Post by LARRY on Oct 30, 2007 11:00:43 GMT -5
Girardi agrees to 3-year deal to manage Yankees
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
(Original publication: October 30, 2007)
NEW YORK - Joe Girardi has agreed to a three-year contract to manage theYankees.
The agreement to take over as Joe Torre's replacement is worth an average salary of at least $2 million annually, a baseball official said today, speaking on condition of anonymity because the team had not yet announced the deal.
Girardi was the 2006 NL Manager of the Year with Florida, plus he has a pinstriped pedigree. The hard-nosed catcher played on three Yankees teams that won the World Series, served as their bench coach and was a TV announcer this year.
"Joe Girardi is a good man," Torre said Monday on "Late Show with David Letterman." "He's got a feel for this organization."
Girardi's agreement was first reported by ESPN.com.
Once he was informed Monday that the Yankees had chosen Girardi, Don Mattingly told the team he had no interest in returning next year as bench coach or in any other coaching position.
The Journal News has learned that the Los Angeles Dodgers have decided to fire manager Grady Little and replace him with Torre.
Torre, 67, could be named manager in the next 24 hours, according to two sources close to the situation. Mattingly is expected to accompany Torre to Los Angeles as his bench coach.
