Girardi accepts Marlins managerial job

MIAMI (AP) -- The crowds will be smaller, the budget tighter, the odds of winning longer. Still, the chance to manage lured Joe Girardi from the New York Yankees to the Florida Marlins.

The Yankees' bench coach accepted a three-year contract Wednesday to take over the Marlins.

It's the first managerial job for Girardi, who also interviewed for the Tampa Bay vacancy. He spent 15 years as a major league catcher, then went into broadcasting in 2004 and came out of the booth to join the Yankees' staff this season.

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``He is the right man to lead our team, and I'm proud that he will start what will be a long, successful managerial career here in South Florida.''

Girardi declined to comment until Thursday, when he'll be introduced at a news conference.

He was apparently Loria's first choice from the outset and was the first candidate to interview with the Marlins owner. A follow-up interview took place Oct. 12 in New York with Loria and general manager Larry Beinfest.

``This is an exciting day for the Marlins organization,'' Beinfest said. ``After several discussions with him, it became clear that not only was Joe ready to manage, but he is the right guy to manage the Florida Marlins. Joe has a tremendous reputation throughout the game, and I am eager to start working with him.''

The 41-year-old Girardi succeeds Jack McKeon, who led the Marlins to the World Series title in 2003 but resigned after the team finished a disappointing 83-79 this year.

Girardi, a member of three World Series championship teams with the Yankees, goes from a franchise that had a payroll of $206 million at the start of the season to a team with a payroll of $60 million. Still, the Marlins have won two World Series titles since 1997, second during that span only to the Yankees' three titles.

Girardi interviewed twice for the Devil Rays job vacated by Lou Piniella. An Illinois native with an engineering degree from Northwestern, Girardi also weighed the option of turning down the Marlins to remain with the Yankees until the Chicago Cubs' job becomes available.

He spent seven seasons with the Cubs and also played for the Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals before retiring as a player in 2003.

Among other candidates interviewed by the Marlins were Atlanta Braves bench coach Fredi Gonzalez, Oakland Athletics third-base coach Ron Washington and Tampa Bay coaches Billy Hatcher and Tom Foley.

Girardi takes over a team facing a likely roster shake-up. Spending cuts are possible after Loria approved a franchise-record payroll this year and was rewarded with a late-season meltdown, the second-lowest attendance in the National League and a stalemate in his bid for a new ballpark.

Still, the Marlins have a strong young core with 22-game winner Dontrelle Willis and slugger Miguel Cabrera.

McKeon led the Marlins to three of the four winning seasons in franchise history, but there was a consensus within the organization that a managerial change was in order. Players complained that the 74-year-old McKeon was too abrasive, and clubhouse tension mounted as the season soured.

Girardi becomes the seventh manager for the Marlins, who played their first game in 1993.

Updated on Wednesday, Oct 19, 2005 6:59 pm EDT

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