Joe Girardi

The New York Times is running an article entitled, "Girardi is Yankees' Choice for Manager." The article states, "Girardi was selected over Don Mattingly and Tony Peña, who were members of Torre’s last coaching staff with the Yankees." The article reports, "In selecting Girardi, the Yankees set in motion Mattingly’s exit from the team. 'Don was extremely disappointed to learn today that he wasn’t the organization’s choice to fill the managerial vacancy,' Mattingly’s agent, Ray Schulte, said in a statement."

Read the Article!!

Discussion Starters for Younger Children

• Have you ever been asked to choose somebody to do something with you? What did you ask this person to do with you? Why did you choose the person that you did choose? Do you think you picked the right person? Why/why not?
  
• What is your favorite game? Why do you like this game? If you could change one rule in the game, what rule would you change? Why would you change this rule?
• Have you ever been mad or sad when you were not chosen to do something that you wanted to do? What did you want to do? Why do you think you were not chosen to do this thing? Do you think you might be able to do this thing in the future? Why/why not?
  
• Would you want to be the head of a team? Why/why not? If you were the head of a team, what kinds of rules would you try to make sure were followed? Why would these rules be important?
  

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: Timetable; Vacancy; Circumstances; and, Propelled.
  
• Imagine a conversation that might have taken place between Joe Girardi and Don Mattingly after they learned that the Yankees would offer the manager's job to Girardi. If you were in Mattingly's position would you have wished Girardi well? Why/why not? What information would you like to know about these men in order to determine how they might have responded to one another?
  
• What skills do you think it would be important for the manager of a baseball team to have? Why do you think that these skills would be important? Do you think that people are born with these skills, cultivate these skills, or both? Explain!
• Do you think that it is appropriate for a blog on current events, that seeks to reach a national audience, to feature the New York Yankees' new manager? Why/why not? Would it have been less appropriate to highlight a sports team from a smaller town? Why/why not?