What’s wrong with Girardi?

The Knoxville News Sentinel has a few interesting insights into the Joe Girardi saga:

Florida owner Jeffrey Loria fired manager Joe Girardi on Sunday afternoon, but before the announcement could be made, Loria reconsidered and Girardi was retained. The blowup came when Loria, who sits beside the Marlins dugout at Dolphin Stadium, was yelling at umpires Sunday and Girardi told him to cool it.

The problems, however, go deeper than an in-game blowup. Girardi was Loria’s handpicked manager, but Loria has become concerned about Girardi’s controlling personality that has been compared with that of Texas manager Buck Showalter.

Problems began during spring training when Girardi belittled suggestions by members of the organization that Ricky Nolasco and Josh Johnson should be in the rotation instead of middle relief, where they opened the season. It was more than a month before Girardi backed down and gave both opportunities to start, which turned out to be a critical factor as the Marlins rebounded from a miserable start to be competitive.

The Knox is also reporting that Girardi has his eye on the Cubs’ soon to be vacant managerial position, but that the Cubs aren’t interested in Girardi.

It makes sense that Girardi is interested in the Cubs. He’s a former Cub and winning a World Series in Chicago would be huge. But why aren’t the Cubs interested in Girardi? He’s young. He’s got an inexperienced Marlins team playing competative ball. He should be the hottest managerial candidate out there, the baseball version of the 2002 Jon Gruden after he coached the Raiders to the Super Bowl or Moe Cheeks after he brought the Trailblazers to the playoffs. There’s got to be something about Girardi we don’t know, otherwise teams would be all over him. Maybe the players don’t like him. Maybe he is too controlling. Maybe he’s just an ass. But there’s got to be something.

For his part, Girardi says he’s planning on managing the Marlins next season.

“My plans are to be the manager of the Marlins,” Girardi said. “Now, I live my life day-by-day. As a player, people would say, ‘Are you worried about where you’ll be next year?’ I don’t know what is going to happen in my life tomorrow, physically, mentally. I don’t know. That’s the uncertainty of life. But I plan on being a Marlin. I signed a contract for three years.”

Sure. Contract. Whatever.