less thing for the panic moders to fret on and on about.

awesome

No lose situation for him. No expectations and if by some miracle he makes them a 500 team, he's a genius.

I like this guy

Giradi sounds like he will be a very good fit for this team. He has just the right outlook for managing a team full of young talent.

I'm sure he's not thrilled by the situation the team is currently in, but his excitement over having a Major League managerial job has blinded him...

"I don't believe it's a fire sale because of the people they are bringing back. They are making moves for the long run," he said.

 

Don't agree. It's still a fire sale. We brought back great prospects in 1997-1998. Didn't make it any less of a fire sale, though.

What else could he say?

 

He's a rookie manager, got duped, and now has to make the best of it for two years. If he bitches and moans he likely costs himself everything...and he's back to hosting Kids On Deck on YES for the rest of his life...as bad as this is, do you think he wants to go back to that?

What else could he say?

 

He's a rookie manager, got duped, and now has to make the best of it for two years. If he bitches and moans he likely costs himself everything...and he's back to hosting Kids On Deck on YES for the rest of his life...as bad as this is, do you think he wants to go back to that?

 

Come on, you have no proof that he "got duped."

Swift, do you really think he would've signed here had the front office told him you'll be in the dark all season? I personally think he knew this is whats going to happen because of the lack of a stadium deal. And its not like we are going to be bad next year. We have a lot to hope for next year as we have Hermida's coming out party, the DTrain, hopefully a solid sophmore campaign from Vargas, HanRam, maybe even Willingham. We will be a scrappy baseball team next year. One can never write off the season.

Not writing off the season, for one, I'm very pleased with the lineup...barring any more changes 1-8 we could have all .300 hitters, and I think we could finish in the top 5 in the league for team average if Ramirez is anywhere near as good as the hype.

 

I do think he got blindsided by the Beckett trade and the rapid slashing of payroll.

 

For one, at his introductory conference he spoke about "winning now" with the nucleus of Beckett, Willis, and Cabrera.

 

The Delgado trade, I'm sure, he felt was only a matter of "when" not "if" if the conversation he had with Loria and Samson was accurately represented. What I don't think he anticipated was a payroll as low as it's gotten.

 

He's always said he likes the chance to "win now" with the Marlins over building from the ground up with the Devil Rays...I don't think that's the case anymore.