Phillies Get The Manager Most Met Fans Wanted

Believe me, I was not the least bit surprised when word came Thursday that the Phillies had hired Joe Girardi as their new manager.  There was no doubt that Girardi wanted to manage again after spending the last two years at the MLB Network following a 10-year stint with the Yankees where they went to the playoffs six times and won the 2009 World Series.

The 55-year old really only had two options…the Phillies and the Mets and I truly believe the Mets were his first choice as he lives in Purchase, New York and was very high on the young talent they have.  However, clearly Girardi was not the Mets' first choice even though based on his resume he should have been.  He is clearly going to be paid well in Philly and likely much more than the Mets want to pay a manager considering they are on the hook for the fired Mickey Callaway for another year.

Probably the biggest stumbling block was and is Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen who is looking for an on-field skipper he can mold, something that was not going to happen in Flushing with the old-school Girardi.

So fellow Met fans it looks like we will get another first-time manager, whether it be Carlos Beltran, Eduardo Perez, Tim Bogar or somebody else.  They won’t get paid as much as Girardi and when BVW calls during a game to make a pitching move they’ll accept the call.