Loria talked out of firing Girardi

[dawgfan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2547478

Florida Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria had to be talked out of firing manager Joe Girardi after a loss last Sunday, the Palm Beach Post reported Saturday, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the situation.

According to the newspaper report, Loria had made the decision and only reversed it after a postgame meeting with Girardi and other front-office officials. Girardi, for his part, apologized to Loria in front of a subsequent team meeting, the newspaper reported.

"Everyone is going to write what they think happened. All I know is I'm still the manager of the Florida Marlins and I'm here," Girardi said Friday before the Marlins played the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Asked if Loria had fired him and changed his mind, Girardi said "I'll discuss things at the end of the year. Right now the important thing is our club, and I'm still the manager of the Marlins."

Loria declined comment Friday through team spokesman P.J. Loyello, the newspaper reported.

On Sunday, Aug. 6, Loria and Girardi had words after two borderline pitches were called balls in the midst of a six-run Dodgers rally. Loria, who was sitting near the team dugout, yelled at the umpire, and then got into a discussion with Girardi when Girardi asked him to stop.

"Then Girardi said, 'Just stay out of it. I'm the manager.'" a source told the Palm Beach Post. "And Loria said, 'Well, I'm the owner,' or words to that effect. 'If you don't like what I'm telling you, you're fired.'" Another source told the newspaper Girardi's reply to Loria included profanities, which irked the owner even more.

"Loria got up out of his seat and was preparing to get rid of [Girardi]," one source told the newspaper. "Jeffrey can be very knee-jerk. Before he was done walking up the aisle, Jeffrey made up his mind to fire Joe right after the game."

Team employees were seen setting up the Dolphin Stadium media room for a press conference after the game. That news conference was never held, and the newspaper reported that Loria changed his mind after meeting with team president David Samson, general manager Larry Beinfest and assistant GM Mike Hill in Girardi's office.

"They stopped and thought about this, that it would be a public relations nightmare if the resurging Florida Marlins were to have fired a man who turned them around," a source told the newspaper.

Gee, you think? Loria sounds like a real peach of a guy to work for...

[Sweed]

Be ok with me, if Joe ended up with the Cubs. He needs to get away from the a-hole either way.

[Toddzilla]

Good for Joe, telling the owner to STFU and let him handle the on-the-field issues.

Seemingly Girardi has a 3-year contract with an out-clause should the Cubs job become available. This would make perfect sense for Chicago, which is why it will NEVER happen.

[Logan]

Kinda confused as to why this is being reported by everyone today when this story broke (I believe) on Monday last week.

[JeeberD]

Wow, what an ass...

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Logan

Kinda confused as to why this is being reported by everyone today when this story broke (I believe) on Monday last week.

The story about the argument broke last Monday, but this is the first I've heard reported that Loria was actually going to fire Girardi over that spat.

[duff88]

Loria is at the top of my "Hated persons" list. And he deserve to be!

[Logan]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

The story about the argument broke last Monday, but this is the first I've heard reported that Loria was actually going to fire Girardi over that spat.

I believe it was cnnsi.com last week that had an article talking about how the room next to the clubhouse was in the process of being setup for a press conference that would have announced Girardi's firing, but they basically worked it out, last minute.

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by duff88

Loria is at the top of my "Hated persons" list. And he deserve to be!

Expos fan ?

[Philliesfan980]

Interesting alternative take on Girardi. Seems like he might be somwhat tough to work with.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...909894,00.html

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by Logan

I believe it was cnnsi.com last week that had an article talking about how the room next to the clubhouse was in the process of being setup for a press conference that would have announced Girardi's firing, but they basically worked it out, last minute.

Up until today, we could only infer that Loria was planning to fire Girardi (because of the media room being set up for a presser) - this was the first article I'd seen that had the specific details of what happened and explicitly confirmed that Loria was ready to fire Girardi.

[miami_fan]

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald...l/15371796.htm

Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said Joe Girardi is his manager . . . for now.

But the rookie manager's future with the Marlins seemed tenuous at best when Loria, in his first extensive comments since his heated argument with Girardi on Aug. 6 nearly led to the manager's firing, gave no assurances that Girardi would remain after the season.

''I'm not going to talk about that because it falls under the category of next season,'' Loria said of Girardi's future, even though the manager has two years left on his contract after this season. ``We don't talk about next year until this year is over.''

Perhaps more telling: Loria heaped praise on the Marlins front office for assembling a young and inexpensive team that has far exceeded expectations. The Marlins, despite having the lowest payroll in the majors and a roster full of rookies, are only four games out in the National League wild-card race.

''Managers obviously have some input during the course of the season,'' Loria said when asked about Girardi's influence on the team's success. ``But what's important is the product that's put on the field by the baseball department, as well. An amazing job was done by our organization before we started the season.''

Multiple sources have said relations between Girardi and Marlins executives have grown increasingly strained since spring training. But those feelings erupted on Aug. 6 when Loria, angry over an umpire's call, got into it with Girardi when the manager told the owner to stay out of it. Loria has a box seat adjacent to the Marlins' dugout.

Loria decided to fire Girardi but was talked out of it by members of the Marlins' front office. Girardi, with Loria standing at his side, then apologized to players during a 90-minute closed-door meeting in the clubhouse.

Loria on Saturday refused to elaborate on the Aug. 6 incident, telling reporters it was ``ancient history.''

The owner said he wanted to focus attention on the rest of the season.

''The only focus for me and the fans should be what's on the field,'' Loria said. ``Personalities aside, this is not about an owner. It's not about a manager.

``I care about the players, and these players deserve the opportunity to finish out the season, unencumbered by peripheral issues like who said what or who did what. That's not what's important.''

But Loria neither endorsed nor praised Girardi under questioning from reporters, saying only, ''Joe's the manager'' and ''everything is fine'' with their relationship.

''When I spoke to Joe a couple of days ago, he said he was focused on winning ballgames,'' Loria said. ``The only thing that really was important was winning games the rest of the season, keeping our focus on that. That's all I'm interested in. That's all I want to talk about.''

If Girardi doesn't return next season, the Marlins might not wait long to name a new manager, with Atlanta Braves third-base coach Fredi Gonzalez high on the list of potential candidates. Gonzalez interviewed for the Marlins' managing opening last October before it was awarded to Girardi.

''I have not made any decisions,'' Loria said. ``We'll sit down at the end of the season and figure out what we're going to do, period.''


So essentially Loria wants someone in the dugout who kisses his ass.

[MizzouRah]

What an f'd up organization. The Cubs would be a perfect fit for Girardi.

[Cuckoo]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

What an f'd up organization. The Cubs would be a perfect fit for Girardi.

Agreed on both counts, which means it'll never happen. It's a painful experience being a Cubs fan.

[Phoenix]

It was either Jim Rome or Colin Cowherd that compared a baseball manager with an NFL coach. It was funny, he was describing how with the game on the line in the 9th inning the cameras caught the big league manager nearly lying on his side and half asleep in the dugout. The question posed was how much impact does the manager actually have on the outcome of that particular and subsequent at bats. Compare that with an NFL coach calling the right play on a 3rd and 5 or a 4th and 1. There really is no comparison. The NFL coach has gone without sleep and worked his tail off all week studying and teaching just to get that slight edge.

Yes, some baseball managers are better than others, but there impact over the course of 162 (or more) season is marginal. They are all overated, for good performance of the team and for poor performance.

Do you think it really matters if Girardi, McKeon, Leyland, or Wally Backman were managing the Marlins this year. Probably wouldn't make much of a differnce in their W-L record for the season.

Do you think the Patriots would have won three Superbowls with Butch Davis, Steve Spurrier, or Norv Turner?

[Toddzilla]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

What an f'd up organization. The Cubs would be a perfect fit for Girardi.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. stop right there. The Florida Marlins and the Chicago Cubs being fucked up ain't even the same fuckin' thing. Ain't no fuckin' ballpark neither. Now look, maybe your definition of fucked up differs from mine, but, you know, some crazy owner and 116 year of being the most pathetic of the pathetic ain't the same fuckin' ballpark, it ain't the same league, it ain't even the same fuckin' sport. Look, Jeffrey Loria don't mean shit.

[Easy Mac]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

Do you think it really matters if Girardi, McKeon, Leyland, or Wally Backman were managing the Marlins this year. Probably wouldn't make much of a differnce in their W-L record for the season.

Yes

Do you think the Patriots would have won three Superbowls with Butch Davis, Steve Spurrier, or Norv Turner?

no

[Easy Mac]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. stop right there. The Florida Marlins and the Chicago Cubs being fucked up ain't even the same fuckin' thing. Ain't no fuckin' ballpark neither. Now look, maybe your definition of fucked up differs from mine, but, you know, some crazy owner and 116 year of being the most pathetic of the pathetic ain't the same fuckin' ballpark, it ain't the same league, it ain't even the same fuckin' sport. Look, Jeffrey Loria don't mean shit.

I assumed he meant a better fit for Girardi, but I'm also not insane, so who knows.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

Do you think the Patriots would have won three Superbowls with Butch Davis, Steve Spurrier, or Norv Turner?

C'mon now, the key to the Patriots success is Thom Brady.

[MizzouRah]

Yes, a better fit for Girardi as I don't think the Florida owner knows shit about baseball.

[Toddzilla]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Yes, a better fit for Girardi as I don't think the Florida owner knows shit about baseball.

Which, again, makes an even bigger case against the Chicago Cubs as a better fit.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

Which, again, makes an even bigger case against the Chicago Cubs as a better fit.

Point taken.

[korme]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

I assumed he meant a better fit for Girardi, but I'm also not insane, so who knows.

I think Toddzillas post went over your head

[JonInMiddleGA]

On the other hand, Loria does own the team.
Girardi is free to do/say/react/whatever as he sees fit naturally & I don't necessarily blame him but I'm just saying ... at the end of the day, Loria is the one writing the paychecks.