Baseball fans react as former MLB manager Joe Girardi turns down collegiate coaching job offer: "Buying time for that Mets gig to open up"
Former MLB manager Joe Girardi has turned down an offer to coach the University of Central Florida baseball team, according to MLB.com reporter Mark Feinsand.
Girardi, who has been a member of the Chicago Cubs broadcasting team since he was fired as the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies last season, was offered the position on Thursday but turned down the position within hours.
Joe Girardi has decided not to accept the position as head baseball coach at the University of Central Florida, per source.
Joe Girardi debuted as an MLB manager with the Florida Marlins in 2006, replacing Jack McKeon. He went 78-84 as manager, despite the team having the lowest payroll in the majors. However, the Marlins fired Girardi after the season after it surfaced that he had gotten into an intense argument with then-team owner Jeffrey Loria.
Girardi returned to the majors to manage the New York Yankees in 200, and directed the team to its last World Series title in 2009. He managed the team until 2017, when his contract was not renewed and Aaron Boone took over as manager.
He managed the Phillies from 2020 until he was fired 51 games into the 2022 season.
Many figure that Girardi has his eye on another big league managing job. With several high-profile teams underachieving this season, it could be just a matter of time.
@Feinsand Buying time for that Mets gig to open up
@Feinsand @JohnDenton555 I know of a certain inept manager in St. Louis that he could replace 🤔. #STLCards
@Feinsand Makes sense. He's about to be the Cubs manager.
The UCF baseball team has not won a regular-season championship in the American Athletic Conference since 2017. Joe Girardi has not managed at the collegiate level, but the Golden Knights were apparently swinging for the fences for a home run hire. UCF fan reactions were mixed.
@Feinsand @osknights dodged a bullet there.
He had a better run as a UCF coach than George O'Leary twitter.com/feinsand/statu…
@Feinsand That stinks. I would have offered to take him to Disney
Rumors are beginning to swirl that Joe Girardi may be lining up to be the next manager of the Cubs. Chicago, which was expected to be more competitive this season as the team emerges from a rebuild, is sitting at 26-35 under manager David Ross.
It's the fourth-worst record in the National League, and the Cubs are just one game ahead of the rival Cardinals at the bottom of the NL Central. However, given the lack of quality in the division, Chicago is still just seven games out of first place.
@Feinsand Well thank fuck it didn't happen. We almost hired a guy that had no intention of being on campus more than a couple hours 😆
Hope that Wallace is still an option
WHAT THE HELL…WE JUST GOT BLUE BALLED twitter.com/feinsand/statu… https://t.co/kHPDXPpg0y
@Feinsand @byalexcoffey He wouldn’t play any of the players since they are under 30.
Girardi is a native of Peoria, Illinois, which is on the outskirts of Chicago. He began his MLB playing career with the Cubs in 1989 and played two stints with the team in 15-year catching career.
@Feinsand He must have something cooking in the majors
Joe Girardi has just three losing records in 14 seasons of managing in the majors
Girardi has only three losing seasons – the last of which was a partial season – in 14 years of managing major league teams. Two of those came with the Phillies.