O's to meet with Joe Girardi today...

Cross-published on http://www.armchairgm.com/

The Orioles are going to meet with Joe Girardi, former Marlins manager and defending NL Manager of the Year, this afternoon in Chicago to reportedly offer him the managing position. But what can Girardi bring to this club?

Girardi is a fiery, no-nonsense guy, but he is no miracle worker. He had all the success he did with the Marlins last season because he was dealing with a very young team, with most players earning somewhere around the league minimum salary. Some experts predicted the '06 Marlins to set the record for most losses in a season in the modern era. Contrary to logic and popular opinion, Girardi's Marlins were in the wild card race until about mid-September, so they certainly overachieved under his managing.

Why did Girardi get the axe in Miami? Because he didn't get along with the owner. That sounds eerily familiar to the Davey Johnson in Baltimore situation about 10 years ago, so unless Peter Angelos has changed his ways, hiring Girardi would either be a short-lived mistake or wouldn't get past this meeting in Chicago today.

But if he takes the managing position with egos like Tejada, Mora, Huff, etc., can he get through to these players? Barring some unforeseen miracle work with these under-achieving media-bashing jerks, I don't think so. When dealing with a managing style like Girardi's, you can get away confronting younger players because they still feel like they need to earn a roster spot. Players like Mora, who has been quoted saying that no man but his father (who died some time ago) is "allowed to yell" at him, will not respond to this type of managing style.

Thus, if Girardi takes this job offer, it could be an indication that the O's are FINALLY going to do the right thing here and clean house from top to bottom and allow the organization to feel the full effect of Girardi's direction. From Miggie to the bat boy, all notable players except Markakis, Roberts, and Guthrie should be released or traded if the Girardi era is going to start out on the right foot. Girardi's relationship with newly-hired COO Andy MacPhail could play a role in accepting this job. Maybe Peter Angelos got hit on the head and finally woke up after a decade of disappointment.

Speaking of Ol' Petey, where was he yesterday at the press conference? Or Dave Trembley for that matter? That was a head-scratcher...do you think if the Yankees fired Joe Torre that Mr. Steinbrenner wouldn't be front and center answering the tough questions? Another act of cowardice by the worst owner in professional sports.

Or maybe the O's are doing the same old thing...giving the fans false hope for improvement. I don't care what the front office says about Dave Trembley, this managing position is vacant, and nobody in their right mind would want to manage this team under these circumstances. But there are only 31 other jobs like this in the world, and ego and hubris come into play when someone like Girardi is offered a Major League managing position.

So, if Joe Girardi takes this job, look for the Orioles to do the right thing and clean house after this season. If he declines the job, we're back to square one and probably will have to deal with this for ANOTHER decade.