Three Card Monte At Yankee Stadium

According to an article in the New York Times:

Tony Peña was interviewed on Wednesday for the Yankees’ managerial opening and a decision may be made as early as Friday between Peña, Don Mattingly, and Joe Girardi.

I started reading the Times sports page last night when Game 1 of the World Series became a Red Sox festival and the score reached 13-1. The muted drone of the television will draw me back if anything of import happens, which is unlikely. The sound of the fan is more exciting. Baseball is really now just inserted dialog between commercials, Fox television turns it into an orgy of faux-patriotism, and listening to Tim McCarver is sheer hell. Add to all of that the timing of the first pitch and the hours upon dull hours of "play", and I am not even sure why I bother.

I guess if it wasn't the Red Sox I would be waiting until a final game to watch, but having grown-up in Boston I have a passing interest in the result.

Living in New York, I enjoy watching the Yankee fans (who insist there is no rivalry with the Red Sox) go on and on and on about how they don't care who wins. Why do they squirm so much when they say that, and why do they go on and on if they don't care?

In reality, I don't care!

But the above-referenced article caught my eye. I am a fan of all three of the former players who are now candidates for the job of manager of the Yankees.

Tony Peña was a brilliant catcher and, like many catchers, moved easily into the ranks of coaching. Same with Joe Girardi. Don Mattingly is my second-favorite first baseman of all time (after Willie McCovey).

I would rank them like this:

For smarts, hire Peña.

For good-looks (so often important in New York City), hire Girardi.

For sentimentality, hire Mattingly.

I hope they give Peña the job, but it is impossible to predict what happens in the Yankees front office.

Good luck to all the candidates.


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